A deserted island in the Congyun Sea.
Sikong Yi and Baili Chen warily surveyed their surroundings. Only after confirming that no one had followed them did they slip into the hidden cave abode they had carved out for themselves.
It was small and remarkably spartan inside.
Yet enclosed within its walls, Sikong Yi felt exceptionally at ease.
His clone, Baili Chen, stood vigilantly by the entrance on high alert.
His true self, Sikong Yi, relaxed completely, lying back on the bed as he pondered his future plans.
"If my hunch is right, the anomaly in the center of the Congyun Sea must be a harbinger of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace's emergence."
"The *Cloud Water Chart and Talismans* is right inside those ruins."
"A hundred thousand contribution points."
A gleam of longing flashed in Sikong Yi's eyes.
Yet almost immediately, hesitation welled up within him once more.
"There must still be a living successor to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace. If I disguise myself as a disciple to go in and happen to be found out by them..."
At the thought, a heavy gloom settled over his heart.
Not long ago, his clone—who practiced the *Sea-Calming Divine Sword*—had suddenly sensed that somewhere out in the Congyun Sea, someone else was cultivating that very technique.
One had to realize that he had obtained this Golden Core technique from the skeletal remains of an ancient Cloud Water Heavenly Palace disciple.
In this day and age, no one else in the world ought to have known about it.
Yet this impossible thing had happened anyway.
His first reaction at the time had been that a successor to the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace truly still walked the world.
Initially, he had intended to follow the resonance and investigate.
Who could have predicted that the closer he got to the target location, the stronger the foreboding in his heart became?
Going there would mean certain death!
Terrified by this conviction, Sikong Yi had fled without hesitation.
And when he thought about it, that made sense. How could a lowly Qi Condensation cultivator like him ever contend with the deep foundation of a heritage spanning thousands of years?
After having the good fortune to escape back, Sikong Yi could neither eat nor sleep in peace, terrified that the other party would trace the resonance between practitioners of the technique straight to his doorstep.
"A Golden Core technique may be precious, but compared to my life, it's nothing."
After wrestling with the decision again and again, he temporarily dissolved the Sea-Calming Divine Sword technique, leaving only pure cultivation power within his dantian.
As a result, his clone's combat prowess plunged drastically.
During this period, he had grown increasingly circumspect in everything he did.
He never went outside unless strictly necessary, staying almost entirely within the Heavenly Profound Mirror and this hidden cave abode.
Now, however, with the opening of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace drawing nearer day by day, his mind began to stir once more.
"A hundred thousand contribution points... a hundred thousand contribution points..."
He muttered under his breath, until gradually, a flicker of resolve hardened in his eyes.
"That old turtle Taiyi is muddle-headed. I'll hurry to him as fast as I can. Then I'll recultivate the *Sea-Calming Divine Sword*, disguise myself as a Cloud Water Heavenly Palace disciple, and swindle the *Cloud Water Chart and Talismans* from him."
"Once I leave the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace, I'll immediately disperse the technique again and head into the Heavenly Profound Mirror to claim the reward. That way, even if that successor realizes something is amiss and tries to hunt me down, it will be too late."
"All I need to do is be faster than him."
"Fortune favors the bold!"
Having made up his mind, Sikong Yi let out a long sigh of relief. He was just about to enjoy a sound sleep to build up his strength before the venture when he suddenly detected faint movement at the entrance of the cave abode.
His expression altered dramatically. Springing to his feet, he rushed to the entrance and stood on high alert beside his clone.
"Is Fellow Daoist Baili in?"
A single sentence sent Sikong Yi's heart leaping into his throat.
*Who is it? How could he know my identity? And how did he know about this cave abode?*
In an instant, dozens of figures flashed through Sikong Yi's mind, only to be dismissed one by one.
Narrowing his eyes, Sikong Yi remained silent alongside Baili Chen. Instead, they drew magical artifacts from their storage rings, secretly gathering power.
Receiving no response after a long pause, the voice outside spoke again with a chuckle: "Hehe, no need to fret, Fellow Daoist Baili. I harbor no ill will."
"My uninvited visit today is merely for the sake of those hundred thousand contribution points on the *Cloud Water Chart and Talismans*."
At these words, Sikong Yi's heart jolted so violently that his grip slipped, nearly letting his magical artifact fall from his hand.
His expression flickered through countless shades. After thinking for a long time, he finally spoke.
Controlling his clone, he asked in a deliberately raspy voice, "What do you mean?"
The person outside chuckled. "Come now, Fellow Daoist Baili, there's no need to play dumb. Did you truly believe that in this world, no one besides you knew the origins of the Sea-Calming Divine Sword?"
Having finally confirmed that the other party wasn't just bluffing blindly, Sikong Yi was silent for a good while before asking in a low voice, "What do you want?"
"What do I want? What a question." The man laughed mockingly. "To share a piece of the pie, naturally. Who wouldn't covet a hundred thousand contribution points?"
Learning his visitor's objective, Sikong Yi actually breathed a small sigh of relief.
After weighing his options for a long time, he finally deactivated the restriction at the entrance. Back to back, true self and clone stepped out together.
Blocking the way outside the cave was an unremarkable middle-aged cultivator.
He had a gaunt face and a wisp of a goatee on his chin.
"Don't be so tense. I truly harbor no malice. I am Han Wuyou!" The middle-aged cultivator clasped his hands with a slight smile.
"Speak your mind directly!" Seeing that the man was merely at the late Qi Condensation stage, Sikong Yi instantly felt far less nervous.
After a tense exchange between the three, Sikong Yi finally understood what had happened.
It turned out that when his clone had previously fought with someone and used the Sea-Calming Divine Sword, this man had coincidentally witnessed it from the shadows.
Though Han Wuyou's cultivation was not high, he was well-read and extraordinarily knowledgeable.
He had actually recognized that the technique originated from the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace.
Recently, the abnormal phenomena in the center of the Congyun Sea had drawn his attention as well.
After inspecting the site in person for a while, he had deduced that this was a sign of the Cloud Water Heavenly Palace's impending emergence.
Coupled with the bounty offering a hundred thousand contribution points, he had reasoned that Baili Chen, who possessed a Cloud Water Heavenly Palace legacy, was bound to have a way of retrieving the *Cloud Water Chart and Talismans* from the ruins.
That was why he had shadowed them all the way here and paid this stealthy visit.
"Retrieving the *Cloud Water Chart and Talismans* is my own capability. Why should I share a piece with you?" Sikong Yi said indignantly.
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist is joking. Surely you wouldn't want the fact that you possess an ancient sect's heritage to become known to everyone in the Congyun Sea, would you?" Han Wuyou stroked his goatee, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.
Killing intent quietly stirred in Sikong Yi's heart. Just then, he heard the other man continue:
"However, I won't be taking Fellow Daoist's benefits for nothing."
"You have your path to riches; I have my ladder to the heavens."
"If you are willing to part with some of those hundred thousand contribution points and share them with me, I also have a path of great fortune to share with you."
"With the three of us working together, a hundred thousand contribution points will only be the beginning!"
Sikong Yi's interest was piqued. "Explain yourself clearly!"
Han Wuyou smiled faintly. "Given how humble our strength is, even if we obtained a hundred thousand contribution points, we would only be sitting on a dwindling hoard, burning through it in no time. Am I right or wrong?"
Sikong Yi thought for a moment and nodded. "At the Qi Condensation stage, earning contribution points is indeed slow. But once I break through to Foundation Establishment..."
Han Wuyou waved a dismissive hand. "And what of Foundation Establishment? Are there few Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Congyun Sea? Aren't they all scraping and struggling day in and day out for a few pitiful contribution points? Even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator went without food or drink, it would take them ten to twenty years to accumulate a hundred thousand points."
"Then what brilliant method could you possibly have?" Sikong Yi asked, rather unconvinced.
Han Wuyou tilted his chin up slightly, looking brimming with pride. "Have you ever heard of Master Li Fan?"
Sikong Yi was taken aback for a second, then his body jolted with shock. "You mean that cultivator from the ancient Heavenly Mechanism Sect who is consummately skilled in divination and rich beyond measure?"
Han Wuyou nodded and said smugly, "Indeed! I happen to have some ties with Master Li's..."
He paused, then added, "...friend, Senior He Zhenghao!"
Chapter 481