Jiang Yi knew full well that Li Guanqi had come with ill intent.
In just three days, he had thrown the entire Tianji Pavilion into turmoil.
Originally, neither the mid- nor high-ranking members of Tianji Pavilion had taken this suddenly appearing Pavilion Master seriously.
Yet now, all Four Towers were destroyed. After Li Guanqi declared that every matter required his approval, mere hours passed before he executed a Tianji Guard right before the eyes of the Red Tower Master.
The tremendous strength and prestige he displayed left everyone thoroughly shaken.
Not only that, the death of Xuan Hall Master in the Yellow Tower—though struck down by Yuan Hongyi's own hand under the pretext of embezzling funds—coupled with Su You's sudden rise in importance, led many to secretly wonder whether this was all Pavilion Master Li's doing.
If it truly was Li Guanqi's handiwork, then he had undeniably displayed the majesty befitting a Pavilion Master.
Everything he had done recently unfolded before everyone's eyes, and Li Guanqi's authority as Pavilion Master was taking root, piece by piece.
Now, wherever Li Guanqi walked, anyone within Tianji Pavilion would halt and bow, addressing him sincerely as Lord Pavilion Master.
This was precisely why Jiang Yi felt such urgent dread.
Under the cover of night.
Li Guanqi sat in his room, looking at the mountain of jade slips piled before him, feeling an immediate headache.
Although the Tianji Chart compiled and synthesized all manner of intelligence, certain critical matters still required Li Guanqi's personal confirmation.
After all, these responsibilities had originally belonged to the masters of the Four Towers; now, Li Guanqi was left to handle them alone.
Yet Li Guanqi paid it little mind. Channeling his primal energy, he manifested a temporary clone.
A streak of light abruptly shot from his body as the true Tianji Chart shimmered with specks of fluorescent light, coiling around the illusory clone.
Li Guanqi had no need for this clone to last long, so maintaining it cost him little effort.
Still, the sensation was remarkably peculiar; no wonder the entire mid- and high-level ranks of the Blue Tower were all Ji Yuchuan's people.
Leaving his clone to handle Tianji Pavilion's affairs, large and small, Li Guanqi sat in the courtyard, sipping his wine.
As he drank, Li Guanqi's gaze gradually drifted.
The reason he had made no move against Ji Yuchuan until now was that he still could not discern whose side Ji Yuchuan was on.
Initially, he believed Ji Yuchuan was the pavilion keeper left behind by Gu Yong.
Yet earlier, Ji Yuchuan's aura had actually appeared within that treasure palace in the void!
This left Li Guanqi somewhat perplexed—if Ji Yuchuan were truly the pavilion keeper, he could never have set foot inside that palace!
Li Guanqi tapped his fingers against the tabletop, murmuring softly, "Things have reached this point; I imagine none of you can sit still much longer..."
"The question is, what will you do?"
Li Guanqi retrieved several jade slips from his storage ring. First, he sent word telling Ye Feng and the others to watch their safety in the coming days.
Finally, pulling out a purple jade slip, he said gravely, "Sect Master, keep the sect disciples from venturing out as much as possible for now. I'll pass you several cultivation techniques suited for them; call them all back."
"And put the recall of past disciples on hold for the time being."
Before long, Lu Kangnian's voice resonated from the jade slip.
"Understood. Is there anything else you need to instruct?"
The corners of Li Guanqi's mouth curled slightly. Perhaps only he knew how precious it felt to be trusted without condition.
Li Guanqi smiled. "Nothing else, but if possible, reassign a few disciples away from their posts. They are Tianji Pavilion's operatives."
Setting down the jade slip, Li Guanqi narrowed his eyes. "Striking at the people close to me is the filthiest of tricks..."
Beyond that, Li Guanqi could think of no other way those men could threaten him.
After setting down his jade slip, Xiao Chen chose to seal off his domain without the slightest hesitation.
Only when Li Guanqi notified him that the danger had passed would he venture back into the world; it suited him fine, as he also needed seclusion to cultivate.
Having arranged all this, Li Guanqi called softly, "Ge Qi."
"Subordinate is here."
"Do you have poison with you?"
"I do!"
"Then go poison the direct third-generation heirs of all three families—the Jiang, Yuan, and Tu clans!"
Concealed within the void, Ge Qi's pupils contracted sharply. He asked in a hushed tone, "How potent a poison?"
A cold sneer touched Li Guanqi's lips as he whispered, "When I want them dead, they must die."
Ge Qi sucked in a breath of cold air at those words, but he nonetheless nodded in obedience.
"Ge Qi understands!"
After that, Ge San began reporting on recent surveillance.
Ever since Li Guanqi destroyed the Four Towers, the mid- and high-ranking figures of the Four Towers had been contacting one another with great frequency.
Everyone was in a panic, unable to read where the currents were headed.
Furthermore, now that all four Tower Masters had departed the domain to return to their ancestral homes, no decisions required their consent anymore.
Many hearts were wavering, and quite a few people were already preparing to line up behind Li Guanqi.
Amidst the pitch-black void, hidden within a hazy cluster of chaotic qi, lay a single speck of dust.
Shrouded in black robes, Yuan Hongyi furtively materialized there.
Strange, dark-green lines sprawled across Yuan Hongyi's face. His complexion was ghastly pale, his expression twisted in agony.
Once he confirmed no one was trailing him, he formed hand seals, and his figure vanished from the spot.
Inside the pitch-black space, Yuan Hongyi rasped in a low voice, "I brought this year's share. Give me the medicine!"
With a flick of his fingers, gleaming light burst forth, and a full hundred luminous storage rings appeared in midair.
Immediately after, a figure draped entirely in black robes slowly walked out from the darkness.
Raising a hand, the figure drew all the storage rings into their grasp, swept them with divine sense, and stowed them away.
A flick of the wrist sent a purple-gold jade casket gliding through the air.
Yuan Hongyi hurriedly snatched it open and swallowed the dark-green pill inside.
As the pill settled into his belly, its medicinal power slowly diffused through him.
The green lines across his face began to recede. Yuan Hongyi's complexion regained its ruddy warmth, and his trembling lips finally recovered a trace of color.
Then, the black-robed figure spoke in a slow, airy voice that left their gender impossible to tell.
"Given the state of Tianji Pavilion now, can you still hand over the money on time?"
Yuan Hongyi's pupils contracted sharply. His face twisted into an ugly grimace as he hissed coldly, "That is none of your concern! Just make sure you prepare my medicine on time!"
"And... when will you finally let me go?"
"Or rather... what will it take for you to give me the detoxification pill?!"
He could no longer endure this agonizing torment; he wanted the permanent cure!
Beneath the black cowl, the corners of the figure's mouth curved upward, their voice dripping with amusement.
"For the rest of your life, you can only exist under my control. Put all thoughts of a cure out of your head; I will never give it to you."
As the words fell, the surrounding space rippled faintly, and the figure vanished into thin air.
Yuan Hongyi stood frozen in place, his face dark as a tempest. He cursed under his breath, "Curse you!!"
"One day, I will kill you with my own hands!!"
Chapter 690