Stealing Immortal

Golden Summit.

After the huge commotion last night, someone as lively as Liu Tao would surely rush over to Chen Qingyang to talk his ear off about it.

"…From what I saw, it must have been someone from the Demon Sect who unleashed a Golden Core Dharma Aspect, only to be crushed by the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array… Do you think this has something to do with the case Senior Sister Leng is investigating?"

Chen Qingyang fell silent for a moment before replying, "Maybe, maybe not."

Such a seemingly careless answer naturally earned him a fierce glare from Liu Tao. "What's that supposed to mean? If you don't want to talk to me, then just say so! Don't be so dismissive! Hmph!"

Chen Qingyang was just thinking, 'I've already lied to Liu Tao so much. I can't lie to her again.' He had come up with this "neutral strategy" to avoid another lie, but it had only made her unhappy.

"Senior Sister, please don't misunderstand. You know I'm not as worldly as you are. I really have no informed opinion on the matter."

Only then did Liu Tao show signs of relenting. "Hmph. Now that's a better attitude."

Chen Qingyang changed the subject. "Senior Sister, how are we doing on the elixir count?"

The last time they'd checked, they were nine days short. But he'd been diligently practicing alchemy every day since, and now Chen Qingyang was a bit fuzzy on the exact number.

Liu Tao replied, "Not counting today, we just need four more days. Then we can go get the Cyan Simurgh Sword back together."

Liu Tao couldn't help but smile at the thought of that treasure.

Chen Qingyang nodded. "Alright, Senior Sister."

There was another reason he asked. He wanted to find a book about the circulation of the stars. The Cloud Scripture Jade Pavilion only contained cultivation techniques. Master Xuan Gui probably had such books in his collection, but Chen Qingyang couldn't get his hands on them. That left the black market.

He would continue his cultivation while catching up on his astrological studies. That way, he could achieve twice the results with half the effort.

Afterward, Chen Qingyang began his alchemy while Liu Tao meditated beside him.

The events of last night had left him mentally and spiritually exhausted. By the time the batch of elixirs was ready, he felt completely drained. But when he thought of Xu Baoling's miserable state, he forced himself to concoct a batch of Jade Flower Linglu Pills—the one thing she needed most right now.

「Night fell.」

Chen Qingyang sat at the round table as the deep blue, starry sky poured in through the window. The constellations were undoubtedly clearer at night than during the day.

He shifted his gaze to Liu Tao. Faintly, he could see a shimmering path of starlight, one that looked remarkably similar to a specific star in the sky. He studied it for a long while but couldn't get a clear look, and the effort drained a great deal of his mental energy.

This was as far as his current level of cultivation could take him.

Chen Qingyang released his Conscious Fish. Its form, visible only in his mind's eye, slowly drifted toward Liu Tao.

Liu Tao sat on the other side of the table, her mind completely focused on her elixirs, utterly oblivious to what was happening.

It danced before her eyes and even circled her body, yet she remained unaware. Chen Qingyang was now certain that no one below the Essence Condensation Realm could detect this technique.

"What are you staring at me for?" she asked, her voice soft and her posture bashful as a blush crept up her cheeks.

While using his technique, his gaze had inevitably lingered on Liu Tao. This, of course, made her think he was secretly watching her.

Realizing his impoliteness, Chen Qingyang quickly averted his gaze. "Senior Sister, I was looking at the elixir!"

"The elixir?" Liu Tao looked confused, then glanced at the pill in her hand. "What's so interesting about an elixir!"

With that, she stalked off in a huff and continued to ignore him right up until he left to go down the mountain.

The bright moon in the sky illuminated the clouds, making them look like fine gauze.

The gauze-like clouds wound around the green peaks, which stood like celestial pillars!

Chen Qingyang looked up, and a thought surfaced unbidden: 'I wonder how Lin Qingxuan is doing now?'

Whatever the case, he would have to wait until tomorrow. He had to ask Leng Yueru about her then.

With this in mind, he reached the foot of the mountain, only to see a youth in black robes waiting for him. The youth was from the Law Enforcement Hall; they had crossed paths a few times before.

Previously, the youth had treated him like any other miscellaneous task disciple, but today his attitude was much more respectful. He greeted Chen Qingyang with a formal bow. "Junior Brother Chen, Senior Sister Leng is looking for you. She asked me to wait here and escort you to the Law Enforcement Hall."

Chen Qingyang returned the gesture. "Thank you for waiting, Senior Brother."

They walked one after the other, and the youth inevitably struck up a conversation. "It seems Senior Sister Leng treats you quite well. Do you two have some kind of private connection?"

Cultivation in the Tai Xu Sect had always placed great importance on navigating personal relationships and social nuances, especially for Outer Disciples. They had stepped onto the path of the Immortal Dao, yet the true Dao was still so far away, leaving many things for them to puzzle over endlessly.

Chen Qingyang barely knew this youth, let alone had any kind of relationship with him, so he replied in a noncommittal tone, "Senior Sister Leng is a Steward of the Law Enforcement Hall, responsible for upholding the Sect's laws. I'm sure she has her reasons for everything she does."

After that answer, the youth wisely stopped prying. "Yes, you're right, Junior Brother Chen."

Law Enforcement Hall, Main Hall.

A single lamp cast a faint, flickering light.

It only served to make the surroundings feel more austere. Leng Yueru, clad in black with a pale face, sat behind a long desk, her head resting in her hand, lost in thought.

The youth escorted Chen Qingyang only to the door. Once Chen Qingyang was inside, the youth closed the door and retreated to a distance.

"Greetings, Senior Sister Leng!"

Leng Yueru gave a slight nod, and Chen Qingyang sat down opposite her. When he observed her with the Power of the Stars, he saw that this senior sister's path of starlight was flourishing and complex, its changes ethereal and impossible to grasp. He couldn't even discern which star in the heavens represented her fate. Her cultivation was clearly far superior to Liu Tao's.

His Conscious Fish had only lingered for a moment, but she had already detected the anomaly. Chen Qingyang didn't dare release it again and quickly spoke. "Senior Sister, you look troubled. Did the investigation not go smoothly?"

Leng Yueru didn't deny it. "You're right. All the miscellaneous task disciples identified the body, and Zhang Wenyuan was apprehended. What I didn't expect was that this Teaching Disciple was just another one of Master Xuan Gui's disposable pawns."

"During this morning's interrogation, he took all the blame on himself. He even claimed he was the one who secretly gave our Sect's cultivation technique to the woman from the Demon Sect, and that his master, Master Xuan Gui, knew nothing about it. And then… he suddenly died, his meridians completely severed!"

The situation was so troublesome that even Leng Yueru couldn't hide her exhaustion.

After a moment of shock, Chen Qingyang understood completely. Scheming against Master Xuan Gui was like playing chess against a master who was always half a step ahead; no matter what move you made, he had already anticipated it.

"Doesn't that mean all the blame now falls on Zhang Wenyuan, and the case will be closed?"

Even someone as capable as Leng Yueru couldn't help but let out a long sigh. "For now, it seems that way."

"Then… what about Junior Sister Lin? Do you know where she is?"

He didn't get the answer he was hoping for. Instead, Leng Yueru shook her head. "The three male and ten female miscellaneous task disciples in Zhang Wenyuan's courtyard are all accounted for—except for the Lin Qingxuan you mentioned. I find it very strange. I even sent my people to search the entire peak, but they found no trace of her!"

Chen Qingyang's heart sank. 'It's easy to find a living person, but hard to find a dead one. All it would take is a single fire, and her ashes could be washed away by a stream.'

"Then… where do you think she could have gone, Senior Sister?"

Leng Yueru shook her head again. "I can't imagine. The only place on the entire Four Golden Peaks that I haven't searched is Master Xuan Gui's residence. Of course, Lin Qingxuan is just a miscellaneous task disciple who didn't even pass the Sect's first selection; she has absolutely no qualifications to appear before Master Xuan Gui. So the whole thing is very bizarre!"

'The Warm Jade Scroll,' he thought. 'Right, she has the Warm Jade Scroll.'

'With that in her possession, neither Zhang Wenyuan nor any of his miscellaneous task disciples would have been a match for her. Maybe… maybe she's still alive?'

Chen Qingyang tried to comfort himself with the thought.

Leng Yueru paused for a moment before adding, "Don't be too anxious. Maybe she's still alive."

Hearing her try to comfort him, Chen Qingyang snapped back to reality. "Thank you, Senior Sister. I'll have to trouble you to continue the search for the next few days."

Leng Yueru nodded. "Don't worry. Since I agreed to it, I won't go back on my word. With Zhang Wenyuan eliminated, the disciples of Master Xuan Gui's faction are growing anxious. They all know that if things continue like this, the Sect will not tolerate Master Xuan Gui for much longer."

"My master will also be sending our eldest senior brother to visit Master Xuan Gui's faction in the coming days. Any disciples who are willing can switch their allegiance to her and join our faction. This would have been impossible before, but it's entirely feasible under the current circumstances."

"Without disciples, Master Xuan Gui's portion of the Earth Deity's power will naturally transfer over. At that point, my master will be the strongest on the Four Golden Peaks, perhaps even strong enough to become Peak Master. So you can rest assured, the pressure on him will only intensify, and he won't have the slightest inclination to make an enemy of you."

'This…' To Chen Qingyang, it all sounded a little too premeditated.

'Eliminating a traitor for the Sect is the pretext; acquiring benefits for oneself is the real goal. If that's the case, then Master Yun Ci's schemes are truly on another level.'

"Senior Sister, I heard that for a Foundation Establishment Master to advance, they must treat their connection to the Earth Deity as if it were their very life. Is that true?"

Leng Yueru's gaze shifted to him. "I know what you're thinking, and I understand why you'd think it. But my master has always put the Sect first. You must not spread such wild speculation outside; it will only bring you trouble!"

Chen Qingyang quickly replied, "Understood."

"Good. The alchemy competition is coming up, so you should focus on preparing for it. I'll hold on to the Gold Coin Sword for now, just in case you run into more danger. I've already told my people that if you have any trouble, you should come find me. You helped me once, so I will definitely help you in return."

Leng Yueru was a woman of her word, so her offer was definitely sincere. To be fair, this senior sister had treated him very well.

Chen Qingyang cupped his hands. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"

There was one last thing he had to ask, something he had to say. "By the way, Senior Sister, you said Zhang Wenyuan was planning to give our Sect's cultivation technique to the Demon Sect. Do you know if he went through with it?"

Leng Yueru pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "I doubt it. With the Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array in place, it's extremely difficult for outsiders to enter or leave the Sect. The woman who died last night was his only point of contact, and we didn't find anything like that on her person."

He had asked specifically because he was afraid that one day, a woman as sharp as Leng Yueru might recall this detail and grow suspicious.

"Alas," she sighed. "Otherwise, it would have been a substantial piece of evidence. After all, as the master of that faction, the cultivation technique should be in his possession!"

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