Chapter 633: Chess Piece

Ink and Brush Literature, Xuanjian Immortal Clan!

Xifeng Island.

Li Xijun rode in on the snow. With a slight flick of his sleeve, a golden glow spread out. The Mysterious Screen emitted several faint golden illusory lights, enveloping him within a radius of three zhang.

Wang Fu possessed the Shaoyang attribute and was not originally part of the Jiangnan Dao lineage. Thus, the Chongming Cave Mysterious Screen would hardly play a decisive role. As the siege of Wang Fu was already a foregone conclusion, and the Li family did not intend to reveal this magical artifact in front of others, Li Qinghong had given it to him to bring back.

As Li Xijun flew over a small islet beside Xifeng Island, he took out the magical artifact to shroud himself, preventing others from prying. Composing himself, he prayed silently:

"Li Clan disciple Xijun respectfully requests the Dharma Mirror to patrol the hidden, explore the subtle, discern the profound, illuminate all directions, and subdue ghosts while examining spirits..."

Immediately, numerous phantasms appeared before him. His vision was instantly elevated, and the scope of his spiritual consciousness seemed to expand infinitely. Vast amounts of scenery flooded his mind, and Li Xijun immersed himself, gazing towards the island.

He always acted cautiously, waiting for the precise moment to pass the island. Without stopping his flight, his divine consciousness swept over it, seeing everything on the island with perfect clarity.

Xifeng Island's spirit-suppressing formation, shaped like an artifact, had no effect on him, allowing his consciousness to traverse freely within. His gaze swiftly penetrated the roof of the main hall and settled on the vast chamber within.

The main altar was empty; the spot where the ink-black box had been was vacant. Li Xijun breathed a sigh of relief. He then swept the island twice with his consciousness and confirmed there was indeed no trace of the box anywhere.

"I was indeed overthinking," he murmured.

He flew out of the formation, just as he was about to withdraw from this state of spiritual travel, when a glance from the corner of his eye made him suddenly freeze.

On the island, a male and a female cultivator were ascending on fire. The man's cultivation seemed impressive; he wore the attire of Scarlet Reef Island and had a dignified countenance. The woman was a charming female cultivator, holding a slender token in her hand.

Li Xijun watched in silence, perceiving a bright light emerge from her ornate sleeve.

An ink-black jade box lay within.

‘The Bright Sky Stone!’

He shifted his gaze to the female cultivator’s face. The sight of it was disgustingly familiar; Li Xijun had seen this woman back when he was in the Qi Condensation realm.

"Guo Hongyao!"

"People from Scarlet Reef Island!"

Li Xijun suddenly came to a chilling realization, finally understanding the true cause of his intermittent worries.

"The presence of Scarlet Reef Island’s people on Xifeng Island isn't due to some clandestine dealings… it’s because Wang Fu secretly contacted them… he privately sold the Bright Sky Stone to Scarlet Reef Island!"

"The item is indeed not on the island, nor is it on him. Instead, it was taken by Guo Hongyao, exchanged by Scarlet Reef Island!"

He opened his eyes and quietly rode the wind forward from within the Chongming Cave Mysterious Screen. His face was calm, one hand already on Hanlin, resting on the sword hilt, its cold gleam visible.

‘Guo Hongyao… Guo Hongyao… to exchange the Bright Sky Stone at precisely this moment. What a coincidence… what a scheme…’

‘They want to force my family to work for nothing! Well done, Scarlet Reef Island! Such a scheme… they must have rushed here, realizing my family had deployed all its forces, and seized the precise moment to quickly exchange the item.’

‘Ximing never ventures outside the clan, and Scarlet Reef Island shouldn't even know my family possesses that cultivation method, yet they still scheme against us in such a way!’

His eyes, shining like bright stars, gleamed with a frost-like white qi that flowed and dispersed from their corners.

A Nascent Soul cultivator's spiritual sense could not penetrate formations or bypass such shielding magical artifacts; one had to traverse through the Great Void to perceive anything. Logically, with the Chongming Cave Mysterious Screen paired with a Talisman Seed, Nascent Soul cultivators should not be able to eavesdrop from the side. Yet, hidden within the magical artifact, he still dared not show the slightest emotion. The chill in his heart slowly receded as he mused inwardly:

‘No… that's not right… it’s not Ximing… Scarlet Reef Island, no matter how clever their schemes, wouldn’t target Ximing, nor would there be a need to go to such great lengths.’

Li Xijun closed his eyes, fearing the coldness in his gaze might be noticed, and a sudden realization dawned on him:

"It's the Young Master."

"Scarlet Reef Island has always been keen on acquiring or eliminating those marked by destiny. They must possess numerous methods of detection and observation and must have discovered something unique about Zhou Wei… igniting their greed."

"Scarlet Reef Island has likely been observing my family for years and must believe we are preparing for Zhou Wei! This explains everything! Such repeated obstruction means they will likely target Zhou Wei in the future!"

The faces of the two Scarlet Reef Island cultivators appeared in his mind. Li Xijun gently exhaled, then rose with a composed expression. He performed a spell gesture, tucked the screen into his sleeve, and flew forward on the wind.

Li Xijun flew aimlessly, yet his thoughts became increasingly clear. Bi Yuzhuang’s face appeared before him, and the woman’s smiling words echoed in his ears once more:

"Things are proceeding too smoothly; in fact, there’s no need for Ximing or Xijun… Your esteemed clan can simply observe; it would be good to return and oversee your family instead."

"To my surprise, Daoist Chen happened to be traveling here and generously offered his assistance… I merely stumbled upon him by chance; it was truly a pleasant surprise…"

Her words now made Li Xijun increasingly convinced that there had been interference from a Nascent Soul cultivator throughout this entire encirclement and assault!

Why did Chen Xuanyu suddenly appear here?

Since the Yuyang Chen Clan was hostile to the Changxiao Sect, Chen Xuanyu and Bi Yuzhuang could have killed Wang Fu with their combined strength. Why hadn’t they acted sooner? Why specifically wait for Li Qinghong? Was it an overkill for three to combine forces?

Bi Yuzhuang had specifically sent him back. Even if he hadn't used the Immortal Mirror to detect this, would he, at a normal flying speed, have coincidentally encountered Guo Hongyao and the other person?

"Chen Xuanyu was dispatched later, not to ensure Wang Fu's demise, but merely to enable Bi Yuzhuang to utter that exact phrase—'Your esteemed clan can simply observe; it would be good to return and oversee your family instead.'"

Li Xijun’s eyes were terrifyingly clear, and his thoughts grew increasingly lucid:

"Changxiaozi’s stance is unclear; perhaps he is unable to withdraw himself. However, it's evident that Elder Xi of the Xuanyue Sect used my family as a pawn. Fundamentally, this entire affair is a struggle between Nascent Soul cultivators!"

"Scarlet Reef Island’s reaction, or rather their move, must have been sudden, which explains why they rushed to retrieve the item at this precise moment. Therefore, Chen Xuanyu's arrival is likewise the response of the Chen clan’s Nascent Soul cultivator, or perhaps Hengxing himself."

Protected by the Talisman Seed, he was unafraid of Nascent Soul cultivators probing his thoughts. He flew forward freely, his expression serene:

"And I, Li Xijun… am the substituted pawn, backed by Hengxing and the Chen clan's Nascent Soul cultivator."

"Guo Hongyao was once severely wounded by Tulong Jian; her current cultivation is unknown. I've never seen the other person, so their strength is also a mystery… whether they can defeat me, I don't know. But Guo Hongyao hates me; I won’t need to provoke her. That fool will surely strike at the sight of me!"

The seawater beneath his feet reflected a sheet of frost and snow as he thought coldly:

"Whether this conjecture is correct, I'll soon find out!"

Li Xijun continued riding on the snow. A quarter of an hour later, he suddenly felt a faint stirring in his mind, and his direction subtly shifted without his conscious awareness. A surge of cold energy then rushed up from his Qi Sea acupoint, alerting him. His feet held their new course, and he sneered inwardly.

"As expected!"