Chapter 194: Chapter 120: Elder Mu Takes Action, the Peach Opera Garden Approaches

In the pitch-black wilderness, only Shen Bai and Liu Wufeng remained.

Besides them, there was only the scattered moonlight and the members of the Observatory, who stood watch in the distance, not daring to eavesdrop.

After hearing Shen Bai’s theory, Liu Wufeng’s brow furrowed. "Are you saying there’s a mole in the Observatory?"

Shen Bai shook his head. "Lord Liu, you’ve misunderstood me."

Liu Wufeng asked, "Then what do you mean?"

If there wasn’t a mole in the Observatory, Liu Wufeng thought of another possibility.

Perhaps some of the factions participating in Fenglin State’s celebration were involved.

Shen Bai rubbed the hilt of Cold Moon and said slowly, "The Deceit was a Shadow Deceit. This time, a clothed shadow appeared within the city in Fenglin State."

"I find it hard to believe someone could control it remotely. Wouldn’t you agree, Lord Liu?"

Liu Wufeng pondered. "Indeed. If someone had the ability to remotely control a Meridian Passage Realm Deceit, one that could even evade the Observatory’s notice, they could have just acted directly."

"The Death Talisman is a long-lost technique of the Talisman Master lineage. The man in black was only controlling the Death Talisman. With that level of power, there’s no way he could have created a Meridian Passage Realm Peak Deceit."

At this point, Liu Wufeng became even more certain of his earlier thought.

Shen Bai continued, "Therefore, the one responsible for this Deceit must be someone within Fenglin State."

Liu Wufeng rubbed his chin. "There are over a hundred factions attending the state celebration. Investigating them all will take some time."

Shen Bai smiled. "It could be long, but it could also be short."

Hearing this, Liu Wufeng asked curiously, "Oh? And what do you mean by that?"

He felt there was a hidden meaning in Shen Bai’s words, which carried a mysterious air.

Shen Bai looked up at the bright moon in the sky. "If I recall correctly, Fenglin State’s Qingyun Cloud Temple is participating in the celebration this time."

"As you know, Lord Liu, I have a grudge with Qingyun Cloud Temple. Why don’t we start the investigation with them?"

"When I said it could be short, I meant that if it’s Qingyun Cloud Temple, we won’t have to waste much time."

"But if it’s long... that means it wasn’t them, and we’ll have to investigate every other faction one by one."

Liu Wufeng nodded. "Alright. I’ll investigate this thoroughly. Anyone who dares to harm a member of my Observatory—especially my special recruit—can forget about living." 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

With that, there was nothing more to be said.

Shen Bai and Liu Wufeng left the wilderness.

「...」

The state celebration was still underway.

The common people, immersed in the lively atmosphere, were unaware that Fenglin State had just narrowly avoided a great disaster.

They were still caught up in the excitement, dancing with joy amidst the fireworks and festivities.

Shen Bai returned to Fenglin State and rejoined the ongoing evening gala.

"Lord Shen, over here! We’re dancing..."

"Lord Shen, I’ve made a new dish. Come have a taste!"

"Lord Shen..."

The people, their faces beaming with smiles, extended warm invitations to him.

Shen Bai responded to each of them, soaking in the lively atmosphere. ’Such a joyous, worldly celebration,’ he thought. ’Those bastards really have the gall to ruin it.’

The gala was gradually reaching its peak.

「...」

「Qingyun Cloud Temple.」

Changbai Temple Master sat cross-legged with his eyes closed.

On the table before him sat an incense burner.

Three sticks of incense were set in the burner, wisps of green smoke curling upwards.

As the green smoke rose, the room, far from having a sacred or ethereal aura, was instead filled with a repulsive, nauseating stench.

The temperature dropped so low that a layer of silver frost coated the floor.

Just then, the three incense sticks suddenly changed.

The sticks on the left and right snapped in half, as if broken by an invisible hand.

The result was one long stick flanked by two short ones, a strikingly obvious formation.

The burning tips were extinguished in an instant.

Changbai Temple Master’s eyes flew open, a look of shock flashing within them. ’It’s gone?’

He had used the Devouring Deceit Skill and the Reverse Nourishing Skill to empower the Deceit. One benefit of this process was the ability to temporarily see through the Deceit’s eyes and observe its surroundings.

This was also a precaution to prevent the empowered Deceit from vanishing without a trace, making it impossible for him to devour it later.

But just a moment ago, the Deceit had died.

He had seen it happen: Shen Bai killed it with two sword strikes.

With just two strikes, he had run through a Meridian Passage Realm Peak Deceit—and Shen Bai was only at the Five Organ Realm.

If word of this got out, no one would believe it.

But it was the truth.

A drop of cold sweat broke out on Changbai Temple Master’s forehead.

’This boy absolutely cannot be allowed to live!’

Influenced by the Devouring Deceit Skill, that tyrannical aura surged through Changbai Temple Master’s body once more.

Just then, something unusual happened.

A sharp CRACK echoed from within Changbai Temple Master’s robes.

The next moment, Changbai Temple Master pulled a Wood Token from his robes.

When the man in black had gone to use the Death Talisman, he had given Changbai Temple Master this Wood Token.

He had said they could use it to communicate.

Now that Changbai Temple Master was practicing the Wild Daoist Technique, he knew exactly how this Wood Token was made.

The dark red stain on it came from being soaked in human blood, and it was spiritually linked to the man in black.

Now, the Wood Token was broken. That could only mean one thing.

The man in black was dead, too.

In that instant, Changbai Temple Master’s seething rage was extinguished, replaced by a cold, sudden calm. He had no choice in the matter.

’First, the Deceit died. Now, the man from the Wild Taoist Sect is dead.’

More and more cold sweat beaded on Changbai Temple Master’s forehead. ’Will they trace this back to me?’

At that moment, Changbai Temple Master, whose mind had been clouded by hatred, was instantly sobered by fear.