Killing Intent Unwavering

In the next instant, Guan Sheng's smile rapidly faded, replaced by gloom, then by something sinister.

The smile was a disguise; the sinister air was his true state of mind.

And at this moment—

That sinisterity had reached its limit.

I've been played.

The thought flashed through his mind, and a surging rage welled up on his sinister face.

The rage rose swiftly, yet vanished again in less than half a breath.

His smile returned.

As though that rapid change of expression had only been an illusion.

He let out a heavy sigh.

"Junior Brother Han, this... this is far too unfair of you."

"Aren't you deliberately setting me up?"

"Junior Brother Han, open the door first. We can talk things over properly. The pill refining can wait until afterward, or this senior brother can compensate you with spirit stones."

"If you have conditions, just name them."

"You're in such a rush—where am I supposed to find a suitable helper?"

"Really, really... sigh..."

Guan Sheng continued persuading him outside the door. From his tone to his expression, everything was highly compelling.

Unfortunately, he did not know that Han Yi inside had already reactivated the formation, entered the Meditation Chamber, and shut his ears to find peace.

Nearly a quarter of an hour later, Guan Sheng's mouth was practically dry from talking, yet there was still not the slightest sound from within.

He could only give up, snort in displeasure, and flick his sleeve as he left.

But—

After walking ten meters away, the face he turned from the courtyard became incomparably gloomy once more.

"Something's wrong."

"Very, very wrong."

A sudden sense of crisis rose in Guan Sheng's heart.

Three months ago, he had clearly made an arrangement with Han Yi, and Han Yi had agreed to help.

Why, three months later, had Han Yi abruptly changed his tune? He would not even open the door, clearly keeping others at arm's length.

From Guan Sheng's previous observations, Han Yi was not this sort of person.

Moreover, in practical terms, he had treated Han Yi extremely well. He had even given him the formula for the Evil Warding Pill, supplied the raw materials free of charge, and allowed him to take twenty percent of the profits once the pills were refined.

Such care could already be called a weighty favor.

A normal person would never refuse even half a month's worth of such a small favor.

And besides—

Three months ago...

Guan Sheng's steps faltered. He recalled that on the day Han Yi left three months ago, Jiang De had gone out as well—and then vanished.

Yes, vanished.

In the cultivation world, Guan Sheng knew very well what it meant for someone to disappear.

He had secretly investigated for a long time. In the end, he suspected that a clash between cultivators a few streets away from the Mystic Fire Pill Shop might have been connected to Jiang De.

Might have been, and nothing more.

Through his connections, he had found the Qi Refining cultivators of Great Qian's authorities and reconstructed the battle from that time.

All he learned was that the fight had been extremely brief. It had ended in merely a few breaths, leaving behind a corpse that could not be identified in any way.

Guan Sheng was not certain whether that corpse was Jiang De's.

If it was, then who had the enemy been?

At the time, he had not suspected Han Yi. For one thing, Han Yi had only just broken through to Qi Refining Layer 3, while Jiang De was at Qi Refining Layer 4.

Furthermore, he was very familiar with the alchemy skills of these sect-dispatched alchemists. Their pill-refining abilities were mediocre at best, while their combat skills were an utter mess. They might know only a single spell that did not even pass the beginner level.

Besides, he had already investigated Han Yi through his own channels, including Han Yi's cultivation, spells, temperament, and more.

Though Jiang De was also an alchemist, he had cultivated several powerful offensive spells.

Compared to Han Yi, who had only just reached Qi Refining Layer 3 and had never displayed even a single somewhat impressive spell, Jiang De's advantage was simply a crushing blow across dimensions.

If the cultivator battle in that alley had truly involved the two of them, dealing with Han Yi should have been as easy for Jiang De as turning his hand over.

But according to the reconstructed records, the person suspected to have been Jiang De had been crushed in a one-sided fight.

With the strength to crush Jiang De so thoroughly, he had to be at least at the Qi Refining Layer 4 Peak, perhaps even Qi Refining Layer 5.

Based on that range, Han Yi could already be ruled out.

But...

Judging from Han Yi's attitude today, Guan Sheng found it exceptionally suspicious.

Could Han Yi have been the one who killed Jiang De back then?

No.

That speculation could be completely ruled out.

Then...

There were two other possibilities.

One possibility was that Jiang De had indeed attacked Han Yi back then, but for some unknown reason, had been crushed and killed by another immortal cultivator.

That cultivator might have assumed Jiang De was attacking him, reacted in battle without holding back, which would explain why Jiang De had been blasted into scraps.

And that had turned Han Yi into a startled bird, making him suspicious of Jiang De before gradually extending that suspicion to everyone else. That was why, when facing Guan Sheng today, he had not even dared to open the door.

The second possibility was that, over these past three months, whether by coincidence or through deliberate investigation, Han Yi had uncovered the problems with the Mystic Fire Pill Shop and grown suspicious of Guan Sheng.

In that moment, countless thoughts flashed through Guan Sheng's mind as he filled in the blanks with what he believed were the two likeliest possibilities.

As for Han Yi's claim that he had found inspiration for his pill refinement and was about to make a breakthrough—he did not believe a single punctuation mark of that nonsense.

And no matter which of those two possibilities was true, they both meant one thing: Han Yi could not be allowed to leave.

Han Yi had to die.

Guan Sheng did not slow his steps, yet he had already set the tone for Han Yi's life and death.

As for killing Han Yi directly here, naturally, he would not choose to do so.

Even with his Qi Refining Layer 6 cultivation, forcefully attacking the formation around this courtyard would take some time, and the commotion would definitely be considerable.

He had far too many ways to kill Han Yi.

Elsewhere.

Inside the Meditation Chamber.

After recovering his spiritual power, Han Yi resumed cultivating the Spirit Void Finger.

With only a little over two months left until the one-year deadline, he urgently needed to push the Spirit Void Finger to a new realm.

But the more urgent it was, the more he knew he could not be impatient.

Without accumulating small steps, one could never reach a thousand miles.

By now, the two bedrooms had been opened into one. The walls were riddled with holes, while a deep pit three meters deep had been blasted into the floor.

Puff, puff, puff...

All ten fingers flicked in succession, spiritual light surging like he was pressing upon a zither and playing an unparalleled divine melody.

Time flew by.

Completely free of distractions and once more immersed in cultivation, Han Yi did not know that, in some secluded dark corner outside the courtyard, a pair of eyes watched the courtyard listlessly every day.

The owner of those eyes was not Guan Sheng, but someone Guan Sheng had sent to keep watch over Han Yi.

At some point, the man watching the courtyard suddenly shuddered, because a tremendous tremor had abruptly sounded from the courtyard ahead, as though the entire formation had been shaken.

Though the tremor was brief, it had truly happened. Guan Sheng had instructed him to report any changes in this courtyard.

He quietly remained on watch until night was about to fall before leaving his post and heading to the Mystic Fire Pill Shop.

"An unusual tremor?" After hearing his report, Guan Sheng raised a brow.

"Yes, Elder Guan. The sound was very loud, as though the formation around the entire courtyard had shuddered. But I did not see anyone attack the courtyard."

"Moreover, this was the first anomaly within the formation courtyard in the past month. There is clearly a problem."

"Did the person inside come out?" Guan Sheng asked again.

"No. I kept my eyes peeled and stood guard the entire time. There is absolutely no way I could have been mistaken. Up until I left just now, the formation was still active. The person inside could not possibly have left."

"Fine. Since he's still inside, ignore him for now. Continue watching him tomorrow."

"Remember, the moment anything happens, come back and report to me immediately. Do not act rashly. Remember that, remember that well."

Guan Sheng waved a hand, and the man before him respectfully cupped his fists and withdrew.

"A huge, unusual tremor... could the pill furnace have exploded?"

"No, that can't be right. Even if the pill furnace exploded, the house would buffer it. Besides, with Han Yi's strength, he could not possibly shake the formation."

"Interesting. I truly couldn't tell that this brat carried such a secret on him."

"In a little over a month, the one-year deadline will arrive. I'm not afraid you won't come out then. When that time comes..."

Guan Sheng narrowed his eyes, a flicker of killing intent passing through them.

No matter what Han Yi knew or had deduced, he had to die.