Undercurrents, Feint

"The baldies from the Western Teachings... cough, those compassionate masters, are putting on an art performance near Liubo Immortal Island?" When Xuanwei heard the news sent back by Senior Brother Luo Xuan, his first reaction was that it was utterly ridiculous – so ridiculous it was like opening a door to ridiculousness!

He had just refuted Maitreya, that smiling tiger's, theory of "karma" in front of the Saints at Biyou Palace, and now these guys were running to Liubo Immortal Island, the place where he got rich (by getting beaten up) and made his fortune (by escaping for his life), to "search" for something? This retaliation... no, this "forming connections" action was too swift!

The key was, what else was in that sea area besides the spiritual root seeds spewed out during the last secret realm outbreak (he'd pocketed the biggest and fattest one himself), and a grumpy, possibly morning-tempered Grand Unity Golden Immortal-level old turtle? They couldn't possibly be eyeing the Kui Niu's hide, wanting to catch it and make a few subwoofers so their chanting would have more rhythm, could they?

"System, bring up the energy records for the Liubo Immortal Island sea area. Focus on analyzing the abnormal fluctuations before and after the last secret realm outbreak, especially frequencies that might resonate with the Chaos Bead or the Remnant Seed of Jianmu," Xuanwei instructed mentally as he pondered the Western Teachings' motives.

[Data retrieval in progress... Analysis underway...]

[Liubo Immortal Island sea area energy records show, in addition to the known secret realm outbreak event and the life field of the Mysterious Female Ink Turtle, there are three faint anomaly points:]

[1. Residual spatial fluctuations when the host obtained the Remnant Seed of Jianmu (partially absorbed by the Chaos Bead).]

[2. Traces of spatial turbulence disturbance when the host teleported away (mixed with the Chaos Bead and unknown forces).]

[3. Suspected extremely concealed... residual spatial marking? Not left by the host or San Xiao, energy attributes lean towards... salvation, guiding?]

Residual spatial marking? Salvation and guiding attributes?

Xuanwei's true form, his Immortal Qi, suddenly condensed!

"Holy crap! It couldn't be that old geezer Maitreya secretly left some 'Anchor of Fate' in that cursed place while I was teleporting away and the space was unstable, could it?!" A terrible guess surged into his mind.

It was like those unscrupulous apps from his past life, installing a background program on your phone without your knowledge, constantly tracking your location and spending habits! Maitreya, who seemed speechless after being refuted by him and left sullenly, had secretly done this? Their target was probably not just the Remnant Seed of Jianmu, but more likely the Chaos Bead, which resonated with the Remnant Seed of Jianmu and had the strongest aura on him!

"They're 'searching' openly near Liubo Immortal Island to distract us, but in reality, they want to activate or use that hidden spatial marking to lock onto me directly, or... lock onto whatever is most closely related to the Chaos Bead?" Xuanwei felt his logic becoming clearer, and a chill crawled up his (non-existent) spine.

The thing most closely related to the Chaos Bead, besides him, the bonded host, was the mysterious cocoon underground in the back of Golden Ao Island, which he and the Chaos Bead were "feeding" together!

The Chaos Origin contained within that cocoon was extremely pure and ancient. If the Western Teachings sensed it, it would definitely attract covetousness a hundred times more fervent than for the Remnant Seed of Jianmu! After all, the Remnant Seed of Jianmu still fell under the category of "Innate Spiritual Root," while that cocoon was likely the nascent form of an "Innate Chaos Being"! Its value was incomparable!

"Feint! These bald donkeys are quite crafty!" Xuanwei couldn't sit still anymore. The cocoon underground in the Medicine Garden was his key "long-term investment" project. He was providing it with good food and drink (Chaos Spiritual Energy) every day, hoping it would hatch a formidable Chaos Divine Beast or an Innate Dao Embryo to be his bodyguard (or mount) in the future. How could he let the Western Teachings benefit from it?

He immediately wanted to rush out of his quiet room and reinforce the defenses underground in the Medicine Garden.

However, as his feet (driven by his will) moved, he forcefully stopped himself.

No, he couldn't panic and mess up his own plans.

Firstly, this was just his speculation, without concrete proof. If the Western Teachings truly had some other scheme at Liubo Immortal Island, his alarm would only make him seem guilty.

Secondly, the Medicine Garden was located in the core area of Golden Ao Island, guarded by Master Tongtian and protected by the Myriad Immortals Formation. No matter how bold the Western Teachings were, would they dare to directly attack a Saint's Dojo to "dig for treasure"? Their more likely methods would still be using mystical means like "karma" and "induction," similar to Maitreya, for remote targeting or subtle infiltration.

Lastly, he was now a direct disciple of the Intercepting Sect, and every move he made was being watched. If he rushed to guard an "ordinary" Medicine Garden immediately after being targeted by the Western Teachings, wouldn't that be like trying to hide something by drawing attention to it?

"I need to find a reliable way..." Xuanwei forced himself to calm down, his mind racing.

Report directly to Master? On what grounds? Just say I suspect the Western Teachings want to steal a mysterious egg I'm hiding underground? Setting aside whether Master would think he was crazy, just explaining the origin of the cocoon would be enough trouble.

Ask Senior Brother Duobao or Senior Sister San Xiao for help? It would face the same problems of trust and explanation. Moreover, debts of favor were hard to repay.

"It seems I still have to rely on myself, and... on it." Xuanwei sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, looking at the Chaos Bead, which was now round and deep, with flowing Dao patterns.

[Chaos Bead (Fragment), Repair Progress: 5.1%, Functions: Primary Chaos Domain, Mustard Seed Space (Diameter: 5 li, Time Flow Rate: 1:15), Primary Space Marking.]

[Hint: Host can attempt to utilize the Chaos Bead's inherent properties of "Heavenly Secret Shielding" and "Law Distortion," combined with the "Primary Chaos Domain," to perform information masking and interference in a specific area.]

Information masking and interference?

Xuanwei's eyes lit up! That's right! The greatest advantage of the Chaos Bead was its characteristic of transcending the Heavenly Dao and concealing karma! Although it was just a fragment now and its functions were incomplete, it might be feasible to interfere with a spatial marking left by a Quasi-Saint who wasn't using their full power.

No sooner said than done!

Xuanwei didn't go to the Medicine Garden immediately. Instead, he went to the Myriad Laws Tower, using the excuse of needing to comprehend a concealment divine ability, and exchanged for several high-to-mid-tier jade slips concerning the principles of "Spatial Isolation" and "Formation Shielding." He had to play the part convincingly, not letting anyone see his strong ulterior motive.

Returning to his own cave dwelling (a small grotto-heaven assigned after his promotion to direct disciple), he first carefully studied the jade slips, cross-referencing their principles with the functions of the Chaos Bead. Then, he quietly unfolded the [Primary Chaos Domain] with a diameter of only ten feet, completely enveloping himself.

Under the shroud of the Chaos Domain, he felt his connection with the outside world's karma become somewhat blurred. He attempted to mobilize the power of the Chaos Bead, simulating the shielding formation patterns described in the jade slips, and constructed an invisible, constantly twisting and changing Chaos Barrier at the edge of the domain.

This process was extremely mentally taxing and required a high degree of control over Chaos Qi. Several times, due to unstable energy, the barrier almost collapsed, and the leaked Chaos Qi caused the ornamental spiritual plants in his cave dwelling to "force grow" significantly, nearly piercing the roof.

[Primary Chaos Domain application proficiency increased! Control over the Chaos Bead slightly enhanced!]

[Successfully constructed "Low-Tier Chaos Barrier" (Effect: Can interfere with probes below the Golden Immortal level to a certain extent, has a certain shielding effect on specific karma markings, duration depends on host's energy and focus).]

Success!

Looking at the area before him, which appeared no different from its surroundings but was internally filled with Chaos and slightly distorted laws, Xuanwei breathed a sigh of relief. Although it was just a "low-tier" version with potentially limited effects, it was at least a proactive defense measure, better than waiting passively.

Next, he needed to figure out how to cover the area underground in the Medicine Garden with this "Chaos Barrier" without leaving any traces.

Directly unfolding his domain at the Medicine Garden? Too conspicuous.

He pondered for a long time, finally devising a plan of "making a feint to the east while attacking in the west."

He first made a high-profile visit to the Medicine Garden, checking on the spiritual plants' growth, and complained to Senior Brother Ma Sui that the Earth Vein's spiritual energy seemed a bit "sluggish" recently, which might affect the sweetness of the Vermillion Fruit (Ma Sui agreed wholeheartedly and remarked on his disciple's high standards for quality). Then, using the excuse of needing to sort out the spiritual veins below the Medicine Garden to better nourish the spiritual plants, he applied for permission to perform "minor adjustments" in the shallow underground area of the Medicine Garden.

This reason was perfectly logical. A direct disciple obsessed with the Way of Spiritual Plants tinkering with the underground spiritual veins of his own Medicine Garden to improve the quality of the produce was completely normal.

After obtaining permission, Xuanwei began his "diligent" work. During the day, he genuinely sorted out the tangled Earth Vein tributaries, guiding the spiritual energy to nourish the spiritual fields more evenly, appearing like a dedicated spiritual plant caretaker. But at night, he would quietly unfold his Chaos Domain, spreading the "Chaos Barrier" like applying invisible paint, bit by bit, layer by layer, permeating deeper towards the cave where the cocoon was located.

This process had to be done with extreme caution, both to avoid potential surveillance (like Senior Brother Duobao's occasional divine sense sweeps) and not to startle the sensitive "neighbor" underground. The progress was very slow, like an ant moving house.

For several consecutive days, Xuanwei spent his days tending to the plants and his nights "painting the wall," so exhausted that his Immortal Qi almost turned gray. But he could feel that as the "Chaos Barrier" gradually covered the area, the unique Chaos fluctuations emanating from the cocoon were indeed weakened and distorted, as if covered by a thick layer of mist.

"It should... have some effect, right?" Xuanwei looked at the underground cave, now completely wrapped in Chaos Qi and seemingly vanished from perception, feeling slightly relieved.

However, just as he thought he could finally catch his breath, Senior Brother Luo Xuan, who was responsible for patrolling the East Sea, sent back more detailed and even more unsettling news:

The Western Teachings' search near Liubo Immortal Island wasn't aimless! They seemed to be moving according to a specific trajectory, and... at several key points, they began deploying strange magical artifacts emitting a soft golden light, yet subtly rippling with spatial fluctuations! Their setup looked less like a search and more like... the construction of a colossal formation!

Furthermore, according to reports from demon race informants lurking nearby, they had faintly overheard those Western cultivators muttering words like "induction," "guidance," and "guiding the fated" during their hushed conversations. It seemed they were confident that the "thing" or "person" they were looking for would be actively drawn to this formation!

When Xuanwei received this news, he was watering a newly cultivated "Star Orchid." His hand trembled, and the water kettle formed from Immortal Qi nearly hit his own foot.

A formation? Guiding the fated?

Isn't this just a super-sized, targeted "fishing" device?! Using a formation to forcibly amplify the effect of that "Anchor of Fate" left by Maitreya, attempting to "fish" the "fish" (either him or the light cocoon) all the way to the West, across the endless sea!

What a sinister scheme!

If their target is indeed the light cocoon, once this formation activates, at such a distance, and with the light cocoon in a critical stage of gestation, instinctively craving the Chaos Origin, what if it's tricked by the formation's simulated "guiding Buddha Light" (perhaps with some deceptive signal bearing Chaos characteristics)? What if it resonates or even shows abnormal activity? That would be a huge mess!

At that point, the light cocoon's aura could be completely exposed! Even with the "Chaos Barrier" weakening it, under the amplification of such a massive formation, it might not be able to conceal it entirely!

They must be stopped! At the very least, the deployment of that formation must be interfered with!

But how to stop them? He's just a Heavenly Immortal. Going to the East Sea to confront a group of Western Teachings cultivators who are at least Grand Unity Golden Immortals to start? What's the difference between that and throwing his life away?

Report it? The evidence is still insufficient. Based purely on speculation and the fact that they're setting up a formation (they could easily claim they're purifying the sea and saving all beings), it's hard to get his sect to intervene directly and trigger a war between the two sects.

Just as Xuanwei was burning with anxiety, feeling like an ant on a hot pan (in gaseous form), a crisp voice tinged with a hint of eagerness sounded from behind him:

"Junior Disciple Xuanwei! What are you spacing out for? Did you also hear about those Western Teachings folks causing trouble in the East Sea?"

Xuanwei turned around and saw Fairy Bixiao had arrived at his Medicine Garden at some unknown time. She stood with her hands on her hips, looking at him with an expression that said, "This is interesting." Beside her stood Qiongxiao, who looked somewhat helpless, and... Yunxiao, with a cold expression but a hint of gravity in her eyes.

The Three Xiao Maidens! Why are they here?

Xuanwei's heart stirred, and he suddenly saw a glimmer of hope.