A Mysterious Figure Approaches Tu Kui!

Yu Hua’s grave voice immediately came through the jade slip. "Pavilion Master, the thirteen probe teams I sent out... they're all... all dead..." "They couldn't even hold out for four hours before the other side flushed them out!" A cold sneer touched the corners of Li Guanqi's mouth. If he had thought of this, how could that old fox have missed it? Li Guanqi said softly, "It's fine. Losing a few hands is worth it so long as we know they're prepared. "At most, it merely startled the snake. "It doesn't matter..." Yu Hua was clearly vexed by the probe's failure, her voice subdued as she spoke. "I am sorry. It was my rashness and haste that cost our people their lives and alerted the enemy." Holding the jade slip, Li Guanqi said gently, "This is not your fault. Since they anticipated we would do this, they were bound to take precautions. No matter how careful you were, you would have been discovered." Yu Hua exhaled heavily and asked in a low voice, "Then what should we do next?" Li Guanqi sneered. "We can't shake their upper echelons, so in that case..." Tapping his fingers lightly against the desk, Li Guanqi murmured, "Root out a few of Tianji Pavilion's hidden agents. Find out what methods they're using to distinguish friend from foe. "In addition... "Find a way to sow discord and turn their middle and lower ranks!" Yu Hua's eyes brightened, and she said resolutely, "Understood! Subordinate will see to it!" *Hum!* Xi Yunhuai’s grave voice sounded in Li Guanqi’s ear. "Pavilion Master, as soon as we resumed business, mysterious figures attacked and assassinated our subordinates from the shadows! "The entire merchant division is jumping at shadows right now, and discontent is already brewing among the lower ranks." With an impassive expression, Li Guanqi gave a slight nod and said chillingly, "Notify the Cloud Shadow Guards to strike and kill. "Once they're dead, pile their heads before Tianji Pavilion's doors. For every person we lose, kill one of theirs. "Warn them: if Tianji Pavilion can only resort to such underhanded tricks, our Guanyun Pavilion will play this game to the bitter end! "Also, reinforce the guards at every shop that opens its doors to customers!" Li Guanqi's mind was crystal clear as clear directives issued from his lips one after another. Yet Xi Yunhuai was soon troubled, and Gu Chuan transmitted a message through his jade slip: "Pavilion Master... our Cloud Shadow Guards alone cannot cover all of the Six Domains... "Even within the Great Xia Domain alone, assigning one guard per shop wouldn't be enough!" The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curved slightly. "Understood. Someone will contact you shortly," he said softly. Leaving Gu Chuan's transmission at that, Li Guanqi retrieved another jade slip and murmured, "Senior, I must trouble you." An elderly man set down the jade slip in his hand and slowly rose, the corners of his mouth turning upward. "Right then. Time for these old bones of mine to get some exercise. "Good, good. A rare opportunity for practical experience! "Disciples of the Seven Peaks, take heed: board the cross-domain teleportation arrays and depart for your assigned regions!" Indeed! The person in charge who spoke was none other than Gong Ze! And the reason Li Guanqi had the confidence to reopen shops across the Six Domains was precisely the more than ten thousand cultivators of the Great Xia Sword Sect! Nearly the entire backbone of the Great Xia Sword Sect had been mobilized! Countless white-robed cultivators took to the sky, and cross-domain teleportation arrays flared to life in rapid succession. Watching array after array activate across the sect square, Meng Jiangchu showed a faint trace of gratification in his eyes. At this moment, numerous cultivators departed for various regions across the Six Domains. Tianji Pavilion swiftly caught wind of this mobilization as well. Furthermore, the Cloud Shadow Guards moved far faster than Gu Yong had anticipated. Barely after Tianji Pavilion's assassins had struck, several dozen severed heads were already displayed right before Tianji Pavilion's storefronts. The cultivators of the Six Domains were now watching on the sidelines. Everyone knew that both pavilions had completely shed all pretense. The rumor that Li Guanqi and Gu Yong shared an acquaintance across generations grew ever more unbelievable. From the very start, tempers flared, and blood had already been drawn. Yet after Guanyun Pavilion executed those retaliatory killings, Tianji Pavilion refrained from continuing with senseless slaughter. In the eyes of onlookers, both sides still seemed to be exercising immense restraint. Li Guanqi sat where he was with a distant gaze, murmuring softly, "Oftentimes, things collapse from within. "They will do everything they can to approach Guanyun Pavilion's upper echelon! "Su You... do not make the wrong choice..." With that, Li Guanqi sent a soft voice transmission: "Yu Hua, at times, do not keep such a tight watch over the Great Xia Sword Sect. "Sometimes... a spy doesn't necessarily need to know they are a spy!" In the void, Yu Hua's pupils constricted. She said softly, "Subordinate understands!" Immediately afterward, Yu Hua subtly adjusted the patrol intensity of the Cloud Shadow Guards. Unless someone was paying very close attention, the change would go entirely unnoticed. Open and covert struggles continued unabated. After sunset, the entire Great Xia Sword Sect fell silent. Beneath the veil of night, undercurrents surged. Currently, the Great Xia Sword Sect was practically empty, as nearly all disciples had been dispatched outside. A man sat inside a secret chamber, ingesting pills and cultivating in deep seclusion. Suddenly! A dark shadow materialized inside the chamber, quietly watching the man seated cross-legged at the center. The instant the black-robed figure appeared, Li Guanqi sensed it. The corners of his mouth curled into an eerie, cold sneer. Then his figure faded into the void interlayer, vanishing from the Guanyun Domain Boundary. Inside the secret chamber, the cultivating man seemed to sense something amiss as well. His eyes snapped open, and a longsword appeared in his grip! With a burst of force from his feet, he shot forward skimming the floor, raising his hand to slash a golden arc of sword light! *Screeech!* A piercing sword hum rang out abruptly, yet not a sliver of the sound leaked beyond the room. The black-robed figure let out a mocking sneer, raised a hand, and lightly caught the blade. Shifting his left hand from fist to palm, he struck out violently! *Bang!* The man was flung backward uncontrollably. The sword flew from his grip, his body hunching like a boiled shrimp. *Thud!* His body slammed heavily against the stone wall, yet the secret chamber did not shake in the slightest! A large mouthful of blood sprayed from the man's lips as an unfathomable pressure pinned him in place, rendering him unable to move! The immense pressure made him realize that this mysterious black-robed intruder was someone he could not contend against in the least! A jade slip appeared in his palm, and he crushed it instantly. Yet the mysterious figure across from him sneered mockingly. "It's futile. Since I could get in here, how could I let you send a message out? "Tu Kui, mid-stage Soul Formation Realm, Peak Master of Tianjin Peak. "Shall we have a chat?" Tu Kui narrowed his eyes, staring at the black-robed figure's head as he said coldly, "Chat about what? "Heh, Guanqi is still at the Great Xia Sword Sect. Once he notices something amiss, you won't be able to leave even if you want to!" The man chuckled. Slowly crouching down, he reached up and actually pulled back his black cowl! Tu Kui stared unblinkingly at the man before him. He did not recognize the stranger, but he never expected the intruder to reveal his identity so openly at a moment like this!