Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1202 Three Conspiracies
The wind and clouds surged, the sky darkened, and the whole world was shrouded in darkness. Yet, a golden talisman, shimmering with light, hung above the mountain gate, making the sun shine brightly and illuminating the surroundings.

At the entrance to the mountain cave, layers of purple mist swirled around the white steps, and a woman stood to the side. She had a beautiful face and was surrounded by golden energy. She was none other than Zhang Duanyan, a True Person of the Golden Feather Sect.

This True Person is a junior personally promoted by True Person Qiushui. Now she has gradually entered the core of this Immortal Sect. She usually handles many affairs, but in this turbulent time, she has returned to this high cave and is waiting silently.

As the inner cave slowly opened, a scorching, surging aura poured out through the cracks, disturbing the purple energy and causing it to retreat to both sides. A robust man slowly walked out of the dark interior, his bare upper body covered with densely packed vermilion runes that shimmered with an eerie light.

"I've met my ancestor!"

Zhang Duanyan's eyes lit up with surprise, and he bowed quite naturally, offering his congratulations:

"This junior congratulates the venerable ancestor on surpassing the Purple Realm, achieving great supernatural powers, and with the Five Laws within reach!"

The man slowly opened his eyes, and the billowing true fire throughout the cave rapidly surged towards his body. The red fire condensed to its extreme, even transforming into a purple hue. After a long while, his hoarse voice could be heard:

"It's just real fire, nothing to mention."

This person is none other than the Heavenly True Man of the Golden Feather Sect!

This True Person had stagnated at the mid-stage of the Purple Mansion realm for many years, and now, having suddenly crossed it, he showed no sign of smugness. The junior beside him also remained silent, his lips pursed. Tian Que, familiar with the surging divine power within his body, said calmly:

"I've been competing with Hengli for so many years, but I'm far behind him in this one step. It's a dead end, so there's nothing to be happy about. Even on such a narrow road, there's Gao Fu to the north. I'm far inferior."

Zhang Duanyan seemed somewhat disagreeing, and said in a low voice:
"If our ancestor had been willing to take that step, it wouldn't have been delayed until today. It was merely to gain a clearer understanding of the situation and make necessary preparations..."

Tian Que pulled out his Taoist robe and put it on, suppressing the flames rising from his body, and casually said:

"Isn't Hengli the same? His 'Disaster of Huliang' is said to be impossible without a major disaster, but who is suppressing it? Everyone in the world knows the answer. The decline of the sun is actually a great benefit to cultivation. Back then, Yan Que said that he had a pure heart. Hengxing was afraid that he had a knot in his heart and would have to wade into the muddy waters of Luoxia again."

Zhang Duanyan said:

"If our ancestor had followed a normal lineage..."

Tianque shook his head:

"Back then, the Zhu Luo Kingdom's aura was so magnificent that it repeatedly attracted Jie Yu to send people to watch. Since I had left the cave to cultivate, I naturally wanted to take advantage of the situation to replenish this True Fire... hoping to restore the True Fire to its rightful place and add more. Unfortunately... after all, it was Zi Xuan who broke the True Fire. He was ultimately a junior and could not accomplish anything."

"The changes in the heavens are beyond our control; what can we do about it?"

Clearly, the former ruler of Zhu Luo Kingdom was favored by the master of Tongxinli. With the calculations of Taiyuan Zhenjun, he naturally wanted to plant a hidden move to seek the true fire. But for Zhenjun, it was just a casual move. However, for Tianque now, it has ruined the right path.

Zhang Duanyan could only sigh:
"Now that the Ancestor has mastered the Four True Fires, is the final one... the 'Separation Fire'?"

Tian Que strolled out of the cave and sat down at the stone table, saying:

“I’m not going to repair it anymore. There are quite a few people who seek to separate from the true fire, but very few of them succeed. I specifically asked someone to go in and ask.”

His words immediately made the real man's eyes light up—if Tianque could ask about the path of inquiry, then he must be asking someone else, and it must be his own True Lord!

As expected, Tian Que said softly:

“The True Lord said that the transformation of True Separation is that ‘weak Yin cannot harmonize with prosperous Yang, and declining fire cannot be without a righteous ruler’… I only have a superficial understanding of the principles behind this, but this path is not feasible for me, and the other paths are also difficult to walk. It would be better to resolve my thoughts and cultivate the ‘Pheasant Separation Journey’ that I borrowed.”

A sense of relief appeared on his face:
"If it works out, great; if not, so be it..."

These words were undoubtedly a very bad sign, causing Zhang Duanyan's expression to change drastically, his lips to tremble, and he to whisper:
"How can there not be a road to take..."

Tian Que laughed:

“Nothing in this world is perfect. The True Lord has been planning for many years, and today there are three Golden Elixir arrangements in my path. Each one is earth-shattering. Even if only one is completed, it can greatly alleviate the predicament of my path. How can I be greedy for more? I will become a Great True Person and quickly perfect my supernatural powers. It would be a good thing to have more strength to assist these three plans.”

He himself understood how low his chances were of attaining the "True Fire" fruit, but he didn't seem to care. He stood up and said:
"I had this plan a long time ago—or rather, this arrangement was made in the cave long ago, and I only realized it now. The matter in He Town was all for today's preparation!"

Zhang Duanyan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant and asked:

"He Town? [Nine Gates Temple]?"

Tian Que quietly said:

"This method was bestowed upon us in the grotto-heaven back then. We needed to find a place without cause or effect to refine it. Where else could such a place be? Naturally, it's at Moon Gazing Lake!"

"It was because the master saw the extraordinary ability of the [Qingyi Yuanxinyi] that he specifically asked me to find someone to refine this spiritual weapon on the lake. That's how He Jiumen came to be. I finally managed to find such a pill, and under the pretense of refining a spiritual embryo, I sent him to occupy the west bank, take the pill, and painstakingly refine it on the lake for a hundred years before the artifact embryo was formed!"

"Currently, the [Nine Gates Temple] has merged with the [Records of the Heart Sand], knowing the cause and effect, and eliminating it. The purpose of bringing this artifact into the world is to intervene in Yi Ge's affairs at a crucial moment and lend him a helping hand!"

Zhang Duanyan pondered for a long time before finally saying:
"I see."

Tian Que ignored the junior's surprised expression, turned around, but did not see the familiar figure, and asked:
Where is Tianhuo?

Zhang Duanyan hurriedly bowed and said:

"The sword was completed, but unfortunately, it was somewhat manipulated and changed. Your Highness gathered a lot of information and made some conjectures before going to the grotto to report to the master..."

Tian Que praised:

"His father's affairs are the most conspicuous, but that doesn't mean they can be manipulated at will."

After pondering for a moment, Zhang Duanyan took out a gold scroll from his sleeve, straightened his expression, and said in a low voice:

"The Li family's 'Complete Elixir' is complete!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Que immediately placed the cup on the table, stood up, and paced back and forth. He quickly reached out to calculate the year. Seeing his expression, Zhang Duanyan couldn't help but hesitate and said:
"The news hasn't spread yet. It was Li Ximing who sent a secret messenger to bring it to me. That person is also someone with connections. He was very cautious, coming politely but leaving in a hurry... There's no one in charge of the sect these days, so I haven't given a reply."

In the blink of an eye, Tian Que had already unfurled the golden scroll. Inside, there were some polite words, the woman's age and birthdate, an outline of the cultivation method, and a note at the end stating that she had come to inquire about the cultivation method.

Tian Que's expression remained relatively calm. He silently put the gold scroll away, placed it in his hand, and said:

"What a genius... His breakthrough speed is almost catching up with King Wei... and he's even cultivating the [Hou Shu Golden Book]!"

Although Zhang Duanyan was somewhat acquainted with the Li family, he dared not say a word on this matter. After a moment's hesitation and observing the other party's expression, he said:
"Based on the Yuan family's lineage, it seems unlikely that they could possess the [Hou Shu Golden Book]..."

Tian Que's thoughts were clearly not on this matter, so he casually remarked:
"That's not surprising. An Huaitian had a copy. Tian Huo even considered going in to look for it, but Chi Buzi burned the book and made him curse as a beast. Now that I think about it, it's not surprising at all. It was Chi Buzi who took the [Hou Shu Golden Book]..."

He paced back and forth, pondering for a long time, before saying:

"But the Li family's affairs have been going on for a while now. Li Quewan is still too young and was born too late, so the news within the cave isn't very loud. But according to the old plan, such a small risk can't be taken. Wasn't the [Mercury Platform] the same thing back then?"

“He understands my family’s style. There is no room for error in the position of the sect. Bowing down will not solve any problems. Asking about the cultivation method... is probably a way of asking about our attitude, to see if my family intends to cut off her path.”

The newly promoted Grand Master said softly:

"This response was quite appropriate. If an ordinary family produced such a genius, even if they didn't remove the golden scroll that made her bow down, they would at least give her a copy of the Three Witches and Two Sages' cultivation method to make it clear that she had cultivated supernatural powers, thus severing her path to enlightenment..."

“But the Li family is different. It’s not just these Yuan family members who are barely clinging to life, but more importantly… that Prince Wei.”

A hint of helplessness appeared on Tian Que's face:
“My family has been associated with him for many years, and it is not appropriate to change our minds. Although he is a seemingly glamorous figurehead, it must be said that he is one of the few people in the world who has the capital to be willful. Although we do not need his help, when he gets angry and opposes us, it will definitely be a headache.”

"With him around, we have no choice but to grit our teeth and accept it... But if we look at it another way, since Mingyang is gone, and if she were to become a dependent, she'd definitely end up coming to live with us..."

The matter of the Li family had been clearly discussed in that grotto-heaven, and Tian Que only felt a few sighs, shaking his head and saying:

"Since that's the case, let's properly exchange with him and do him a favor..."

Zhang Duanyan said in a low voice:

"Does the Ancestor mean... the Golden Book?"

Tian Que nodded:

"The Golden Book is very particular. There are two books on Su De, making a total of ten. The remaining four books are 'Complete Elixir,' listing fourteen prefaces in total... It belongs to the lineage of that left-hand immortal [Su Jing]. He even taught more than one True Lord. Although he was not the master of [Su De Theory], he made the theory of Su De famous. It was even vaguely absorbed by the high-ranking Three Mysteries cultivators. His contribution is also to its widespread dissemination in the world today..."

"[Hou Shujin] They already have [Wensu], [Baiqian], and [Tingchan]. Since we're doing them a favor, we might as well bring [Baiqian] and exchange it with them..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Duanyan's eyes lit up, and he replied:

“Yes, absolutely… I’ll arrange it right away. This golden book best represents the Zhang family, and it’s also a good opportunity for them to witness the experience and abilities of our True Lord, so they won’t have any other ideas…”

Whether or not they have the inclination is not up to them to decide.

Tian Que shook his head listlessly and said seriously:
“Even if it’s a favor, there’s no reason to give it to them for nothing. If you’re going to ask, ask if there’s something in return. I’ve been eyeing that item of theirs for years. You happen to be going there and exchange it for me.”

Zhang Duanyan nodded in understanding, bowed, and was about to retreat when she heard the formation tremble slightly, and senses emanating from within the cave continued to emanate from it. She raised an eyebrow in slight confusion, calculated with her fingers, and then said with relief:
"Guest Master Qi has arrived."

Tian Que picked up the jade slip in his hand to read it carefully, but was attracted by the name he mentioned. He sneered and said:
"He's smart to be honest! You go ahead, I'll handle him."

The woman descended gracefully, and soon a middle-aged hermit appeared in the mountains. He had a slightly square face, dressed simply, and his eyes looked quite wise. If it weren't for his slightly pale complexion, he would have even had a touch of otherworldly elegance.

If Li Ximing were here, he would probably immediately realize the man's identity—it is none other than Su Mian!
This earth-element cultivator from Jianghuai abandoned his own [Mysterious Temple] and disappeared into the world as if without a trace, leaving Qi Lanyan and others to fight fiercely in Jianghuai, while his own disciples were treated like ants. He actually went to the Golden Feather Sect as a guest!
The master of the house, Tian Que, was not surprised at all. He stood quietly in front of the cave, waiting for the old master to come up. Su Mian greeted him with a smile, but when he saw the supernatural powers emanating from the old master, he was slightly stunned and exclaimed in shock:

"Fellow Daoist...Fellow Daoist actually...Good...Good, congratulations Fellow Daoist!"

Tian Que looked at him coldly, without the slightest smile on his face, and said indifferently:
"Fellow Daoist Qi, there's no need for such bluster. We've been separated for many years since we left our grotto-heavens, but I still know a thing or two about you... When the Jianghuai region was in turmoil and you disappeared, I was extremely worried."

His words were laced with sarcasm, but Su Mian seemed unfazed and laughed:

"Fellow Daoist, are you truly worried about me? Or are you worried about the treasure you entrusted me to refine?"

Tian Que was by nature a fiery temperament, and already harbored resentment towards the person before him. How could he possibly tolerate such a retort? His eyes gleamed with a purple light as he stared intently at the old master before him:
"You took my things and vanished into the sea in one breath. Those who know you'll think you're forging treasures for me, while those who don't will think you're up to something else..."

Su Mian appeared to show no emotional fluctuation, only slightly clenching his hands behind his back as he smiled:
"Hasn't Qiu Xin already arrived at the noble family's grotto? This old man is still counting on the noble family to produce another True Person for my Qi family, so what are you worried about, fellow Daoist?"

Tian Que remained expressionless and coldly replied:
"The Qi Stone Demon Embryo is something that allows for reincarnation and rebirth. Fellow Daoist Qi is quite old, and he has disappeared for so many years without even sending a single letter to my immortal mountain. Could it be that he has other intentions?"

The man raised his head, a cold smile appearing between his brows, and said:

"Qi Qiuxin? A mere junior? Compared to someone who has been reincarnated and cultivated for hundreds of years, what is she? Fellow Daoist, you only returned to the Golden Feather Sect and to me because you were afraid of our pursuit!"