Suspicion

Beyond the realm, at the edge of the dimension.

This was a singularity where the laws collapsed, where no matter could endure.

Only Ancient Gods who had crossed the boundary between life and death could construct a temporary council chamber here through projections of their divine consciousness.

Four enormous thrones floated in the chaos.

But today, the atmosphere was heavier than ever, charged with the stench of imminent violence.

Bloodline Emperor Lord's projection appeared first.

He still sat in his usual dignified posture, but his right shoulder was empty. The lines of law at the severed stump continued to crumble, shedding wisps of dark red energy.

His face was so gloomy it seemed water might drip from it.

Next, a cloud of pink mist gathered, taking the languid, noble form of Joyful Union Dao Mother.

She idly waved the round fan in her hand, but her eyes were no longer as frivolous as usual. Instead, they held deep wariness.

Last came a mass of squirming carrion and green mist: Wondrous Mercy True Lord's Dharma Form.

Only the fourth throne—the seat of Vast Void Dao Ancestor—seemed especially illusory.

His projection was not only blurry, but flickered at a faint, uneven rhythm, as if it might go out at any moment.

"You all saw it."

Bloodline Emperor Lord spoke first, his voice thundering through the vacuum and scattering the surrounding currents of chaos.

"That sword."

"That ant named Li Yan actually refined my arm into a Divine Artifact."

"And it took him less than three months."

Wondrous Mercy True Lord's golden eyes glimmered in the green mist.

"That makes no sense."

His voice was hoarse, tinged with decay.

"That was an Ancient God's body, containing the source of the death Yin Law."

"Even if Li Yan had mastered that bizarre ability to turn side effects into benefits, erasing the will of an Ancient God from it should have taken at least a century of painstaking work."

"In three months, he couldn't even have burned through the skin."

"Unless..."

Wondrous Mercy True Lord paused, sweeping his gaze across the other three gods.

"Unless someone supplied him with energy of an exceedingly high rank to use as fuel."

"That energy would have to be pure, immense, and capable of violently repelling the death Yin Law."

Joyful Union Dao Mother gave a soft laugh, but there was not a trace of allure in it—only bone-deep chill.

"Energy of a high rank."

"In this starfield, who besides the four of us possesses a source of that caliber?"

"The remnant will of the Heavenly Dao in the Canglan Realm? Don't make me laugh. If it dared show itself, we would have devoured it long ago."

She sat upright, her gaze sharpening.

"Emperor Lord, you lost your arm in Zhongzhou."

"You know better than anyone what happened there."

"In that blood-red light that just pierced heaven and earth, besides the aura of your death Yin, I sensed something most unpleasant."

"Something elusive and unreal, seeming both true and false."

Bloodline Emperor Lord whipped his head around.

His remaining left hand clamped down on the armrest of his throne. His gaze, sharp as twin swords, stabbed toward the fourth throne, which had remained silent.

Vast Void Dao Ancestor's projection still flickered there.

From the start of the meeting until now, this Dao Ancestor, who had always loved to hold forth and styled himself a sage, had not said a word.

That was far too strange.

"Vast Void."

The Emperor Lord's voice was low, his fury barely restrained.

"Don't you have anything to say?"

"The hilt of that sword had a gray-green Vertical Pupil set into it."

"Why was the aura of that eye so similar to your source?"

On the fourth throne,

Vast Void Dao Ancestor's projection trembled faintly.

At that moment, he was enduring unimaginable torment.

Deep within the source of his true body, the "false Dao Pattern," like a bone-deep parasite, was greedily draining his magical power.

He had to devote ninety-nine percent of his attention to suppressing it and cutting it off.

Simply keeping this projection present for the meeting had already taken everything he had.

At the Emperor Lord's question, Vast Void Dao Ancestor's heart jolted, but he forced himself to appear calm.

"Similar?"

His voice sounded faint and broken.

"The Great Dao may follow different paths to the same destination."

"If Li Yan can reverse laws and imitate a similar aura, what's so difficult about that?"

"I've recently... been in seclusion, studying a supreme art. I'm at a critical juncture."

"My spirit is somewhat unstable, so I can't say much."

"In seclusion?"

"Studying an art?"

The Emperor Lord gave a cold laugh and slowly rose to his feet.

As he moved, cracks appeared in the surrounding void—the embodiment of his rage.

"Vast Void, do you take me for a fool?"

"Your Yao Jue Dao Patterns are all about deception."

"But don't forget, I play with blood."

"I'm the most sensitive to the flow of energy."

The Emperor Lord raised his left hand and pointed at the blue planet below.

"Just now, the instant Li Yan completed the sword."

"I sensed a tremendous power of origin pour straight from the depths of the void into the ground beneath Zhongzhou."

"The source of that power was in the direction of your Daoist grounds."

"This so-called seclusion of yours—you were sending Li Yan your magical power, weren't you?"

At that, Wondrous Mercy True Lord and Joyful Union Dao Mother's expressions changed.

They had only suspected it before, but now that the Emperor Lord had said it outright, everything was different.

This was no longer a failure to do their part. It was treason.

"Vast Void, you owe us an explanation."

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The green mist around Wondrous Mercy True Lord began to boil. Countless rotting eyeballs opened within it, fixing on Vast Void's projection.

"We formed an alliance to divide up this universe."

"If one of us is colluding with the enemy, hoping to use that human to eliminate the rest and claim the spoils alone..."

"Then don't blame us for forgetting our old ties."

Joyful Union Dao Mother's smile vanished, and the round fan in her hand became a sharp bone dagger.

"Vast Void, dear brother, that's just not playing fair."

"The Emperor Lord lost an arm, and you rushed to send energy to help that man refine it."

"What, you think we haven't died quickly enough?"

Under the three gods' attack, Vast Void Dao Ancestor had no way to explain.

What could he say?

That he had coveted Li Yan's cultivation method and fallen into a trap?

That he had learned nothing, but instead had a bloodsucking sigil planted in him, turning him into Li Yan's battery?

If he admitted that, he would lose face completely among the Ancient Gods.

And if he revealed how weak he was now—

These three allies, hungry as wolves and tigers, would pounce on him at once and tear him apart.

In this dark forest, weakness was the original sin.

He had to keep up the act.

"Absurd."

Vast Void Dao Ancestor forced himself to draw a breath, making his projection a little more solid.

"I stand opposed to Li Yan."

"Why would I help him refine a weapon?"

"This is a scheme to drive a wedge between us, a plot by that brat."

"If you believe it, you're the fools."

Yet before the irrefutable evidence, his defense sounded painfully hollow.

The killing intent in the Emperor Lord's eyes grew ever stronger.

Suddenly, a detail came back to him.

One he had overlooked until now, but that now stood out like a thorn in his eye.

"Stand opposed?"

The Emperor Lord narrowed his eyes, his voice chilling.

"Vast Void, I remember that brat's Daoist title was 'Ming Yan.'"

"Vast Void, Ming Yan."

"Both of you belong to the Ming generation."

"Could there be some connection between you?"

"Or is he actually a hidden pawn you placed in the lower realm?"

"You want to use him to wipe out the three of us, then reap the rewards yourself?"

The theory was absurd, but somehow its logic formed a perfect circle.

Joyful Union Dao Mother and Wondrous Mercy True Lord's expressions changed instantly.

If that was true, it was terrifying.

One drew the fire out in the open; the other secretly fanned the flames.

Vast Void Dao Ancestor was playing a grand game indeed.

"You... You dare slander me!"

Vast Void Dao Ancestor's projection trembled wildly with rage.

He wanted to argue, but the false Dao Pattern inside him suddenly surged, sucking harder.

Pfft.

His true body was injured, and his projection could no longer hold together.

Vast Void Dao Ancestor turned transparent in an instant, like a kite whose string had snapped.

"I... have no time to waste words with you."

"When I emerge from seclusion, I'll prove my innocence."

After that perfunctory declaration, Vast Void Dao Ancestor severed his connection to the meeting.

His throne collapsed in an instant, dissolving into nothingness.

But to the other three gods, his hurried departure looked unmistakably like a guilty man fleeing the scene.

A deathly silence fell over the council chamber.

After a long while,

Bloodline Emperor Lord sat back on his throne and tapped the armrest lightly with his left hand.

"He ran."

"Because he's guilty."

Wondrous Mercy True Lord snorted.

"Seems our enemy isn't only the one down below."

"The one above is even more dangerous."

Joyful Union Dao Mother put away her bone dagger and wore a smile once more, though it brimmed with murderous intent.

"If someone doesn't want to play nice..."

"Then we'll have to change the game."

"Li Yan may have a Divine Artifact now, but his foundations are still shallow."

"But if Vast Void really is scheming behind our backs..."

The three gods exchanged glances in the void.

An unspoken understanding passed between them.

Before dealing with Li Yan, perhaps they should first guard against—or even eliminate—the threat called their "ally."

The seed of suspicion had already taken root and sprouted in the void.

And that was exactly what Li Yan wanted to see.

Ancient Gods divided against one another were far easier to deal with than Ancient Gods united.

At the other end of the void,

After Vast Void Dao Ancestor severed the connection, his true body violently spat out a mouthful of golden divine blood.

He looked at the gray rune inside him, still gleaming with cheerful light, and let out a bloodcurdling roar.

"Li Yan!"

"You've gone too far!"

Not only had he lost part of his essence, he'd also been saddled with a black stain he could never wash away.

It was as if his intelligence had been pinned to the ground and rubbed into the dirt.

But now, he didn't even have the strength to take revenge.

He had to give everything he had to fight this "fake Dao Pattern" that was steadily devouring his essence.

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