Chapter 1377: Double-Faced Heterochromatic Fox Face, Ruins Blocking the Way with Knife-Leaning Person

Wei An departed.

Despite Yue Gongli's sincere pleas, he had refused twice.

But when this shameless man pressed for a third time—and seemed prepared for a fourth and fifth—Yue Gongli still ended up taking two war-weary survivors from Sheng Shen Dian Tang with him.

From that moment on, only two individuals remained within the Sheng Jie's reach.

Yue Gongli glanced at the Xuanwu Jin Ta and saw that only the Tianji Array had been damaged. The core components related to the Sheng Gong trial itself were intact, just as Cen Qiaofu had claimed.

"Old Senior Cen, I may have offended you earlier, but you know who I am, don't you?" he transmitted via voice.

With a boom, Cen Qiaofu, caught off guard, was struck by lightning and plummeted deep into the ground. He barely endured that blow from the Sheng Jie.

After pulling himself out and surveying the area, Cen Qiaofu confirmed that the voice could only be Yue Gongli's. He was astonished and speechless.

"I am Yue Gongli, my sister is Yue Gongnu, and my brother-in-law is Ba Zun An—he is our Shengnu leader!"

"In a sense, you could say I'm half a Shengnu person myself!"

Yue Gongli squatted on the mountaintop, watching the old woodcutter endure the tribulation from afar. His voice transmissions became warmer, even affectionate.

Cen Qiaofu was completely bewildered.

Of course, he was aware of the complex relationships involved.

But why had Yue Gongli presented one face in front of Wei An and a completely different one after his departure?

Was it genuine?

Or an act?

Cen Qiaofu didn't trust it and became more wary.

Yue Gongli rested his chin in his hands, appearing genuinely interested only in observing the tribulation. In private, he sent another transmission:

"Old Senior, it's just the two of us here."

"That flashy old Daoist isn't around, and no one can intercept my transmissions, so you don't need to worry."

"Honestly, my brother-in-law told me your task is to destroy the various nodes of the Tianji Array, right?"

Cen Qiaofu's heart skipped a beat.

He was indeed on a mission.

It wasn't merely about destroying the nodes—he also had to utilize the tribulation itself to hold back as many people as possible.

Wang Da Chui and Fang Fang were merely minor players.

During the Sheng Jie, he could restrain multiple Ban Sheng experts, not just one.

Seizing this opportunity, he needed to carve a path from the Xuanwu Pulse all the way to the Ran Ming Yi Zhi, dragging everyone he could with him.

This was just the beginning.

The drawback was that the more Ban Sheng the Sheng Jie targeted, the stronger it would become.

Even someone as powerful as Cen Qiaofu might end up being struck dead halfway through.

But he dared to proceed because he was fully prepared—not just mentally.

Yue Gongli could see that one part of his task was simple, but the real challenge was that Cen Qiaofu couldn't discern whether this man was bluffing or truly an insider.

"Did Ba Zun An not mention anything to you?" On the mountaintop, Yue Gongli sighed slightly at the old woodcutter's silence. "Well, that's just his style. He didn't even tell Xu Xiao Shou about Void Island—he always treats people like pawns."

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Under the Sheng Jie, Cen Qiaofu finally spoke, his voice booming and full of vitality, broadcasting to all directions.

Cen Qiaofu didn't believe it!

How could he reveal everything just because this cunning fox was probing him?

"Don't be like that—after all this, you still don't trust me?"

"I'm taking a huge risk just to contact you like this, one-on-one!"

Yue Gongli didn't reply directly and continued his transmission:

"That flashy old Daoist's Tianji Array diagram—I looked at it. There are too many nodes for you to destroy them all."

"Even if you could, and you exceeded my expectations... believe me, your destruction speed can't match his reconstruction speed."

"Once the Sheng Jie ends, you're as good as dead!"

Cen Qiaofu began to move.

He pressed on through the Sheng Jie, remaining silent as he sped toward the Qinglong Pulse from the Xuanwu Pulse.

Wherever he went, the lightning raged.

He didn't even need to actively destroy anything—simply lingering in a spot would allow the Sheng Jie to reduce it to dust.

Sometimes an entire mountaintop was shattered.

Sometimes the mountaintop remained, but the Tianji Array was exposed and blasted into a shower of starlight.

"Tsk tsk..." Yue Gongli shook his head as he watched, clucking his tongue while following along.

He didn't use any Sheng Li, keeping his aura suppressed to the minimum.

Cen Qiaofu could see that he didn't want to fight, so he had no desire to provoke this Ban Sheng from the Han Gong Imperial Realm.

In any case, with this person in his sight, whether talking or fighting, he couldn't slip away to do other things.

And with him in the lead, the red-robed and white-robed figures behind could only wait.

The restraint had already begun!

Yue Gongli didn't mind being held back—perhaps he even wanted it. He just followed like a sparrow, hopping around and chattering incessantly:

"Old Senior, trust me, truly!"

"If you keep this up, once the Sheng Jie is over, even Ba Zun An won't be able to save you."

"That flashy old Daoist will kill you because you've gone public. If you don't die, the 'Dao Dianzhu's' reputation will suffer."

"This time, Sheng Shen Dian Tang sent out a lot of people. Then, that flashy old Daoist can directly reclaim your Ban Sheng status."

They from Sheng Shen Dian Tang... hah...

Cen Qiaofu ignored it all.

He was moving swiftly, nearly crossing the entire Xuanwu Pulse and approaching the Hei Shui Jian, where the Ran Ming Yi Zhi was located.

Outside the Sheng Jie's range, groups of red-robed and white-robed figures were trailing at a distance.

And if any trial participants were drawn into the Sheng Jie area, a magical light shield would appear over their heads, teleporting them away to continue the trial elsewhere—even if two teams were in the midst of a fierce life-or-death battle.

The Si Xiang Mi Jing fell into a strange harmony—waters staying in their lanes, yet clearly delineated.

"Old Senior Cen, actually, I have a plan that could resolve your immediate crisis." Yue Gongli chased the Sheng Jie like a leopard.

"Speak!" Cen Qiaofu said, growing weary of it.

Yue Gongli sighed. It seemed the old man still didn't trust him, but that was fine. He transmitted the flawless plan in detail.

Cen Qiaofu stopped in his tracks and turned around, his eyes showing a flicker of surprise.

"Run—why stop?" Yue Gongli laughed. This time, he spoke aloud, so the red-robed and white-robed figures outside the Sheng Jie could hear.

"You're truly annoying!" Cen Qiaofu said coldly.

"So, I guessed your thoughts, and now you're losing your composure? Your actions are too obvious—your task is to destroy the Tianji Array nodes, isn't it?"

"So what if it is? So what if it isn't?"

"You're just trying to hold me back! You've succeeded. I'm not like Wei An—I don't want to go through another Sheng Jie..." Yue Gongli narrowed his eyes and looked up at the sky. "But how long can you hold me?"

The Sheng Jie reached its peak, making Cen Qiaofu's responses labored and his movements sluggish.

"You're doomed, though you don't realize it yet!" Yue Gongli stepped out of the violently fluctuating Sheng Jie area, standing on a patch of swamp with a sly smile on his lips:

"Perhaps you plan to launch a final counterattack after achieving sainthood, like a cornered beast fighting back."

"But how do you know I only have three Tianji Array disks with me?"

Cen Qiaofu froze, his actions stiffening noticeably.

Yue Gongli slipped his hand into his sleeve but didn't pull anything out—or at least, not another Tianji Array disk.

He just narrowed his fox-like eyes and spoke slowly to the tribulation-enduring old woodcutter:

"If I say that when you're about to achieve sainthood, I cast a great shielding technique on you, sending you back to the void, and then strike... how would you handle that?"

Gui Zhe Sheng Shan.

The Tian Zu operations channel was buzzing with messages.

Dao Qiong Cang handled each one methodically.

His covert team members had already reported the unusual situation in the Si Xiang Mi Jing—Yue Gongli seemed to be transmitting to Cen Qiaofu, but the content was unknown.

"Yue Gongli—what's your opinion of him?" Dao Qiong Cang turned to his side.

"A wanderer, nothing more." Ai Cang Sheng was concise.

"Oh? So, I shouldn't use him?"

"That's not what I meant—don't twist my words. It's up to you."

"Heh..."

Dao Qiong Cang chuckled and stopped discussing it. He activated the cross-space Tianji communicator and spoke sternly:

"Yue Gongli, some people say you're secretly contacting the Shengnu."

In the Si Xiang Mi Jing, Yue Gongli's body tensed suddenly. He looked up and around.

He even extended his Sheng Nian across the four pulses.

He found nothing unusual.

No one, no Tianji devices watching him, and Dao Qiong Cang's aura wasn't there. The Dao of Eyes wouldn't focus on their own...

"Who's spouting nonsense?" Yue Gongli's response sounded laced with anger.

"Me." Dao Qiong Cang said calmly.

"You?"

"I guessed."

"Dao Qiong Cang, have you lost your mind? Guessing like that! Tell me, did you plant something near me, or is this Tianji communicator bugged? Wait, I'll smash it right now..."

"It's bugged, and you would have smashed it already, but your answer is revealing." Dao Qiong Cang was utterly indifferent. "Confess, or struggle a bit?"

"... Flashy old Daoist, I'm running a scheme!"

"Then tell me what scheme."

"Do you even understand schemes? If I tell you, it's not a scheme anymore?" Yue Gongli scoffed. "Just know I won't betray the Shengnu... oh, wait, I mean Sheng Shen Dian Tang... heh, slip of the tongue."

In Gui Zhe Sheng Shan, in the Sheng Huan Hall.

Dao Qiong Cang glanced at Ai Cang Sheng, who looked puzzled since he couldn't hear the conversation, and straightened up slightly.

His expression turned cold: "Slip of the tongue, or habit?"

"Heh, flashy old Daoist, I was joking—you're not taking it seriously... right? Really? You're serious!"

"You'd better remember this as a joke."

"Are you warning me?"

"You can see it that way."

"Old Daoist, you've hurt my feelings..."

Yue Gongli's voice took on a whiny tone: "I joined Tian Zu, worked for you, stayed in a subordinate position, charged ahead—my loyalty is pure! And what are you doing? Doubting me!"

His voice rose: "Use people without doubting, doubt people without using—do you grasp that? Dao Qiong Cang!"

Dao Qiong Cang fell silent for a long while.

He pulled the communicator away, shielded it with Sheng Li, and smiled at Ai Cang Sheng, returning to their earlier topic:

"He told me, 'Use people without doubting, doubt people without using'—said I shouldn't doubt him."

Ai Cang Sheng stared at the horizon, nodding silently without comment.

Dao Qiong Cang's face grew serious again. He brought the communicator back and said coldly: "Remember what you've said."

"Flashy old Daoist, I was just..."

Yue Gongli's long rant hadn't even begun when Dao Qiong Cang interrupted: "Laugh once."

"Ah?"

"Laugh."

"... Heh?"

The other end went quiet.

After a pause, Dao Qiong Cang ended the call.

As expected, the communicator started vibrating wildly as Yue Gongli tried to reconnect repeatedly.

Dao Qiong Cang ignored it.

Yue Gongli soon went berserk in the Tian Zu operations channel.

Dao Qiong Cang simply muted him so it wouldn't disrupt others.

Ai Cang Sheng turned back: "'Laugh once'—does that have a specific meaning?"

"Nothing much. He's cheeky—I just wanted to unsettle him."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"So, you're planning to continue using him?" Ai Cang Sheng circled back to the question. Everyone knew Yue Gongli's identity was sensitive—half Yue, half Ba.

Dao Qiong Cang smiled. He didn't care about that.

As long as the grand plan was correct, the process, what the middleman wanted, and what he gained—none of it mattered.

He echoed Yue Gongli's words:

"Use people without doubting, doubt people without using."

"Heh?"

"Haha?"

"Hey hey?"

Already near the Qinglong Pulse, Yue Gongli was still experimenting with his laughter, wondering what effect it might have on Dao Qiong Cang.

If it were anyone else, he'd dismiss it as a meaningless prank.

But since it was Dao Qiong Cang...

Yue Gongli frowned, full of suspicion. After scanning around and confirming no one was watching, he finally concluded:

"He can truly see me!"

With a snap, he crushed the communicator.

He touched his ear, where the Tian Zu operations channel device was, thought for a moment, and suppressed his impulse.

"Three nodes, Bei Bei in position."

"I saw Xu Xiao Shou—he... um, blasted me away, but I'm not hurt."

"It was a prank. Xu Xiao Shou didn't use any large-scale explosive Sheng Wu. Our trial participants formed arrays to protect themselves, and he clearly fears Sheng Gong intervention."

"Xu Xiao Shou has entered Hei Shui Jian and will soon reach Ran Ming Yi Zhi. Awaiting orders."

In the Tian Zu operations channel, Bei Bei's clear voice reported everything at Hei Shui Jian.

Yue Gongli could hear the hint of irritation in her crisp tone—she had clearly been pranked.

"Hahaha, little girl, tell me more about the prank—I'm very interested in Xu Xiao Shou." Yue Gongli said with a laugh.

But Bei Bei kept talking as if she hadn't heard, sticking to her report.

Yue Gongli tried a few more times to speak, finally realizing he was muted!

"Flashy old Daoist, unmute me! Believe me, I'll smash the Tian Zu operations device right now and go solo!" Yue Gongli fumed.

"One node, Bei Bei in position. I've entered Hei Shui Jian and am about to enter Ran Ming Yi Zhi..." Bei Bei's voice paused, sounding confused. "Ah? Senior Yue Gongli wants to go solo?"

"Unmuted?" Yue Gongli shifted from anger to joy. "Just kidding, little girl. Now, tell me about the prank."

"Uh..."

"Quick, spill it!"

"Yue Gongli, report your location. Where are you?" Dao Qiong Cang's voice cut in.

Yue Gongli looked around.

He had followed Cen Qiaofu to the edge of a cliff.

It looked like a massive explosion had occurred here—the entire mountaintop was leveled, with black mist below and the sound of water.

"I'm at Qinglong Pulse. Here... seems to be Hei Shui Jian?" Yue Gongli said, hesitating as his eyes widened. He reached into his sleeve.

He pulled out a half-person-tall token and saw it tilting slightly, pointing straight down to Hei Shui Jian.

Yue Gongli broke into a cold sweat.

"Ran Ming Yi Zhi, Bei Bei in position. Senior Yue Gongli, aren't we not supposed to go to Hei Shui Jian without orders?" Bei Bei's voice timely interjected.

Faintly, in the Tian Zu operations channel, Dao Qiong Cang's cold laugh followed.

He said nothing.

But he said everything.

Yue Gongli was furious at that laugh, but glancing at Cen Qiaofu, engulfed in lightning, he calmly replied:

"Not bad, Bei Bei. I tested you, and you remembered the influence of the San Zhan Shen Ling's guiding force."

"So, little girl, it's your turn to take over. I need to leave Si Xiang Mi Jing to shake off the guiding force's effects."

"Oh." Bei Bei's clear voice paused, not immediately emerging from Ran Ming Yi Zhi. "Dao Dianzhu, what should I do?"

"Keep going forward. Someone will clean up his mess."

"Oh."

Yue Gongli finished listening, quietly removed the Tian Zu operations channel device from his ear and shielded it with Sheng Li.

He hovered in the air, loudly cursing that flashy old Daoist until he felt better, then leaped out of Si Xiang Mi Jing.

Hei Shui Jian.

Entering the black water and descending a thousand zhang, Jin Ren felt like he touched a soft, invisible membrane.

Crossing it, the scene shifted, and he entered a dim, ancient ruin.

It was a colossal ruin, vast like the Void Island giant kingdom, with echoes even from footsteps on the black watery ground.

They were at what seemed to be the ruin's entrance, surrounded by ancient giant murals, scattered massive stones covered in thick black moss.

"Sheng Li is completely sealed here." Xiao Bai Wei poked its head out.

Mo Mo surveyed the surroundings, sensing the forbidden barrier's power, and suddenly said: "Someone's here."

Jin Ren looked up, spotting a figure almost simultaneously ahead.

At the entrance of a massive passageway, a short old man in clothes the color of black moss sat on a boulder, leaning on a broad knife, his head bowed and hair disheveled.

He seemed petrified, with no aura at all.

But as Jin Ren, Mo Mo, and Han Ye's gazes fell on him, the black-clad old man lifted his head.

At the Ran Ming Yi Zhi entrance, a chilling killing intent filled the air.

"I've been waiting a long time..."

"You're Xu Xiao Shou?"