Chapter 1360: Misdirection

Now that he had grasped the situation inside the Sacred Realm, the first thing Niu Youdao did was rush to Demon Ridge to meet Zhao Xiongge in person.

After that, sometimes beneath a clear wind and bright moon atop a mountain, sometimes drifting by boat along a river, sometimes in a valley of high mountains and running streams, and sometimes directly atop a soaring flying mount, Niu Youdao traveled without rest by day or night.

Within only a few days, he met Gong Lince, Xi Haitang, Yan Zhutian, and Wen Hua one after another. He told them the intelligence obtained from inside the Sacred Realm, explained the crisis now bearing down on them, and laid out his strategy for counterattack.

The several men had not known what had happened inside the Sacred Realm. Hearing without warning that danger was closing in, every one of them felt his heart pound. Once they learned Niu Youdao's plan for striking back, all agreed to cooperate fully.

After finishing his meeting with Yan Zhutian, the last of them, Niu Youdao jumped from high in the sky and flew toward the vast earth below.

Yan Zhutian swiftly rode his flying mount away.

Niu Youdao glided into a deep valley in the mountains and landed lightly beside a disguised Yun Ji. A flying mount waited beside her.

Niu Youdao said, "Let's go."

Yun Ji asked, "Where? Back?"

Niu Youdao said, "Zhuge Chi. We spent that much effort saving him. It's time he contributed something."

...

At Tianmo Sacred Land, in the burial grounds filled with disorderly graves, large numbers of people were digging into the earth and excavating bones.

Wu Fei was among them.

When he saw people begin digging near that large tree, his heart rose into his throat.

He did not know who the person behind the scenes had been who incited him to do that thing, nor did he know the purpose. But amid the present chaos, he had already begun to suspect that it might somehow be connected to the theft at Wuliang Garden.

More importantly, the moment trouble erupted at Wuliang Garden, he received a message from the person behind the scenes asking whether his earlier theft of a skull from a corpse had left any loose ends and telling him to eliminate any hidden danger immediately if possible.

His reply had been that there should be no problem. People killed in all manner of ways were buried in that mass grave, new bodies were added every year, and after so much time the corpse had long since rotted away. There should be no problem.

Even so, he remained deeply worried.

By the time he received the message and tried to react, however, it was already too late. Wu Chang had returned after neutralizing the Heart-Bewildering Powder and placed everyone in Tianmo Sacred Land under control, especially the burial ground.

Wu Fei increasingly realized that the matter was serious.

He no longer had any chance to tamper with the burial ground.

The person he had killed back then was buried right here.

He spent every day in fear.

At last, after the personnel of the Sacred Land had been inspected, Wu Chang gave an order and the people of Tianmo Sacred Land finally began digging through the burial ground itself.

The grave pit Wu Fei had tampered with was eventually opened.

As he passed nearby in a state of constant anxiety, he saw the unearthed bones and finally relaxed a little.

The corpse of the person he had killed had long since decayed. Buried without any means of preservation, it had been eaten down to a skeleton by insects and vermin. And this burial ground deserved its name as a mass grave. By now, no one could tell which skeleton had belonged to whom. As long as the face could no longer be recognized, it would be difficult to identify any target for further investigation.

...

At Demon Ridge, inside the Demon Palace, Zhao Xiongge stood before a stone railing overlooking the bustling trading grounds below. He remained silent, every string in his heart drawn tight.

Several days earlier, Niu Youdao had already sent him a message informing him that the Wuliang Fruits had been stolen and warning him to prepare in advance.

Zhao Xiongge knew that something had happened inside the Sacred Realm. People from the Demonic Sect frequently traveled in and out of the Sacred Realm to visit Tianmo Sacred Land. But he had not known the Wuliang Fruits were missing. Clearly, news of the theft had been sealed to some extent.

Of course, for people whose position had reached a certain level, a matter this large could hardly still be called a secret. Yet the Sacred Realm continued to suppress the news. Evidently, they did not want hearts beneath Heaven thrown into turmoil, or perhaps they did not want people beneath Heaven developing rebellious thoughts.

Not long ago, Niu Youdao had also come to meet Zhao Xiongge in person and personally instructed him in several matters.

Nantian Wufang walked over at an unhurried pace and stopped beside him. "Go to the rear mountain."

Zhao Xiongge looked back. "What is it?"

Nantian Wufang stared at him. "I don't know either. Wu Chang is here. He's at the rear mountain, waiting in your old lair."

Zhao Xiongge's pupils contracted sharply.

Niu Youdao had told him that Wu Chang might come looking for him and had warned him to prepare himself mentally. Unfortunately, Niu Youdao had guessed correctly. He really had come.

Zhao Xiongge said nothing more and turned away.

He went alone to the rear mountain and reached the cliff.

On the stone terrace outside the cave halfway down the mountain where he had lived for many years stood a single man, long hair drifting, body tall and powerful.

It was none other than Wu Chang.

Zhao Xiongge leapt down and landed lightly beside him. "You wanted to see me?"

Wu Chang turned his head and looked him up and down. "You're much cleaner now."

Zhao Xiongge said, "You summoned me here. Surely you didn't make this trip just to compliment me?"

Wu Chang fixed his eyes on Zhao Xiongge's. "When did you obtain the Demon Canon?"

Zhao Xiongge said, "What, is there some problem with the Demon Canon? Or are you planning to go back on your word?"

Wu Chang said, "Answer my question."

Zhao Xiongge replied, "You should know roughly when. The Saintess entrusted it to me before she died."

Wu Chang said, "In other words, more than thirty years ago."

Zhao Xiongge said, "About that. Why ask? Is there some problem?"

Wu Chang said, "Did you leak the contents of the Demon Canon to anyone else?"

There was a reason he asked.

Crow Generals had stood guard beside the Wuliang Fruit tree since long ago. After Wu Chang became one of the Nine Saints, the previous Eight Saints had already agreed that no more Wuliang Fruits would be picked, and he too had to abide by that agreement.

At the time, the foundations of those Eight Saints had run deep, and Wu Chang had harbored some concern. So he arranged for Crow Generals to guard the tree.

Regardless of who had stolen the Wuliang Fruits thirty years ago, the Crow Generals had been replaced several times during that period, but there had always been Crow Generals on guard. It should have been impossible to pass their line without anyone noticing.

Of course, that had only been his thinking when he originally stationed the Crow Generals there.

After obtaining the Demon Canon and seeing the authentic secret art for Crow Generals recorded inside it, he discovered that the Crow Generals actually had a vulnerability.

Naturally, suspicion fell on Zhao Xiongge's side.

Once Wu Chang had stabilized the situation inside the Sacred Realm, he immediately rushed here.

Zhao Xiongge's heart tightened slightly.

Of course he had leaked the contents to someone.

He had leaked them to Niu Youdao.

Fortunately, Niu Youdao had reacted quickly. The instant he learned something had happened inside the Sacred Realm, he notified Zhao Xiongge to prepare. Later, he had even come in person to instruct him what to do.

Now Zhao Xiongge answered calmly, "Do you think I would leak the contents of the Demon Canon to anyone else?"

That was precisely what Wu Chang found puzzling.

He had tortured Zhao Xiongge for so long in the past, yet Zhao Xiongge had refused even to admit that he possessed the Demon Canon. His determination to guard it had been absolute. By rights, he should not have revealed its contents casually.

But Wu Chang had still come to confirm it.

He said coldly, "Think carefully. If anyone else knows the secrets recorded in the Demon Canon, then not only you but everyone connected to you will die by my hand. I am giving you one more chance to undo this. Tell me who it was. If the damage can still be repaired, that is better for everyone."

Zhao Xiongge appeared confused. "What are you trying to say? Has someone else learned the secrets recorded in the Demon Canon?"

Wu Chang said, "I'm asking you!"

Zhao Xiongge replied, "After the Demon Canon came into my hands, I never admitted to anyone that I possessed it, much less revealed its contents."

Wu Chang asked, "Did the previous Saintess tell anyone else?"

Zhao Xiongge said, "How would I know? If someone else knew the secrets of the Demon Canon, you wouldn't be the only one looking for me. If someone truly knows, why not simply find that person and confirm it directly?"

Wu Chang said, "If I knew who knew, would I need to come ask you?"

Zhao Xiongge said, "Then how do you know someone else has learned the Demon Canon's secrets? There must be some trace you can follow. Anyone who knew its secrets would have had to touch something recorded in the Demon Canon, otherwise how could you have noticed? You must already have discovered something. Has someone practiced one of the secret arts from the Demon Canon? Or is someone searching for something in the Fifth Domain?"

Some of these words had been specifically given to him by Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao had concluded that Wu Chang already knew what the guiding object was and instructed Zhao Xiongge to seize an opportunity to steer suspicion toward Lü Wushuang.

That way, the fact that Lü Wushuang knew what the guiding object was but did not know how to find it, and had instead gone looking for Yuan Gang, would show that she only partially understood what the Demon Canon recorded. It would leave open the possibility that she had learned the method for refining Crow Generals through some other channel, thereby helping eliminate suspicion that Zhao Xiongge himself had leaked the secret.

Combined with all the things Niu Youdao had previously stirred up inside the Sacred Realm, Lü Wushuang would find it very difficult to wash herself clean of suspicion.

If Wu Chang came looking for Zhao Xiongge, then that would show Wu Chang might not yet have thought along that line. Zhao Xiongge had therefore been told to watch the direction of the conversation and remind Wu Chang at the right moment.

Sure enough, Wu Chang's gaze suddenly flickered.

He remembered Niu Youdao's assassination.

What exactly had Niu Youdao discovered while investigating Wuliang Garden? The truth had already sunk beyond recovery.

Lü Wushuang's subsequent behavior had plainly been problematic.

She had clearly been trying to cover something up.

And Zhao Xiongge's words truly did remind him of one thing.

The Fifth Domain!

After discovering that the Scorpion Emperor was the guiding object, Wu Chang had already begun to suspect Lü Wushuang's attempt to find the Scorpion Emperor.

Now all those doubts seemed to connect.

Suddenly, Wu Chang struck.

One hand clamped down on Zhao Xiongge's shoulder, and the force of his immense cultivation left Zhao Xiongge unable to move.

Zhao Xiongge said heavily, "What are you trying to do? Are you really planning to go back on your word?"

Wu Chang circulated his art and examined Zhao Xiongge's cultivation.

After confirming there was no problem, he abruptly released him again, flashed away, and shot into the sky.

Just like that, he left.

Zhao Xiongge watched him go and slowly exhaled.

Thanks to Niu Youdao's warning, he knew exactly what Wu Chang had just been doing.

Wu Chang wanted to see whether Zhao Xiongge had used a Wuliang Fruit and whether he had broken through to the Nascent Soul Realm.

Zhao Xiongge could not help feeling fortunate.

Fortunately, Yuan Gang had only recently arrived at the Demonic Sect and still needed Zhao Xiongge's help to become familiar with everything there. Zhao Xiongge therefore had not yet had a stable, uninterrupted stretch of time long enough to attempt his breakthrough.

Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Of course, if matters had truly reached that point, he and Yuan Gang would have had no choice but to run.

Zhao Xiongge's expression turned grave.

The theft of the Wuliang Fruits had made him deeply aware that the situation had changed abruptly. No one knew what kind of storm would sweep in next.

...

Within the State of Song, beside a dock on a surging great river, three people stood on the bank.

One was a fisherman.

The other two were Niu Youdao and Yun Ji in disguise.

As for Hai Wuji, he had now become a flatbread vendor at the dock and kept casting eager glances toward the three people on the riverbank.

There was no helping it.

If one wanted to survive, one had to find an identity to hide behind.

In the world as it was now, even hiding deep in the mountains was no longer safe.

Of course, people had also been arranged in secret to watch over and provide cover for the two men.

[End of Chapter 1360]