Inside a sealed room.
The black iron gate slammed shut, and the array patterns were instantly and completely activated.
Chu Yunfei sat cross-legged on the jade futon.
That vague and unpredictable sense of unease not only did not subside, but instead intensified in my mind.
That is... an entanglement of cause and effect in the dark.
Chu Yunfei closed his eyes slightly, his mind racing as he processed the enemies and changes he had encountered in recent days.
Emperor Ling Zhantian of the Great Qian Dynasty?
Blood Baleful Intent Tower?
Or perhaps one of the top sects like the Cangyun Sect or the Puppet Sect?
wrong.
Chu Yunfei quickly dismissed these speculations.
Even if these Dao Mysterious Realm cultivators in the Vast Waves Domain possess extraordinary abilities, they could never possibly touch upon the ethereal Dao of Cause and Effect.
This ability to remotely observe the causal trajectory of cultivators is a realm that ordinary cultivators simply cannot reach.
"Could it be... karma from a past life?"
Chu Yunfei muttered to himself.
But as soon as the idea came to him, he shook his head and rejected it.
In his past life, he was a powerful figure with countless enemies, but he had already perished in the past. The Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate carried a wisp of his remnant soul into the mortal realm, concealing all the secrets of heaven.
If an enemy from the Upper Realm were to discover that he had reassembled his remnant soul, they would not resort to this kind of probing causal surveillance, but would instead descend with their dharma bodies to directly annihilate him.
Neither a powerful enemy in this world, nor a sworn enemy from a past life...
So where does this mysterious force, attempting to pinpoint its own causal chain, originate?
Suddenly, Chu Yunfei's heart skipped a beat.
He suddenly realized an unusual detail.
Last night he was intimate with Lin Wanyin...
Throughout the entire ordeal, the mother dragon in the sea of consciousness, who always seemed to thrive on chaos, didn't utter a single word.
Even though she secretly sealed her sea of consciousness later and then unsealed it in the morning, she remained as quiet as if she had fallen into a deathly silence.
Given Xiaoxiao Dragon's past personality, this is illogical.
Chu Yunfei's eyes flickered, and his consciousness sank into the depths of his sea of consciousness.
" Xiaoxiao Dragon?"
Chu Yunfei tentatively called out in his mind.
Is he dead?
As soon as he finished speaking, his mind fell into complete silence.
A full three breaths passed.
boom!
A furious roar exploded deep within Chu Yunfei's soul:
"You're the one who's dead! Your whole family is dead!"
Chu Yunfei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The fact that he can still curse with such vigor shows that this perverted dragon is not in any serious trouble.
He rubbed his ears, which were ringing from the vibration, and chuckled.
"It's good that you're not dead. There was such a commotion last night, and you actually didn't say a word to watch the fun. I thought something had happened to you."
Xiaoxiao Dragon snorted arrogantly:
"Ha, you think I didn't know what you did last night?"
Chu Yunfei chuckled dryly, rubbing his nose. "Sorry, sorry. Last night it was just a habit; I subconsciously blocked my consciousness. Next time, I promise I'll leave you a crack."
Xiaoxiao Dragon scoffed dismissively, crossing his arms.
"Unsolicited kindness is either a sign of ulterior motives or theft."
"Speak your mind, or shut up!"
Chu Yunfei's playful smile vanished, and his expression gradually turned cold and stern.
"From last night until now... have you noticed anything unusual?"
Xiaoxiao Dragon's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a second, then he decisively turned his head and uttered two words indifferently:
"No."
Chu Yunfei's brows furrowed sharply.
That was too quick an answer.
It happened so fast it almost seemed like an attempt to cover something up.
This is completely unlike Xiaoxiao Dragon's usual style.
Chu Yunfei said in a deep voice, "Are you sure? Don't try to fool me. I'm not that stupid witch."
A long silence fell over his mind.
The chaotic mist churned violently around the Divine Cauldron. After a long while, the stunningly beautiful dragon maiden, suspended in mid-air, finally let out a very soft sigh.
She turned around, her golden eyes revealing an unprecedented solemnity:
"Very well... I have indeed noticed something."
Chu Yunfei's eyes narrowed, and he held his breath.
Xiao Xiaoxiao Dragon continued, "These past few days, someone has been using a faint causal link with someone you had a real connection with to try and forcibly pinpoint your exact location by reversing the workings of fate at any cost."
A causal relationship that is substantially intertwined?!
Chu Yunfei's heart trembled violently.
He had only a handful of people he had met and been connected with in this life. Who else had the ability to attract the attention of the person behind him, to the point of crossing the void to deduce his whereabouts?!
Who is it?!
"I do not know."
Xiaoxiao Dragon shook his head, a strange light flashing deep in his eyes:
"But the owner of this power... is stronger than you can imagine. If the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate hadn't spontaneously concealed most of the heavenly secrets, you would have already been locked onto by the opponent."
A chill inexplicably rose down Chu Yunfei's spine.
Even the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate can only conceal most of the secrets of heaven?!
Such power... could it be a supreme immortal?
"However... there's no need to panic for now."
Xiaoxiao Dragon changed the subject, his tone becoming complicated:
"In this world, there's a powerful individual secretly covering up that causal link for you. You should be fine for the time being."
In the lower realms, someone is secretly covering up the causal threads for me?
Who could it be?
Chu Yunfei's breath hitched, and several names flashed through his mind like lightning, but he couldn't be sure.
" Xiaoxiao Dragon, is there something you're hiding?"
Chu Yunfei's tone was low and his eyes were sharp:
Who exactly is the person with whom I have a karmic connection?
Xiaoxiao Dragon looked up at Chu Yunfei's stubborn eyes, and for a long time, unusually, he didn't say anything sarcastic.
"You brat, listen to my advice, don't ask anymore."
Her voice was low and earnest:
"There are some people and things that, given your current level of understanding, may not be a good thing to know."
"Focus on your path. The grand competition is imminent; let's clean up this mess in the Great Qian Imperial City first. Just understand one thing: I will never harm you, understand?"
A long silence fell over his mind.
Chu Yunfei slowly clenched his fists, finally suppressing the sense of urgency shrouded in unknown darkness that gripped his heart.
strength.
Ultimately, it was because their own strength was too weak.
After a long pause, Chu Yunfei took a deep breath and said in a deep voice:
"Okay, I won't force you."
"But Xiaoxiao Dragon, listen to me carefully. If one day this crisis truly strikes and it involves your safety..."
Chu Yunfei's gaze was like iron, and he spoke each word slowly and deliberately:
I won't let you shoulder this alone.
"Even if the sky falls, you still have to leave me half a shoulder to lean on, understand?!"
Xiaoxiao Dragon was slightly stunned.
Looking into the young man's deep, stubborn, yet unmistakably clear black eyes, a long-lost warmth quietly spread through the depths of her soul, which had been barren for countless years.
That little bastard...
He's always talking nonsense, but when it comes to taking advantage of others, he's the worst scoundrel.
But precisely when it comes to a crisis, the words he utters always manage to precisely strike the softest corner of her heart.
"Okay, I know, you're so nagging."
Xiaoxiao Dragon awkwardly turned her head away, waved her snow-white little hand, and hummed softly:
"I am an unparalleled being who has lived for countless years. How dare you, a mere brat, offer your protection? If things really come to that, I am no pushover!"
"Get out of here and do your own thing."
Chu Yunfei gave her a deep look, said nothing more, and with a slight tremor of his divine sense, he instantly withdrew from her sea of consciousness.
Silence returned to the sealed room.
As for Xiaoxiao Dragon within the Divine Cauldron of Heavenly Mandate, the moment Chu Yunfei's consciousness departed, the arrogant expression on his face vanished instantly.
She slowly raised her head, her beautiful eyes piercing through the heavy, dark iron chamber, gazing at the distant, unknowable void, a solemn expression appearing in them.
"If this calamity truly originates from... the Calamity Land..."
"Given that old man from the Azure Mystic Sect's abilities, I'm afraid... he'll still find it difficult to withstand..."