Golden Ao Island Deploys the Mirage Array, Hidden Undercurrents Conceal Killing Intent

The new cave dwelling was located underground in an inconspicuous volcanic mountain range on the edge of Southern Jambudvipa Continent. Lava surged, and the fire spirit energy was rampant, naturally isolating divine sense probes. Furthermore, a trace of earth fiend turbid energy was mixed in, which could effectively interfere with heavenly dao perception, making it an excellent place to hide temporarily.

Tongtian laid down layers of restrictions and concealed it with the aura of the Chaos Bead before finally relaxing slightly. His complexion was still pale; the continuous battles, rescuing others, and refining bodies had taken a tremendous toll. Even with the resources from the Dragon Palace as a foundation, he felt a wave of weakness.

Yun Xiao was recuperating in her newly formed Chaos Immortal body, her aura gradually stabilizing. She had even benefited from misfortune, her cultivation directly breaking through to the peak of Golden Immortal, just one step away from the Grand Unity realm. However, her expression still held unconcealed grief and hatred. Wudang guarded her side, her emotions equally turbulent.

Kui Niu lay prostrate at the cave entrance, his ears perked up vigilantly. Fierce light occasionally flashed in his ox eyes, and hot white steam puffed from his nostrils.

The atmosphere inside the cave was as heavy as the dead silence before a storm.

"Master, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is stationed in the East Sea, clearly here to investigate us. The Western Teachings are still plotting, how should we respond?" Saint Mother Wudang broke the silence, her tone filled with worry. Ksitigarbha, at the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal, was by no means easy to deal with, let alone having the Two Saints of the West standing behind him.

Tongtian slowly opened his eyes, the color of Chaos swirling within them, cold and profound. "Ksitigarbha? Since he wishes to ferry souls, then let him 'ferry' to his heart's content."

He looked at Wudang and Yun Xiao. "You two are both skilled in array formations, especially Yun Xiao. Having just obtained your Chaos Immortal body, your senses are keen to Chaos Qi. I want you to immediately return to Golden Ao Island."

"Return to Golden Ao Island?" Wudang and Yun Xiao were both startled. Wasn't that walking into a trap?

"It's not for you to confront him." Tongtian's lips curved into a cold arc. "Ksitigarbha is stationed in the East Sea, and his divine sense will surely be monitoring Golden Ao Island and the surrounding waters at all times. I want you to go back, not to hide, but to... set up an array!"

"Set up an array?" The two women were confused. "Indeed," Tongtian nodded. "Not a killing array, nor a defensive array, but an array of doubt! An array of illusion!"

Wisdom and calculation flashed in his eyes. "Ksitigarbha, and even the Two Saints of the West behind him, must be filled with suspicion now. They suspect I am not dead and am in hiding, yet they cannot confirm it. Since this is the case, we will show them the 'truth' they wish to see!"

"Yun Xiao, using the power of your Chaos Immortal body, simulate the residual dao charm from when I lectured back then. At several important old sites on Golden Ao Island, such as the ruins of Biyou Palace, the lecture platform, and the sword-testing ground, set up the 'Mirage Array'. It doesn't need to be very powerful, just occasionally manifest a trace of illusory phenomena of a Saint lecturing, appearing to be true but not quite, to sow suspicion."

"Wudang, you will use the Way of Water Spirits, combined with the earth fiend energy here, to set up the 'Nine Bends Maze Array' in the depths of the East Sea. Disrupt the water elemental power, creating the illusion of unstable earth veins and chaotic spiritual energy. Disguise the leaked Chaos Qi fluctuations as a result of earth vein mutations and the uncontrolled ancient residual arrays."

"You two cooperate with each other, treating the false as true and the true as false, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. Ensure that Ksitigarbha is utterly confused and keep his attention firmly fixed on the East Sea!"

Wudang and Yun Xiao's eyes gradually lit up upon hearing this. This plan was brilliant! Instead of deliberately hiding, they would actively create chaos and illusions, plunging the opponent into a fog of information, unable to discern truth from falsehood. Even if Ksitigarbha possessed immense power, he would not dare to easily alert various parties without certainty. He could only continue to observe, thus buying Master precious time to recover and plan!

"Disciples understand!" The two women replied in unison, eager to act.

"Remember, safety first," Tongtian cautioned. "Once the array is complete, withdraw immediately, do not linger. Ksitigarbha's cultivation is higher than yours; do not confront him directly."

"Yes, Master!"

Wudang and Yun Xiao accepted the order and immediately set off, quietly leaving the cave dwelling. Under the cover of the earth fire and fiend energy, they headed towards the East Sea.

Inside the cave dwelling, Tongtian and Kui Niu were once again alone.

Tongtian took out a large amount of resources obtained from the Dragon Palace and began to circulate his energy to heal his injuries and restore his depleted essence. The Chaos Dao Fruit spun, and immense spiritual energy was devoured and refined. His aura became visibly stable and profound at a rapid pace.

Kui Niu faithfully guarded by his side.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye.

On the shores of the East Sea, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sat cross-legged on a golden lotus, his expression compassionate. He chanted true scriptures, and the golden light of the Swastika, meant to ferry departed souls, continuously merged into the seawater, appealing to the lingering resentment and fragmented true spirits of the myriad immortals of the former Intercepting Sect.

This was both merit and an investigation. Through the sensation of ferrying souls, he could subtly perceive all energy flows in this sea area.

For the first few days, it was calm and peaceful, with only dense, deathly resentment and no significant anomalies.

However, from a certain moment, the situation began to subtly change.

First, in the core area of Golden Ao Island, blurry phantoms would occasionally appear inexplicably. It seemed like immortal cranes were dancing, or golden lotuses were emerging, and even the faint sound of the Great Dao could be heard, resembling the residual phenomena of a Saint lecturing. But when Ksitigarbha concentrated his divine sense to probe, they would instantly dissipate without a trace, as if it were merely an illusion.

Following this, the earth veins at the bottom of the East Sea began to become unstable, and spiritual energy became chaotic. Unpredictable spiritual energy currents would surge, stirring up mud and sand, and even causing some long-dormant ancient residual arrays to emit faint light, releasing ancient and chaotic energy fluctuations.

Ksitigarbha's brow furrowed. These phenomena were too deliberate.

The illusory phenomena of the Saint lecturing, appearing to be true but not quite, lacked the true Dao charm of a Saint and seemed more like a high-level illusion array.

The chaotic earth veins, while appearing natural, erupted at times and locations that subtly revolved around Golden Ao Island, as if guided by some force.

"A feint?" Ksitigarbha's heart understood, and a faint, all-knowing smile appeared on his lips.

"It seems Fellow Daoist Tongtian or his remnants are indeed hiding near the East Sea. This move is intended to confuse and delay."

He did not take immediate action, but rather became more patient. The more the other party acted like this, the more it showed their guilt and weakness, their inability to face him directly.

"Very well, this monk will see what tricks you can play." Ksitigarbha closed his eyes, his chanting becoming even grander. More Swastika Buddhist seals merged into the sea, but his perception became even more refined. He began to peel away from those seemingly chaotic illusions to find truly useful information—for example, the trajectory of the array setter's aura, the energy core of the illusion array's operation...

He was confident that as long as the other party continued to move, they would eventually reveal their tracks. However, Ksitigarbha did not know that all his reactions were already within Tongtian's expectations.

In the cave dwelling in Southern Jambudvipa Continent, Tongtian slowly opened his eyes. Divine light shone brightly within them. His injuries had recovered by about seventy to eighty percent, and his cultivation had completely stabilized at the peak of the mid-Quasi-Saint stage.

Before him, a mirror formed from water vapor floated, displaying the scene of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva chanting scriptures by the East Sea. This was observed from a distance through the Water Mirror Array Eye set up by Wudang.

"He has indeed taken the bait," Tongtian said calmly. "He believes he has seen through the feint, but in reality, he has fallen into an even greater fog. From now on, he will only pour more energy into discerning truth from falsehood."

"Lord, what do we do now?" Kui Niu nudged closer and asked in a deep voice.

Tongtian's gaze turned westward, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "Ksitigarbha is temporarily held back, and Old Man Yuanshi's attention is also drawn to the Kirin Cliff incident. Now is the best time to rescue them!"

Rescue whom? Naturally, Qiongxiao and Bixiao!

The thought of his two disciples, one suppressed at the bottom of the Pure Glazed Bottle and the other refined into an artifact spirit, made Tongtian's killing intent almost uncontrollable.

"Manjushri, Cihang..." These two names were squeezed from between his teeth, carrying a bone-chilling coldness. "When they listened to my teachings under my tutelage, they were quite respectful. After defecting to the West, they became so vicious! Very good!"

He spread his palm, and two eye-sized, grayish-gray spiritual pearls appeared in his palm. Chaos Qi swirled within them, yet they contained extremely terrifying destructive energy.

"Chaos Thunder Beads!" Kui Niu exclaimed, feeling the terrifying power within the beads, capable of heavily wounding a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

These were disposable ultimate weapons refined by Tongtian during his recovery, drawing upon the essence of the Chaos Bead, mixing it with his own killing sword intent and several violent divine materials from the Dragon Palace! They were specifically designed to break restrictions and destroy artifacts!

"Manjushri's Dragon Subduing Stake, Cihang's Pure Glazed Bottle... are all Innate Spiritual Treasures with immense power. Snatching them by force would not be easy," Tongtian said coldly. "Since that is the case, then there is no need to snatch them."

His words carried a chilling resolve: "Find an opportunity, and blow them up!"

Kui Niu sucked in a sharp breath. Destroying an Innate Spiritual Treasure? That was a world-shattering event! Once done, they would be irreconcilably at odds with the Western Teachings!

But looking at Tongtian's cold, determined gaze, Kui Niu immediately snorted heavily, "If Lord says blow them up, then we blow them up! This old ox has had it in for those bald donkeys for a long time!"

Tongtian put away the thunder pearls and patted Kui Niu's massive head. "No rush. We still need to wait for the optimal moment. Manjushri and Cihang are currently stationed at the dojo, their vigilance is high. We need to wait until they leave..."

He looked back at the water mirror. In the mirror, Ksitigarbha was still patiently chanting scriptures.

"And before that," a profound and inscrutable light flashed in Tongtian's eyes, "perhaps we can find some other 'fun' for the Western Teachings first."

With a slight shift of his thoughts, he contacted the System: "System, exchange for 'Anonymous Communication Talisman (Target: Grand Master Xuandu)', content: Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is saving souls in the East Sea. He laments the suffering of the countless disciples of the Intercepting Sect and has stumbled upon a secret. Fellow Daoists Qiongxiao and Bixiao seem to have another great opportunity, not having entered Reincarnation nor being listed. What a pity, what a shame."

[Command received. 80 Contribution Points deducted. Anonymous Communication Talisman has been issued, content set, can be activated at any time.]

A cold sneer curved Tongtian's lips. Grand Master Xuandu, Laozi's only direct disciple and the de facto manager of the Human Teachings. If this message was "accidentally" revealed to the Human Teachings, how would Laozi react? Venerable Lord of Primordial Beginning's private handling of the Yun Xiao sisters was something even Laozi was kept in the dark about.

The Western Teachings, the Human Teachings, the Heavenly Origin Sect – the murkier the waters, the better!

Just as he was activating the communication talisman, his expression suddenly changed slightly. He abruptly looked up at the void, chaotic runes rapidly swirling in his eyes.

"Hmm? Another Saint's divine sense has swept by? This time it's Grand Pure One Laozi?"

"As expected, the incident at Kirin Cliff has finally drawn his attention."

Within the cave dwelling, the undercurrents grew more turbulent, and killing intent lurked everywhere. Tongtian's plan had already begun to unfold.