Chapter 560 - 40: Beating Them at Their Own Game

The injuries Zuo Xuan had sustained on Hai Zhou Road were almost completely healed, thanks to Wang Ping’s Blessing Talisman. Still, she remained on Dongshui Mountain in Pure Cultivation, receiving visitors daily.

After the battle at Hai Zhou Road, her title, "Immortal Xuan," had spread throughout the Southern Cultivation Realm. Her fame now placed her as the foremost among Second Realm Cultivators in the south. At the Daoist Palace Headquarters, beyond the thirty-six seats reserved for the Third Realm, she would likely rank thirty-seventh—the chief of the Second Realm.

Despite these achievements, Zuo Xuan found it all rather meaningless. She gave up on the idea of returning to her post at the Daoist Palace and instead handed all its affairs over to her disciple, Zuo Liang, while she continued her Pure Cultivation on Dongshui Mountain.

Every day, just as dusk fell, she enjoyed studying endgame Go manuals by herself. Today was no exception, and as always, she was completely absorbed.

"Meow~"

The Calico Cat’s cry pulled Zuo Xuan from her deep concentration. She glanced at her cat, then looked up at a Cloud Soaring Technique descending from the sky. The moment she saw the person on the auspicious cloud, her thoughts left the Go board entirely. She immediately put the board away, rose to her feet, and walked to the courtyard gate.

"Greetings, Sect Leader!"

Zuo Xuan bowed formally to Yu Cheng Taoist as he landed at her gate, her gaze briefly flicking to Zhao Qian beside him. ’What could be so important,’ she wondered, ’that it would bring these two here in person after dark?’

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Zuo Xuan invited the two into her Dao Field. Zhao Qian got straight to the point.

Zuo Xuan listened intently before speaking. "The intelligence from Xuanhe Daoist indicates the enemy possesses the materials needed to reach the Third Realm of the ’Earth Classic.’ Now, in just over a decade, they’ve acquired two more sets of Third Realm materials, this time for Artifact Cultivators. This suggests a very large sect is backing them."

Zhao Qian immediately interjected, "There are no more than twenty sects in the Southeast Sea Region with that kind of backing. If we narrow it down to those with Third Realm Taiyan Cultivators, I estimate we’ll have new intelligence within six months."

"What do you suggest we do next?"

Yu Cheng Taoist cut in, asking Zuo Xuan for her opinion directly.

After a moment of thought, Zuo Xuan said, "Wenhai is a Second Realm Earth Vein Cultivator, a sensitive position in the Southeast Islands. The cover identity we gave him won’t hold up to intense scrutiny. I suggest we pull him out for now. However, we can still accept this ’task’ to probe for the moles they’ve planted in our midst. In the future, we might even be able to turn their plot back on them."

Hearing this, Yu Cheng Taoist looked toward Zhao Qian.

Zhao Qian nodded. "Daoist Zuo Xuan is right. Wenhai is indeed unsuitable to remain in the Southeast Islands. I have someone more appropriate for the job."

"Very well. You two handle the specifics."

Yu Cheng Taoist didn’t object.

Upon hearing this, Zuo Xuan immediately said, "This matter concerns Fellow Daoist Changqing. We didn’t inform him before because we had no concrete information. Now that the investigation has progressed this far, we ought to tell him."

She met Yu Cheng Taoist’s gaze. "Next, I need to prepare the materials for my advancement to the Third Realm, so I’m afraid I must travel to Hu Mountain Country for some time. If my help is needed later, you can go through my disciple, Zuo Liang."

"In that case, I’ll take charge of this matter personally."

Yu Cheng Taoist had wanted Zuo Xuan to be in charge, but since she was unwilling, he wouldn’t trust a disciple she recommended in her stead.

Zuo Xuan said no more.

Meanwhile, Wang Ping was in seclusion, completely oblivious to the affairs of the outside world.

Thus, it wasn’t until three years later, when he returned to Qianmu Temple after refining and installing his communication device, that he learned of the matter from his master.

After hearing the story, the first question Wang Ping asked was, "There are two Third Realm Taiyan Cultivators?"

"That’s what Wenhai’s intelligence suggests," Yu Cheng Taoist replied. "We thought we’d have a breakthrough soon, but we haven’t received any new information until just yesterday. Wenhai is back now. Why don’t you meet with him and ask him about it in person?"

"Where is Wenhai?"

"He’s in Ning’an Prefecture. We were worried someone might investigate his background, so we haven’t restored his official identity yet, and he hasn’t returned to the Pingdong Sect. He built a small Daoist Temple for himself. We don’t disturb him unless it’s necessary."

Wang Ping nodded. "Alright, leave this to me. Master, your priority should be to finish integrating the Luck-Borrowing Talisman as soon as possible."

"You don’t need to worry so much about me. My cultivation path is one of spontaneity," Yu Cheng Taoist said, then added, "Should I have Zhao Qian come over to brief you?"

"There’s no need for him to come. I’ll have someone else connect with Wenhai."

Hearing this, Yu Cheng felt a clear sense that he could no longer keep up with Wang Ping’s pace. A flicker of melancholy crossed his face, quickly replaced by relief and a smile. "Alright!" he responded.

Having agreed, he departed without another word.

After Yu Cheng Taoist left, Yu Lian, who had been listening the whole time, leaned on Wang Ping’s shoulder and asked, "Is there something wrong with all this?"

Wang Ping walked out of the courtyard gate and gazed into the distance at Liu Shuang, who was sitting cross-legged cultivating at the heart of the Nine Extremes Array. "Once a Third Realm Taiyan Cultivator completes the first half of the ’Taiyan Talisman’s’ fourth volume," he said, "they can hide so well that only a True Monarch would have a chance of finding them. Yet, they can know everything that happens in the world without ever stepping outside."

He was judging them by his own standards, knowing just how perceptive a Taiyan Cultivator becomes after perfecting the Third Realm. And this was a Third Realm Cultivator who had been hiding in the Southeast Islands for a long time—no, two of them. They could investigate someone without leaving a single trace.

"Are you saying Wenhai has been exposed, and that he’s betrayed you?"

"I doubt it. I think those two Taiyan Cultivators are trying to use Wenhai to lure me out. We thought we were turning their plan back on them, but it’s possible they’re doing the same to us. However, they’ve forgotten one thing: this is the Southern Cultivation Realm."

After saying this, Wang Ping returned to the small courtyard. With a flicker, he took Yu Lian with him into the cavern beneath the Dao Field.

He hadn’t been back in years, and the Array in the cavern had loosened slightly. He summoned two puppets to repair the Array and, at the same time, brought out the Pocket World Mirror to find a suitable person to make contact with Wenhai. Yu Lian watched from the side, curious.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Wang Ping found a candidate: one of his puppets, currently disguised as a Jianghu Traveler in his early twenties.

His name was Li Hui, and he was often active around Ning’an Prefecture. The puppet had a low-grade spiritual aptitude, just enough to barely reach the Qi Refining Stage. His established persona in Ning’an Prefecture was a martial arts fanatic seeking the Immortal Dao—perfect for getting close to Wenhai.

With that matter settled, the next step was to create Tokens that could connect to the communication device. He also needed to build a consciousness-projection Array to facilitate their conversations.

From refining the communication device, Wang Ping now knew how to create the Communication Tokens.

The principle was simple. He just needed to inscribe a Transfer Talisman with a frequency that matched the Wood Spirit Qi resonance linked to the communication device. The Communication Token would also need to be authorized using Wang Ping’s Heaven-Reaching Talisman.

He could currently authorize a maximum of one hundred Communication Tokens at once, a limit determined by the strength of his Primordial Spirit.

But that was more than enough.