[Year 226]
The Imperial Capital, within a certain village.
Here, the three Li family members (Kuanghua, Qingyu, and Xinghuo) had rendezvoused with the group from the Azure Cloud region (Gu Donglai's group)!
The members of the Azure Cloud region group were currently staring in utter confusion at the Li family trio.
Shortly after the two groups had joined forces, Li Kuanghua, with her own hands, had struck down one of their number – an assassin who had once belonged to the 'Dawn' organization!
"Kuanghua, what did you kill him for?!"
"Sister Kuanghua," another asked, perplexed, "Why would you...?"
"Sister Kuanghua..."
"Lady Kuanghua..."
Having finally processed the shock of Li Kuanghua's action, the assembled allies could no longer contain their questions. But scarcely had their confused inquiries begun when they all abruptly fell silent once more.
They exchanged bewildered glances, a shared doubt flickering in their eyes.
A sly, knowing glint danced in Li Kuanghua's eyes. "Heheh," she chuckled. "You didn't expect that, did you?"
...
As Li Kuanghua's knowing smile spread, the members of Gu Donglai's group exchanged uneasy, consternated glances, their own expressions growing grim.
A single, chilling thought dawned upon them all simultaneously: it wasn't that Kuanghua had simply met with their group recently.
No, before this public execution, she must have approached each and every one of them individually!
"My apologies to you all, esteemed friends," Li Kuanghua continued, her voice calm.
"I have known for some time that an avatar of Tian Xing was hidden in our very midst. Consequently, before today, I approached each and every one of you in private. I told each of you that an avatar of Tian Xing was present within our group, and then I carefully gauged your responses. Regrettably, the spy was too skilled; his reactions revealed nothing definitive. Following that, I provided each of you with a purported hiding place for myself and my kin, and crucially, the location I gave to each of you was unique.
This continued until... Azure Mountain. The speed with which Venerable Tian Xing's main force converged upon this particular location – that swiftness finally allowed me to pinpoint the mole, the avatar of Tian Xing hidden within your very ranks!"
So, Li Kuanghua's entire re-emergence, her very presence at Azure Mountain, had, from the outset, been a 'Trap'.
She had meticulously approached every individual, laying a cunning trap designed to draw the serpent from its hiding place!
Simultaneously, it served as a ploy to enable Li Wei to ascertain the true identities of those key avatars Venerable Tian Xing would deploy!
"So that was the truth of it!"
A wave of sudden, complete understanding washed over Gu Donglai's group. Nor did they harbor any significant resentment towards Li Kuanghua for her initial lack of trust.
When pitted against a foe as terrifyingly dominant as Venerable Tian Xing, it was only natural that the Li family would proceed with extreme caution!
Just then, an icy glint entered Li Kuanghua's eyes as she turned her gaze upon Gu Donglai.
Her voice, when she spoke, was chillingly soft. "Gu Donglai," she said, "This grand plan of ours, this Li family plan you are privy to... There are no further complications, I trust?"
At Li Kuanghua's chilling words, the faces of everyone else in the black-robed contingent contorted.
Instantly, spiritual tools and spirit artifacts appeared in their hands as they stared with incredulous horror at Gu Donglai, now the focus of their sudden, wary circle.
Gu Donglai – the very man who had first rallied them to search for the Li family, the firstborn son of Li Kuangming himself!
...
Meanwhile, back in the small courtyard on Qilin Mountain, Li Wei stood composed before Lin Wudao.
The latter, having just received word from the Imperial Capital – learning that the true faces of his 'Tian Xing' avatars there (Lai Teng's group) had been exposed by the Li family – was, for the first time since Li Wei's manifestation, completely still and silent.
It was as though he were in communion with his other avatars scattered across the land.
Li Wei watched intently, unwilling to miss a single nuance of Lin Wudao's reaction.
This... this was their clan's first real engagement, their first direct clash with 'Tian Xing' since the dark days of their fall!
For in reality, despite the passage of all these years, the Li Clan had never once ceased their covert inquiries into Tian Xing. Concerning this enigma of an enemy, what they had managed to ascertain thus far was this: Tian Xing was capable of manifesting in countless different forms, a being of myriad faces.
The first key piece of intelligence they possessed had also come by way of Bai Rourou, from what she had learned from Venerable Elder Baimei.
It detailed how Tian Xing periodically reincarnated within the Azure Dynasty.
His primary consciousness would then personally nurture this new vessel until it reached a specific threshold of prodigious talent, whereupon his main awareness would withdraw from that particular body.
This intensive cultivation phase typically spanned anywhere from several months to over a decade, depending on the circumstances.
This was because even as reincarnated vessels, the inherent talent of each body differed; Tian Xing would only invest his efforts in nurturing those who were genuinely exceptional, true prodigies.
Once his primary consciousness withdrew, that avatar would continue its development independently.
Each possessed its own distinct awareness, yet all remained unfailingly loyal, bound to obey the directives of the central mind.
Feng Qingyang, whom the Li family had previously encountered, was a prime example: an ostensibly independent entity who, as a Nascent Soul Region Prince, had schemed to control all of the Azure Cloud region.
The second crucial piece of information was this: upon the death of any of these avatars, their power, and remarkably, even their innate talents and any special physiques they possessed, would be passed on and absorbed by the other surviving avatars.
The third key piece of information pertained to the Tian Xing Cultivator Abode.
While 'Tian Xing' had been demonstrably and ruthlessly pursuing any and all Li family members, the thirteen Lis within the Tian Xing Abode itself had remained completely untouched, entirely safe and sound.
This very fact was a glaring, unreasonable aspect, a point that defied logical explanation.
Recalling the ancient text, "Know your enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles without defeat."
This current confrontation by the puppet – it was a deliberate test of Lin Wudao!
"Are you attempting to threaten me?" Lin Wudao's voice was dangerously soft, though a faint, derisive curl touched his lips as he gazed at the Li family's puppet envoy.
His tone dripped with faint contempt as he continued, responding to the puppet's earlier ultimatum. "Or, alternatively, do you genuinely imagine that those... assets of mine... way off in the Imperial Capital are truly of such paramount importance to me?"
No sooner had Lin Wudao finished speaking than the puppet that had delivered the message began to crack and crumble, shattering inch by fragile inch like a dried clay tile! Afterward, Lin Wudao casually picked up his bird-teasing stick once more and resumed prodding Li Kuangren, who was still thrashing wildly within his cage.
A faint, cruel smile played on Lin Wudao's lips. "My compliments to your Li family," he drawled. "You lot certainly seem far more... entertaining... than any adversaries I've dealt with previously."
Li Wei, witnessing Lin Wudao's unperturbed, almost leisurely demeanor, and noting that Li Kuangren, despite his fury, remained physically unharmed for the moment, released a slow, pent-up breath.
Then, his ethereal presence faded from the Qilin Mountain courtyard.
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