Chapter 366: Water Is Still Too Insidious!

In the Cosmic Deep Space, before Wang Ping's words could even fade, the Daoist in green stopped dead in his tracks, his cold gaze locking onto the two figures who had suddenly appeared before him.

A second later, his gaze flickered.

"Hm?"

His eyes landed on Kunyun. He clearly recognized the former fifth True Transmission disciple, and the wariness in his expression immediately eased.

"So it's Senior Brother Kunyun!"

Truth be told, in the past, given his status, he wouldn't have spared a second glance at a mere fifth True Transmission disciple. Now, however, things were different.

First, Kunyun was a Qi Refining practitioner now. At this Realm, while the direct descendants of True Persons and True Monarchs still held an advantage, the gap was no longer as vast as it had been during Tribulation Transcending. Moreover, he himself had not yet reached Qi Refining, so he couldn't skimp on his respect for a higher-level cultivator. Second, he was still counting on Kunyun to make trouble for Dashun Taizu.

Therefore, calling him "Senior Brother" felt perfectly natural.

Kunyun, however, ignored him. He simply gave a light chuckle and vanished, leaving Wang Ping standing there alone, which finally caught the green-robed Daoist's attention.

'He's the one in charge?'

In an instant, the green-robed Daoist realized Wang Ping's identity. To be able to make Kunyun—who had already defected to the Water qi lineage—cooperate, and even willingly surrender the lead...

A Water qi Dao Child?

From which realm?

'If he's from the same realm as Kunyun, that would be terrifying... Mingxing Xuanyi Primordial Sovereign. How many years has it been since that exalted figure personally stepped forward to take a Dao Child?'

Could he be an ancient monster who had been sealed away for years, only emerging now?

At this thought, the green-robed Daoist's expression turned grave. He cupped his hands and said, "I am Hengxu, cultivating in the Guanheng Realm. I am unworthy, but I hold the position of Dao Child."

"I am... Huashen."

Wang Ping thought for a moment. Naturally, he wouldn't give his real Daoist name. After all, he had caused quite a stir in the Eight Trigrams Furnace not too long ago.

So he simply took a name from the Huashen Realm to serve as his new moniker.

On the other side, hearing this only confirmed Hengxu's suspicions. After all, if he wasn't a Dao Child, who would dare use the name of a True Monarch's immortal realm as their Daoist title?

"May I ask, Senior Brother Huashen, what business brings you here?"

Hengxu continued to probe.

Seeing this, Wang Ping didn't beat around the bush. "I ask that you remain here, Fellow Daoist Hengxu. Do not proceed any further. I will handle the rest."

"You cultivate in the Guanheng Realm. If you enter the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven to demand the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript, word of it will inevitably reach the ears of Daoist Master Xuanxiao Yingyuan. Even if you don't fight, it will surely cause no small amount of trouble for you. It would be better to leave it to me. You won't even need to show your face, and you can simply collect the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript afterward."

"..."

Hearing this, Hengxu couldn't help but narrow his eyes, slightly alarmed. 'He knows my goal. Then again, it makes sense. The Water qi lineage excels at these insidious schemes.'

The problem was, when did the Water qi lineage produce such a figure?

Thinking of this, Hengxu suddenly changed the subject. "Speaking of which, Senior Brother, are you aware that a peerless prodigy recently emerged from the Eight Trigrams Furnace, shaking the entire Immortal Gate?"

"I've heard something about it. Dousheng, right?"

Wang Ping's expression didn't change in the slightest. "A heaven-chosen genius capable of suppressing his peers and dominating a whole generation... I am quite fascinated. It would be wonderful to meet him in person."

"Great minds think alike."

Hengxu stared straight at Wang Ping and asked in a low voice, "Do you think you'll have the chance, Senior Brother?"

"I think the chances are very high."

Wang Ping returned the stare with equal calm. His tranquil attitude confused Hengxu, leaving him indecisive and unsure of how to react.

'Is he hinting at it?'

'Or did he see through my suspicions and deliberately play along to falsely claim another's identity? Ugh, the Water qi lineage is so adept at concealing karma that it's impossible to tell.'

After all, the Water qi lineage's style had always been to hide truth within falsehood and falsehood within truth. They were incredibly insidious. This could easily be a deliberate disguise, using someone else's identity to mask his own karma. It wasn't as if they hadn't done similar things before; his own immortal realm's archives even had a dedicated section for their tricks...

Unable to figure it out, Hengxu decided to stop thinking about it.

Regardless, compared to the Guanheng Realm, the exalted figure of the Huashen Realm was completely intact, and the two factions shared some historical ties. He was trustworthy enough.

"Since that is the case, I will sit here and watch your methods, Senior Brother."

Wang Ping gave a slight nod. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist."

With that said, he turned around. His Qi signature instantly shifted, the Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring behind his head began to spin, and the glow of his mystic body gradually faded.

A short while later, under Hengxu's covertly astonished gaze, Wang Ping revealed a face identical to Hengxu's own. He even wore the same green robes. In fact, just looking at his Qi signature, karma, and even his destiny, Hengxu almost thought he was looking at his own avatar!

"This..."

As the Dao Child of the Guanheng Realm, Hengxu's Daoist wisdom was beyond question. The moment Wang Ping transformed into his likeness, he immediately understood Wang Ping's plan.

He had only one thought regarding this:

'The Water qi lineage is still too insidious!'

...

Gongshun Grotto-Heaven.

"You don't have much time left anyway!"

Boom!

As the green-robed Daoist finished speaking, Dashun Taizu's mind momentarily reeled. He noticed that the Qi signature of the green-robed Daoist before him—the Guanheng Dao Child—flickered slightly.

However, by the time he reacted, he didn't detect anything out of the ordinary. On second thought, it made sense. He had offended the Guanheng Realm so deeply; it was perfectly reasonable for the Dao Child's Qi to fluctuate out of anger. Compared to that, his own life and death were far more important.

"D-Dao Child!"

Pushing that brief moment of doubt to the back of his mind, Dashun Taizu looked at the green-robed Daoist in trepidation. "I beg you to save my life, Dao Child!"

"..."

In response, the green-robed Daoist didn't answer immediately. Instead, he breathed a secret sigh of relief, sensing that his time-traveling divine sense had finally returned.

'It actually worked!'

Just as Wang Ping had predicted, the future he had witnessed ahead of time via his time travel could not be changed, but it could be deceived. As long as it looked exactly like what he had seen, it would work!

'By intercepting Hengxu ahead of time, then appearing before my time-traveling divine sense in his form, the person I saw from beginning to end was just myself. As long as I perfectly replicated the events I spied on until my time-traveling divine sense returned, I could easily pull off this bait-and-switch...'

It really was a viable operation!

After a moment of reflection, Wang Ping raised his eyes to look at Dashun Taizu and said coldly, "Give me the True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript, and I will give you a way to survive."

"This..."

Hearing this, Dashun Taizu couldn't help but grit his teeth. The True Monarch's Handwritten Manuscript was his final life-saving talisman. As long as he held onto it, anyone would have to give the True Monarch some face.

But if it was taken away, all bets were off.

While Dashun Taizu waged a fierce internal battle, torn with indecision, Wang Ping was counting the time. He chuckled inwardly. 'It's about time to make a move.'

A second later, as if answering his thoughts...

Boom!

A deafening, thunderous Daoist hum jolted Dashun Taizu out of his dilemma. Soon after, the entire Grotto-Heaven began to violently tremble and collapse.

Seeing this, Dashun Taizu's face went deathly pale. His mind raced, and he immediately understood. "It's Kunyun... That damn bastard is holding a grudge over the karma of the life tribulation from back then."

He had come knocking for revenge!

Meanwhile, outside the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven, Kunyun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, lightning illuminating him from behind. He looked in surprise at the person blocking his path.

Dousheng wasn't wrong. Someone really was lying in ambush near the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven, waiting for a rabbit to crash into a stump. It seemed those who cultivated Water qi truly were masters of insidious schemes.

It was a young woman with hair as black as a waterfall, bright eyes, and white teeth. Her red lips were full and glossy, and her voice was crisp and melodious. "Senior Brother Kunyun, you were originally an orthodox True Transmission disciple of the Divine Weapon Courtyard. Yet, instead of properly being an immortal cultivator, you have fallen into the demonic path and even come to kill people in my Immortal Prescription Courtyard. Isn't this pushing things a bit too far?"

"Holy Maiden Xuanxiao?"

Kunyun scoffed. "You haven't even established an immortal realm. If I give you face, I'll call you a direct descendant of a True Person, a Holy Maiden. But if I don't give you face, what exactly are you?"

"A mere Tribulation Transcending cultivator like you dares to call me Senior Brother? To a Qi Refining practitioner... you should address me as Grand Cultivator!"

As his voice fell, Kunyun immediately circulated his profound arts. An auspicious cloud slowly rose above his head, manifesting tens of thousands of lightning bolts that instantly illuminated the Cosmic Deep Space.

Seeing this, the girl looked somewhat helpless and took a step back. "Martial Uncle Jing Lang, please make your move."

Before her words had even faded, an illusory figure emerged. Another auspicious cloud materialized above this figure, violently colliding with Kunyun's in a clash that ended in an even draw.

'Hmph, an ambush, just as expected...'

Inside the Grotto-Heaven, Wang Ping's gaze flickered slightly, though he didn't care much. Kunyun making his move was only the first step. If nothing unexpected happened, there was another person who would intervene.

'Am I right, Mingyou... my good master?'

Almost simultaneously...

In the Divine Weapon Courtyard, within Xingtian Temple, the secluded Mingyou sensed something. Waking from a hazy state, Mingyou divined with a pinch of the fingers, then gazed far into the heavens beyond.

What the hell, is it that little bastard?

After a moment of silence, Mingyou sighed. "Fellow Daoist Tianxing, that disciple of yours who narrowly escaped death has gone seeking revenge. Find a chance to lend him a hand."

As soon as those words fell, Tianxing's figure materialized out of thin air.

"Kunyun..."

A slightly emotional look crossed Tianxing's face, followed by a sigh. "I didn't help him during his life tribulation back then. The karma between master and disciple has completely dissipated. He can no longer be considered my disciple."

"Furthermore, are you sure you want me to help him?" Tianxing looked sidelong at Mingyou. "He bears a grudge against you. It's not impossible that he might come looking for revenge."

Upon hearing this, Mingyou immediately laughed. "Me, afraid of him? He's merely achieved Qi Refining Entering the Dao, with no accumulated merits. He is nothing special. If I had to fear something like that, I might as well stop cultivating the truth... I told you to act, so just act. Why ask so many questions? Either way, it will definitely benefit your future truth cultivation."

At this point, Mingyou's gaze hardened slightly.

"Or do you think that because the Earth Yang Fire is extinguished, the Nether Earth has returned, and the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle slightly boosted your fortunes, your path to cultivating the truth is a sure thing?"

"How could that be!"

Tianxing shook their head. "Cultivating the truth is inherently a gamble against the heavens. There are no sure things. Even a half-percent chance is worth trying."

"Then what are you staring at? Go lend Kunyun a hand."

"Will do."

Too lazy to ask more, Tianxing turned to leave. However, just then, Mingyou's voice echoed from behind again. "Do you really trust me that much?"

"Aren't you afraid I might use you as a pawn and set a secret trap to ruin you?"

"Of course I'm not afraid." Tianxing shook their head.

"Why aren't you afraid?"

Hearing this, Tianxing turned and smiled. "Because I am the Dao Child of the Divine Weapon Courtyard's Sulü Realm. The exalted one is positioned in Tianze Lü. Do you have the fucking guts to harm me?"

Mingyou: "..."

'I spit on you, Biyang's filthy rich bastards!'

"Get lost!"

Tianxing cheerfully took their leave.