Chapter 155: Discussion

No sooner said than done, Chen Liu pushed Su He aside, stepped out in a strange, intricate pattern, and chanted a silent incantation.

In a brief moment, his eyes snapped wide open. The half-sleeve drifted up into mid-air, undulating as if moving to the rhythm of some ancient melody, while wisps of spiritual energy began to overflow from it.

Upon closer inspection, this energy differed entirely from ordinary spiritual power.

Suddenly, Chen Liu’s gaze returned to normal, and the half-sleeve dropped back to its original position.

Su He stepped forward urgently and asked, "How is it?"

To his surprise, Chen Liu’s figure violently recoiled a few steps, and as he turned his head, a splatter of bright red blood hit the ground. "Pfft—"

Before Su He could approach, Chen Liu raised a hand to stop him, coughing, "There is no need, Chen is quite unharmed."

With that, he straightened his posture, took a slow breath to steady himself, and expelled a mouthful of stale air. "As expected, there is more to this than meets the eye. I never imagined the culprit would possess such methods. It was truly my negligence."

"What did the verifier discover?" Su He helped Chen Liu to a seat and asked from the side.

Chen Liu shook his head. "Yes, and no."

"How so?" As he spoke, Su He returned to his own seat.

Chen Liu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, stared at the crimson stain on the back of his hand, and said, "What I mean by 'yes' is that the adversary’s reach is extraordinarily long. And what I mean by 'no' is that although I was fortunate enough to successfully open my eye of wisdom this time, I could not see clearly."

Just now, when he clashed against that mysterious force, every time he was on the verge of seeing the truth, his vision was violently disrupted and tangled in chaos, leaving him unable to reach a definitive conclusion.

Yet as soon as those words left his mouth, Su He was startled for a long moment. According to Chen Liu, this half-sleeve had passed through his own hands, then through Prince Yong, and finally to Chen Liu, yet the enemy could still remain hidden in the shadows and prevent them from nearing the truth.

Such a reach could only be described as terrifyingly vast...

He exchanged a glance with Chen Liu, then quietly released his spiritual sense, probing the surroundings of the Spirit-Fostering Pavilion.

In an instant, every blade of grass and tree within a radius of a hundred miles could not escape his perception. Even if a sudden grasshopper were to leap from a twig to a leaf, it would be seen with absolute clarity.

Yet, strangely enough, no matter how carefully and covertly Su He searched, aside from a few lurking watchers hiding in the dark, he found nothing else whatsoever.

"Well?" Chen Liu asked.

Su He withdrew his spiritual sense, his gaze narrowing slightly as he slowly shook his head.

Suddenly, it was Chen Liu’s turn to remain silent. His cultivation was not weak, and Baili Su He was no ordinary figure either. Yet the results of both their searches were virtually identical. This showed that behind the affair of Little Zhou Village, there truly lurked a black hand they could not see.

Suddenly, a possibility crossed his mind.

Whether it was himself or Prince Yong, they had likely been led around in circles by someone whose sole purpose was to cause them to fall out with Baili Su He.

One had to bear in mind that ever since Baili Su He had appeared in the royal city, his identity as a Seal-Breaker had become the talk of the town overnight. While the Deathless Gate had certainly added fuel to the fire, the greater part of it stemmed from Baili Su He's own unique identity, which added countless unpredictable ripples to the already murky and obscure Sea of Desire.

What if the adversary was using an indirect method, seeking to borrow strength to strike a blow, using their hands to sever Baili Su He's left and right arms? Chen Liu believed this idea was entirely feasible.

Having figured out the crux of the matter, Chen Liu completely changed his prior impression of Su He. Resolved to cast aside other distractions first, he said, "I intend to enter the palace to see the First Prince. Would the young master care to accompany me?"

Su He replied, "I have just come out from the palace myself, so I will not join in the excitement. However, before parting, I wish to confirm one more matter with you. Earlier, I observed spiritual energy overflowing from this object. While it lacked the look of ordinary spiritual energy, it possessed certain peculiar traits, and its color was even more distinct. I wonder if my observation was correct?"

Hearing this, Chen Liu silently thought that Su He possessed terrifyingly sharp eyes—it seemed truly difficult to keep anything from him. Thus, he answered frankly, "Your eyes are sharp, Young Master; there is indeed something unusual about it."

Pointing to the sleeve on the table, he said, "When I observed it with my eye of wisdom, a tremendous force opposed me. When I forced my gaze forward, the adversary suddenly scrambled everything I saw, turning my vision into a complete illusion. However, one detail remained, no matter how they tried to conceal it: a trace within that spiritual energy was vastly different from anything else." Even the heart of the old man and the traces of the combat techniques that should have been revealed had all been disrupted.

"How is it different?"

"That aura was non-human, resembling both a snake and an insect—it definitely did not belong to any human."

Su He probed tentatively, "Is it possible they were practitioners of evil arts?"

Chen Liu shook his head in denial. "Although evildoers excel in malefic arts, as far as I know, among them, the Red Widow favors killing with her Blood-Vein Spiders, and the Insect-Master loves commanding insects and frequently keeps venomous snakes. The methods of these individuals are ruthless and absolute. If they were to kill with their abilities, how could they ever leave anyone with an intact corpse?"

"Not necessarily. What I mean is, could it be possible that someone has gathered the strengths of all three into one body, and is now using that to manipulate others into committing murder?"

Instantly, Chen Liu stood up, walked to the door to check, and upon confirming that no one was approaching to disturb them, he returned to Su He and lowered his voice. "Does the Young Master already have a lead in mind?"

With that, he sat back down close to Su He.

Su He leaned in closer as well, looking at him. "I do have an inkling, but for now, it is merely a conjecture."

"I am all ears for the details."

"Lean closer, please."

Chen Liu followed suit. A moment later, his eyes widened as he stared at Su He. "Truly?"

"Mm." Su He nodded, adding, "If you see the First Prince later, you might as well present this matter to him and have him assign more men to keep watch."

"I understand."

"In that case, I must trouble the Verifier for this arduous trip. I shall take my leave."

"Very well, I will see the Young Master out."

"No need to trouble yourself, please stay."

As soon as Su He left, Chen Liu immediately summoned Zaishe, instructed him to carefully look after the Spirit-Fostering Pavilion, and taking the crystal box and the half-sleeve with him, he departed for the Ruijin Palace.

However, his timing was unfortunate, as he ran into Xian Buhuai summoning several of his sons in the Baode Hall. Aside from Xuan Gewyue, who was never at home, the first, second, and third princes were basically all present.

Upon seeing the letter sent by Xing Ranzong, Xian Buhuai felt his temples throbbing violently. Rubbing his head, he instructed Yang Yun to pass the letter around so his sons could read it.

Prince Yong read it first, then handed the letter to his two younger brothers, asking, "How does Royal Father view this?"

Prince Yu and Prince Mu swiftly scanned the contents of the letter, their expressions changing drastically. While they might not have turned entirely pale, their complexions were certainly far from pleasant.

The two younger brothers stepped forward hurriedly and spoke in unison, "Royal Father, is this... true?"

When all was said and forth, the two of them still found it hard to believe that such a massive upheaval could occur in the span of just a few days. The Soul-Governing Gate was no nameless faction; how could they possibly lose two guards and dozens of disciples all at once?

Moreover, the letter stated that the culprit was none was other than the Insect-Master, one of the Three Evils.

Had the evildoers already begun to openly declare war? How dared they commit murder outside the Eight Winds Island against an immortal of the Sea of Desire?

Xian Buhuai felt a headache coming on. Unresolved matters were still hanging, and now a new trouble had been added. He motioned to Shaozhen Wuyi, gesturing for him to speak on his behalf.

Shaozhen Wuyi accepted the command, first exchanging formal greetings with the three princes before saying, "This matter is entirely true. The Sovereign summoned you princes here precisely to hear what insights you might have regarding this situation."

Prince Yu and Prince Mu exchanged glances, each adopting an expression of detached indifference. They were neither the eldest nor the嫡 (legitimate heirs), so why should they trouble themselves with this?

After the two of them subtly pushed the responsibility back and forth, Prince Mu was ultimately shoved forward.

Shaozhen Wuyi raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does the Third Prince have any brilliant insights?"

Prince Mu tucked his hands into his sleeves, pointed at Prince Yong, and said, "Eldest Brother is responsible for the security and defense of the royal city, so the Literary Minister might as well ask Eldest Brother first. Eldest Brother's view is our view."

Prince Yong cast a sideways glance at his fine younger brother, while Prince Yu and Prince Mu offered him polite smiles that made his heart turn cold.

Not to mention that the Fourth Brother cared nothing for the throne of the Heavenly Lord; even if the Fourth Brother were out of the picture, the two of them should never dream of acquiring that position.

"Eldest Prince?" Shaozhen Wuyi called out.

Prince Yong lowered his gaze, taking the opportunity to conceal the sharp glint in his eyes. Wearing the mask of a devoted and harmonious brother—appearing utterly harmless—he said, "In my humble opinion, the resurgence of the Three Evils is inevitable. We might as well establish defenses in the locations where these evildoers are most likely to appear.

While this may not completely halt their steps, it will at least allow us to know where the incidents occur, enabling us to roughly predict their movements.

At that time, we can dispatch additional reinforcements to eliminate them."

Shaozhen Wuyi remarked, "What the Eldest Prince says has its merits, but if we do this, wouldn't many innocent people die in vain?"

"Not so. Has the Literary Minister never heard the saying that there are thousand-day thieves, but no thousand days of guarding against thieves?

No matter how strictly we defend, there will always be blind spots we fail to see. Rather than waiting for them to hunt down everyone in the shadows one by one, it is better for us to turn passivity into initiative.

Doing so would be no different than dealing the evildoers a direct blow. Once we make a move, they will naturally not remain content in silence."

Hearing this, Xian Buhuai, seated upon the throne, suddenly brightened. Eldest son’s words, though sounding somewhat ruthless and cold at first listen, had to be acknowledged as a viable plan.

Then, looking at the petty little schemes of his second and third sons, how could they possibly escape his notice? He thought to himself that these two boys had simply read too many popular tales; they hadn't learned anything useful, but had instead mastered selfishness and egoism, eagerly plotting internal strife among brothers.

Filled with a sudden surge of exasperation that they would fail to meet expectations, he said to his eldest son, "According to your words, where are the evildoers most likely to appear? And who should be dispatched to take charge of the defense?"

Prince Yong calmly swept a glance past Prince Yu and Prince Mu, cupped his hands, and replied, "Our dynasty's territory is vast. While collectively referred to as the royal city, it is strictly divided into inner and outer regions, with the royal palace located at the center.

Given the geographical location of the Eight Winds Island, if they launch an attack from the east, they must first pass through the nearby cities. Royal Father may dispatch my second and third younger brothers to take charge there, just to be safe."

As soon as these words fell, Prince Yu and Prince Mu exchanged looks of dismay. Just as they were about to speak, they were silenced by a fierce glare from Xian Buhuai—a pair of good-for-nothing fools!

The two brothers pinched the bridges of their noses, daring not utter another word. They could only wonder if they could get their respective birth mothers to whisper pillow-talk to the king and have this assignment changed.

To be sent out at a time like this, and to the borderlands at that—was this not asking them to report to the netherworld ahead of schedule?

They had originally hoped to fish in troubled waters while the eldest and youngest fought for power. In the end, they caught no fish and instead pricked their hands on the hooks; the loss vastly outweighed the gain.

Observing them, Xian Buhuai inwardly shook his head. His second and third sons had been coddled far too well. Sending them to the borderlands to be tempered was by no means a bad thing; otherwise, once the royal palace was breached, they would either die or end up as prisoners of war.

Better by far that they die valiantly on the battlefield.

As men, if they were to die, they should do so brilliantly and heroically, so as not to live in vain.

The moment the two brothers saw the expression on Xian Buhuai's face, they knew that running back to cry to their mothers would be useless. It seemed their father had made up his mind to send them away.

Instantly, grief filled their hearts. Like eggplants struck by frost, they withered completely.

Xian Buhuai said to Prince Yong, "The eastern direction is indeed the inevitable route for an invasion from the Eight Winds Island, but that path is still suppressed by the Sevenfold Kalpa Seal and remains secure for now.

The urgent matter right now is that evildoers such as the Insect-Master and the Red Widow have already escaped the Eight Winds Island. If they occupy separate territories and launch a simultaneous assault on the royal city, given our current situation, we have no way to defend against it."

These were not pleasant words to hear, but they were the stark reality of the Sea of Desire. Under various factors, they found themselves in an extremely disadvantageous position.

Shaozhen Wuyi remained silent for a moment before saying, "The Sovereign need not be so pessimistic.

If we prepare according to the Eldest Prince's previous proposal, it may well serve as a strategy to lure the snake out of its hole."

"How so?"

"While we worry for the Sea of Desire, the evildoers must likewise worry about the situation within the Eight Winds Island. By comparison, their situation can only be far more dire than ours.

Once our side takes action, the evildoers will inevitably make corresponding moves.

When that time comes, we shall counter whatever they throw at us, and we may yet find an opportunity to resolve this crisis." Even if there were some loss of life and casualties by then, in times of great chaos, when had people ever not died?

Pausing briefly, he continued, "What this subordinate currently worries about is the attitude of the Demon Realm. With the emergence of the Four-Pact Alliance, the peace treaty between the two realms has become a mere formality.

Now that the Four-Pact Alliance has been defeated, the Demon Realm raising an army is merely a matter of time.

If we are the slightest bit careless, we shall find ourselves besieged from both front and rear."