Stranger Danger

At first, Jiang Yunlai and the group were very calm. They were surprised when they saw Ye Qing opening the door of Kunlun Tomb singlehandedly, but that was all.

When they saw Ye Qing using some sort of unknown method to freeze Elder Tomb Keeper in place and kill him though, Jiang Yunlai, the Silver Moon Sacred Lord, and everyone else finally lose their composure.

Elder Tomb Keeper was a Half Sage. Inside the Kunlun Tomb, not even a true Sage was a match for the old man.

And yet, that man had somehow killed Elder Tomb Keeper inside the Kunlun Tomb. This was a feat even they would be hardpressed to achieve.

Of course, it was clear from the replay that their enemy only succeeded because Elder Tomb Keeper had let his guard down. Even so, this was still unbelievable.

It was at this moment Shen Xuedong spoke up. “Why is the enemy blurry?”

Everyone’s appearance in the replay including Elder Tomb Keeper was crystal clear. Ye Qing was the only one whose entire appearance was blurry to the point it was impossible to tell his gender.

The Silver Moon Sacred Lord answered in a cool voice, “There are two possibilities. One, he is a Sage. Two, he has an Ancient-class Strange Artifact.”

A Sage could not be seen, and an Ancient could not be spoken. Therefore, only a Sage or an Ancient-class Strange Artifact could affect her Magia.

Jiang Yunlai broke his long silence. “If they were a Sage, they would not need to use such petty tricks to achieve their goals.”@@novelbin@@

“I believe you are right, Sacred Lord,” replied Shen Xuedong.

“What about those who were killed by Elder Tomb Keeper? Do they offer any clues?” Jiang Yunlai asked.

“Yanxia is investigating them. She should be able to answer your question very soon.”

As if on cue, a fiery red figure stepped in through the entrance and declared, “Sacred Lord, I bet you can’t guess who the intruders are!”

The fiery red figure was a young girl who looked to be seven or eight years old at best. Red-eyed and scarlet-haired, she wore a red dress and a pair of pigtails. Like a living ball of fire, her very presence scorched the ground underneath her and rapidly increased the temperature inside the Kunlun Tomb.

“Yanxia, this is serious. Stop fooling around and tell us already!” Shen Xuedong chided her.

The girl in red dress pouted. “Ice cube. You’re no fun at all.”

The young girl’s name was Duan Yanxia. She was the Summer Lord of the Four Lords.

“Yanxia, don’t keep us in suspense, please,” Jiang Xilai said coolly.

Duan Yanxia huffed in Shen Xuedong’s direction before turning serious. “The intruders all came from different factions. Some of them came from the Demonic Mountain, some came from the Maitreya Sect, some came from Red Dust Tribulation, and some came from the Demonic Abode of Six Desires…” 𝙍ᴀΝО𐌱Ę𝘴

“Demonic Mountain, Matreiya Sect, Red Dust Tribulation and Demonic Abode of Six Desires…? Are they all in this?” Shen Xuedong frowned deeply.

“Are you stupid? These four sects are so unrelated to each other you couldn’t connect them together even with eight bamboo poles[1]! Even if we assume that they’re cooperating with each other, why on earth would they send these small fries to steal our sacred object? A few Sages would’ve done the deed much better and without incurring any casualties!”

Duan Yanxia rebuked Shen Xuedong mercilessly before adding, “Oh right, I believe these people are the followers of everyone who were invited to participate in the Celestial Peach Gathering, Sacred Lord.”

It was at this moment Silver Moon Sacred Lord broke her silence, “It’s highly possible that these people were subverted by our mysterious enemy. They are pawns used to lure Elder Tomb Keeper away so that the thief could steal our sacred object.”

“My thoughts exactly, sister Yingyue!” Duan Yanxia chirped happily.

“These people all hail from different sects at least thousands and thousands of kilometers away from each other. If they were subverted and controlled, it must have happened after they came to West Kunlun.”

Shen Xuedong analyzed. “Therefore, all we need to investigate who these people have interacted with recently. That may be enough to uncover the thief’s identity.”

“Sacred Lord, I would like to request a temporary lockdown of West Kunlun to facilitate this investigation.”

“Heh! Why bother? Didn’t the Sacred Lord say that the thief isn’t a Sage? Elder Diviner is already pursuing the thief. With his unparalleled divination and deduction skills, he will capture the thief for sure!”

Duan Yanxia interrupted, “When that happens, we will find out the mastermind as well.”

The Elder Diviner she was speaking of was the other Deputy Sacred Lord of West Kunlun. A Sage, he was an expert in divining the stars and analyzing the rivers of fate. There was nothing and no one he couldn’t divine except a Sage, which was why he was praised as the “unparalleled diviner who can know one’s fate just by observing the heavens”.

Shen Xuedong shot Duan Yanxia a look but did not say anything. She clearly agreed with the girl even though she didn’t say it.

In fact, Elder Diviner was the first person to realize that something had happened to the Kunlun Tomb. He also gave chase immediately after discovering that the branch of the Radiant Tree was stolen. Considering Elder Diviner’s abilities, it did not seem difficult for him to track down a non-Sage.

To Duan Yanxia’s surprise, Jiang Yunlai ordered, “We will execute your plan anyway, Xuedong.”

“But why, Sacred Lord?” Duan Yanxia asked in puzzlement.

“Better to be safe than sorry,” Jiang Yunlai replied indifferently. “On that note, you will assist Xuedong, Yanxia.”

“Why am I assisting her, not the other way around?” Duan Yanxia mumbled, though her frustration immediately vanished when she made contact with Jiang Yunlai’s severe, merciless eyes. She said softly, “Fine, fine.”

“Go.” Jiang Yunlai commanded, “Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry. If you think that someone is suspicious, there is no need to wait for evidence. Kill them.”

“As you command, Sacred Lord,” Shen Xuedong and Duan Yanxia responded in unison before taking their leave.

After Shen Xuedong and Duan Yanxia were gone, Jiang Yunlai looked at the Silver Moon Sacred Lord and said, “Yingyue, you can tell Elder Diviner to return now.”

Silver Moon Sacred Lord was visibly surprised by this. “But why?”

“You should know that the branch of the Radiant Tree is a divine wood of the world. Not only is it immune to divination or pursuit, it could blind the sky and muddy the rivers of fate. So long as the thief still holds the Radiant Tree’s branch, not even Elder Diviner would be able to track them down. It will simply be a waste of energy,” Jiang Yunlai said calmly.

“Do you have a plan, Sacred Lord?” Silver Moon Sacred Lord asked.

“Don’t you think this is an opportunity?” Jiang Yunlai slowly turned around and stared at the murals on the wall.

“Are you saying that we should allow the thief to lead us to the Kunlun Ruins?” The Silver Moon Sacred Lord guessed Jiang Yunlai’s thoughts and, for the first time since she made her appearance, revealed a hint of emotion.

“Exactly.”

Jiang Yunlai said quietly, “Only a destined one may get the chance to enter the Kunlun Ruins. Since that thief was able to find out about the Kunlun Ruins and even steal the branch of the Radiant Tree from right under our nose, it is clear that they are favored by the celestials. We might just be able to follow them to the Kunlun Ruins.”

“That sounds ideal, but will it really work?” The Silver Moon Sacred Lord voiced her doubt.

“We have to try.”

Jiang Yunlai’s eyes burned with fervor and urgency. “I don’t have much time left. I must enter the Kunlun Ruins and find a way to resolve the curse that plagues my Jiang Clan once and for all.”

1. An idiom meaning that two people/objects are completely unrelated to each other. ☜