"Poor Daoist Lu Ya."
"I came today to meet Fellow Daoist Zhao Gongming."
His voice was not loud.
Yet the instant Lin Yuan heard the name, his back tensed slightly.
Lu Ya.
He had finally come.
Unlike Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao.
Though the Treasure-Dropping Coin in those two men's hands countered the Sea-Calming Pearl, the true danger, in the end, was merely losing one's treasure.
Lu Ya—
This man was the most fatal link in Zhao Gongming's predetermined death trial.
The Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book.
Twenty-One-Day Soul Worship.
Killing without a trace.
The most troublesome part was that, in the original story, after Zhao Gongming was afflicted, he did not even know at first why his condition was steadily worsening.
Such methods.
Were far more troublesome than facing a blade head-on.
In a direct battle of magic.
Zhao Gongming truly feared no one.
Let ten or eight experts come.
He would fight them all.
But curses were like sleeping at home while someone, countless miles away, slapped a continuous health-draining debuff on you.
And the crucial part was, there was not even a notification.
Lin Yuan's gaze toward Lu Ya immediately became exceptionally wary.
Lu Ya noticed him as well.
"Why has this young Daoist friend been watching Poor Daoist?"
Lin Yuan instantly reined in his expression.
"It is my first time meeting Senior."
"I was curious."
Lu Ya smiled.
He did not pursue the matter further.
Zhao Gongming had already ridden Black Tiger to the front.
"Lu Ya?"
"Poor Daoist has heard that name."
"I heard your origins are mysterious, and that you wander the Primordial World all year round."
"Have you come to West Qi today to help the Elucidation Sect as well?"
Lu Ya shook his head.
"Poor Daoist has no master-disciple affiliation with the Elucidation Sect."
"I merely came in accordance with the will of Heaven."
Zhao Gongming laughed after hearing that.
"The will of Heaven again."
"Recently, Poor Daoist has heard those words so often my ears are nearly callused."
"How is it that every one of you knows the will of Heaven?"
"Yet Poor Daoist does not?"
Lu Ya was not angered either.
"Heavenly secrets cannot be fully spoken."
Standing in the rear, Lin Yuan nearly rolled his eyes.
This line was the Primordial World's universal excuse.
If something could not be explained.
Heavenly secrets.
If someone did not want to explain it.
Still heavenly secrets.
If they truly could not make something up anymore.
Heavenly secrets must not be revealed.
A perfectly closed loop.
Zhao Gongming clearly could not be bothered to listen either.
"Since you say you came to face Poor Daoist."
"Then make your move."
The twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls rose into the air once more.
Yet Lu Ya did not immediately bring out any powerful treasure.
Instead, he merely deployed an escape technique and circled around Zhao Gongming.
The first Sea-Calming Pearl came crashing down.
Lu Ya dodged it.
The second followed close behind.
It too was evaded.
Zhao Gongming gradually accelerated his offensive.
The twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls formed a vast expanse of Five-Colored Divine Light.
Yet Lu Ya's movement technique was exceedingly peculiar.
Every time he seemed about to be struck.
At the final moment, his body would transform into a streak of rainbow light and flee away.
Lin Yuan narrowed his eyes.
Fast.
Countless levels beyond his current Wind-Thunder Escape.
What truly caught his attention was—
From beginning to end, Lu Ya had never clashed with Zhao Gongming head-on.
Nor did he show any particularly strong desire to win.
It was as if he were simply observing.
Observing Zhao Gongming's attacks.
Observing the Sea-Calming Pearls.
Even...
Observing everyone in the Shang Camp.
"Something is wrong."
Lin Yuan said in a low voice.
Wen Zhong stood beside him.
"What is wrong?"
"He said he came to battle with magic."
"Yet so far, there has not been a single head-on collision."
"With his cultivation, it is impossible that he cannot even launch one counterattack."
Wen Zhong frowned upon hearing that.
On the battlefield.
Zhao Gongming was clearly growing impatient as well.
"Lu Ya!"
"If all you can do is run."
"Then we will end this here today."
Lu Ya evaded another Sea-Calming Pearl.
Then smiled and said:
"Fellow Daoist Zhao's divine abilities are profound."
"And the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls truly live up to their reputation."
"Poor Daoist has learned much today."
"For now, I will fight no longer."
He stopped the moment he said he would.
His entire body transformed into a long rainbow.
He was actually preparing to leave directly.
Zhao Gongming was stunned for a moment.
"How baffling."
He did not pursue.
Lu Ya had shown no obvious hostility.
At least, not on the surface.
Nor were the two sides enemies locked in a fight to the death.
Since the other man wished to leave.
Zhao Gongming naturally would not chase him all across the Primordial World.
Yet Lin Yuan kept staring in the direction where Lu Ya had vanished.
Alarm bells blared in his heart.
Something was very wrong.
He had come all this way.
Flown circles around Zhao Gongming for half the day.
Done nothing substantial at all.
Then said he had learned much.
And left.
If Lu Ya truly had that much free time.
The Primordial World was so vast—where could he not travel?
Why had he specifically come to the Shang and Zhou battlefield to check in?
After Zhao Gongming returned to camp.
Seeing that Lin Yuan was still frowning, he could not help but smile.
"What?"
"Do you sense danger again?"
Lin Yuan was not joking.
He nodded seriously.
"Yes."
The smile on Zhao Gongming's face slowly faded.
He now knew how formidable Lin Yuan's unusual spiritual perception was.
Wang Mo and the other four.
The Ten Heavenly Lords.
Every time something had gone wrong before.
Lin Yuan's warnings had been nearly entirely accurate.
"From Lu Ya?"
"Most likely."
Lin Yuan answered.
"But this disciple cannot say what it is."
That was the truth.
He knew of the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book.
But where exactly the altar would be set up.
When Lu Ya would begin casting the spell.
The Primordial World was so vast.
Lin Yuan could not possibly remember precise coordinates from a novel he had read in his previous life.
This was also the most troublesome part of Zhao Gongming's tribulation.
He knew the enemy would fire a hidden arrow.
Yet he did not know where the arrow would come from.
Zhao Gongming pondered for a moment.
"Then remain more vigilant."
"Poor Daoist will not leave the Shang Camp recently."
"If he truly has some means."
"It will reveal itself eventually."
Lin Yuan nodded.
For now, that was all they could do.
Over the next few days,
West Qi was unusually quiet.
Lu Ya did not appear again.
The Elucidation Sect also did not continue taking the initiative to fight Zhao Gongming.
Everything seemed to have returned to how it was just after the battle of the Ten Ultimate Formation ended.
Yet Lin Yuan grew increasingly uneasy.
Within his Innate Spiritual Perception,
the danger targeting Zhao Gongming had not diminished.
Instead, it thickened bit by bit like gathering storm clouds.
On the morning of the fifth day,
Lin Yuan had just finished cultivating
when he heard a burst of laughter from outside the military tent.
Zhao Gongming was talking with Wang Mo and the others.
Everything appeared normal.
The seventh day.
Normal.
The ninth day.
Still normal.
Lin Yuan even began to wonder whether Lu Ya had yet to take out the Nail-Head Seven-Arrows Book.
Until the night of the tenth day,
he was studying the insights into formations left behind by the Ten Ultimate Formation inside his military tent.
Suddenly,
his Innate Spiritual Perception gave a sharp stab.
Lin Yuan's eyes flew open.
It was not him.
This danger came from the main tent next door.
Zhao Gongming!
Without the slightest hesitation, Lin Yuan unleashed Wind-Thunder Escape.
Boom!
A figure appeared outside Zhao Gongming's tent.
A slightly irritated voice came from within.
"Who is it?"
"Your disciple, Lin Yuan."
Lin Yuan lifted the curtain and entered.
Zhao Gongming was seated cross-legged inside.
He did not appear injured.
Nor was there any obvious irregularity in his mana.
But compared to the previous few days,
there was now a trace of exhaustion between his brows that would not fade.
"Martial Uncle."
"How are you feeling today?"
Zhao Gongming frowned.
"It's nothing serious."
"It's just that, for some reason..."
He raised a hand and pressed his brow. "I've been feeling rather restless these past two days."
"Just now, while cultivating, I even had a headache."
Zhao Gongming spoke casually.
As though he were mentioning some trivial matter.
Lin Yuan's gaze turned completely cold.
It had begun.
Before you continue