Chapter 1154: Old Six's Method

As night fell, Shaoji Palace was brightly lit.

As he walked inside, Xu Qing's thoughts drifted to his journey with the Aurora Immortal Lord.

On the way there, Aurora was the Lord of the Immortal Palace.

Before the Nine Shores Grotto-Heaven, Aurora was a father.

In the Time-Space Desert, Aurora was a solitary figure who had lost his beloved.

By the time night truly arrived and he returned to the Immortal Palace, he seemed to become the Immortal Lord once more.

Before this, for Xu Qing, the Aurora Immortal Lord was merely a symbol.

Although the small figure who emerged from the second layer of the world claimed to be a fragment of the Aurora Immortal Lord's remnant consciousness, its veracity remained to be verified.

Xu Qing, from beginning to end, did not fully believe it.

Therefore, the four characters 'Aurora Immortal Lord' were just four words.

But the different scenes throughout this journey, and the various identities revealed, intertwined. The Aurora Immortal Lord in Xu Qing's mind had unknowingly gained flesh and blood and color.

"He clearly had foreknowledge of what was going to happen a month later..."

Xu Qing murmured to himself.

Otherwise, there would be no explanation for entrusting his son before the Nine Shores Grotto-Heaven, or for the instructions given in the Time-Space Desert.

However, as this realization dawned on Xu Qing, greater doubts also spread.

"The Aurora Immortal Lord himself possesses the Time-Space Constitution and has delved deeply into it, so it's not surprising that he knows about future events."

"But what exactly happened a month later that caused the Immortal Venerable to act?"

"Was it truly the rebellion recorded in history?"

"Also, why can't he be seen at night? Is it related to the terrifying black-clad figure under the ice lake?"

Xu Qing pondered.

"Furthermore, since he has already prepared and entrusted his son, why did the Young Lord I am currently inhabiting still die a month later?"

"And those who died with him were everyone in this entire Immortal Palace."

"Why did the Immortal Venerable destroy all life in this Immortal Palace..."

"And after destroying it, why was it still preserved throughout the long ages..."

Too many questions flowed through Xu Qing's mind.

Ultimately, there were no answers.

"A month from now, all will be revealed!"

Xu Qing looked up at the moon in the night sky, then entered the main hall of Shaoji Palace and sat down cross-legged.

He stopped thinking about the Aurora Immortal Lord and instead began to deduce in his mind how to create ripples in time and space within this fourth layer of the world.

To others, this segment of time and space appeared only as figures and scenery.

But to Xu Qing, who possessed the Time-Space Constitution, it was entirely different.

In his perception, this time and space was solidified, like stagnant water or a frozen mass.

It was calm, without fluctuations, and it was difficult to stir up ripples, let alone create significant waves.

To directly shake it with Xu Qing's Time-Space Constitution was impossible.

"Therefore, I need more catalysts to create one 'stone' after another and throw them into this stagnant water together..."

Xu Qing murmured to himself.

Time passed.

In the dark of night, the sound of music and delicate laughter drifted from the Hundred Flowers Palace.

The lingering sounds from within blended into the night and spread out.

Even Xu Qing, sitting cross-legged in the main hall of Shaoji Palace, could faintly hear them.

Especially the laughter of the Fox Beauty from inside.

Clearly, whether Xu Qing was present or not, the Fox Beauty was very happy.

Until dawn.

The sun rose, and sunlight poured down.

As the lingering sounds just faded, new voices came from outside the hall.

"Welcome back, Young Lord!"

Accompanying the voice was the figure of Zhong Chi, the attendant scholar.

He quickly took a few steps, entered the hall, and bowed to Xu Qing, many conjectures rising in his mind as he hadn't seen the Young Lord all day yesterday.

This sparked some curiosity in him, wondering where the Young Lord in front of him had been yesterday.

Although he knew the history of this period, it was only a rough outline without detailed understanding, so it was naturally impossible for him to know every daily event in minute detail.

"You're late with your bow; I returned last night."

Xu Qing looked up, glanced at Zhong Chi, and spoke indifferently.

Hearing this, Zhong Chi cautiously asked a question.

"Young Lord, you yesterday?"

Xu Qing's expression remained unchanged, and he did not enlighten Zhong Chi. Instead, he stood up and casually spoke.

"Come with me to the Scripture Pavilion."

With that, Xu Qing walked out of the main hall.

Since he had arrived in this period of history, Xu Qing naturally wanted to visit the Immortal Palace's Scripture Pavilion to examine the spells and techniques of this era.

Hearing this, Zhong Chi quickly followed behind.

Thus, treading on the first rays of sun in the early morning, Xu Qing's figure walked through the Immortal Palace.

Along the way, any cultivators who encountered him, though they didn't hold the Young Lord in high regard in their hearts, still needed to pay their respects, as his status was noble after all.

Throughout the journey, Zhong Chi, following behind, hesitated to speak several times.

So, when the Scripture Pavilion was distantly visible, Xu Qing spoke calmly.

"Zhong Chi, your recent words and actions are somewhat different from before."

These words instantly put Zhong Chi on alert, but he maintained a foolish smile on his face.

"Young Lord, you are wise! It's true that I can't hide anything once it's on my mind; if I try to hide it, my words and actions are immediately seen through by you."

"What is it?" Xu Qing asked indifferently.

Zhong Chi quickly spoke.

"It's that Li Tianjiao!"

"Young Lord, I'm not trying to complain, but this Li Tianjiao is truly disgraceful."

"The day before yesterday, didn't you ask him to go to the Myriad Beasts Garden? But not only did he not go, he even hid himself completely and couldn't be found by the academy."

Hearing this, Xu Qing's expression didn't change at all; he merely turned his head and glanced at Zhong Chi.

"State your conclusion."

That glance made Zhong Chi's heart tense. He had actually already finished his investigation, and the reason he hadn't said anything immediately was because he wasn't sure about the Young Lord's attitude on the matter, and he also wanted to see how the Young Lord would react.

Swept by Xu Qing's gaze now, a sense of trepidation suddenly rose within him, so he dared not conceal anything.

"I heard that after he returned to the academy that day, he had a conflict with one of the teachers there."

"Afterward, he was punished by the teacher and sent into seclusion for three months."

Zhong Chi said in a low voice.

The reason he wanted to tell Xu Qing this was due to his own selfish motives.

He had a strong feeling that Li Tianjiao was an outsider just like him. Although he didn't know the exact identity, the other party's goal was to try and alter history.

This shared similarities with his own goal.

Therefore, fundamentally, he hoped the other party would succeed, as only then could he learn and observe.

And Li Tianjiao had indeed achieved a part of it; his history was originally to go into seclusion after defeat, but it had previously changed to overseeing the Young Lord's Myriad Beasts Garden.

However, it was clear that someone had intervened and corrected all of this through another method.

The Li Tianjiao in history was in seclusion during this period, and the Li Tianjiao in this segment of time and space was also the same.

Different causes, same outcome.

As for who had intervened, Zhong Chi's first thought was the Fourth True Monarch!

It was just that the other party's status was too high and the advantage they held was too great.

If they could make Li Tianjiao fail this time, they could also make him fail next time.

Therefore, he wanted to leverage the Young Lord Aurora to try and create some ripples.

If it were truly the Young Lord Aurora, these thoughts would be impossible to fully comprehend due to a lack of crucial understanding. But for Xu Qing, his comprehensive knowledge made everything perfectly clear.

"Li Mengtu is trying to use my power."

"As for Li Tianjiao's matter, though it hasn't completely reverted to history, at least in this segment of history, it has been pulled back onto the right track."

"The one inhabiting Fourth Senior Brother certainly has some tricks up their sleeve."

Xu Qing was deep in thought.

In fact, he and the other party had subtly engaged in a game of wits over Li Tianjiao's matter.

Each had their wins and losses.

"However, I cannot interfere with this matter further. I have already made my move regarding Li Tianjiao, and there's no need to act immediately."

"After all, relatively speaking, concealing my identity well is the key to this fortuitous encounter."

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes and walked towards the Scripture Pavilion.

He soon entered it, flipping through the spells inside while pondering in his mind.

"My identity is very important, and under my observation, neither Zhong Chi, Li Tianjiao, the Nine Shores Maiden, nor Fourth Senior Brother seem to have any doubts about this identity."

"It's as if, in their perception, this identity of mine cannot be possessed by an outsider."

"Besides that, those who can come to this fourth layer of the world, apart from quasi-immortals, must possess a Constitution or a Constitutional Treasure."

"So, excluding the known individuals, there should be no fewer than four or five, or even more, outsiders hidden among the people of this Immortal Palace."

"And among them, some should be similar to Li Tianjiao, using disturbances in time and space to achieve their goals."

"They are my 'stones'!"

Xu Qing put down the jade slip in his hand, walked to the other end, picked up a new jade slip, and continued to examine it while his thoughts raced.

"So, this can actually be seen as a game."

"Fourth Senior Brother is to suppress the violators, while I... am to secretly instigate and protect these violators. At the same time, these 'stones' must also protect themselves."

"And Li Tianjiao's failure was precisely because he was a bit too eager, though this was also determined by his identity; if he hadn't acted that way on that day, he would have lost his chance."

"However, these people are hidden too deeply, making it difficult for me to find them or to instigate and protect them."

"So, how did Fourth Senior Brother find them?"

Xu Qing pondered.

And time quickly passed as he perused and pondered.

As the setting sun cast its lingering glow across the sky, Xu Qing left the Scripture Pavilion, and after returning to Shaoji Palace, a method formed in his mind.

"I don't need to find all the 'stones'; I just need to make them more cautious, even vigilant, and feel a sense of crisis."

"As for Fourth Senior Brother..."

"I am in the dark, he is in the open, but this openness is not absolute. In that case, I will make his openness more complete, and if I can make him fall into self-confirmation, it would be even more perfect!"

Xu Qing narrowed his eyes in the main hall of Shaoji Palace, closed them, and in his mind, sent a divine thought to the one in the Hundred Flowers Palace.

In the Hundred Flowers Palace, the Fox Beauty, who was lazily reclining and chatting with the beautiful women around her, raised an exquisite brow and let out a gentle sigh of annoyance in her heart.

"Bad man, now that your wings have hardened, you actually order me around... But, this domineering manner, why does it make one like you even more?"

The Fox Beauty licked her lips and chuckled softly.

A few days later, within the once peaceful Aurora Immortal Palace, two rumors quickly escalated into a storm.

The first rumor claimed that outsiders had possessed cultivators within the Immortal Palace and were hiding within the palace, planning mischievous schemes, and their numbers were considerable!

The second rumor pointed its spearhead at the Fourth True Monarch.

Its content was...

"The Fourth True Monarch is the leader of the possessed outsiders!"