Chapter 1751: Useful Intelligence

“Are you from Silver Pearl Island?”

“Yes.”

Bai Ziqi asked him again, “How did you come to that realization?”

Others who heard this were puzzled. Hadn’t Bai Shiqi simply appealed to his reason and emotions to persuade him?

But what Bai Ziqi truly wanted to know was this: among the more than thirty captives, why was *he* the first to surrender?

Everyone else was hesitating. What reason prompted him to make a decision first?

This reason would determine how Bai Ziqi would use him.

Wu Shidao was similarly taken aback by the question, his gaze falling to his toes: “Your subordinate made some valid points. I manage the sect’s mundane affairs, and I’ve seen more than ordinary disciples.”

For so many years, a sliver of doubt had lingered in his heart. But the cultivation and status he had gained from the Illusion Sect, along with other benefits, were very real, so he hadn’t given it much thought.

“Anything else?”

Wu Shidao whispered, “I… I am from White Bud Village.”

Bai Ziqi raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled.

“White Bud Village is a small village on the northeast coast of Silver Pearl Island.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Ziqi understood.

Wu Shidao nervously licked his lips: “Before we set out, I received news: the ground at Silver Pearl Island’s northeast corner had suddenly risen, transforming a flat beach into a towering cliff! Everyone was saying it was your doing, but I… I knew it was the sect’s work!”

“How did you know?”

“Thirty years ago, I was still doing odd jobs in the sect.” At this point, Wu Shidao suddenly remembered that he was still doing odd jobs even now. “One day, I went to clean the Wenhuidian on Stone Dragon Peak. I worked late and inadvertently fell asleep in a small alcove. Later, Sect Master Xiao and Elder Liu entered and stood before the Haoyuan Golden Mirror to discuss matters. They didn’t know I was there, so I quickly held my breath and dared not make a sound.”

Bai Ziqi grunted in acknowledgement, waiting for him to continue.

“I saw with my own eyes Sect Master Xiao make a gentle ‘cut’ on the sand table, opening and deepening a valley in the island’s southwestern corner. Then the entire Silver Pearl Island experienced an earthquake, and the tremors on Stone Dragon Peak were also quite pronounced. Before that, I had been cleaning Wenhuidian for several years and always thought it was just an ordinary sand table.” Wu Shidao secretly looked up at his face. “The next day, I heard that there was a major earthquake in the southwest, and the valley really did split open. I dared not tell anyone, but from that day on, I understood that the High Immortals possessed immense divine powers, capable of altering Silver Pearl Island’s topography, which filled me with even greater awe. But—”

“But my mother and relatives still lived in White Bud Village! Earlier, I used the opportunity of transporting Mystic Crystals to secretly enter Wenhuidian and look at the sand table. The northeast corner of Silver Pearl Island really had become a cliff, my village was… gone!” Wu Shidao’s eyes were still somewhat dull.

The impact of today’s events was too great for him; he had been trying to recover for so long, but couldn’t.

He had not yet reached the realm of ‘supreme detachment’; he was still a mere mortal. The fact that his closest relatives had died at the hands of the sect, not the Heavenly Palace, had gnawed at him incessantly.

Several factors converged, and seizing the opportunity of Bai Shiqi’s persuasion, he became the first to surrender.

“In the eyes of Qianhuan and the immortals under her, you, your family, and your fellow disciples are nothing more than weeds, mere consumables to be used or discarded at will.” Bai Ziqi looked at the battlefield. “The Heavenly Palace has no enmity or grudges with you people of Silver Pearl Island; there’s no need for utter annihilation. If you can help me bring this war to an earlier conclusion, that would be a great good, benefiting both yourself and the people of Silver Pearl Island.”

Wu Shidao lowered his head: “Yes.”

He understood; Bai Ziqi was distinguishing between the disciples from Silver Pearl Island and the immortal elders of the Illusion Sect.

At this juncture, did he truly have a choice?

Wu Shidao composed himself, and his demeanor became proactive: “Please instruct me, Lord Bai.”

Wasn’t it just about being a subordinate? What difference did it make where?

Before today, he viewed the Heavenly Palace as utterly evil; but now he understood, how different was the immortal sect he had served for over thirty years from the Heavenly Palace?

Bai Ziqi then asked, “Have you ever met True Immortal Qianhuan?”

“No, the Immortal Venerable has been in closed-door cultivation. We heard that it’s not uncommon for such a High Immortal to undergo secluded cultivation for three to five centuries.” Wu Shidao added, “But in Wenhuidian, Sect Master Xiao frequently burned incense and used spirit writing to consult the Immortal Venerable. A few years ago, I also heard Elder Xu complain to Sect Master Xiao that the Immortal Venerable’s responses were becoming fewer and fewer.”

Qianhuan was paying less and less attention to her own sect? Bai Ziqi stroked his chin, thinking, it seemed the Goddess’s conjecture was quite accurate. Although today’s battle already indicated this, receiving confirmation was indeed tremendous good news.

True Immortal Qianhuan was a true immortal who had survived from the ancient war; she must have a unique understanding of combat. Without this pivotal figure, the Illusion Sect was akin to a toothless, weakened tiger.

Now, his task was to also pull out this tiger’s claws.

“Recently, the spiritual energy in the Inverted Sea has weakened. How has the Illusion Sect responded?”

“The sect issued dozens of decrees, requiring the entire Illusion Sect to implement austerity measures. For example, flying artifacts, once permitted, were now universally forbidden; there were extensive spiritual fields on Stone Dragon Peak’s western slope that once required spiritual liquid for nourishment, but cultivation had since ceased.” Wu Shidao’s expression changed. “Oh, and I also heard Elder Jin mention that spiritual energy consumption was still too fast, and a major ‘item’ needed to be eliminated. This could be implemented when the storm wall disappeared this time. At that time, I happened to be delivering something inside, and Elder Liu ordered me out while they re-established a barrier for their discussion.”

He stammered, “At the time, I didn’t pay it much mind, but hearing your subordinate today, I thought about it deeply and was terrified, wondering if…”

“Yes,” Bai Ziqi affirmed. “The so-called ‘major item’ consuming spiritual energy was, indeed, the people; there were simply too many on Silver Pearl Island.”

Even if a single mortal consumes minimal spiritual energy, their sheer numbers in the Inverted Sea, tens of thousands strong, made their collective consumption significant. All spiritual energy within this small grotto-heaven was supplied by the Inverted Heavenly Array; every single wisp of it belonged to the Illusion Sect. The mortals living on Silver Pearl Island were siphoning off spiritual energy that rightfully belonged to the immortal sect.

Previously, spiritual energy was abundant, and the immortal sect needed their services, so they could grudgingly share a portion. Now that the Illusion Sect itself was facing resource scarcity and needed to curtail spiritual energy expenditures, how could they *not* target the mortals?

“In the eyes of Qianhuan and the Illusion Sect, mortals thriving on Silver Pearl Island was due to the spiritual energy they provided. Now that there isn’t enough spiritual energy for themselves, how can they continue to support you?” Bai Ziqi pointed downwards. “Who do you think those yakshas were truly intended for? Had we not intervened, they would have massacred Silver Pearl Island tonight!”

Wu Shidao shivered.

These yakshas could fight the Heavenly Palace forces back and forth, so reducing the mortal population of the Inverted Sea to one-tenth would take only half a night!

The more he thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Having been with the Illusion Sect for so long, he understood intimately the meaning of ‘immortal ruthlessness.’

“Tell me about the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. What spiritual power does this treasure have, and how does the Illusion Sect use it?”

The Illusion Sect disciples previously captured by the Heavenly Palace were of low rank; they knew the name Haoyuan Golden Mirror but could not provide specific details.

“Yes, yes.” Wu Shidao dared not conceal anything and recounted all the wondrous uses of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror.

Bai Ziqi listened and then suddenly realized: “So, the Illusion Sect uses it to control the entire grotto-heaven!”

He had known previously that the Illusion Sect controlled this realm; from large fleets to tiny mustard seeds, nothing escaped the Illusion Sect’s notice. He also knew that the Illusion Sect could teleport troops, achieving instantaneous arrival.

But he truly hadn’t expected that a single Haoyuan Golden Mirror could accomplish so many functions.

Bai Ziqi reconfirmed, “Are you saying that within the Inverted Sea, it sees and knows everything?”

“Yes,” Wu Shidao explained. “The Haoyuan Golden Mirror automatically identifies and displays suspicious or threatening individuals and occurrences on its surface.”

“I don’t believe it,” Bai Ziqi chuckled. “If a disciple within the sect steals a small amount of property or takes a minor advantage, can it detect that too?”

“That… no,” Wu Shidao shook his head. “It cannot determine whether a sect disciple is acquiring something legitimately or illicitly, unless they violate a prohibition. Its surveillance of enemies, however, is much stricter.”

Human behavior is too complex; no matter how miraculous a magical artifact, it cannot truly empathize or comprehend.

Bai Ziqi nodded: “You may withdraw.”

After Wu Shidao left, Bai Ziqi turned to face the battlefield and let out a long breath.

A grey parrot appeared from nowhere, flapping its wings to land on the tower’s edge.

Bai Ziqi immediately stated, “Revered Deity, these yakshas are not commanded by Xiao Wencheng or the Illusion Sect.”

“Oh?” Miaozhantian asked him, “How so?”

“The Inverted Heavenly Array had been dormant for nearly a year. If the Illusion Sect truly worried about Silver Pearl Island’s mortals siphoning off too much spiritual energy, why had they not wielded their butcher’s knife sooner? Why wait until the storm wall disappeared?” Facing the deity’s inquiry, Bai Ziqi spoke quickly. “This meant they couldn’t summon the yakshas from the lake beforehand; it was not within their control, not even with the Haoyuan Golden Mirror. They could only wait for the appointed time, as before, meaning the yakshas would only emerge today!”

“The one who truly controls the birth of these yakshas and influences their actions is Qianhuan!” Bai Ziqi could even sense Miaozhantian’s delight emanating from the parrot. “Your analysis makes sense, and I can make adjustments accordingly. Let’s run a test.”

Bai Ziqi immediately gave the order: the front line was to pull back to within two *li* of the lighthouse’s central point.

The lighthouse stood on a hill two and a half *li* from the lake’s surface, its original barrier having a diameter of approximately five *li*. Once the Heavenly Palace forces fully withdrew, the Eye of Truth above the lighthouse suddenly blinked rapidly twice, then abruptly widened!

It was wider than the tower itself, an especially terrifying sight.

A red light flashed across the barrier’s surface, and it unexpectedly shrank.

Centered on the lighthouse, its diameter was now only two *li*.

This meant the barrier no longer included the surface of the Inverted Lake, covering only the rocky shore.

Then something even more terrifying happened:

The massive tide of yakshas emerging from the lake ceased!

They were difficult to contend with primarily due to their endless, relentless assault.

The Illusion Sect utilized this potent cannon fodder to constantly erode the Heavenly Palace army’s strength.

However, after the lighthouse barrier receded to the rocky shore, the number of yakshas emerging from the lake visibly decreased.

After fifty to sixty breaths, not a single one emerged.