Chapter 242: 望古棋局

“Xu Qing, this is my Grand Derivation Daoist Pavilion. This is Grand Derivation Dao Sect territory. What brings you here?” The young man in the cloud-patterned azure robe, hearing these words, quickened his breathing, his expression turning grim as he uttered a low growl.

In fact, ever since the Night Dove was annihilated last night—after Xu Qing's Heavenly Saber had slain the Night Dove's Three Flames black-robed figure and suppressed the Lingyun Sword Sect disciples—he had already sensed trouble. No matter how he looked at it, he seemed to be the only one left who had conducted transactions with the Night Dove.

Feeling anxious, he had immediately invited fellow Daoists from Spirit Mist Valley and Heavenly Mirror Treasure Sect to come, just in case. Now, seeing Xu Qing arrive and immediately call out his name, Zhou Qifan's spirits sank.

Xu Qing gazed at the person speaking before him. He had reviewed the other party's dossier before arriving, noting that this individual typically maintained a low profile, rarely venturing out except to challenge the Fourth Peak, thus there were few recorded images. After cross-referencing, Xu Qing nodded.

“By sect decree, I am here to apprehend Zhou Qifan, the individual who conducted transactions with the Night Dove.” With these words, Xu Qing stepped forward, closing the distance in an instant. He raised his right hand, reaching directly for Zhou Qifan. A cold glint flashed in Zhou Qifan’s eyes, and with a faint hum from his body, the red radiance on his robe instantly flared. It formed streams of red light that swiftly coalesced into a formation directly before him, pressing down fiercely on the approaching Xu Qing. Simultaneously, he sharply retreated, uttering a low growl. “Protector Zhang, fellow Daoists, I ask for your assistance!”

Almost the instant he spoke, Xu Qing’s right hand made contact with the red-glow formation. A thunderous roar echoed through the sky. Behind Xu Qing, a Golden Crow materialized and charged forward. The formation instantly collapsed, and all the red radiance was absorbed by the Golden Crow, vanishing into its maw.

The protector standing behind Zhou Qifan now showed hesitation. He sighed and stepped forward, but as Xu Qing waved his hand, the sect’s formation appeared. The protector, without any resistance, swiftly retreated, propelled by the formation’s power, until he was far away.

He did not wish to be driven away as disgracefully as the Protector from the Gate of Deviant Hunters. He also clearly understood that this was the Seven Blood Eyes apprehending someone, and resistance would be futile. Furthermore, if he were forcibly removed, it would be his own reputation at stake. Zhou Qifan, even if captured, would likely not be in mortal danger, merely suppressed. There was no need for him to engage in a pointless struggle. Thus, at this moment, he used the sect's formation to swiftly retreat.

Meanwhile, the two Heaven's Chosen from Spirit Mist Valley and Heavenly Mirror Treasure Sect, after a glance at Xu Qing, each retreated without offering any assistance. They were under no obligation to help; the Seven Sect Alliance was merely an alliance, not a unified sect.

Furthermore, they both perceived Xu Qing's firm resolve upon his arrival. Even if they offered assistance, it would be futile. Under such circumstances, there was no reason to antagonize Xu Qing.

After all, their personal presence here had already granted Zhou Qifan sufficient face. Their relationship wasn't a life-and-death bond, so that was enough.

Moreover, Xu Qing's future was boundless, like the rising sun. And while sectarian conflicts might involve individuals, they didn't necessarily define them. Cultivating a good relationship with Xu Qing would naturally be more beneficial.

Thus, as they withdrew, both bowed slightly to Xu Qing, signaling their clear dissociation from Zhou Qifan. Witnessing this, Zhou Qifan’s expression shifted, but he said nothing further.

This was also within his expectations. In fact, whether they intervened or not, his goal in summoning them had been achieved: he wanted more people to witness his capture.

This way, once he was imprisoned, he would truly not be in mortal danger.

And with so many witnesses, the sect's reputation would inevitably suffer.

Consequently, a sect that had lost face would feel a deeper anger and react more swiftly, thereby expediting his return to freedom.

As everyone's thoughts diverged and they considered their own interests, Xu Qing took a second step. With the manifestation of the Golden Crow, he appeared before Zhou Qifan. As fury filled Zhou Qifan's eyes, Xu Qing raised his right hand, just about to subdue him.

“I’ll go with you!” Zhou Qifan exclaimed loudly.

He felt the groundwork was sufficient; there was no need to be slammed to the ground and dragged away like a dead dog, which would be far too humiliating. Yet, he couldn't simply comply the moment the other party arrived. Xu Qing's eyebrow subtly arched.

Seeing this, Zhou Qifan’s heart twitched, yet his expression remained stubborn and defiant. His words, however, offered an explanation: “Xu Qing, although I purchased the Treasure Keepers, I don’t use them; I don’t have that habit. I bought them on behalf of certain individuals within the sect.”

“Furthermore, early this morning, I arranged for those Treasure Keepers to be properly settled. I also had someone send a list of these Treasure Keepers to your Abduction and Suppression Department, for your convenience in receiving them. By my reckoning, it should have arrived by now.”

Zhou Qifan took a deep breath, his expression firm, and spoke quickly.

Xu Qing’s expression turned peculiar. At that moment, his communication jade slip vibrated. He swept his spiritual sense over it, and information from the Abduction and Suppression Department surfaced in his mind.

“Department Head, someone named Zhou Qifan from the Grand Derivation Dao Palace has sent a list of Treasure Keepers, along with a commendation for the Abduction and Suppression Department’s raid on the Night Dove. Furthermore, this commendation includes two million spirit stones and an unknown elixir, which the sender claims is an Enlightenment Pill.”

Watching Xu Qing examine the jade slip, Zhou Qifan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, though his expression still showed stubbornness and anger. Xu Qing looked up, gave Zhou Qifan a deep look, and slowly lowered his right hand, which had been poised to strike. “Let’s go,” he said, then turned and walked out.

Zhou Qifan let out a cold snort, his chin held high, and swiftly followed Xu Qing out of the Grand Derivation Dao Pavilion’s main gate, amidst the silent gazes of the surrounding disciples. He maintained his defiant posture all the way to the Abduction and Suppression Department’s headquarters. Only when he saw that his assigned cell clearly had better conditions than the one holding the semi-conscious Sima Ling did he finally breathe a complete sigh of relief.

It's a good thing I reacted quickly; otherwise, this time, I would have truly suffered a great setback.

Later, he saw the even more wretched Huang Yikun and Saint Xuanzi’s junior brother. This sight startled him. Although he had suspected Huang Yikun’s disappearance was related to Xu Qing, witnessing their miserable state firsthand profoundly affirmed that his preparations this time had been absolutely correct.

He also noticed that he had eighteen restraint rings on him, while Sima Ling and Huang Yikun had twenty. “It seems Xu Qing is a reasonable person after all,” he thought.

Zhou Qifan sighed inwardly, increasingly pleased with his actions. This time, to resolve the situation, he had truly exhausted every method, both overt and covert, to mitigate the severe consequences. Only then did he successfully salvage his reputation.

Unlike Sima Ling, he had gone voluntarily and cooperated with the investigation. His personal reputation hadn’t suffered much; the loss of face was the sect’s, not his own.

Furthermore, the environment here was acceptable. Especially when he noticed Sima Ling and Huang Yikun now awake, gazing with complex expressions at his cell—which featured a table, chairs, and even a meditation cushion—their indescribable looks filled Zhou Qifan with a certain degree of pride.

Outside, with Zhou Qifan's capture, the challenges completely disappeared; no one pursued them any longer. Meanwhile, the Seven Blood Eyes' victory banquet continued.

As for Xu Qing, after thoroughly handling the Night Dove matter, he prepared to leave the sect for a journey. The place he intended to visit was the Phoenix Forbidden Zone.

He had acquired almost all the poisonous herbs and venoms available within the sect, but the refinement of the little black bugs hit a bottleneck after the sixteenth batch.

Consequently, his plan to re-refine the Poison Prohibition Elixir was impacted and could not proceed.

After some research, Xu Qing concluded that the poisonous herbs were not potent enough. He needed more sinister and fierce poisons for the little black bugs to absorb to break through this bottleneck. For such poisonous herbs and venoms, Xu Qing felt the Phoenix Forbidden Zone was the most suitable location nearby. Furthermore, the Captain had mentioned ruins within the Phoenix Forbidden Zone that contained the legacy of the Grand Azure One-Blade, and Xu Qing intended to visit them as well. With this plan in mind, Xu Qing spent the following days acquiring information about the Phoenix Forbidden Zone.

This forbidden zone was located near the sect and served as the training ground for the First Peak. Consequently, among all forces in the Southern Phoenix Continent, the First Peak of the Seven Blood Eyes possessed the most comprehensive knowledge of the Phoenix Forbidden Zone. Naturally, a considerable amount of data and information was available.

However, Xu Qing did not trust the First Peak's members. He preferred to pay a higher price to acquire multiple copies of information for personal comparison. Simultaneously, he retrieved dossiers for review and conducted research at the Intelligence Department. Ultimately, from hundreds of documents, he compiled a relatively comprehensive collection of information.

This compilation included several locations he had identified as highly venomous, as well as some peculiar places that could provide him with potent toxic materials.

Xu Qing also gained a more thorough understanding of some of the internal details after multiple cross-references. He then began preparing specific items for his journey to the Phoenix Forbidden Zone and these particular areas, secretly purchasing goods. He also gave instructions for one drop of heart blood to be extracted from each of the imprisoned Night Doves.

Thousands of Night Doves were imprisoned. Their heart blood, collected in eleven bottles, was inspected by Xu Qing and then stored in his storage bag. This heart blood, he learned, could be used as currency to trade for items at a peculiar location within the Phoenix Forbidden Zone he had researched.

While Xu Qing was preparing, visits from external sects continued.

Daily, different sectarian forces arrived, making the Seven Blood Eyes increasingly lively. Concurrently, a major power arrived, once again sparking heated discussion among the Seven Blood Eyes disciples: the Separation Dao Altar, one of the six major forces within Yinghuang Prefecture on the Wanggu Continent!

The Separation Cult in Southern Phoenix was, in fact, a branch of the Separation Dao Altar from Yinghuang Prefecture. Thus, the arrival of the Dao Altar’s members was regarded with extreme importance by the Southern Phoenix Separation Cult.

This time, five people came from the Separation Dao Altar.

Xu Qing did not see them in person, but he knew from the dossiers that these five individuals were the Dao Altar’s Cult Sons, equivalent to Sequence Princes.

As he reviewed the recorded images and information on these five Separation Dao Altar Cult Sons in the dossier, Xu Qing’s hand, holding the document, suddenly paused. A peculiar expression slowly spread across his face, gradually shifting into one of reminiscence. “Her brother…”

Among the five Cult Sons of the Separation Dao Altar, one was someone Xu Qing had previously encountered at the Scavenger’s Camp. He was precisely the older brother of the little girl with the scar on her face.

“I wonder how she is now.”

A small girl with a dirty face surfaced in Xu Qing’s mind, standing in the wind and snow, smiling at him. As snowflakes drifted down, she handed him a piece of candy. “Big brother, whenever I’m unhappy, my mommy always gives me candy, and as I eat it, I become happy. This is my last piece of candy; it’s for you. Big brother, you must be happy!”

Xu Qing fell silent, making no inquiries. He recalled Master Bai’s words: “As long as you don't die, you will eventually meet again.”

Several days later, with all preparations for his journey to the Phoenix Forbidden Zone complete, Xu Qing departed Port 176 late that night. He sped through the darkness along the First Peak’s path, heading straight for the Phoenix Forbidden Zone!

As Xu Qing departed, in the Seven Blood Eyes’ Seventh Peak pavilion, under the scattered moonlight, an old man with a wrinkled face, dressed in a black Daoist robe, with faint streaks of light flickering in his eyes, sat opposite Seventh Master at a chessboard, engaged in a game.

This old man was precisely the Seven Blood Eyes’ Ancestor, Blood Refiner. The streams of light within his eyes were a manifestation of the Ethereal Manifestation state of his grand realm, the first stage of the Void Return Grand Realm, known as Sky-Shattering Dao. Each stream of light in his eyes represented countless Great Daos. Besides the two of them, a middle-aged woman was also present in the pavilion. Dressed in palace attire, she appeared exceptionally noble. She was now expressionless, pouring tea for the two.

If Xu Qing were here, he would instantly recognize this middle-aged woman as Ding Xue's maternal aunt.

At this moment, Ancestor Blood Refiner picked up his teacup and took a sip. He looked at Seventh Master, who was staring at the chessboard, contemplating his next move, and smiled.

“Old Seven,” Blood Refiner said with a faint, knowing smile, “how do you think the Seven Sect Alliance will play this game? After all, these seven sects have made such a grand display, making it known to all, appearing to aggressively sanction the Seven Blood Eyes. With such theatrics, what do you suppose their true objective is?” Seventh Master feigned ignorance. “I know Ancestor is testing me, but this humble son-in-law is foolish and does not know.” Blood Refiner shook his head with a smile. “You still like to hide things, don’t you?”

Seventh Master also smiled. Seemingly having decided his next move, he picked up a piece and placed it on the board.

“Placing a piece at the bottom of this board, even if it captures seven pieces, holds little significance. But if one focuses on the top, by taking just this one piece, my entire area comes alive, does it not? Similarly, while this Seven Sect Alliance is sweeping southward with great momentum and an imposing aura, their true objective must certainly be northward.”

“The Immortal-Concealing Ancient River to the north—the Seven Sect Alliance has coveted it for a long time. If not for the Grand Director Immortal Gate constantly obstructing the Seven Sects’ development, they would surely not be in their current state. So, this matter will soon come to a head. And infuriating the Grand Director will also facilitate our plans,” Seventh Master said softly.