Chapter 1982: Intelligence

Zu'an called several times in a row, but the connection never went through.

It was well-known that the audio-visual mirror was often connected to its owner's soul, allowing them to sense it immediately, even if it was kept in a storage space. Such a situation could arise for several reasons: either the other party lacked the elemental stones needed to power the mirror, or their current environment made it inconvenient to connect, or they might be severely injured or unconscious, rendering them unable to sense the call at all. As a sect leader, Yun Jianyue would certainly not be short of elemental stones for the mirror. Therefore, it was clearly one of the latter two possibilities. His heart sank at the thought.

With this in mind, he immediately sent someone to summon the Embroidered Uniform Guards to inquire if they had any recent intelligence regarding the Demonic Sect. While waiting, he pondered for a moment and then dialed Yan Xuehen's audio-visual mirror. He realized he needed to inform them about the demon invasion first.

This time, the connection was established quickly. Water-like ripples spread across the mirror's surface, and soon a cold, peerless woman appeared within it. The woman was also startled to see him. "I thought the imperial court was looking for me for something," she said. This was an official imperial court account, and as the abbess of White Jade Capital, Yan Xuehen naturally had some formal connections with the government.

"If you knew it was me, you wouldn't have answered?" Zu'an sighed. Yan Xuehen did not reply, but her eyes flickered, seemingly glancing behind him. Zu'an replied, "Don't worry, I'm the only one in the room right now. No one else will overhear our conversation." Given his status, when he stated he needed to discuss confidential matters, no one guarding the audio-visual mirror would dare remain.

Yan Xuehen's cheeks flushed slightly. "We are open and honorable; there's nothing that can't be overheard." Zu'an was speechless. This woman clearly cared deeply, yet she spoke with such duplicity. Ordinarily, he would have seized the opportunity to tease her a little, but he wasn't in the mood today. Instead, he immediately briefed her on the spatial rifts and the demon invasion.

Yan Xuehen's expression changed slightly. "Is this the end of the world?" "The situation isn't that dire..." Zu'an briefly explained the imperial court's recent countermeasures. "Several more spatial rifts have been discovered, but the court's experts suppressed them in time. The only strange thing is that the subsequent invaders don't seem to be as powerful as the War Priests we encountered before."

Yan Xuehen said gravely, "Could it be a tactic to lull you into a false sense of security? Waiting for everyone to grow accustomed and relax before those powerful beings suddenly invade?" "I can't rule out that possibility," Zu'an replied, troubled. "But it's also an unsolvable problem. It's unrealistic to expect everyone to remain constantly vigilant."

After a moment of thought, Yan Xuehen said, "Eliminating demons and defending the righteous path is also the responsibility of our Daoist sect. Let us contribute to this effort. We can dispatch disciples to patrol various secret realms across the land." Zu'an was momentarily stunned. He hadn't considered this before. Indeed, for the past few decades, the imperial court's strategy towards the Daoist sect had primarily been one of restriction and containment, fearing their immense power from the past. Over these decades, the Daoist sect had indeed weakened considerably compared to its peak. However, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. The Daoist sect still possessed a good number of masters and geniuses. Zhao Hao had previously guarded against the Daoist sect, but Zu'an had no such motive. Even putting aside his personal relationships with many Daoist practitioners, for the public good of repelling the demon invasion, there was no reason to restrict the Daoist sect further.

Thinking this, Zu'an nodded. "Good, let the Daoist sect mobilize. I will arrange for people from the academy to liaise with you, allowing you to participate under the guise of cooperating with the Imperial Academy." The imperial court had long been wary of the Daoist sect. If they took too large a step initially, it could easily provoke backlash from stubborn factions within the court and throughout the land.

Yan Xuehen was taken aback. "Don't you need to discuss this with the Empress Dowager and the Empress?" She naturally understood the immense implications of this matter and was momentarily incredulous. "No need," Zu'an waved his hand. This was something he could decide on his own.

"I almost forgot you're the Regent of the imperial court now." Yan Xuehen pursed her lips and smiled lightly. Her thoughts were pure, and she didn't suspect any illicit relationship between him and the Empress Dowager or Empress. She then rose and bowed solemnly to Zu'an. "Ah Zu, on behalf of the countless disciples of the Daoist sect, I thank you. If not for your support, the Daoist sect would likely be destined to perish in the river of history."

Zu'an was startled and quickly moved to help her up, only then realizing they were merely communicating through the audio-visual mirror. "There's no need for that; this is what I should do." "We truly need to thank you properly. You've brought rebirth to the Daoist sect," Yan Xuehen said seriously.

Zu'an couldn't help but chuckle. "If you truly want to thank me, wouldn't just saying it be a bit too perfunctory?" "What kind of thanks do you want?" Yan Xuehen's jade-like cheeks flushed, though it was unclear what she was thinking. "You know," he replied. Zu'an couldn't help but sigh, feeling the peerless beauty and unique ethereal aura of the woman on the other side, even through the audio-visual mirror.

"Then I'll have Chuyan thank you," Yan Xuehen said, not daring to take his bait. Just then, a surprised voice came from the audio-visual mirror. "Master, what did you say you want me to thank him for?" Immediately after, the sound of a door opening was heard, and a blue-robed figure was vaguely seen entering the room. "Chuyan!" Zu'an was overjoyed. It had been a long time since he had seen her. "Ah Zu?" Chu Chuyan was both surprised and delighted. "So Master, you were chatting with Ah Zu." "He has important news to convey to the Daoist sect, concerning the demon invasion," Yan Xuehen's heart skipped a beat. Fearing Chu Chuyan might misunderstand, she quickly explained, simultaneously giving Zu'an a discreet glare, signaling him not to speak carelessly.

"What!" Chu Chuyan was utterly shocked to hear this, yet she also felt a sense of foreboding, as she and Zu'an had witnessed many wondrous beings together in the secret realms. After the two of them explained thoroughly, she understood that the situation hadn't yet reached its worst point.

Yan Xuehen then seized the opportunity to say, "Since Ah Zu took the initiative to lift the restrictions on the Daoist sect, shouldn't you, as a member of the sect, thank him properly?" Chu Chuyan pursed her lips and chuckled. "Master, you're the leader of the Daoist sect; you should thank him even more." "I've already given him you, my good disciple; how else can I thank him?" Yan Xuehen said, intentionally keeping a straight face, though her heart was pounding. It was genuinely difficult for her to pretend to interact with him like a normal friend. Before meeting Zu'an, she had never told a lie in her life, but now she found herself lying every few days.

"How can that be considered your thanks, Master? You must have a way to thank him yourself." Chu Chuyan had no idea how much her words startled Yan Xuehen. Yan Xuehen's heart pounded with alarm, and she dared not continue the topic. She quickly turned to Zu'an and asked, "Ah Zu, I've felt that you've been somewhat distracted since earlier. Has something happened?"

"It's about Sect Leader Yun and Honglei. Lu Sanyuan's army appeared near Purple Mountain, and as the sect leader, she was completely unaware. She decided to return to the main altar to investigate, but there's been no news since. Just now, I tried contacting her with the audio-visual mirror, but I couldn't get through at all," Zu'an said, frowning. Yan Xuehen and Chu Chuyan were startled. Ordinarily, they might have made a sarcastic remark or two, as Yun Jianyue and Qiu Honglei were major rivals in their lives, but at this moment, with the two women's safety at stake, they had no other thoughts.

"Ah Zu, don't worry. That vixen has been fighting me for most of her life; I know her capabilities best. She's always been the one to harm others, never the other way around. Even if she encounters danger, she most likely has a way to deal with it. Moreover, Honglei's cultivation isn't weak. With the two of them working together, they're surely capable of protecting themselves." As long as the topic didn't involve Zu'an, Yan Xuehen remained the world-renowned Grandmaster. Although not as cunning as Yun Jianyue, being her long-time opponent and subtly holding the upper hand meant she was incredibly intelligent and offered a keen analysis to comfort him. Zu'an felt a slight sense of relief upon hearing her logical explanation; he had been flustered due to worry.

Chu Chuyan said, "Perhaps I should make a trip to the Demonic Sect." Yan Xuehen was startled and quickly said, "If it's a situation that even Yun Jianyue can't handle, wouldn't your going just cause more trouble and worry Ah Zu? Let me go instead."

Zu'an shook his head. "You still need to contact the various Daoist sects and organize preparations against the demons. I'll make the trip to Qiu Chi myself." Although he wished to meet the two women, he couldn't let personal matters interfere with public duty.

Yan Xuehen also understood her responsibilities and did not insist further. "Do you have any intelligence on the Demonic Sect, and do you know where Qiu Chi is located?" "I only know it's somewhere within a certain mountain range, but I don't know the exact location," Zu'an shook his head. The Demonic Sect had opposed the imperial court for so many years; if their headquarters had been exposed, they would have been struck by the court's thunderous might long ago. For years, they had been extremely careful, never allowing the court to uncover their precise location. "I do have some intelligence..." Yan Xuehen slowly began, telling him everything she knew.