Chapter 1831: For Yourself, Find a Way Out

After defeating Miaozhantian, Qianhuan's next priority was to capture He Xiao and interrogate him thoroughly.

This person held more mysteries than even the Great Celestial Demon.

And He Xiao was increasingly making him uneasy.

He had always trusted his spiritual intuition, so this person could not be left alone; the sooner he was apprehended, the better.

As Qianhuan pondered, Miaozhantian suddenly spoke again.

Miaozhantian was usually silent in battle, but today was a record-breaker:

"Do you know how we found the Upside-Down Sea?"

Qianhuan did not respond.

Anything that came out of Miaozhantian's mouth now was unlikely to be good news.

"He Xiao was the one who delivered information to my Yunshi!"

Qianhuan still said nothing, but his attack slowed by half a beat.

He Xiao? Was it really He Xiao?

Jiaotu's face remained expressionless, so Miaozhantian continued to reveal:

"Otherwise, even if Bai Ziqi had discovered the True Heavenly Gang Array on Mount Baitou, how could he have deduced the location of the storm zone without a reverse formation?"

He slashed diagonally, actually managing to lop off one of the gray dragon's toes!

But he knew it was futile. Defeating the gray dragon statue required immense soul power, and with Jiaotu assisting the gray dragon, strictly speaking, Jiaotu was the final boss.

Therefore, Miaozhantian was determined to cause trouble for Qianhuan.

This method was provided by Bai Ziqi: "You just need to say one sentence to completely sever the relationship between Qianhuan and He Xiao."

"How many in this world could obtain complete data on the True and Reverse Heavenly Gang Arrays? He Xiao is certainly one. And how many could deliver it to the Yunshi?"

Few in Lingshan knew the top-secret information about the storm zone. The possibility of them leaking it was far less than He Xiao.

"You, a dignified True Immortal, have always schemed against others, yet this time, you were thoroughly outmaneuvered by He Xiao," Miaozhantian's voice was full of schadenfreude and malice. "He's here for revenge!"

He didn't know why He Xiao had come to the Upside-Down Sea, but that didn't stop him from improvising.

Qianhuan scoffed, "Nonsense! You're on the verge of death, and you still try to disturb my mind? Still try to slander my subordinates?"

But deep down, he knew Miaozhantian's words made perfect sense.

He Xiao had mentioned the Heavenly Palace finding the Heavenly Gang Array; however, He Xiao couldn't explain how Bai Ziqi alone could deduce the Upside-Down Sea's location from just the positive array. This had always been a mystery.

Qianhuan knew his own formation best. Without the data for the Heavenly Gang Array's reverse formation, Bai Ziqi's chances of timely locating the storm zone in the vast ocean were one in a billion.

He Xiao arrived at the Upside-Down Sea, and then the Heavenly Palace's fleet followed. What if He Xiao had led this Heavenly Palace force here...?

What if the unexpected disaster in the Upside-Down Sea, and his forced emergence from seclusion, were all results of He Xiao's careful planning...?

Before yesterday, he wouldn't have believed He Xiao had such a motive or such audacity.

But the power behind He Xiao was now showing its first signs: it was the Great Fanghu!

Every person the Great Fanghu had ever followed was extraordinary.

"Your subordinate?" Miaozhantian chuckled. "Do you really think he's been diligently working for you? Fighting for you? Do you even know where he is right now?"

Qianhuan's attacks grew fiercer, one claw raking out, even striking the gray dragon nearby. The latter glanced at him, startling Qianhuan.

If the gray dragon counterattacked, the advantage he had painstakingly built would be lost.

Fortunately, the blow was light; the gray dragon was not injured and did not perceive it as an intentional attack.

"Even if you speak with a silver tongue, you cannot escape defeat!" Qianhuan's tone was grim. "Surrender now, and I might spare your life!"

Miaozhantian chuckled, knowing the words were meaningless, merely Qianhuan trying to change the subject.

Now he was even more certain that the Great Fanghu was monitoring this place! And Qianhuan knew it too, which was why he remained calm, desperately trying to hide his suspicion of He Xiao.

They were both wily old foxes; why pretend to trust without suspicion?

After watching the dialogue between the two powerhouses through the Haoyuan Golden Mirror, everyone in front of the mirror fell silent.

He Lingchuan's biggest vulnerability in his journey to the Upside-Down Sea was the Heavenly Palace's ability to decipher the True and Reverse Heavenly Gang Arrays, allowing them to precisely invade the Upside-Down Sea at the most opportune time and location. Now, Miaozhantian had directly exposed this to Qianhuan.

Madam Zhu transmitted a message to He Lingchuan: "Qianhuan knows and is suspicious."

He Lingchuan nodded almost imperceptibly.

The most awkward part now was that Qianhuan had to pretend not to know, because he simply had no spare energy to deal with He Lingchuan.

This situation would likely continue until Miaozhantian was defeated.

And after that...

He Lingchuan's true crisis on this journey would arrive!

The sound of wings flapping came from above. Madam Zhu said without looking up, "A bird demon is flying over."

It was a mynah bird, with a tuft of sharp feathers on its beak, entirely black except for a streak of white under its wings.

Wanqifong raised his crossbow to aim at it, but He Lingchuan pressed his arm down. "No need."

The mynah bird landed on a branch about half a zhang in front of He Lingchuan and spoke in human language: "I am here by order of Yunshi Bai to speak with He Xiao."

"That's me," He Lingchuan took a step forward.

"Yunshi Bai wishes me to relay: Qianhuan already knows about your connection to the Great Fanghu, and also that you revealed information about the Upside-Down Sea to me," the mynah bird articulated clearly. "His Holiness is currently fighting him in the Sea of Consciousness; if His Holiness is defeated, you will have no way out. Qianhuan is preoccupied now, but he will certainly not let you off afterward!"

He Lingchuan was not surprised by Bai Ziqi's words.

He had risked entering the Upside-Down Sea, and the best way to profit was to incite a life-or-death battle between Qianhuan and Miaozhantian, using Qianhuan to deal with and eliminate Miaozhantian. As long as Qianhuan won, He Lingchuan would not have to worry about threats from the gods for a long time.

However, the biggest risk in doing so was that if his scheme were exposed and discovered, he would instantly offend both the True Immortal and the Celestial Demon, with both Qianhuan and Miaozhantian wanting to devour his flesh and flay his skin.

Just now, Miaozhantian had exposed this in the Sea of Consciousness, and Qianhuan also knew that He Lingchuan had been watching the live broadcast in front of the Haoyuan Golden Mirror the whole time. Therefore, an unavoidable chasm of trust had opened between him and Qianhuan.

If He Lingchuan claimed to have a clear conscience, Qianhuan wouldn't believe him at all.

If Qianhuan claimed not to suspect He Lingchuan, He Lingchuan would only think he was fooling an idiot.

With just a few simple words, Miaozhantian had cut off He Lingchuan's retreat.

As Bai Ziqi said, once Qianhuan defeated Miaozhantian, He Lingchuan would be next!

Who told him to harbor ill intentions towards Qianhuan?

Who told him to divert disaster, bringing calamity to the Upside-Down Sea?

Qianhuan would meticulously settle these scores with him afterward!

In Qianhuan's territory, as long as the giant clam remained shut, where else could He Lingchuan and the others escape?

So He Lingchuan's eyes flickered, and he asked the mynah bird, "Do you want me to help? What benefit can Miaozhantian offer me?"

At this point, playing mind games would only waste time; it was better to be direct.

He knew this mynah bird had a telepathic connection with Bai Ziqi, who could see what it saw and hear what it heard.

Perhaps Bai Ziqi was watching him through the mynah bird's eyes at that very moment.

"You're also worried about the Illusion Sect's pursuit, aren't you? Otherwise, why would you enter the Waist Lake area?" Currently, this was Miaozhantian's territory; neither Qianhuan nor the Illusion Sect could discern the details of this area or track He Lingchuan and his group's location.

Meanwhile, Bai Ziqi could see them on the sand table but had no spare power to pursue them. This He fellow had truly found himself a comfortable and advantageous position.

The mynah bird didn't waste words: "As long as you help us extend and protect the Divine Fire barrier, His Holiness can guarantee your safe departure from the Upside-Down Sea and return to land. If the Great Fanghu behind you can influence the battle in the Sea of Consciousness, your grievances with the Heavenly Palace will be erased, and not only will Beijia and the Heavenly Palace not trouble you, but they will also greatly support Yangshan!"

Miaozhantian was at a disadvantage in both the inner and outer battles. The Illusion Sect had a numerical advantage attacking the barrier's foundations, and Qianhuan was aided by the gray dragon in the Sea of Consciousness. Without a change in strategy, Miaozhantian's defeat was imminent.

And the only variable in this Upside-Down Sea was probably He Xiao, and the Great Fanghu behind him!

The mynah bird continued to relay Bai Ziqi's original words: "Qianhuan believes victory is assured and won't proactively negotiate with you; he'll only settle accounts afterward. Frankly, your only chance to leave the Upside-Down Sea alive is to cooperate with us!"

Circumstances had changed; the relationship between He Xiao and Qianhuan was no longer a partnership, but that of suspicious adversaries.

Bai Ziqi was confident that a person like He Xiao, who was unconstrained and flexible, would surely find a way out for himself.

"Is that all? All empty promises," He Lingchuan shook his head. "Miaozhantian's life doesn't sound very valuable."

The mynah bird tilted its head, remaining silent.

He Lingchuan knew this meant Bai Ziqi was consulting with Miaozhantian again.

He Lingchuan waited calmly, in no hurry. Whether Miaozhantian could offer more leverage depended on the progress of the battle in the Sea of Consciousness.

And from what he observed, Miaozhantian's battle in the Sea of Consciousness was becoming increasingly grim.

Luo Xie, standing beside the Black Armored Army, looked from the mynah bird to He Lingchuan, his heart a tangled mess.

If Island Lord He suddenly defected to the Heavenly Palace, what should he do?

Although his favorable impression of the Illusion Sect had significantly diminished, he was, after all, a native of Silver Pearl Island and absolutely could not follow He Lingchuan to help the Heavenly Palace, which had killed the people of Silver Pearl Island and his grandfather!

"Add one more condition," the mynah bird spoke again after about ten breaths. "For ten years, you can develop freely in the Blinking Gold Plains, and the gods of Lingxu will not interfere."

Upon hearing this, He Lingchuan was slightly moved.

This condition indeed carried significant weight. If He Lingchuan agreed and fulfilled his part, he could live quite easily in the Blinking Gold Plains for the next ten years, without facing interference or threats from the Heavenly Palace and the gods of Lingxu.

Although Miaozhantian was a powerful figure among the gods of Lingxu, the gods' interests in the Blinking Gold Plains were complex. Could he coordinate them well and fulfill this agreement?

It would be quite difficult.

Of course, if he could return triumphantly this time, he could leverage the prestige of defeating a True Immortal to achieve it.