Don't Say Anything That Harms Unity

At that moment, although Qiu Tu showed no expression on his face, he raised the probability that Mo Li was the Chaos Witch by another 5%.

However, although Qiu Tu had caught him off guard, White Robe truly deserved to be called an expert tempered in the human world.

So even though his hand trembled slightly, it immediately returned to normal.

Holding his teacup, he lifted his eyes and gave Qiu Tu a calm glance before asking gently, "Her Majesty the Witch asked you to pass along a message?"

"When did you come to know Her Majesty the Witch?"

At that, White Robe paused, then shook his head and added, "You really do love talking nonsense."

Qiu Tu did not care in the slightest upon hearing that.

Grinning, he walked over to sit opposite White Robe, picked up a teacup, poured himself some tea, and commented, "Lao Bai, your mind is unsettled."

"With your personality, if you truly thought I was talking nonsense, why would you explain so much?"

"And even though you kept trying to hide it just now, I still noticed your hand tremble."

"What? Did I hit the mark, so now you feel guilty?"

As he spoke, Qiu Tu raised his teacup and prepared to take a sip.

But just then, White Robe suddenly said, "There's poison in the tea."

At that instant, Qiu Tu's hand jerked violently, and the cup by his lips froze for 0.1 seconds.

At that moment, White Robe spoke as well.

He gave Qiu Tu a calm glance, took a sip of tea, and said, "Didn't you also freeze for a moment after suddenly hearing something so strange?"

"What does that prove?"

To be honest, Qiu Tu had not encountered the feeling of meeting an evenly matched opponent in a long time.

A smile slowly bloomed across his face as he looked at White Robe.

White Robe, meanwhile, calmly savored his tea as though he had not noticed Qiu Tu's gaze at all.

After a moment, Qiu Tu laughed twice before saying, "Lao Bai, Lao Bai, you really are interesting."

After saying that, Qiu Tu glanced at the Crisis Intuition in the upper-left corner. Once he confirmed that it had truly not warned him about poison in the tea, he tipped back his head and drank the tea in his cup.

After finishing the tea, Qiu Tu said, "Alright, enough nonsense. Let's talk business."

With a serious expression, Qiu Tu said, "I've already joined the Order Shrine and gained a certain degree of trust."

"But if I want to keep climbing higher, I'll need your help."

"Now it's time to see your sincerity."

White Robe looked up at Qiu Tu and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Qiu Tu extended his hand and said, "I want us to put on a show."

"I'll lure you out of Chaos West Capital, then trap you with an array near Chaos West Capital."

"After that, you'll have to stay in that array with me for four days. You can't leave."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, White Robe's brows furrowed slightly. He looked at Qiu Tu as though trying to guess his plan.

After a moment, he refused. "The losses would be far too great for us."

Qiu Tu knew White Robe had surely guessed his plan. "One general's success is built upon ten thousand bones."

"How could you achieve your goal without making some sacrifices?"

White Robe rolled his eyes at Qiu Tu and said irritably, "Then why not sacrifice yourself?"

Qiu Tu spread his hands. "I'm not the one trying to infiltrate the Order Shrine."

Hearing Qiu Tu's shameless words, White Robe fell silent.

He held his teacup motionlessly for several seconds before setting it down and pouring himself another cup of tea.

After a moment, he still shook his head. "The price is too high."

"You have no idea how many God Kings and Heavenly Gods we sent this time."

Hearing White Robe's words, Qiu Tu fell silent as well.

After thinking briefly, he picked up the teapot from White Robe's side and poured it directly over the table.

Scalding tea spilled across the tabletop amid rising steam.

White Robe looked up at Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu ignored him, instead using the teapot to pour another cup of tea for himself.

Then Qiu Tu looked at White Robe, gestured toward the puddle on the table, then toward the tea in his cup, and said,

"Lao Bai. We're old acquaintances. We know each other inside out, so I thought there were some things that didn't need to be spelled out so clearly."

"The biggest problem with the Chaos Path is that it is difficult to restrain with rules. The Heavenly Gods and God Kings of this path have enormous issues, whether in their conduct or their personalities."

"So the other Five Great Paths all have tightly organized structures, but the Chaos Path does not."

"That is determined by the inherent nature of your path."

At that, Qiu Tu pointed at the puddle on the table and said, "So those uncontrollable Chaos Heavenly Gods and God Kings are like this puddle of water on the table."

"Although there are many of them, they are nothing more than a rabble."

As he spoke, Qiu Tu tapped the water in his teacup and said, "But people like the Chaos Witch, you, and certain truly controlled mid- and high-ranking members are the true core strength of the Chaos Path."

"They are the only people you cannot afford to lose."

"As for the other Chaos Heavenly Gods and God Kings, they are merely consumables to you."

"Or rather..." Qiu Tu paused before continuing, "They are your breeding ground."

A strange smile appeared on White Robe's face upon hearing Qiu Tu's words.

He looked deeply at Qiu Tu. "Oh? Is that your guess?"

Qiu Tu shook his head. "This is not my guess. It is a conclusion I inferred from the clues."

Perhaps realizing that White Robe would never admit it unless exposed, he explained, "The first time we met, you said the Chaos Witch was conducting some kind of experiment."

"At the time, I wondered what kind of experiment the Chaos Witch was conducting, and who could undergo it."

"So I thought of you. You have reincarnated many times, assumed many different identities, and your personality has become less and less like someone from the Chaos Path. Could that be part of the experiment?"

"Take Zhao Ji, for example. She was originally a Heavenly God of the Life Path, yet under the Chaos Witch's persuasion, she reincarnated and recultivated as part of the Destruction Path."

"Following that line of thought, I found even more clues."

"For example, the God Kings of the Chaos Path actually control very few Underground God Kingdoms, and their organizational structure is extremely loose. They rely entirely on the Garrison God Kings of several regions to provide a certain degree of cohesion."

"And the Chaos Path's usual method of fighting is to have a Garrison God King call for an invasion once they obtain the coordinates of an Underground God Kingdom."

"Those invasions have no strategy and no discipline. Everyone simply swarms forward, relying on numbers to gain an advantage."

"After conquering that God Kingdom, all the participating Chaos Heavenly Gods and God Kings act freely, burning, killing, looting, and destroying order."

"How much loot they get and how much they gain depends entirely on who grabs it fastest."

At that point, Qiu Tu's gaze sharpened. "But strangely, during all this, the Garrison God Kings and High-level God Kings all vanish."

Qiu Tu looked at White Robe and said, "I come from intelligence work. When analyzing intelligence, beyond finding clues and making deductions, the most important thing is identifying motive."

"You higher-ups of the Chaos Path must have a purpose for sheltering other deities, right?"

"Surely you aren't running a charity?"

White Robe chuckled softly upon hearing that, then said gently, "We are merely bringing chaos to the whole world."

Qiu Tu smiled and nodded. "Yes. That is indeed the slogan you use publicly."

"The reason I suspect your motives and conspiracy is precisely because of that slogan."

He said, "Lao Bai, you have lived among human society too. We have far more slogans than you do."

"Those things may fool the lower-ranking deities, but don't fool yourselves as well."

White Robe gave a noncommittal smile and asked, "Since you think that is merely a slogan, what do you think our true purpose is?"

Qiu Tu's expression turned serious.

He pointed at the still-wet water stains on the table and lightly hooked his finger.

The next second, part of the water on the table rose like a veil of gauze at the pull of his finger, then dripped directly into the teacup.

Qiu Tu said, "Raising pigs. Harvesting them regularly."

"If God Kings want to advance, they must devour or subdue other Heavenly Gods. Among them, Heavenly Gods of the same path are the best."

"So in a sense, Heavenly Gods of the same path are naturally each other's greatest enemies."

"I don't know how the other paths solve this problem, but you clearly have no intention of solving it."

"You brainwash the lower-ranking deities with slogans like 'bringing chaos to the world,' then lead them to conquer territory."

"During a major war, it would be perfectly normal for some Heavenly Gods and God Kings to be injured, right?"

"And while they are recovering from their injuries in the rear, it would also be perfectly normal for them to accidentally die from failed treatment, right?"

"The deities of the Chaos Path are already a bunch of fools, or people with a screw loose."

"And during a major war, they would never pay attention to those fallen Heavenly Gods."

"Thus, your direct lineage can rapidly advance and increase their strength by devouring the wounded."

At that point, Qiu Tu paused before saying, "Your greatest flaw is not merely your motives and slogans."

"It is also your actions."

Qiu Tu said, "Last night, I learned from Ilena about how the different eras of the Ancient World are divided."

"According to her, the stronger the overall strength of a Calamity Path is, the longer the era represented by that Calamity Path lasts."

"Then, if a path wants the era it represents to last longer, it should normally preserve its strength and develop quietly."

"Your practice of invading Underground God Kingdoms controlled by other paths every so often is clearly unreasonable."

"So I can only conclude that you are deliberately sending these deities to their deaths in order to strengthen your direct lineage."

At that, Qiu Tu set down the teapot in his hand and said calmly, "Since these Heavenly Gods and God Kings outside your direct lineage are merely consumables..."

"Then using them to level up your direct lineage and using them to help me earn a great merit in the Order Shrine are no different."

"You only need to ensure that your direct lineage is not affected."

"Even..." Qiu Tu said calmly, "If you want to take away some Heavenly Gods and God Kings during this opportunity for your own advancement, that is fine too."

As Qiu Tu's voice fell, the room became utterly silent.

White Robe simply looked at Qiu Tu without saying a word. No emotion or information could be read from his face, making it impossible to tell whether Qiu Tu's guess was true or false.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu did not continue pressing White Robe for an answer. Instead, he sat there quietly, meeting White Robe's gaze.

After the two stared at each other for several seconds, White Robe finally shook his head slightly.

He said warmly, "You are also a member of the Chaos Path. In the future, do not bring up words that harm unity again."

He said, "I know you want to resolve this war as quickly as possible, and I know you want to climb into the upper ranks of the Order Shrine as soon as possible."

"But... let me consider it first."

Qiu Tu asked, "Then when can you give me an answer?"

White Robe thought for a moment, then said gently, "Tomorrow morning."

Qiu Tu nodded in acknowledgment, then rose voluntarily, preparing to leave.

But just as he was about to turn around and depart, White Robe called out to him again.

White Robe said, "Didn't you want to know why I arranged for you to join the Order Shrine, and what intelligence I wanted you to investigate?"

"Take a look at this."

As he spoke, White Robe handed over a book.

Qiu Tu accepted the book curiously and looked down. Written on it were the words: On Collective Consciousness.

The moment he saw the title, Qiu Tu's brows furrowed slightly, as though he had guessed something.

At that moment, White Robe smiled gently and said, "The Six Great Paths have different characteristics, and each path follows a different road."

"From what we can see now, none of those roads are right or wrong. But two completely opposing paths will always have some points of conflict."

Hearing the implication in White Robe's words, Qiu Tu's brows furrowed even more deeply.

But he said nothing. He merely nodded slightly, then left the room and returned to the central district of Chaos West Capital.

After Qiu Tu left, White Robe was the only one remaining in the room.

He quietly finished the tea in his cup, then slowly rose and walked to the window.

Looking out through the glass, one would discover that the room was located atop a towering structure, already level with the clouds.

Dressed in a white robe, White Robe stood by the window with his hands behind his back, quietly gazing outside. His eyes seemed distant, and his brows appeared to carry a trace of sorrow.

Meanwhile.

After returning to the central district, Qiu Tu did not remain idle. Carrying the book White Robe had given him, he headed toward Xiao Yuan Yao's home.

But as he walked, Qiu Tu strangely discovered that the central district of Chaos West Capital was similar to the strongholds around the World Passage. It was noisy, and people seemed uneasy.

If he had only found something unusual in the strongholds around the World Passage, Qiu Tu would not have cared.

But even the central district was showing signs of abnormality, which truly made Qiu Tu curious.

So he looked around, then stopped a deity who was hurrying along and asked, "What happened?"

Having suddenly been stopped, the deity was clearly displeased and opened his mouth to curse.

But when his gaze landed on Qiu Tu and he sensed the faint aura of a God King from him, he immediately lost his nerve.

Though still dissatisfied, he stiffly explained, "Reporting to Your Majesty, over the past few days, a group of Heavenly Gods from the Destruction Path have been attacked and fallen in Chaos West Capital."

"Among them are not only spies sent by the Destruction Path, but also some deities who had already attached themselves to our Chaos Path."

"In just these few days, fifteen Heavenly Gods and two God Kings have been attacked. Even seven or eight witnesses from the Chaos Path have been killed."

"So now all of Chaos West Capital is in a state of panic. Many deities want to catch the murderer."

Heavenly Gods and God Kings of the Destruction Path were attacked? Hearing the deity's words, Qiu Tu froze, and the image of a graceful figure could not help surfacing in his mind—

I wrote a little less today. I need to adjust my schedule a bit; staying up until seven or eight in the morning is too frightening. Let me make some adjustments.

Recommending a friend's book: Unorthodox Gu Refinement, Starting as a Marshland Walker