Chapter 195: The Conflict Against Otherworldly Celestial Demons

Li Shun had not even stepped out of Qing Province when he received the devastating news.

The plan to lure the snake out of its hole had indeed succeeded.

But...

It had failed to kill the snake.

Instead, Kong Zhao and the elite members of the Kong Family who had been lying in ambush were completely wiped out.

Not a single corpse remained intact.

By the time Li Shun hurried back to the Kong Residence, the entire estate was shrouded in deathly silence. Only the occasional bursts of mournful wailing and anguished cries pierced the sky.

"What exactly happened?"

Li Shun's face was filled with shock and fury as he demanded an answer.

Kong Ji, Kong Zhao's personal attendant, was kneeling limply on the ground, his eyes swollen and bloodshot. Between sobs, he answered miserably, "The enemy's strength far exceeded our expectations!"

"There were actually two Creation realm experts!"

"By the time Ancestor realized something was wrong, it was already too late. Even though the residence had invited another Creation realm expert beforehand to hold down the fort, it was still useless. Young Master... he died such a tragic death!"

From Kong Ji's broken account between sobs, Li Shun gradually pieced together what had happened.

"Two Creation realm experts ambushed them?"

"Where did so many Creation Realm experts come from?"

Li Shun's heart shook violently, as though enormous waves had suddenly surged within it.

The situation had become increasingly bewildering.

Looking across the entire Great Qian world, the number of Creation realm experts was certainly not small, but neither was it particularly large. Every single one of these existences was a renowned giant whose name shook the world, occupying high official positions within the imperial court.

Yet merely for the sake of a forged document, two Creation realm experts had actually been willing to lower themselves and personally intervene to carry out an assassination.

Such an extraordinary turn of events was completely beyond everyone's expectations.

Li Shun instinctively sensed that something was amiss.

"Have you discovered the identities of those two Creation realm experts?" Li Shun hurriedly asked.

Kong Ji shook his head repeatedly, tears still streaming down his face.

"Ancestor personally went to the scene afterward to investigate. But after returning, he did not say a single word. His face was as dark as water."

For a time, the matter seemed to have reached an impasse.

"Kong Zhao was of the same generation as me. He was a direct descendant of the Kong Family, yet at such a young age, he had already risen to the position of Censor."

"With him around, I could immediately learn about the various undercurrents and secrets within the imperial court. If he dies here, then from now on, the situation throughout the world will be like flowers seen through a fog. It will be almost impossible for me to perceive it clearly."

Li Shun's gaze flickered repeatedly.

After weighing the matter for a long time, he finally made up his mind to preserve Kong Zhao's life.

However, he did not immediately activate Threefold Self-Reflection.

Instead, he silently waited for the day to come to an end, wondering whether some other turning point might emerge.

Unfortunately, his cultivation was currently only at the Spirit Resonance realm, and he still held no official position.

Within the imperial court and the Sacred Capital, he had no other connections he could contact.

Without Kong Zhao sharing information with him, Li Shun had absolutely no idea what had happened during the remainder of the day.

The only thing he could keenly sense was that the atmosphere throughout the Kong Residence had become taut to an extreme degree.

That grim, murderous heaviness was even more oppressive than the atmosphere accompanying an imperial decree to confiscate a household and exterminate its entire clan.

"Looks like besides Kong Zhao, I need to start making arrangements as soon as possible and cultivate some other hidden connections."

"Otherwise, once this single line is severed, I'll instantly become blind and deaf to everything happening outside."

"If I were simply going to remain hidden in the shadows, that would be one thing. But once I'm dragged into a vortex of such unpredictable and treacherous struggles, I'm afraid I might not even know how I died."

Li Shun silently warned himself.

"I examine myself thrice each day!"

A vast and majestic voice resounded mysteriously throughout heaven and earth.

The flow of time reversed along with it.

Returning to the scene from half a day earlier, everything that had happened proceeded exactly as it had during the First Reflection.

Only when Kong Zhao reached the point where he proposed the plan to lure the snake out of its hole did Li Shun appropriately put on a solemn expression, as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

"What is it? Junior Brother, do you think something is wrong?"

After the many recent upheavals, Kong Zhao's relationship with Li Shun had grown increasingly close. At this moment, he asked him directly.

"What does Senior Brother Kong think about the strength of the people behind this?" Li Shun pondered briefly before asking quietly.

"Strangely powerful. There are only so many Creation realm experts in the world. I truly have no idea where these people came from."

Kong Zhao thought for a moment before answering honestly.

"That is precisely the crux of the matter."

"The plan to lure the snake out of its hole is indeed a clever one. But what if the bait we cast does not lure out a poisonous snake that we can easily handle, but instead attracts one capable of biting us back viciously?"

Li Shun's eyes blazed as he stared intently at Kong Zhao.

At first, Kong Zhao was somewhat unconcerned.

"It shouldn't come to that, should it? Besides, my Kong Family has already laid an inescapable net and made every possible preparation. Even if a Creation realm expert truly comes attacking, we should still be able to deal with them calmly."

"If it were only one Creation realm expert, perhaps we could handle it."

"But what if there are two? Three? Or even more?"

"There is an old military saying: when assessing the enemy, always make allowances for the worst."

"Judging solely from the extraordinary ability these people previously demonstrated when they suddenly attacked the Sacred Capital and still managed to retreat unscathed, they absolutely possess the terrifying strength to do so."

Upon hearing this, Kong Zhao's expression changed slightly.

He finally began to hesitate.

"A gentleman does not stand beneath a dangerous wall."

"Taking the most cautious view, if we absolutely must use bait to lure out the enemy, Senior Brother Kong, with your distinguished status, there is no need for you to personally take the field."

"Simply send someone else to handle the matter."

"Better to be cautious than regretful."

Li Shun's expression was solemn, every word sincere as he tried to persuade him.

Kong Zhao's expression shifted repeatedly.

After pondering for some time, he was finally convinced.

"Junior Brother, what you say makes sense. As it happens, my cousin Kong Li wants to compete with me for this achievement."

"Why don't I give this opportunity to him?"

Thus, on this iteration of the day, the Kong Family likewise used a forged document to lure out the enemy.

Toward evening, Kong Zhao suddenly burst through the door and stumbled inside.

His face was deathly pale, and his entire expression was filled with the lingering terror of someone who had narrowly escaped death.

"Junior Brother! The matter you were worried about... it really happened!"

Li Shun pretended to know nothing. An expression of extreme shock appeared on his face at precisely the right moment.

"What happened?"

Kong Zhao then recounted how two Creation realm experts had suddenly launched their attack.

The outcome was identical to the previous iteration, except that the Kong Family disciple who died a horrible death was Kong Li instead of Kong Zhao.

"If not for your warning earlier today, Junior Brother, the one lying here dead without even a complete corpse would have been me!"

Kong Zhao was young after all.

Under the lingering terror, his body could not help but tremble slightly.

"Junior Brother, you truly possess the foresight of a god and the wisdom of a demon. You really did save my life!"

With that, Kong Zhao swept aside the hem of his robe and bowed deeply in gratitude.

Li Shun hurriedly stepped forward and firmly helped him back up.

"Senior Brother Kong, please don't say that. I'm simply accustomed to being cautious. I happened to guess correctly by sheer luck."

Then his tone suddenly changed.

"But do you know the identities of the two Creation realm experts who carried out the ambush?"

The same question this time received a completely different answer.

A flicker passed through Kong Zhao's eyes.

He looked around, sealed the doors of the room, and only then lowered his voice.

"After the incident, Ancestor personally went to investigate the scene."

"Based on the traces of Dao techniques left behind by the battle, those two Creation realm experts..."

"Are not among the Hundred Schools of Thought!"

Li Shun's pupils abruptly contracted.

"Not among the Hundred Schools? What does that mean?"

Kong Zhao's tone grew heavy.

"The Hundred Schools of Thought that flourish throughout the world today are merely one among countless cultivation methods."

"They are the shared Great Dao that our human race spent thousands of years refining and deriving."

"However, during the far more ancient and primordial eras of antiquity, there were gods, shamans, and yaos in this world."

"They each inherited their own mysterious cultivation systems. Their foundations and strength were in no way inferior to the now-prosperous Dao lineages of the Hundred Schools."

"We originally thought this was, at most, merely a struggle for power between the Great Qian imperial court and the various schools."

"But now..."

Kong Zhao took a deep breath, intense worry churning within his eyes.

Yet Li Shun had thought of something even more.

It was already known that the number of Creation realm experts within the Great Qian world was limited.

Yet amid this upheaval, Creation realm experts of unknown origins and mysterious identities had suddenly appeared.

Could this mean...

These so-called Creation realm experts were not beings of the Great Qian world at all.

But had come from other worlds?