Deduction

"Taishi Ran, you've deduced that this is the Pavilion Master's intention based on just these two points?"

The middle-aged fat man stared at Taishi Ran's handsome face, his narrow eyes revealing suspicion. "You should know what our operation to ambush and kill Xu Yinhe's blood relatives means. I would never participate in such a matter unless I had definite information."

Upon hearing this, the hunched old man gently tapped his cane.

"As your elder brother, I agree with Brother Zhou's statement."

The middle-aged woman standing to the side remained silent.

But the meaning in her eyes was also quite clear.

She won't obey unless you provide solid evidence.

Because this matter is too risky.

If it were to assassinate some young masters from ordinary noble Aristocratic Clan, the two points Taishi Ran just mentioned would certainly be sufficient.

The problem is that the person they are about to kill is a direct descendant of the most powerful Aristocratic Clan in the world.

Although they all originated from the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion and share common interests, they are also separate individuals with their own sects and stances.

It's hard to say whether this will be exposed.

What if we get exposed?

Are you planning to completely break off relations?

If we don't completely break off relations, then who should we push to take the blame?

Such a major event, affecting the whole situation, would not be refused by the Pavilion Master's direct order, nor could they refuse.

However, this is merely a speculation by the First Venerable under the Pavilion Master, and that is open to debate.

Looking at the three people who were forcing him to abdicate, Taishi Ran chuckled softly, his voice gentle and low:

"The three of you,"

"A great calamity is imminent. Seeing that the Pavilion Master cannot predict the future, this Heaven Pavilion Token in my hand will have no effect on you?"

"."

The other three people avoided his gaze.

Since its decline ten thousand years ago, the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion has been hiding in the shadows, accumulating power.

The limitations of developing in the shadows also prevented the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion from establishing itself as a sect and integrating all its subordinate forces to implement a strong centralized authority.

After all, if the pie gets too big, the royal family might just take action against you.

Therefore,

In order to conceal themselves and avoid arousing suspicion from outsiders

The power structure of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion is somewhat similar to the feudal system that existed when a dynasty was first established ten thousand years ago.

Within these newly established sects, the sect leaders and elders wield absolute power, but in private, these sect leaders are directly under the command of the hidden Heavenly Oversight Pavilion Master.

The Heaven Pavilion Token is the command token used by the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion Master to mobilize the sects under his command.

Because of the nature of the feudal system, many high-ranking members of affiliated sects had considered breaking away from the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion and becoming masters of their own destiny. These people quickly learned why those sects had besieged the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion ten thousand years ago.

They were almost all discovered in advance by the all-seeing Heavenly Oversight Pavilion Master.

Some people received warnings, while others were simply put in the freezer.

As times have changed, these high-ranking officials appointed by the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion have basically given up any thought of breaking away from the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion.

Even though a great calamity is imminent and the sect leader cannot predict the future, the brainwashing over the past ten thousand years and the deep-seated fear have made them only dare to tamper with some minor details.

However, even when Taishi Ran used the Heaven Pavilion Token to pressure the three men into assassinating a direct descendant of the Prime Minister's Mansion's family, they did not compromise.

After a brief silence,

The hunched old man lowered his head and said in a deep voice:

"Venerable Grand Historian, this matter is of utmost importance. If you insist on proceeding as you see fit, I humbly request that you allow us to contact the Pavilion Master for confirmation."

The form of address changed, and the tone became businesslike and resolute.

"Call"

With a soft sigh, Taishi Ran rubbed his temples and said in a low voice, "There are some things that it's inconvenient for the Pavilion Master to handle personally. Since you insist, I'll reveal one more thing: Xu Yinhe's blood relatives are related to this calamity."

"A great calamity?!"

The middle-aged fat man exclaimed in surprise, his narrow, slit-like eyes opening as he stared at Taishi Ran: "Is this really true?"

The others all looked at Taishi Ran, and even the woman surnamed Luo in the black dress beside him had a hint of uncertainty in her eyes.

She had never heard Taishi Ran mention this matter.

Ten thousand years have passed, and the Luo family has broken free from the control of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion. However, as one of the seven clans of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, they still retain many related texts about the Great Calamity of the World.

Therefore, she was well aware of the horror of the great calamity.

If the Luo family member, who had escaped the control of the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion, was in such a state, one can only imagine how the other three, who had always been under the Heavenly Oversight Pavilion's rule, were treated.

Their long-term exposure to such things has given them a reaction to the prospect of a catastrophe that is almost like PTSD.

Under everyone's gaze, Taishi Ran chuckled softly:

"A single drop of ink stained the entire world black; comparing that person to the beginning of a great calamity is not an exaggeration at all."

"."

Silence fell, with only the golden afterglow of the setting sun and the chilly wind swirling around them.

After a while,

The middle-aged, overweight man stroked his chin. "That makes sense then."

After a pause, he asked again:

"But why is the Pavilion Master being so secretive about such an important matter, using suggestive methods to get you, Brother Taishi, to take action?"

Taishi Ran's expression turned slightly helpless:

"That person is related to the Holy Maiden, and it is inconvenient for the Pavilion Master to personally intervene, so naturally, I can only play the villain."

Upon hearing this, all three of them showed a strange expression.

However, she quickly came to terms with it.

After all, given that man's appearance, it's perfectly normal for a young saintess to be attracted to him.

The middle-aged, overweight man smiled kindly:

"In that case, we have wronged Brother Taishi."

As he relented, the middle-aged woman and the hunched old man both nodded in agreement.

The woman surnamed Luo, her clear, beautiful eyes concealing her surprise, looked at Taishi Ran and asked:

"Since this is the beginning of a great calamity, we must prepare a foolproof plan."

The middle-aged woman continued, her eyes serious, and whispered:

"What Fairy Luo says makes sense. Xu Changge is no ordinary Origin Beginning. I saw this kid back in the Tianyuan Grand Competition. His swordsmanship was extremely powerful. After so much time, even Mortal Shedding could be killed by him if they are not careful."

The hunched old man stroked the wood grain of his cane, lost in thought.

"My old puppet technique should be able to counter that brat's swordsmanship. What we need to consider is that woman Lou Ji, and the possibility of her escape."

"Xu Changtian."

Taishi Ran's sudden words interrupted their discussion.

"."

All four of them turned around and looked at Taishi Ran simultaneously, their expressions quite strange.

Xu Changtian?

What Xu Changtian?

Be quiet for a while.

The middle-aged woman asked in a low voice, a hint of uncertainty in her eyes:

"Xu Changtian should be Xu Yinhe's third son, right?"

"Yes," Taishi Ran.

The middle-aged fat man opened his mouth, closed his mouth, and coughed lightly:

"Brother Taishi, according to the information I have, Xu Changtian has only been practicing cultivation for a little over a year, is that correct?"

"Yes," Taishi Ran.

"."

The middle-aged fat man glanced at the woman surnamed Luo, whose aura was unfathomable, and then at the others.

He felt his mind was a bit of a mess.

Isn't Xu Changtian a spoiled brat?

With the saintess's exceptional talent, would she fall in love with a spoiled brat?

Moreover, this kind of spoiled brat clearly doesn't need the combined attack of four powerful individuals who Mortal Shedding for decades, plus a Half-Saint.

The middle-aged fat man raised his short, thick finger and pointed at himself:

"A mere Soul Condensation cultivator requires the four of us, along with Fairy Luo, to participate in the assassination?"

Taishi Ran didn't take it seriously at all, and asked in return:

"The person who initiated this great calamity deserves our utmost attention, don't you think?"

The fat on the middle-aged man's face twitched, but he didn't say anything.

The hunched old man let out a dry, low laugh:

"Heh. Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut is too much, and if we fail in one strike, we may never have another chance."

Having said that,

The old man's cloudy eyes glanced at the Celestial Spirit Astrolabe in Taishi Ran's hand:

"Brother Taishi, since it is for the greater good of the world, we have no choice but to do our duty. Let's begin."

Taishi Ran smiled slightly upon hearing this:

"No rush, we'll probably need to develop several plans for this trip."

As he spoke, he flipped his hand and instantly took out five iron masks from his Sumeru Ring.

Each iron face is sculpted with a face of weeping.

With just a glance, everyone present could see the strangeness in the situation.

A hazy spatial fluctuation lingered above these iron surfaces, blocking both Will Soul and Source Qi probing.

The middle-aged fat man's eyes gleamed. As a master Grandmaster, he immediately recognized the material. His voice held a hint of surprise:

"This is... cast from the Levitation Stone?"

Taishi Ran smiled slightly and casually waved his hand, causing four iron masks to hover precisely in front of the other four people:

"This is the Weeping Iron Mask, obtained by the Pavilion Master more than three thousand years ago when he eradicated a cult."

As he spoke, he put an iron mask on his face and poured his Source Qi into it to activate it.

And almost at the same time,

A bizarre scene immediately unfolded. As Taishi Ran's figure blurred, the Source Qi around him flickered in and out of existence, and his originally gentle, soft voice became muffled and hoarse.

"This item can conceal all our presence."

The middle-aged, overweight man ran his finger along the surface of the iron sheet, his eyes wide with surprise, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"The forging method of this item is truly miraculous. I never expected that the Levitation Stone would have such an effect besides being Sumeru Ring. However, the spatial fluctuations emitted by this Weeping Iron Mask may affect our spellcasting during battle."

With just one glance, he saw through the underlying principle.

Although the spatial fluctuations possessed by the Weeping Iron Mask concealed their aura, this concealment was actually creating a shield composed of spatial fluctuations around their bodies.

External energy cannot penetrate it, but similarly, their techniques will be distorted when passing through this "shield".

Taishi Ran glanced at him and chuckled:

"Compared to directly revealing our identities, this kind of impact is nothing, isn't it?"

The woman surnamed Luo glanced at the iron mask, then put it on as well, her clear voice becoming dry:

"Brother Taishi, you've put in a lot of effort."

After the men put the iron masks on, Taishi Ran looked around and whispered:

"This item consumes a great deal of resources, so I will trouble you all to protect me. I will use this Celestial Spirit Astrolabe to locate Xu Changtian's approximate position."

After saying that,

The Celestial Spirit Astrolabe in his hand floated up into the air, several feet off the ground.

Riding the wind, Taishi Ran hovered below the Celestial Spirit Astrolabe, his hands clasped together in Law Seals.

A surge of powerful Source Qi began to rise from his body, forming a powerful gale that enveloped the entire mountaintop.

In silence,

Two enormous celestial discs were projected onto the sky, their divine light almost overshadowing the golden afterglow on the horizon!

As Taishi Ran unleashed one Law Seals after another, the two intricate celestial discs in the sky began to rotate like gears, gradually overlapping each other.

Those present were not idle either.

The middle-aged woman glanced at the other three and chuckled softly:

"This commotion is too great, so I will help Brother Taishi cover up the unusual phenomena."

As she finished speaking, she slightly raised her jade-like finger and drew a few strokes towards the dome, and an invisible celestial curtain directly enveloped the celestial disc projected on the dome.

Inside the canopy of the sky, golden light illuminated the mountains and forests; outside, everything remained calm and peaceful.

After completing these tasks, the group on the mountaintop quietly awaited the results of Taishi Ran's calculations.

But what happened next was somewhat unexpected.

In the blink of an eye, just as the two enormous celestial globes were about to overlap, they suddenly shattered like glass!

The shattered instrument panel's light spots transformed into starlight and fell, among which was Taishi Ran's figure with the iron mask.

Buzz--

He landed gracefully, Taishi Ran knelt on the ground. Blood gushed from beneath the iron mask, staining the brown soil with bright red spots.

This unexpected turn of events took everyone present by surprise.

Although the Celestial Spirit Astrolabe consumes a great deal of energy, it is more than enough for Taishi Ran to control with his cultivation level.

The hunchbacked old man and the middle-aged fat man wanted to step forward to investigate, but Taishi Ran stopped them by raising his hand:

"I'm fine, I just suffered some internal injuries from forcibly interrupting the spell."

As he spoke,

Taishi Ran put the Heavenly Spirit Instrument back into his Sumeru Ring, raised his hand to half-remove the iron mask, and wiped the blood from the corner of his lower lip:

"I've located the position. The auras of the two Yantian Divine Soul are intertwined. Xu Changtian should be with the Holy Maiden right now."

The middle-aged, overweight man frowned slightly. "With the Holy Maiden by Xu Changtian, how can we make a move? Even if this iron mask conceals our aura, the Holy Maiden will surely be able to recognize us once we attack."

"This matter is not a problem."

Taishi Ran didn't seem to care much about the matter. "At most, the Holy Maiden will stop us, but she will never reveal our identities."

As he spoke,

He raised his eyes and looked solemnly at the northern sky:

"The important thing now is that something seems off about that kid named Xu Changtian."

Upon hearing the other party's solemn words, the eyes of everyone present revealed seriousness.

A chilling glint flashed in the hunched old man's eyes:

"Brother Taishi, why did you forcibly stop the spell just now?"

Taishi Ran slightly adjusted his disordered breathing, propped himself up on his knees, and stood up from the ground. Without beating around the bush, he said directly:

"That kid spotted me at the very last moment."

"."

Silence fell after the words were spoken; for a moment, no one spoke, only the chill of the cold wind brushing against their cheeks.

After a while,

The woman surnamed Luo said with some hesitation:

According to our clan's ancient records, even the Holy Maiden should be unable to sense the Heavenly Spirit Instrument's detection.

Beneath the mask, Taishi Ran pursed the rust from the corner of his lips:

"Only those Mortal Shedding cultivation levels exceeding the mortal realm can sense this deducing Qi mechanism."

As he spoke,

He looked around and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"Gentlemen, Xu Changtian's cultivation level is probably not simple."