Chapter 892: Shi Tianbei's Scheme

Within the Sieve of Heaven in the purple moon illusory realm, Shi Tianbei listened to Sage Qingyun's recounting of events with a brooding look on his face.

"Hierarch, could we have been mistaken? When I caught up with Xiao Nanfeng, there weren't any other Boundless Immortals with him. He only used the physical body of a Boundless Immortal to block my attack," Sage Qingyun said.

𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

"We were wrong," Shi Tianbei said grimly.

"Oh?"

"Xiao Nanfeng wasn't the one who stole from me. It was Xia Yu'er. It had to be her—when we were speaking with Xia Xingchen earlier, Xia Yu'er and Xia Zi were both absent. They must have been responsible," Shi Tianbei said grimly.

"How could it have been Xia Yu'er? Her cultivation is still lacking. How could she have bypassed the formations undetected and avoided all the guards?" Sage Qingyun exclaimed.

"Her cultivation may be insufficient, but we've overlooked something critical, something that makes her unique. She has a complete Yuqing yin pillar in her body, and my residence is located within range of one such pillar. She could have used her pillar to meld with mine, bypassing all wards and defensive measures," Shi Tianbei deduced.

"Are you certain, Hierarch? Isn't this all conjecture at the moment?" Sage Qingyun frowned anxiously.

"It has to be her. Otherwise, why would she have left the purple moon illusory realm so hastily with Xiao Nanfeng?"

"But why would Xia Yu'er steal from you, Hierarch? Even if she resented you for forcing her into a marriage of alliance with the Southeastern Aquatic Palace in the past, she didn't actually end up marrying into it. Would she really be that resentful?" Sage Qingyun replied, frowning.

Shi Tianbei suddenly narrowed his eyes. That had to be the reason for Xia Xingchen's sudden change in attitude as well. It wasn't due to his breakthrough, but because Xia Xingchen had discovered the curse on his daughter. His expression grew even darker.

"Let it be known that the twelve holy maidens are not to leave their posts. They must fully dedicate themselves to completing the Yuqing Grandmaster's orders and absorbing their respective Yuqing yin pillars as soon as possible," Shi Tianbei commanded.

"Understood!" Sage Qingyun replied.

"As for Xia Yu'er, recover her at all costs."

"Hierarch, Dazheng is a force to be reckoned with. Xiao Nanfeng's strength is no longer something we can trifle with," Sage Qingyun replied anxiously.

"Then keep an eye on Dazheng and await my orders."

"Understood!" Sage Qingyun replied.

Within Yongding, in the Spirit Emperor's hidden realm, Blue Lantern had set up a massive formation. High overhead, 361 stars shone down on Xia Yu'er.

Xiao Nanfeng watched from the side and continued to reassure her.

Yu'er sat cross-legged. She nodded and allowed the formation's energy to flow into her body.

Suddenly, golden light erupted from her body. Her face contorted in pain as sweat poured from her brow. The energy seemed to be causing her immense discomfort.

"Blue Lantern, will this formation hurt her?" Xiao Nanfeng asked, his concern evident.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty. The formation won't hurt her. It's simply stimulating the curse, and the feedback from the curse is causing her pain. The diagnostics should be finished shortly.

"Don't worry, Nanfeng. I can handle it," Yu'er replied.

Only then did Xiao Nanfeng nod, though he remained worried.

The next moment, purple lightning burst from her body and tore apart the surrounding formation. It spread outward like a tidal wave, fearsome in its destructive power.

Ye Sanshui frowned. He stepped forward to shield Xiao Nanfeng and Blue Lantern, absorbing the brunt of the lightning.

As the storm subsided, a purple pillar of light emerged from Yu'er's body, piercing through heaven and earth. It was incomparably cold, lowering the surrounding temperature drastically while radiating arcs of lightning.

"This must be the first Yuqing yin pillar that Yu'er refined," Xiao Nanfeng murmured.

The Yuqing yin pillar exuded a majestic aura. Its pure yin energy was suffused with an oppressive chill. Dozens of translucent green compasses appeared around the pillar.

Each rotated slowly, suppressing the pillar's energy before guiding it back into Xia Yu'er's body.

The compasses then merged into one, forming a single large compass, dozens of meters wide, that floated above Yu'er's head before shrinking and embedding itself within her. Two sets of three small dots formed on her earlobes in the process.

Everything grew quiet. The formation that Blue Lantern had set up now lay in ruins.

"How do you feel, Yu'er?" Xiao Nanfeng asked anxiously.

Yu'er stood up and shook her head. "Same as before. I'm just fine."

"Good." Xiao Nanfeng nodded, then turned to Blue Lantern. "Were you able to identify anything concrete?"

Blue Lantern considered what he had witnessed for a long moment before replying, "It's a curse I recognize."

Xiao Nanfeng's eyes lit up. "Oh? Can you break it, then?"

"I'm afraid I can't," Blue Lantern replied wryly.

"You can't? Then who can?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"Of the people we've encountered, likely only Shi Tianbei and the Immortal emperor of Dachi," Blue Lantern replied.

"The Immortal Emperor of Dachi? Why?" Xiao Nanfeng seemed confused.

"Shi Tianbei and the Immortal Emperor of Dachi are likely both my senior uncles," Blue Lantern replied.

"Oh?" Xiao Nanfeng exclaimed in surprise.

"Are you a Yuqing disciple, too?" Yu'er asked, amazed.

Blue Lantern shook his head. "I'm not. Shi Tianbei was likely already my senior uncle before entering the Yuqing holy land. He must have entered the Yuqing holy land on the basis of merit."

"Shi Tianbei used to be an outsider? How could this be possible?" Yu'er exclaimed.

"Let's hear Blue Lantern out," Xiao Nanfeng replied. He turned to Blue Lantern. "Can you explain what Yu'er's curse does, at least? Why would Shi Tianbei target her?"

Blue Lantern thought for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, Shi Tianbei's actually trying to target the Yuqing yin pillar in Xia Yu'er's body."

"Hm?"

"The energy released from the Yuqing yin pillar strongly resembles that of the Yuqing Grandmaster, as is recorded in my sect. I have a bold hypothesis, though there's no conclusive evidence."

"Speak," Xiao Nanfeng said.

"I suspect that the Yuqing Grandmaster has sealed all his energy within the thirteen Yuqing yin pillars. Whoever obtains these pillars will gain all his power."

"The thirteen Yuqing yin pillars contain all his power? But what happens once the Yuqing Grandmaster revives? Won't he reclaim all this power?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"No, Your Majesty. My sect's records mention that the three Qing Grandmasters had grand ambitions. They sought out transformative techniques like the Golden Cicada's Molt, the Dragon's Shedding, and the Butterfly's Metamorphosis. It was suspected that they were aiming to achieve a higher state of existence," Blue Lantern replied.

"A metamorphosis?"

"The three Qing Grandmasters sought to transcend the limits of their bodies; whatever power they possessed at the time would only end up becoming a burden. The Yuqing Grandmaster gave up all his power in hopes of birthing something new."

"In other words, whoever wields these thirteen Yuqing yin pillars will gain the power of the Yuqing Grandmaster as he was in the past, while the real Yuqing Grandmaster will return in an ascended form?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned.

"Yes, Your Majesty. The Yuqing Grandmaster must have been against the idea of letting his former power go to waste. Instead, he planned to leave the power to his disciples. In this way, his legacy would live on, and his successors would gain his past strength," Blue Lantern elaborated.

"An astonishing idea. The Yuqing Grandmaster intends on treading a brand-new path..."

"I suspect that the Yuqing Grandmaster was so strong that he worried that no single disciple would be able to absorb all his strength. As such, he divided it into thirteen pillars to be absorbed by various Yuqing disciples, in anticipation that they would later be merged together."

"An astonishing gift," Xiao Nanfeng marvelled.

"This is only a hypothesis on my part. I suspect that Shi Tianbei has come to the same conclusions that I have, and he doesn't want to miss out on this incredible opportunity. He wants to absorb all this strength for himself, which is why he laid this curse on the twelve holy maidens. Once they finish absorbing all the Yuqing yin pillars, he'll steal it from their bodies using the curse. In that way, he'll be able to gain the full inheritance of the Yuqing Grandmaster," Blue Lantern analyzed.

"What ambition. Isn't he worried that the Grandmaster will hold him accountable once he revives?" Yu'er frowned.

"Have you considered the possibility that the Yuqing Grandmaster's metamorphosis will fail?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"Hmm?" Yu'er seemed confused.

"The Yuqing Grandmaster is treading down a brand-new path, but what if he fails? Even if he might be on track to succeeding, once Shi Tianbei gains his former strength, forges an invincible body, and turns on the Yuqing Grandmaster, the Yuqing Grandmaster's metamorphosis might well end up in failure."

"Shi Tianbei intends to kill the Yuqing Grandmaster and steal all his cultivation?" Yu'er cried out.

"Given what I know of Shi Tianbei's character, he might well be intending to do such a thing," Xiao Nanfeng replied.

Yu'er's eyes widened in shock.

Xiao Nanfeng turned to Blue Lantern. "Why is it that only Shi Tianbei and the Immortal Emperor of Dachi will be able to break Yu'er's curse? Aren't there other people who can do anything?" Xiao Nanfeng pressed.

Blue Lantern hesitated for a moment. He seemed to have something in mind, but couldn't bring himself to speak.