An ambush!
His gaze swept across the vast hall. When he saw no sign of Xuan Nü, the thought instantly surfaced in Meng Qi's mind.
Bold as he was, before entering the Suxian Immortal Realm, he had already anticipated all sorts of situations and considered how he would respond. Perhaps the current Xuan Nü had already discovered the traitor or Gao Lan's snooping and was putting on an act, setting an ambush to lure Gao Lan into her trap. Or perhaps she was exceptionally cautious: what looked like seclusion to hone her cultivation and shut out the world was actually a trick to escape unnoticed. She might have taken her prepared treasures and secretly weathered her tribulation in some remote corner of the world.
So the situation before him was well within Meng Qi's expectations and preparations. If anything, he felt that things had turned out just as he'd expected.
How could anything he got involved in go as smoothly and spectacularly as that ridiculous Elder Brother imagined?
If Elder Brother had invited him along as a helper, he ought to have been prepared for this...
As the thought surfaced, Meng Qi couldn't help but smile wryly. Absolute Blade pointed diagonally downward as he scrutinized the vast hall for the slightest trace of anything amiss. One of his feet was inside the hall, the other outside, as if he stood between two universes.
His Spiritual Sense spread out, covering everything. Suddenly, he and Gao Lan both let out a soft "Huh?"
The place seemed utterly empty, with no figures in sight. In truth, it was adrift with all manner of illusory things, like memories and feelings, like experiences and imprints.
A thought stirred in Meng Qi's mind. Dao One Lamp lit up, and Cause of All Fruits emerged, allowing him