Chapter 732: Long Xiao and Ye Hui

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After traveling through the Void for a time, Ye Hui returned to his White Ye Mountain. Guan Gongxiao was kneeling before the monument on the mountaintop, his head pressed low to the ground. He spoke respectfully: “Greetings, True Immortal. Your disciple has failed in his task, suffering casualties, losing commanders, and forfeiting artifacts. I humbly ask for your punishment!”

“Be quiet,” Ye Hui said, stopping him with a casual gesture and a frown. “You are not to blame for this. Our objective has been achieved, and Xuanyue has suffered heavy losses. We’ve reclaimed all the territory we intended to. They were merely three artifacts, not ancient ones.”

He continued to kowtow, attempting to speak further, but Ye Hui waved him away, and he vanished without a trace.

“What a pity about Guan Kan… He was an elder, yet he was killed by Li Zhouwei. Fortunately, he had served his full purpose, so it's not a complete loss.”

Ye Hui poured tea at the table. After waiting for a while, someone stepped out from the Void.

This True Immortal wore a Taoist robe adorned with cloud patterns. His face was kind and gentle, giving him the appearance of a benevolent clan elder, though his eyes were somewhat narrow. He sat at the table, seemingly in excellent spirits.

‘After all this circling, that old man finally got his way,’ Ye Hui thought, harboring no kind thoughts for him. Yet, he smiled and said aloud, “Greetings, Daoist Changxiao!”

This was none other than Changxiaozi, the Master of the Changxiao Sect, whose name once resounded far and wide. He had fought his way from among the Three Sects and Seven Gates to achieve the Purple Mansion realm!

Changxiao smiled faintly and replied, “Greetings, fellow Daoist. How is your third divine ability progressing? The path to the Purple Realm is challenging; you must be careful.”

Ye Hui smiled without a word, then asked, “It’s been many years since I last saw Daoist Chengyan. How is he doing now?”

Ye Hui had arrived in Jiangbei later and had not been involved in the Anhuaitian affair, though he had heard some things about it. He held no grudge against Chengyan; he simply detested fools and wished to bring it up.

Changxiao understood his implication and casually replied, “Oh, him? He nurtured a promising talent a few years ago, and it seems there are signs of success. So for the past few years, he hasn’t been willing to leave the sect, just waiting to perfect his second divine ability…”

Ye Hui hesitated for a moment, then finally turned the conversation to business. “We've expended so much effort, and my family has sacrificed a great deal. It’s finally accomplished. Have you seen it clearly, fellow Daoist?”

“I have seen it clearly,” Changxiao replied, a strange expression tinged with excitement appearing on his face as he nodded. “Li Zhouwei is indeed connected to the destiny of the Golden Kylin. I observed him with my fate divine ability, and he truly resembles a White Kylin… My suspicions over these years were well-founded. Finally, a lead!”

Ye Hui seemed uninterested in Changxiao’s affairs and carefully stated, “To help you confirm this, I needlessly provoked the Li family, losing an elder and suffering a loss of face. We also failed to divide Xuanyue, allowing the situation to become complicated… I paid a heavy price…”

“This has truly been quite a trouble for you, Ye Hui!” Changxiao said, laughing heartily and cupping his hands in salute, clearly in a very good mood. “Sima Boxiu always guards against me, and the families around Shenhu Lake are also displeased with me. Without your righteous intervention, it would have been truly difficult for me to ascertain this matter by myself!”

Ye Hui, seeing him beat around the bush, lost his patience. He offered a polite smile and asked, “Daoist Changxiao, may I now take possession of the Scarlet-Headed Profound Soul?”

“Ah… not so fast!” Changxiao chuckled twice and replied, “This matter is not yet concluded… Your third divine ability is not yet fully refined, and besides, how difficult is it to transcend the Purple Realm?”

He paused, then changed the subject, saying, “The Soul-Descending Hearing is a fate divine ability. There are many such Daoist traditions in Jiangnan, yet you haven’t cultivated one for so many years. You must look down on the Jiangnan techniques, having something better in your possession to even use a valuable item like the Scarlet-Headed Profound Soul… The difficulty must be considerable, at least forty or fifty years. Why are you so urgent?”

“Once this matter is handled properly, I will naturally hand the item over to you, fellow Daoist.”

‘The old man is just making empty promises,’ Ye Hui thought.

Ye Hui was displeased internally but merely nodded in agreement outwardly. He then said to Changxiao, “Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but I’ve received news that the Dragon King of Beihai has been inactive for many years. The thunder is about to cease, and the situation will become even more complicated then. We should quickly finish this matter now and perhaps go into seclusion for a few years.”

Ye Hui himself was a cultivator from the East Sea; how could he not know this? He simply replied, “That’s hardly news.”

Changxiao, understanding Ye Hui’s irksome habit, simply said, “However, I do have some good news for you, fellow Daoist.”

He smiled and said, “Xuan Yi and Chun Yi had a major fight, battling until the seawater vibrated and even the Dragon King of Jiaohai emerged to mediate. If things are indeed as they seem, we won't need to consider Jingyi Mountain in future matters.”

This news finally made Ye Hui nod. After all, Xuan Yi was indeed skilled, and if cultivators from Jingyi Mountain were to get involved, his own Duxian Dao might not necessarily be a match. Now that Xuan Yi was indisposed, it became a pipe dream for Jingyi Mountain's direct lineage to intervene. How could this not be good news?

After chatting with Changxiao for a few moments, Ye Hui politely saw him off. He returned to the table, grimly staring in the direction Changxiao had departed. After a long silence, he murmured, “If the Scarlet-Headed Profound Soul weren’t so incredibly rare, and if only this old man had obtained a portion from Douxuan… I wouldn’t have to endure his threats like this.”

“It’s a pity that so many of my Xuan Dou Daoist lineage’s techniques have become ineffective due to the depletion of spiritual energy. Otherwise, I wouldn't have to be in this predicament. The Douxuan Grotto-Heaven rarely opens; who knows when the next time will be? I can't possibly wait.”

He let out a breath, rubbed his brow, and gritted his teeth. “As for that old man, he must be doing this on purpose… Now, the feud with the Li clan has grown even deeper. When the day comes for an open confrontation… even if that old man gives me nothing… I will still have to help him deal with the Li family!”

To be fair, Ye Hui did not want to target the Li clan. Having them act as a shield against Qingchi Jinyu was not a bad thing. However, Changxi continuously stirred up trouble, and Changxiao kept pressuring him. Ye Hui was deeply displeased, yet he had little room to retreat:

“Some things still need to be done. We should delay Li Ximing and try to handle things gently. As long as Sima Boxiu is still alive… we mustn't push him too hard…”

The Li clan was wary of Ye Hui, yet little did they know that this Purple Mansion True Immortal of Duxian Dao harbored similar apprehension towards them. He hadn't even used his full strength in the recent fight; he was merely dealing with Changxiao, fulfilling a mission to buy time.

“Once Li Ximing is forced towards Sima Boxiu, and the Li family is compelled to return to Qingchi, then I can forget about gaining even an inch in Jiangnan… Sima Boxiu will undoubtedly try his best to make the Li family rely on Qingchi and will intervene forcefully. Once he gets involved, I can forget about anything from Xiaoshi Mountain!”

“Moreover… I came to Jiangbei to establish a sect, not to make enemies! Li Ximing is not yet a hundred years old; if Li Zhouwei doesn't handle things well… that would be even more unsettling…”

Ye Hui pondered for a long time. He finally set down his jade cup and drew out his spiritual sword. “Resolving Kong Haiying can only be done through Xuanmiao Temple. Eliminating this person would not only remove a future problem for me but also sow discord between Xuanmiao and Wangyue. Sumian is a peacemaker, so this matter should not be difficult.”

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