Thousand Net Tower

Everything here lay within Lu Changsheng's Divine Sense.

He stared at the shadowy figure, certain that he was not from the Cangyun Sect. Moreover, his target was clear: Zhou Qingyu.

By now, a group of disciples had already retreated to the rear.

Only a few elders and Zhou Qingyu were still fighting, preventing the Demon Beasts from advancing.

But in the next instant, the shadowy figure moved. Law Power fluctuated around him, and a small tower appeared in his palm.

It was only a few inches tall, with seven stories. Without any hesitation, he tossed it into the sky.

Before their eyes, an enormous shadow fell over the sea of flames.

Directly above Zhou Qingyu, the small tower swelled in the wind, growing dozens of zhang tall. It descended from the sky, bearing down to crush those below.

"Eldest senior brother, watch out!"

Ye Tianyi saw the tower appear out of nowhere. As he shouted a warning, he rushed toward it.

Zhou Qingyu could not break free, so he had to hold it off for the moment.

But as the shadowy figure poured in Law Power, the tower's might manifested once more. It grew increasingly heavy as it bore down to crush them.

"A spirit-grade Law Artifact!"

Lu Changsheng was startled. The world's Law Artifacts were divided into grades.

The lowest was mortal grade, followed by profound grade, spirit grade, king grade, divine grade, and so on.

Moreover, Law Artifacts were precious and difficult to refine, and their prices were terrifyingly high. Each grade had three tiers, but even the cheapest low-tier profound-grade artifact cost over ten thousand Spirit Stones.

Spirit-grade artifacts cost tens of thousands, with supreme-tier ones reaching over a hundred thousand Spirit Stones. As for king-grade artifacts, those were treasures that even a Nascent Soul artifact refiner might fail to produce after spending decades.

Even ordinary Nascent Soul experts might not possess a high-tier spirit-grade Law Artifact, let alone a king-grade one.

The entire Cangyun Sect possessed only one low-tier spirit-grade and one high-tier spirit-grade Law Artifact.

Even throughout Cang Province, spirit-grade Law Artifacts were rather rare.

Lu Changsheng watched, stunned.

As the small tower bore down with its spreading might, even Zhou Qingyu's expression changed. A Core Formation cultivator had unleashed a spirit-grade Law Artifact.

Ye Tianyi was only at Essence Condensation. When he tried to block it, the sword in his hand instantly snapped. The terrifying power descended, about to pierce his body and crush him to death.

"Tianyi!"

The Qingyun Peak elder's expression darkened.

Zhou Qingyu briefly drove back the azure bird. Sword intent manifested around him, and Sword Qi rose as he tried to escape the crushing attack and leave.

But the azure bird attacked, and the small tower had already descended.

No one had expected anything so sudden. They knew someone had struck from the shadows, but there was no time to investigate.

What they expected even less, however, was that just as the tower was about to pierce Ye Tianyi, a flash of spiritual light emerged from the ground.

A swath of golden spiritual power swept over, blocking the tower's might the moment it descended.

Immediately afterward, that Law Power enveloped the tower, seeking to imprison and seal it, reining in every trace of its sharp might.

The tower, dozens of zhang tall, trembled incessantly, trying to break free. Yet it kept shrinking within the wrapping Law Power, finally returning to its original size and falling toward the ground.

"This..."

Ye Tianyi's heart trembled. He had thought death was certain, yet the murderous intent had inexplicably dissipated.

The elders did not know what had happened either.

They looked toward the ground, seeing only the spreading sea of flames, with no figure in sight.

Within the sea of flames, Lu Changsheng stood holding the small tower. Countless patterns were inscribed on its exquisite body, faintly carrying a hint of antiquity.

He also noticed a crack in the tower's body, then frowned. "The Thousand Net Tower!"

Lu Changsheng recognized this Law Artifact. It was the Thousand Net Sect's sect-guarding Law Artifact.

Like the Cangyun Sect and the Profound Heaven Sect, the Thousand Net Sect was one of Cang Province's three great sects. The Thousand Net Sect's emblem was branded on the tower, and there was also an imprint inside it.

It had once been a high-tier spirit-grade Law Artifact, but it had suffered damage in a great battle and now counted only as low-tier spirit grade.

The small tower was still struggling. Someone was trying to recall it-none other than the man in black. Yet despite trying for a long time, he received no response.

Soon, people from the other peaks hurried over.

Seeing the Cangyun Sect's people arrive, the shadowy man abandoned the small tower, turned, and vanished into the mountain forest.

Lu Changsheng passed through the mountain forest and followed him.

A hundred li away, he unleashed a swath of Law Power to intercept the shadowy figure.

The shadowy figure was shaken, his entire body blasted away, smashing through a mountain.

He got up and tried to leave again, but it was already too late. Lu Changsheng appeared before him and suppressed him with a raised hand.

The sequence flowed like moving clouds and running water. His opponent had no strength to fight back at all and was simply pinned there by Law Power, unable to move.

Lu Changsheng had pursued him to investigate, only to discover in surprise that the person before him was not alive, but a humanoid puppet.

Beneath the black robes was an utterly ordinary face, yet fluctuations of Core Formation Third Layer Law Power emanated from his body.

"A Core Formation puppet. Who would spend so lavishly?"

Lu Changsheng was somewhat surprised. Puppets were roughly divided into two types. One was refined from the bodies of living beings, the simplest and most convenient method. But once refined, they were bound to lose some of their original cultivation.

The resources consumed were astonishing, no less than raising an expert from scratch.

Likewise, puppets could do many things cultivators could not. For instance, right now, one could serve as a death warrior, bringing the tower to assassinate Zhou Qingyu. Even if discovered, its owner could escape suspicion.

The other type was refined from all manner of rare treasures and precious materials, making them even more valuable. Moreover, as long as the materials were extraordinary enough, they could even keep growing.

"The Profound Heaven Sect really is willing to spend its lifeblood to kill eldest senior brother!"

Lu Changsheng had a rough conjecture. Everyone knew the Thousand Net Tower belonged to the Thousand Net Sect. Even if they attempted an assassination, they would not use it.

That left only the Profound Heaven Sect.

If they failed, they could still wash their hands of it and point the spearhead at the Thousand Net Sect.

But no one was a fool. Anyone could guess at such an obvious move. Even if the Cangyun Sect thought of it, they would still be on guard against the Thousand Net Sect. No one dared claim absolute certainty.

There was also another possibility. If the Thousand Net Sect did not know its Law Artifact had been lost and followed their connection to it here, how would the Cangyun Sect respond?

Say that someone had gone to great lengths to steal the Thousand Net Sect's Law Artifact to kill Zhou Qingyu?

It was so absurd. Would the Thousand Net Sect believe it or not?

Even if they did not attack, they would still harbor misgivings about the Cangyun Sect.

If someone fanned the flames, how would things develop?

Lu Changsheng pondered. Regardless of the outcome, the only beneficiary would be the Profound Heaven Sect.

Killing Zhou Qingyu would be ideal. If they could not, friction would still arise between the two sects, leaving them suspicious of each other. That would be good for neither side.

"Is the Profound Heaven Sect really so vicious in its scheming?"

Lu Changsheng raised an eyebrow. It seemed there was no escaping it, no matter what.

The Thousand Net Sect had refined the Thousand Net Tower for thousands of years, leaving deep imprints that could not possibly be erased in a short time. The Thousand Net Sect could follow their connection to it here.

Even if he threw it away, what would they think if it was found within the Cangyun Sect's territory?

Lu Changsheng looked at the tower in his hand and the person before him. He could not help sighing and glanced at the distant battlefield.

"Just what hatred or grudge made them scheme so painstakingly against the Cangyun Sect? I heard the Profound Heaven Sect's sect master seems to be a woman. Could our sect master have done something no one knows about?"

For a while, Lu Changsheng's thoughts wandered who knew where. Only after a long time did he turn back.

Once he returned, he absolutely had to ask around. Otherwise, having this happen every few days would really be a headache.

But this time, they had come for Zhou Qingyu. Were they simply jealous of his exceptional talent, afraid of his growth, and wary of him?

Or had eldest senior brother done something he did not know about when he last attended Cang Province's Immortal Ascension Assembly?

Just then, he suddenly remembered the last time eldest senior brother had attended. He had heard that the Profound Heaven Sect's sect master had praised Zhou Qingyu highly, and that very night, he was nowhere to be found.

"Could eldest senior brother have..."