The next day, beneath the blazing sun, Chen Xing mysteriously left the Purple Sun Sect.
Sensing his departure, Yuan Qi immediately followed him in secret.
After flying for an unknown length of time, he arrived at a dense forest. Glancing at a lake in its center below, he descended.
Hovering above the lake, False Heaven's Mandate Chen Xing muttered an incantation and formed seals with his fingers, summoning several streaks of red light.
With a whoosh, the lights shot into the lake. In the blink of an eye, the water parted to either side, revealing a white jade staircase.
A moment later, a hunched old man emerged from the staircase and bowed deeply before Chen Xing.
"Your old servant greets the honored envoy!"
"Mm. How are things progressing?"
"Reporting to the honored envoy, everything is under control. We are merely waiting for the right opportunity to bind him."
"Mm, very good! How is the investigation into the other consciousnesses going?"
"This old servant has dispatched more than ten thousand Dragon Patrol Guards to investigate in secret. No reports have come back yet."
"Mm, hurry it along. The Source Lord is pressing us."
"Yes."
With that, Chen Xing flashed away and returned to the Purple Sun Sect.
Yuan Qi, who had been watching from the shadows, rolled his eyes. Rather than following him back to the Purple Sun Sect, he glanced at the hunched old man below, who was turning to return to the bottom of the lake.
Then, without making a sound, he appeared behind him and waved a hand, unleashing an attack of laws.
With a bang, the hunched old man was shattered before he could react, turning into scattered Star Points.
Yuan Qi transformed into the hunched old man's appearance, then descended the staircase toward the lakebed.
At