Chapter 1165: The Madman Sharpens His Blade at Night
After a brief inspection, Li Ping confirmed that these orbs of light were of little use to him.
He then returned the orbs with a solemn air to the anglers who had emerged victorious from the rigorous selection process.
The first attempt yielded no significant prizes.
Li Ping paid it no mind.
This fishing tournament had been organized rather hastily, leaving the people of the Great Qi little time to prepare. The winners were all seasoned veterans, long immersed in the art of angling; they had triumphed more through experience than through innate talent or enlightenment.
"With them as an example, the people’s enthusiasm will surely be ignited. I expect the second and third tournaments will bring me some pleasant surprises."
Li Ping watched the victors turning the glowing spheres over and over in their hands, studying them intently. He gave a slight nod, and his form shattered, vanishing without a trace.
In the Xuanhuang Realm, he was not fighting on home ground. Without the ceaseless support of the Sage Dynasty's destiny, Li Ping feared he wouldn't even be a match for an ordinary Combined Dao cultivator.
If not for the fact that the treasured Fishing Pond could not be moved, he would never have taken the risk of coming here himself.
"I still don't have enough people."
"Trustworthy and capable subordinates are far too few."
Li Ping sighed softly, then began to silently ponder a solution.
...
Tianquan Prefecture.
Within the Sun family's secret chamber.
More than a month had passed since Sun Luyuan's last visit.
According to his usual routine, Sun Luyuan should have returned long ago to feed the Immeasurable Mirror with his blood.
But something had clearly gone wrong, for this time, Sun Luyuan was long overdue.
One day, Li Fan's divine sense, deeply immersed in studying the residual formations of the Immeasurable Mirror, suddenly detected a disturbance in the secret chamber's defenses.
A quick glance brought a wry smile to his lips.
It was none other than Wu Ninglu, who had somehow managed to discover the entrance to the underground chamber.
She was now attempting to breach its wards.
Although she had used a secret technique to alter and conceal her aura, she could not escape Li Fan's discerning gaze.
His divine sense slipped silently from the Immeasurable Mirror and pointed a single, gentle finger.
In an instant, the chamber's protective formations shifted.
Struck mercilessly by the suddenly reinforced array, Wu Ninglu's expression changed. She knew she had been discovered.
Without a moment's hesitation, she transformed into a streak of black light and fled.
Li Fan watched her carefully. After making a wide circle, Wu Ninglu found a secluded spot and dropped her disguise.
Then, to his surprise, she strode brazenly back to her own room.
It seemed she was still clinging to a sliver of hope, not choosing to flee the Sun estate immediately.
"Heh, is she truly that foolish, or is she acting so recklessly because she carries the Sun family's bloodline in her womb?"
"Well, it's no concern of mine. When Sun Luyuan returns this time, I should be able to control the Immeasurable Mirror and finally meet that Mirror Holder, Fu."
Li Fan's prediction was accurate.
Seven days later, Sun Luyuan entered the underground chamber, his expression grave.
He, too, noticed the signs of an intruder tampering with the defensive formations, and his face fell.
His expression flickered between anger and uncertainty, but in the end, Sun Luyuan said nothing.
Instead, he placed a mass of blood essence before the black mirror.
From within the heart of the mirror spirit, Sun Luyao, Li Fan felt an undeniable surge of longing.
With a cold snort, he forcibly suppressed the spirit's instinct.
He had already refined the Immeasurable Mirror; any ritual offering of Sun family blood would only serve to weaken his control over it.
How could he possibly let them have their way?
However, to avoid revealing any flaws in his deception, he had Sun Luyao put on an act.
After "devouring" the blood essence, Sun Luyao slowly materialized.
"Brother, I feel much better," he said, the words a lie against his will.
Sun Luyao was filled with guilt for deceiving his older brother. But as an artifact spirit, his body was not his own. He couldn't even manage to warn Sun Luyuan.
He could only watch helplessly as his brother walked step by step into the trap set by this terrifying entity.
"That old bastard's demands are growing more and more outrageous. It wasn't long ago that we gave him crucial information, and already he's unsatisfied." Sun Luyuan's gaze softened for a moment as he looked at Sun Luyao's faint form, but his voice was laced with hatred.
"This latest demand is absurd. He wants us to spy on the Heavenly Profound Mirror for news of its human incarnation? For a mere, unsubstantiated guess, he expects us to pay the price in blood, trying again and again..."
"The old fiend!"
Sun Luyuan slammed his fist onto the ground.
To the outside world, he was the glorious patriarch of the Sun family, holding a high and powerful position in the Protection Hall. But before the true rulers of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, he was less than a dog.
For the survival of his entire family, he had to grovel and scrape, devoid of all dignity.
"Why must the Dharma Transmitters and Mirror Holders always be so high and mighty? No matter how hard we try, we can only ever be their dogs!"
"Is there truly no hope of ever turning the tables?!"
A stifling frustration churned in his chest, seeking release. Rage gave way to recklessness, and a thought he had never dared to entertain before surfaced naturally in his mind.
But he quickly caught himself, startled by his own audacity. He hurriedly suppressed the thought, burying it in the deepest recesses of his mind, not daring to reveal even a hint of it to his closest kin, his brother who had become a spirit.
He understood all too well the methods of the Alliance's rulers. If they discovered what he was thinking, by the next day, not a single trace of the Sun family's existence would remain in the entire Alliance. They would be utterly and completely erased from the world.
But it seemed he had underestimated the bond between brothers.
"Brother," Sun Luyao said suddenly, "the last time I was spying on the Heavenly Profound Mirror, I actually discovered something interesting."
"Oh?" Sun Luyuan paused, looking at his brother's exceptionally serious expression.
"Following a trail of clues, the Heavenly Profound Mirror has uncovered traces of a faction within the Xuanhuang Realm. It is currently in hiding, but it may rebel in the future," Sun Luyao whispered.
"Rebel?" Sun Luyuan shook his head. He didn't believe that anything in the vast Xuanhuang Realm could possibly shake the rule of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance.
But his brother's next words made his heart leap. "According to the Heavenly Profound Mirror's predictions, this faction has a high probability of inflicting immense damage upon the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance."
"Is that true?"
Sun Luyuan's spirits lifted. The first thought that sprang to his mind was to immediately report this crucial piece of intelligence to Mirror Holder Fu in exchange for merit.
However, as he carefully read through the information his brother had sent him, a chill running down his spine...
...Sun Luyao's ghostly voice echoed in his ear.
"Brother, I'm in so much pain."
"If this continues, I don't think I can hold on much longer. My form and spirit will be annihilated."
"A dog for a lifetime is still just a dog in the end."
"Even mortals dare to shout that the emperor's throne is for the taking, and this year it might be their turn..."
His brother's soft whispers were like an entrancing demonic chant, coiling around Sun Luyuan's ears.
Influenced by these words, the thought he had previously suppressed could no longer be contained and sprang forth once more.
"The Great Qi Sage Dynasty..."
Sun Luyuan narrowed his eyes, re-examining the document in his hands.
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