Radiant Blade of the Wilderness

Demoness Ji is no simple character either. She deliberately used me to report the Kunlun matter to the authorities, which set a Sage and Supreme Master en route to Dingjiang Prefecture city. That prevented Master Yan from waiting for events to develop and for the false trail to become ”real,” forcing him to go all in and take the risk.

With that suspicion in mind, Ding Songyan’s thoughts connected to even more.

Having me take a stroll through the mass graves, was that divining that I could practice spirit channeling and might use it to uncover the true identity of whoever was pulling the strings? And what about having me discreetly observe Heavengaze Gate Island three times? Did Master Yan hide meaning in that part of the false trail as well?

Wait, Heavengaze Gate Island... Tan Guanchan has been coming to Dingjiang Prefecture city every year for the past few years. Could it be because of Heavengaze Gate Island?

Was Master Yan’s false trail pointing at him all along?

Now that is what it means to be skilled in numerology, to foresee future events! Master Yan’s worth has gone up enormously in my estimation! Ding Songyan marveled inwardly.

He steadied himself and, before Xing Chang and the others could press him, asked He Luo’s soul again, ”The Holy Sovereign hasn’t come to Dingjiang Prefecture yet this year?”

”Correct.” He Luo’s ghost was growing ever more translucent and thin.

”Was it not he who instructed you to steal Caretaker Zhu’s valuables?” Ding Songyan asked after a moment’s thought.

He Luo’s soul answered with fervor, ”The ten-thousand-year luan tree flower must be of great use to the Holy Sovereign. When I learned of it, I immediately set my mind on stealing it and presenting it as an offering.”

So the Demon Sovereign Tan Guanchan doesn’t even know about this... Ding Songyan relaxed slightly, glanced at the pale-faced Caretaker Zhu, and pressed He Luo’s spirit with a contemplative air, ”Then why not wait until Caretaker Zhu had refined the Youth Restoration Pill before stealing it?”

”The moment Zhu finishes refining it, he’d certainly swallow it on the spot. He would never give me the chance to enter his dream.” He Luo’s soul sneered. ”The reason I took the risk of coming back was to find some way to get the formula for the Youth Restoration Pill!”

Ding Songyan’s mouth twitched slightly, and he felt a great deal of sympathy for Caretaker Zhu.

He Luo was Caretaker Zhu’s adopted son, yet every fiber of his being was devoted to Demon Sovereign Tan Guanchan. He had not only stolen the ten-thousand-year luan tree flower that Caretaker Zhu had bankrupted himself to obtain, but also referred to him simply as ”Zhu.”

Caretaker Zhu’s face had gone ashen, his right hand pressed over his chest.

”Where are the Three Fiends of Xiao City?” Ding Songyan followed up.

He Luo’s soul answered honestly, still trembling, ”At Sunset Ridge on Lion-Felling Mountain. They are all the Holy Sovereign’s subordinates. By now they should have set out for Xinfu City, where a Malevolent Envoy is stationed permanently.”

Ding Songyan already knew that the Accumulated Evil Way had ten Malevolent Envoys, each a Grandmaster that corresponded to one of the Ten Great Evil Acts. Xinfu City lay deep in the mountains north of the river, at the border of the three kingdoms of Gan, Yu, and Zhao, a no-man’s-land where none held authority.

The Three Fiends of Xiao City were not unknown to Ding Songyan; he had just read their arrest warrants at lunch.

They had earned their name for a massacre committed in Xiao City, and had since drifted across various provinces. Over the past year or two, they had been active in Dingjiang Prefecture, hiding in Lion-Felling Mountain.

All three were Great Proliferation Realm martial practitioners. The leader was named Cao Yue, currently ranked fourth-rank Mortal Surpassed, though reportedly set to be raised to third-rank Form Transfigured next year. He practiced the Molten Gold Dharma, was known for his greed, and had apparently attached himself to the Accumulated Evil Way. The bounty on him stood at 11,000 taels.

Exchanging a glance with Zheng Zhuxi, Ding Songyan turned over the location of Sunset Ridge on Lion-Felling Mountain in his mind.

It lay to the southeast of the prefecture city, some distance from the river.

”When did you deliver the item to Sunset Ridge?” Ding Songyan asked He Luo’s soul, which was nearly gone by now.