"Ah—"
An agonized howl rang out over Little Barren Mountain.
Then, a wraith with a twisted, savage face condensed in Xie Xuanyi's palm!
Soul Searching successful!
Relying on the overwhelming strength of his divine soul, Xie Xuanyi had forcibly squeezed into the Purple Mansion Heart Lake of this dying woman.
It was unlike Xu You's Heart Lake.
Perhaps because she cultivated an evil path, Rank Six's Heart Lake was utterly murky, with towering black waves churning within.
But this Heart Lake was a little too "filthy"...
The lake's surface was severed by black waves, split into fragments, with surging demonic qi visible everywhere.
A tranquil Heart Lake symbolized a cultivator's peaceful divine soul. This Heart Lake showed that Rank Six normally suffered constant torment of the divine soul; many evil cultivators could not escape such a trial.
Xie Xuanyi strode across the Heart Lake.
He knew Rank Six did not have much longer to live...
He had to complete the Soul Searching before her life force was fully extinguished. The memories of Rank Six's life drifted above the Heart Lake. Like the blood-colored grotto-heaven she had formed, those fragments of memory condensed into scarlet vertical pupils, making the entire Purple Mansion Heart Lake dim and eerie.
If she could have held on, Xie Xuanyi would not have minded spending some time seeing how this Heavenly Puppet Sect disciple had reached this point step by step.
But now, there was little time left.
His top priority was to find deeper "information" concerning the White Marsh Finger Bone mission.
Xie Xuanyi wanted to know just who that Black Shirt Venerable, the one overseeing the Finger Bone mission, truly was.
Many years ago.
He had dealt with quite a few Venerables from the Demon Kingdom.
The Great Chu Dynasty had undergone drastic changes over the past ten years. The Demon Kingdom was surely no longer what it had once been as well—but what if the other party was an old acquaintance?
The higher a cultivator's realm, the more powerful their divine soul.
And the broader their Heart Lake.
The more important memories were often sealed in deeper places.
It had been the same when he searched Xu You's soul. Rank Six's Heart Lake was nearly three or four times Xu You's size. The farther in he went, the thicker the red mist became, until crimson light even flashed and transformed into blood-colored lightning, sealing off the Heart Lake's surface.
"This is it."
Xie Xuanyi narrowed his eyes and halted.
A familiar aura of the Demon Kingdom coiled above Rank Six's Heart Lake, forming a hard soul barrier that descended over it!
That Venerable had placed an even more forceful divine-soul seal on Rank Six than on Xu You!
But to Xie Xuanyi, a divine-soul seal of this level was nothing.
Though his cultivation had been utterly lost, the foundation of his divine soul remained.
Even if that Black Shirt Venerable personally launched a divine-soul attack against him face-to-face, he would not fear it.
"Chi, chi..."
A clear sword-light lit up between the brows of Xie Xuanyi's soul body. He slowly stepped into the soul barrier, and countless strands of demonic qi crashed into him, only to be swept apart by the clear Sword Qi in an instant.
A familiar figure slowly condensed over the murky Heart Lake.
Black robes, black hair, with only half his face exposed as he turned his head for a backward glance.
"So it really is an old acquaintance."
Xie Xuanyi spoke softly. "Dragonwood Revered One, it has been a long time."
Many years ago, he had fought several Venerables of the Demon Kingdom.
At that time, Dragonwood had been the youngest and most "green" among the Demon Venerables. He had only just advanced, and by seniority, he ranked near the bottom.
That had actually been a fortunate thing.
Because all the Venerables who had fought Xie Xuanyi had been slain!
It could be said that... Dragonwood had escaped disaster because of it.
Crash!
The murky Heart Lake heaved with towering black waves!
This was Rank Six's memory. Dragonwood Revered One's dark silhouette was merely an illusion; no matter how Xie Xuanyi spoke, it could not possibly hear him.
"Rank Six."
Dragonwood in the Heart Lake spoke softly. "Rank Three has already arrived in Carp Tide City... but I believe there is something wrong with his identity."
Rank Six knelt upon the murky Heart Lake, bowing her head as she received his orders. "What does Your Venerable mean?"
"I give you three days. Kill him."
Dragonwood Revered One paused. "This matter... must be handled cleanly and decisively."
Rank Six's body stiffened slightly.
"Yes."
She accepted without hesitation, then slowly asked, "My lord, how did you see that there was something unusual about Rank Three's identity?"
Dragonwood Revered One turned his head slightly, expressionlessly looking at Rank Six.
Rank Six hurriedly lowered her head again, not daring to meet his gaze.
Waves surged over the murky Heart Lake.
One stood and one knelt, rising and falling with the waves, as though time itself had frozen solid.
Perhaps it was a coincidence... Dragonwood Revered One's gaze, cast behind him, passed over Rank Six and drifted with the waves into the distance, landing upon Xie Xuanyi, who had now entered this memory.
"Heh."
Xie Xuanyi folded his arms and watched this scene with mockery in his eyes. Separated by tens of millions of miles, the two "met each other's gaze."
No wonder that Black Shirt Venerable had been so friendly toward him during their last meeting through the demonic artifact...
From the very beginning, he had never intended to spare him.
Was this how the Demon Kingdom did things?
Use one chess piece, discard one chess piece.
"Instinct."
After a moment, Dragonwood Revered One withdrew his gaze and murmured softly, uttering those two words.
He had no proof, nor did he need any.
For an existence at this realm.
That mysterious, unfathomable instinct was instead something worth trusting most of the time—
Dragonwood Revered One clasped his hands behind his back, his voice returning to its cold severity. "Sun-Devouring Grand Honored One is still slumbering. In this 'spiderweb' across Northern Prefecture and Azure Prefecture, who knows how many have already betrayed us... Grade B hidden agents can no longer be trusted. After you eliminate Rank Three, I will grant you a full year of 'pardon,' sparing you the suffering of your divine soul."
Hearing this, Xie Xuanyi finally understood.
Just as he had guessed before, this "spy network" spanning Northern Prefecture and Azure Prefecture was controlled by only one person.
Sun-Devouring Grand Honored One.
It was simply that something seemed to have happened to Sun-Devouring Grand Honored One... which was why control of this spy network had fallen into Dragonwood Revered One's hands.
This White Marsh Finger Bone mission had passed through layer after layer before finally reaching Rank Six.
The Demon Kingdom spy network's so-called "reward system" had always been a lie.
The reason Dragonwood Revered One did not care about betrayal was because those core spies who could truly be trusted had all been branded with divine-soul imprints.
That was why Rank Six's Heart Lake was so murky.
Xie Xuanyi had sensed it earlier: Rank Six's Heart Lake was exceptionally filthy... it seemed that the "divine-soul demonic artifacts" bestowed by the Demon Kingdom were used to control the lifelines of its hidden agents.
Once one joined the Demon Kingdom, there was no room for regret!
If they did not serve unto death, they would die!
Rank Six gritted her teeth and respectfully acknowledged the order, then spoke with difficulty. "My lord, the area around Carp Tide City is guarded too tightly. Even if this subordinate obtains the Finger Bone, approaching the 'secret realm' will likely be no easy matter."
"The secret realm?"
Dragonwood Revered One's voice was deep as he gave a low chuckle.
"Once you obtain the Finger Bone, the time will be about right. Go meet someone."
He stood with his hands behind his back, without making any visible movement.
Dark clouds pressed down from the heavens.
The entire Heart Lake rapidly became dim and gloomy—
Xie Xuanyi's expression grew grave.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Layer after layer of demonic qi slammed against the surface of his soul body, colliding with the clear Sword Qi in Xie Xuanyi's own Heart Lake and erupting into an unending series of crisp shattering sounds!
The divine-soul pressure within this Heart Lake abruptly intensified. This meant that the memories to come were extremely important; Dragonwood Revered One had placed a second layer of divine-soul sealing upon them.
Xie Xuanyi held his breath.
He had visited the Carp Tide River only a few days ago. Security there was indeed extremely tight; a net spread across heaven and earth had surely long been laid around the secret realm.
To use the White Marsh Finger Bone to verify the secret realm's authenticity in advance.
They would need a "guide" with sufficient authority!
The mysterious existence Dragonwood Revered One was about to reveal to Rank Six—
Clearly.
Was that "important figure" secretly selling out Azure Prefecture and colluding with the Demon Kingdom!
Warriors of Zhou, assemble!