Chapter 170: Shoot the Arrow First, Then Paint the Target!

‘He actually just left like that?’

Watching Kunyun vanish from the spot, Wang Ping stood stunned for a moment. Then he looked toward Daoist Nun You, who was speeding over on a beam of escaping light, and a faint realization dawned on him.

‘That makes sense. This is Bliss Immortal Peak.’

Although Kunyun was an Immortal Gate true transmission disciple, factions ran deep within the sect. As a disciple of Xuanyi Immortal Peak, he held little sway here on Bliss Immortal Peak.

Especially in the eyes of the Qi Refining practitioners.

‘If Daoist Nun You hadn't come, or if the one who arrived wasn't a true transmission disciple, I have a feeling Kunyun really would have made a move. Daoist Nun You's arrival is what forced him to back off.’

Daoist Nun You was also a true transmission disciple. Even if her cultivation fell far short of Kunyun's, their status was equal. Kunyun couldn't kill her in broad daylight—that would be courting death—nor was it convenient to attack a disciple of Bliss Immortal Peak right in front of her. Doing so would be tantamount to slapping Bliss Immortal Peak in the face.

If no one was watching, it wouldn't matter.

After all, such matters could be blown out of proportion or swept under the rug. As long as it didn't involve the Qi Refining level, killing a few sect disciples was nothing. He could just fabricate a reason afterward.

For instance, accusing them of being bandit cultivators.

That excuse worked exceptionally well in the Immortal Gate. Everyone used it. Besides the true transmission disciples, nine out of ten sect disciples had acted as bandit cultivators at some point anyway.

Even some true transmission disciples secretly moonlit as bandit cultivators.

However, if a true transmission disciple witnessed it, things were different.

A true transmission disciple could directly contact at least one Qi Refining practitioner. That meant the matter could reach the highest authorities. If the other party decided to investigate, it would spell trouble.

Furthermore, Daoist Nun You's master was Great Cultivator Mingyou.

A Qi Refining practitioner nearing the end of their immortal lifespan.

Which made them even more terrifying.

‘So despite Kunyun's cultivation and status, he chose to temporarily retreat. He didn't want to risk a conflict with Daoist Nun You.’

Thinking of this, Wang Ping secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

‘This isn't good.’

At this moment, Wang Ping suddenly realized that his understanding of his target, the true transmission disciple Kunyun, was still completely superficial.

Or rather, it was entirely based on Daoist Xuanhe's accounts. In reality, Wang Ping suspected that even Daoist Xuanhe didn't know Kunyun that well. He had only shared widely known facts. As for Kunyun's true personality and methods, Daoist Xuanhe was completely in the dark.

Under these circumstances, he wanted to kill him?

‘It's hard. Insanely hard!’

Wang Ping would never underestimate a true transmission disciple like Kunyun.

After all, unlike Daoist Nun You, Kunyun was an Immortal Gate true transmission disciple at the Tribulation Transcending Third Layer. He was a master in his own right, absolutely not someone easily schemed against.

Take just a moment ago, for example.

Kunyun's sudden appearance and his pointed questions clearly showed he was already suspicious. He simply hadn't found any concrete evidence in the end.

‘I can't pin all my hopes on Jin Hai. If Jin Hai fails and I have no backup plan, wouldn't I just be a sitting duck?’

At this thought, Wang Ping looked over at Daoist Xuanhe and sent a sound transmission: "Senior?"

Daoist Xuanhe glanced at Wang Ping and replied through a sound transmission of his own, his tone incredibly grave. "...Something is wrong. The situation is very wrong."

"Kunyun actually gave me permission to step down as a Furnace-Tending Disciple."

Hearing this, Wang Ping instantly understood.

Logically speaking, resigning as a Furnace-Tending Disciple was what Daoist Xuanhe had always wanted. He had only partnered with Wang Ping because Kunyun had previously refused to let him go.

Yet now, Kunyun had suddenly changed his tune.

Normally, Daoist Xuanhe should have breathed a massive sigh of relief, immediately abandoned his alliance with Wang Ping, and happily resigned to enjoy his newfound freedom.

But he didn't feel relaxed at all.

In fact, it was the exact opposite.

"If he genuinely wanted me to step down, he would have told me who was taking over my position. But he didn't say a word about it."

"It was a lie!"

Daoist Xuanhe gritted his teeth. "He had no need to lie to me, but he did it anyway. He suspects there's something wrong with me and wants to lull me into a false sense of security."

"He wants to kill me!"

By the end, Daoist Xuanhe's tone was dead certain. "If Senior Sister You hadn't shown up in time, you and I would probably be dead right now!"

"It's highly likely because of the life tribulation," Wang Ping quickly replied. "Our plan might have become his life tribulation. He is currently investigating everything out of the ordinary around him."

"He will suspect anything that seems anomalous."

"We are one of them, but we definitely aren't his primary suspects... because we are too weak. We don't pose any real threat to him."

Wang Ping's mind was incredibly clear at this moment, and a plan quickly formed. "Senior, find a way to tell him everything about the Heaven-Stealing Thief appearing, rescuing Ye Chao, and awakening his junior brother Kunlun. Don't hide anything. Shift his attention to the Heaven-Stealing Thief."

Divert the disaster!

"We are too weak. Even if he's suspicious, he'll never believe we want to kill him or even have the capability to do so. But the Heaven-Stealing Thief is a different story."

Daoist Xuanhe quickly caught on to Wang Ping's train of thought, his eyes lighting up slightly.

"Alright. Leave this matter to me."

The discussion seemed long, but through the exchange of spiritual senses, it took only an instant. By the time Daoist Nun You descended on her beam of escaping light, the two had already finished their conversation.

"You..."

As the light dispersed, Daoist Nun You strode out. She first cast a deep frown toward the spot where Kunyun had vanished, then turned to Wang Ping: "You are the one who broke my imprint avatar?"

"An independent cultivator, born as Human Firewood from the furnaces?"

Clearly, Daoist Nun You had done her homework before coming. She had investigated Wang Ping's actions at Dao Proving Mountain and dug up his identity with pristine clarity.

Following that, she cast a sidelong glance at the others.

"I have important matters to discuss with this man. The rest of you may leave."

Hearing this, Daoist Yuhong and Yun Xuantong—who had been itching to flee for ages—felt as though they had been granted amnesty. Without a word, they summoned beams of escaping light and vanished.

"Senior Sister..." Daoist Xuanhe spoke softly.

"Say no more." Daoist Nun You waved him off before he could finish. "Don't forget, I am the true transmission disciple. As a Furnace-Tending Disciple, you should return first, Junior Brother Xuanhe."

"...Very well. I will take my leave."

Daoist Xuanhe finally shut his mouth, turned around, and departed.

Throughout all of this, Wang Ping stood perfectly still, eyes lowered and heart calm. He maintained the picture of obedience, allowing Daoist Nun You's spiritual sense to probe back and forth through his body.

Gradually, Daoist Nun You's expression shifted.

To be honest, her first reaction upon learning that her imprint avatar at Dao Proving Mountain had been broken was extreme fury. She had assumed some other true transmission disciple was targeting her.

However, once she discovered that the culprit was a mere independent cultivator—a piece of Human Firewood from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, no less—her mindset completely changed.

‘An independent cultivator, not even a true transmission disciple, yet possessing true transmission combat strength and a true spiritual root. His future is boundless... If I take him for my own use before some great cultivator notices him and takes him as a true transmission disciple, he could serve as a crucial aid during the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle once I refine my Divine Powers.’

Daoist Nun You's mind raced with possibilities.

As for how to subjugate Wang Ping, she already had a plan. She was born with the Bliss Immortal Physique... In short, her body was poisonous.

Once she activated her physique...

As long as someone engaged in dual cultivation with her, they would be influenced by her Bliss Immortal Physique and infected with the Bliss Poison. From that moment on, it would be impossible for them to ever leave her.

In fact, if they went a certain period without dual cultivating with her, the target would suffer excruciating agony, feeling as though they were suffering a death by a thousand cuts. Only by dual cultivating with her again could they soothe the pain, shifting instead into a realm of absolute ecstasy. The more they did it, the more addicted they would become, unable to pull themselves away, until they obeyed her every command.

This was the profound mystery of the Bliss Immortal Physique.

Therefore, all dao companions of a Bliss Immortal Physique were fundamentally bliss slaves. They would sacrifice everything for the Bliss Immortal Physique, even offering up their lives to nourish it.

Rumor had it that one Qi Refining practitioner within the sect possessed this very physique.

Back in the day, the bliss slaves under their command were scattered all across the Eight Immortal Peaks. A few of them had even become Qi Refining practitioners, cementing themselves as top-tier great cultivators.

That being said, while the Bliss Immortal Physique had its advantages, it naturally had drawbacks as well.

For one, although the Bliss Poison made a person incurably addicted, as long as they engaged in regular dual cultivation, it also effectively purified the practitioner's dharma power.

Secondly, the control of the Bliss Poison ultimately relied on the gap in strength between the two parties. If a bliss slave's cultivation ever surpassed the possessor of the Bliss Immortal Physique, they could ignore the possessor's will, force dual cultivation, or even imprison them, turning them into a convenient tool for purifying dharma power...

If that happened, the master-servant dynamic would flip entirely.

This was precisely why Daoist Nun You had yet to accept Xuanyin. She still hadn't survived the heavenly tribulation and refined her Divine Powers, making her no match for Xuanyin.

But the man standing before her was different.

‘An independent cultivator. Even if he stumbled upon a few lucky encounters and has decent combat strength, he will still be easy for me to control. He's perfect to be my bliss slave.’

‘Furthermore, this man possesses a true spiritual root. He holds the hope of reaching Qi Refining Entering the Dao in the future.’

‘Given enough time, once I reach Qi Refining Entering the Dao, I can groom him into a Qi Refining practitioner too. Just like that senior with the Bliss Immortal Physique, I will cultivate my own faction.’

Having made up her mind, Daoist Nun You parted her red lips: "Dousheng, was it? Come with me."

Wang Ping lowered his head respectfully, but inwardly, he let out a long breath of relief. Up to this point, the plan had gone flawlessly. Daoist Nun You had taken the bait willingly.

He just wondered, how were things progressing on Daoist Xuanhe's end?

...

Bliss Immortal Peak, in a forested mountain tract elsewhere.

This was one of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion's outposts on Bliss Immortal Peak. After Daoist Xuanhe left, he didn't dare dawdle and soon arrived at this location.

"Senior Brother Kunyun!"

The moment Daoist Xuanhe entered the territory, he couldn't wait to speak. "I have urgent matters to report! Earlier, there were others present, so I couldn't speak freely."

A split second later, a soft chuckle rang out. Daoist Xuanhe hastily turned around to see Kunyun standing behind him, his large sleeves fluttering in the wind, as if he had never left at all.

"In that case, speak."

"Reporting to Senior Brother, something happened to the Child of Destiny..." Daoist Xuanhe lowered his voice and detailed exactly how the Heaven-Stealing Thief had rescued Ye Chao.

Kunyun listened patiently before arching an eyebrow. "So, you're saying the Heaven-Stealing Thief rescued my junior brother Kunlun and awakened his reincarnated memories. Following that, they used the Merit-Stealing Thief to trade Destiny Patterns, karmic luck, and a true spiritual root with that firewood-adding disciple of yours, before both of them disappeared without a trace?"

"That's correct," Daoist Xuanhe said, a look of sheer terror on his face.

"Wrong." Kunyun's voice sank. "If that's the case, why couldn't I glean a single thing when I just tried to divine that firewood-adding disciple's Destiny Pattern and karmic luck?"

"This..."

Hearing this, Daoist Xuanhe shook his head innocently, looking bewildered. "I don't know either. But I can guarantee they truly exchanged Destiny Patterns and karmic luck that day."

"Otherwise, how could a mere piece of Human Firewood shine so brilliantly on Dao Proving Mountain?"

Kunyun: "..."

That made too much sense.

For a moment, Kunyun's expression shifted as he couldn't help but ponder. ‘They exchanged Destiny Patterns and karmic luck but deliberately hid it. Could they be plotting against me?’

‘Is my life tribulation tied to Kunlun and the Heaven-Stealing Thief?’

Watching Kunyun, Daoist Xuanhe knew his attempt to divert the disaster had worked. With this, he could shed suspicion and continue hiding in the shadows...

Squelch.

...His thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

As his physical body and sea of consciousness crumbled and shattered inch by inch, Daoist Xuanhe raised his head in shock. What met his eyes was Kunyun's calm, apathetic face.

Disbelief painted Daoist Xuanhe's face as his eyes widened.

Was the plan exposed? Did he eavesdrop on his sound transmission with Wang Ping? Impossible. Spiritual sense transmissions were incredibly covert. A Tribulation Transcending Third Layer cultivator couldn't intercept them.

If that was the case, why kill me?

"There is no 'why'."

Kunyun's gaze was ice-cold. Seemingly reading Daoist Xuanhe's mind, he said lightly, "I suspected you were a problem, yet I found nothing."

Daoist Xuanhe grew even more bewildered.

Exactly. Didn't that prove he was innocent? Finding no evidence meant he hadn't done anything. Discovering no problem meant there was no problem.

However—

"An inner sect disciple is still just an inner sect disciple. Your philosophy on immortal cultivation is far too backwards. For true transmission disciples, matters like this operate on an entirely different set of logic."

Surmounting a life tribulation wasn't child's play.

Finding no problem? That only meant the problem was terrifyingly severe!

When it came to surviving a life tribulation, there was a famous saying among the true transmission disciples of the Immortal Gate. Penned by a Qi Refining practitioner, every true transmission disciple treated it as a golden rule:

"When facing an issue, shoot the arrow first, then paint the target."

"When facing a suspect, better to mistakenly kill than to let anyone slip through!"