Chapter 1756: Heart At Ease

As long as the Bottomless Bag was active, Goddess Fenghu had to continuously inject divine power into it to sustain its operation. Within this small grotto-heaven, a time limit of three hours was already quite challenging.

With that explained, Bai Ziqi asked him, "Are there any other difficulties?"

"Normally, I have no problem entering and exiting the Immortal's Cave; I'm familiar with both the spirit beasts guarding it and the three stewards. But there are two problems. First, to withdraw Profound Crystals from the Immortal Light Cave now, I must have Sect Master Xiao's personal order. Second, under normal procedures, I cannot enter the treasure vault on the bottom level myself. Instead, I have to hand Sect Master Xiao's order to a Scale Demon, which then enters the vault and retrieves a specific quantity of Profound Crystals."

He paused. "Actually," he continued, "all items in the treasure vault are handled by the Scale Demon for receiving and dispatching. We have no right to enter."

"The first problem is not difficult to solve," Bai Ziqi mused. "Today, Profound Crystals have been withdrawn from the sect at least twenty or thirty times. I can go find Sect Master Xiao." Wu Shidao had performed this procedure—signing orders, entering the vault, and retrieving items—countless times. How could Xiao Wencheng suspect anything?

"But for the second problem, I am helpless," Wu Shidao continued. "If I forcefully use my divine abilities, the Treasure Vault's Sub-Taotie will certainly be alerted! And if any other living creature remains in the Immortal Light Cave without permission, it will also be discovered by the Sub-Taotie!"

The Taotie is an ancient mythical beast. The great demon guarding the Illusionary Sect's treasure vault possessed some Taotie bloodline, hence it was prefixed with "Sub-".

Stealing Profound Crystals from an immortal's treasure vault was no easy feat.

"Have you ever entered the bottom-level treasure vault and seen its layout?" Bai Ziqi asked.

"Yes, I have," Wu Shidao replied with a nod. "The treasure vault needs to be cleaned by hand every five years, and the accounts reconciled at the same time. I've gone in with Elder Xu and helped with the accounting. All the treasures inside are categorized and neatly arranged."

"How are the Profound Crystals stored?" Bai Ziqi inquired.

"The Profound Crystals are all placed in dedicated rock caves, categorized by grade, and stored in box-shaped storage spaces," Wu Shidao explained, glancing furtively at Bai Ziqi. "This Bottomless Bag itself cannot hold storage spaces, so that... that's not going to be easy."

Bai Ziqi thought for a moment. "How many Scale Demons are there?" he asked.

"Just one, about this size," Wu Shidao replied, gesturing to show him. "It's not easy for a weighing scale to become a spirit. It's said this one was brought by the Immortal Venerable himself and is unique in the world."

"Does it have independent human-like intelligence or emotions?" Bai Ziqi pressed further. "Does it get suspicious or interrogate?"

"No, it doesn't," Wu Shidao replied, shaking his head. "It's rigid, follows rules, and adheres strictly to procedures. If it verifies, it gives; if not, it doesn't. Whatever Sect Master Xiao tells it to do, it does. I've been in the sect for over thirty years, and it has never spoken a single word to me."

What was to be done? Bai Ziqi fell into deep thought.

At this moment, the grey parrot descended from the sky, holding a small box in its beak.

It was smaller than a woman's rouge box.

"Use this," the grey parrot said, spitting the box into Bai Ziqi's hand. "This is part of Qianhuan's external dharma appearance, which I've ground into powder. It's enough to create a few illusions."

Bai Ziqi was overjoyed. "Thank you, Goddess!" he exclaimed.

The grey parrot then imparted the instructions for its use, and Wu Shidao took the powder box and the Bottomless Bag, excusing himself.

As Bai Shiqi was about to lead him down the lighthouse, Wu Shidao paused, then turned back to Bai Ziqi and said:

"My Lord, I just remembered something. Before the Storm Wall dissipated, the elders held several closed-door meetings, and even had a few arguments. Although they later activated a sound-isolation barrier, before that I still heard Elder Liu (柳) say to Elder Liu (刘), 'The Lamp of Wisdom is about to light up again, in just a few days... someone still needs to enter Kidney Lake.' This morning, I overheard fragments of their conversation as they walked into the pavilion, and they still mentioned Kidney Lake and Silver Pearl Fruit, but didn't say much more."

"I've served in Wenhua Pavilion for so long that the elders often ignore my presence and aren't so careful with their words," Wu Shidao explained. He clearly knew that he was mostly just a background figure in Wenhua Pavilion.

No one would remain wary of a mere background figure for long.

With that said, he turned and descended the tower.

This person was very pragmatic, which was why he proactively divulged secrets. Bai Shiqi offered timely encouragement. "You've explained these few things very well," he said. "Remember, our Cloud Emissaries' words are as heavy as nine tripods; we are clear in rewards and punishments! One task you do for Lord Bai is worth thirty years of your past hardship!"

Wu Shidao quietly answered "Yes," then left the lighthouse and returned to the battlefield, not daring to glance in the direction where his fellow sect members had just been incinerated.

Bai Shiqi watched his retreating back, only withdrawing his gaze when he disappeared from view.

Other high-ranking figures who subdue people emphasize both kindness and coercion, but their Cloud Emissary Lord also emphasized "reason." This "reason" was about acting with a clear conscience.

Although the Heavenly Palace and the immortals were equally ruthless, they tore off the Illusionary Sect's true face for Wu Shidao to see. He would instinctively come to detest the sect even more, because he had been deceived and betrayed!

This was what Chief Emissary Bai had always earnestly taught: one must make people feel both victimized and justified, so they could betray their former masters with a clear conscience!

When he returned to the top of the lighthouse, Bai Ziqi praised Bai Shiqi, saying, "You chose Wu Shidao well."

Out of over thirty captives, Bai Shiqi had indeed picked out the useful one.

"Your Holiness overpraises me; I was just lucky," Bai Shiqi replied. "I've interrogated one batch of captives after another, and only managed to pick out this one person in total."

Afterwards, Bai Ziqi began pondering the place called "Kidney Lake."

The bottom of this small lake had just lit up in sync with the moonlight. Now Wu Shidao also mentioned that the Illusionary Sect's immortals had brought it up repeatedly.

It was clear this place was extraordinary.

When emotions run high during an argument, it's easy to speak the truth. However, these immortals of the Illusionary Sect were all quite old; by all accounts, they should normally be dignified and well-composed. How could they argue so undignifiedly?

In other words, the topic of their debate made them disregard their status.

Bai Ziqi immediately guessed that they were discussing Qianhuan's seclusion and the opening of the Inverted Sea.

Then, Wu Shidao heard them mention Kidney Lake, and not just once.

A glowing lake bottom, hmm...

The grey parrot suddenly spoke, "The Lamp of Wisdom is the moon. This is an ancient saying."

"So, Elder Liu (柳) of the Illusionary Sect told his companion that the moon was about to light up again?" Bai Ziqi mused. "Today is the fifteenth day, the time of the full moon. Why must an immortal enter Kidney Lake during the period the Storm Wall is open? What is the connection to the full moon?"

The immortals also mentioned Silver Pearl Fruit, the glowing fruit found on the shores of Inverted Lake.

"The Silver Pearl Fruit is also connected to the moon on the fifteenth," Bai Ziqi continued. "Moonlight at other times won't make the Silver Pearl Fruit glow."

"Immortals, full moon, Kidney Lake, Silver Pearl Fruit," the grey parrot prompted him. "What can you connect from these?"

"The ten days after the Storm Wall disappears is their only chance to leave; once missed, they have to wait another five years. But the Inverted Sea is sealed, so they might not be able to get out anyway. Therefore, the only reason they absolutely must go to Kidney Lake can only be Qianhuan Zhenren!"