The Final Enemy...?

Tang Ru listened attentively, his fingers flicking continuously across the abacus. A glowing phantom of a Yin-Yang Bagua array plate flickered incessantly behind him. The more Tang Ru heard, the more alarmed he became, especially when he heard Li Guanqi state how many masterminds were working behind the scenes. Tang Ru practically blurted out, "Not three—two!" Li Guanqi looked at Tang Ru in surprise. He had thought Tang Ru would only grasp the situation after he finished explaining everything. He had not expected Tang Ru to deduce with such certainty that there were only two. This made Li Guanqi look at him with newfound respect. Finally, Li Guanqi brought up the man named Gu Xici. Tang Ru’s hands stopped. His eyes half-closed, thoughts racing through his mind, generating one possibility after another only to immediately discard them. Li Guanqi did not disturb him. He wanted to see Tang Ru’s perspective on the matter. After a long while, Tang Ru opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within. He spoke in a grave tone. "Eldest Brother, what kind of outcome do you want?" A sharp light glinted in Li Guanqi’s eyes as well, and without hesitation, he said plainly, "Set a trap and kill him." Tang Ru narrowed his eyes, nodded slightly, and said in a low voice, "If we calculate based on our known intelligence, I will provisionally assume the enemy is an Ascension realm expert. Perhaps an exceptionally formidable one even among the Ascension realm." Puzzled, Li Guanqi asked, "Why set the enemy’s strength so high?" The corner of Tang Ru’s mouth lifted into a faint smile. "Because only by doing so will our plan be able to adapt to any unpredictable turn of events!" Tang Ru continued, "Sixth Brother’s scouting confirmed that the enemy definitely has a pawn in the Immortal Burial Realm. That means every special ability and power the few of us possess is already laid bare under his nose. We must even operate under the premise that he already suspects Li Qingchan is no longer under his control!" Li Guanqi frowned. He had believed his original scheme was already seamless—did they really need to take precautions to such an extreme? As if sensing Li Guanqi’s doubt, Tang Ru said frankly, "We do this precisely so he cannot anticipate any subsequent move we make! If we abandon all our existing trump cards and exclude them entirely from the plan, then he won't be able to predict what we actually intend to do!" Li Guanqi’s eyes lit up. On closer thought, Tang Ru’s reasoning was sound. "Continue." Tang Ru tapped the tabletop lightly. "Right now, the enemy remains in the shadows while we stand in the light. The primary task is to keep Li Qingchan hidden as our chess piece. She must not be exposed under any circumstances. Therefore, he will likely test her several times in the near future. During that phase, we must play the long game to catch the big fish and keep Li Qingchan’s true situation concealed." Li Guanqi nodded. He had considered this as well. "Mm... to lure the snake from its hole, there must be sufficient bait. That depends on whether you have the confidence to cast enough bait, Eldest Brother!" Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes and murmured, "Don’t worry. The bait will be more than enough." Tang Ru nodded and continued, "Since the enemy we face is very likely in the Ascension realm or even higher, the fewer people who know about this, the better. We only need to inform Emperor Chen and Grandpa Su." Li Guanqi nodded slightly. Subconsciously, he preferred not to trouble anyone, but in Tang Ru’s view, every force that could be leveraged was merely another link in a lethal trap! Anything that could be utilized could be woven into the scheme. "What next?" Tang Ru smiled faintly. "Once the trap is laid, naturally we have to spring the snare on him. But... we must make it convincing, without arousing his suspicion in the slightest. It all comes down to whether an opportunity presents itself." Li Guanqi’s eyes flickered as an idea took shape, yet he voiced his concern: "If we set the trap in the Immortal Burial Realm, what if he refuses to show up?" Tang Ru nodded. "That is indeed a concern, unless you can manufacture such an opportunity in the outside world. However, superfluous moves tend to arouse suspicion. From what you told me, this person is undoubtedly insidious and cunning—an expert at manipulating puppets from the shadows who truly keeps himself concealed behind the scenes. Thus, every step we take must be executed with extreme caution! We must first consider whether the plan can entice his true body to come in person! That is paramount! Be it Sha or Xun Tian, their backup contingencies gave us no shortage of headaches. Once we strike, it must be with the force of thunder to wipe him out completely!" Li Guanqi fell silent for a long time, holding only the rough outline of a plan in his mind. At that moment, Tang Ru suddenly remarked, "Sometimes, once a person sees through what they think is a false front, whatever remains is what they believe to be the undeniable truth!" Those words exploded like a clap of thunder in Li Guanqi’s mind. After a long silence, Li Guanqi retrieved a jade slip and spoke softly into it. "Come find me." Putting away the jade slip, Li Guanqi said, "I'll head out first." Emerging into the White Jade Tower, Li Guanqi happened upon Ye Feng, who was beaming with joy. Seeing Ye Feng practically brimming with romantic bliss, Li Guanqi could not help but remind him, "Once you head back, find Fifth Brother. He has matters to go over with you." Ye Feng’s expression immediately turned solemn, and he gave a slight nod. "Alright. Where are you off to?" "I'm just going to sit somewhere. Don't worry about me—go find him first." Ye Feng nodded, then flickered and vanished on the spot. Li Guanqi made his way to the study atop the White Jade Tower, pulled out a jade slip, and said softly, "Grandpa, is it convenient for you to project down?" Buzz! Su Xuan’s glowing spiritual projection manifested in the room. He looked at Li Guanqi and said mildly, "What's the matter, calling me down here?" Li Guanqi sat side by side with the elder, leaned back in his chair, and recounted the matter regarding Li Qingchan from start to finish. He then laid out his own thoughts alongside Tang Ru’s suggestions. After a long silence, Su Xuan narrowed his eyes, a glint of chilling murderous intent flashing within them. "According to your plan, after the other party tests Li Qingchan through his control, you want to temporarily dispel his suspicions. Then you intend to head toward what I prepared for you in the Third Domain?" Li Guanqi shrugged and said frankly, "Though I don't know what you left for me, Grandpa, I imagine that place isn't somewhere just anyone can find, right?" Su Xuan smiled faintly. "Naturally." Li Guanqi tucked his hands into his sleeves, his eyes narrowing as he murmured, "Since we need him to believe I am the one entering, the divine soul aura cannot change." The old man glanced sideways at Li Guanqi, the corners of his mouth curling upward. "So that's why you had Li Song come over?" Li Guanqi smiled. Gu Li’s soul-splitting and clone techniques produced independent clones that each carried distinct auras. But Li Guanqi and Li Song were different; they originated from the exact same Yin Spirit soul partition. Not to mention, Li Guanqi had cleaved his own three souls and seven spirits back then to forge Li Song. With a simple disguise, no one would be able to tell them apart. Su Xuan did not dwell on the matter. "Those hiding in the mortal realm have reached the end of their rope by now." The elder’s voice carried a hint of wistfulness. "They all know that once I completely seal the Human-Immortal Realm Barrier, the first ones I kill will be them! That is why they are growing anxious. Back then, some were clever—they didn't descend as powerful clones, but grew slowly from extremely weak split souls. From the looks of it, the only one left in the Human Spirit Realm who poses any threat is this person you speak of. Go ahead and do what needs to be done. As long as he dares to show himself, he won't be leaving." Li Guanqi nodded. After the elder departed, he remained alone in the study, quietly sipping his wine. Tang Ru’s words echoed continuously in his mind. If it was a trap, it had to be a one-strike kill! If that were the case, would it be better if he let himself be captured? Li Guanqi shook his head. He quickly rejected the idea. His current status was far too prominent; falling into enemy hands would cause endless complications. Li Guanqi tapped his fingers rhythmically against the tabletop, murmuring under his breath, "Thinking ten steps ahead, discarding every method I currently rely on... what else is left to use...?" For a time, countless thoughts raced through Li Guanqi’s mind.