♂,
The location Li Taichong had given the three of us lay not in the direction the Hidden Immortal Sect had fled, but behind two great mountains—the least likely place for Xia Ruize, Zhou Qiping, and Zu Ziyi to set an ambush. Even together, those people were no match for Li Taichong now. They could only circle nearby like vultures, waiting for something to go wrong on our side before closing in.
So, besides setting up the Heaven and Earth Eight Trigrams Demon-Sealing Array, we also had to gather Perfected Haoyang and the others back here. If possible, Wan Songxiao would be a considerable help too. That fellow was devious and cunning, a troublesome enemy but a powerful ally. For the moment, his ideals happened to align with ours, which gave us a basis for cooperation.
The three of us headed around toward the back of the mountains without a word. It was still some distance away, and the silence grew a little awkward. Li Poxiao spoke first. "Master is prepared to die. Whether or not Martial Uncle Li Taigan succeeds in slaying the god, Master will use the Qingping Sword to seize the true divine essence. If that fails too, the Nine Provinces will inevitably descend into chaos. That is why he wants everyone to strive for the Spirit Transformation realm and usher in a new order together."
"What!?" Yun Bingxin and I stared at Li Poxiao in astonishment. I had vaguely sensed something like this, but saying it outright was hardly his style. Li Taichong must really have discussed it with him.
"Fellow Daoist Li, why would you say that? Senior Li certainly won't die," Yun Bingxin said, puzzled. With the World Purification War underway, the prejudices cultivators held against other races had dwindled to their lowest point,