At this moment, the cloudy sky above Jade Mist Valley was truly a gathering of mighty figures.
The old fox from the Northern Frontier Fox Tribe, having lived for an unknown number of years, proved exactly why he was an old fox.
The moment he made his move, none of those harboring ulterior motives in the vicinity could remain hidden.
Even Banshu Weide, hiding deep underground, had a glazed look in his eyes, causing his tentacles to stall in mid-air.
The immortal infant roared furiously in his arms.
Banshu Weide stared at Banshu Qingping in disbelief.
This Prefecture Lord of Grandhaven Prefecture was the most inconspicuous person in the entire prefecture.
Even within their Banshu family, Ancestor Banshu Ao had never put Banshu Qingping in his eyes.
But now, Banshu Qingping had lifted his veil.
The countless commoners who died in Grandhaven Prefecture were entirely his doing.
Within the array formed by the cultivators of the Three Prefectures, Li Tianming had already taken off his mask.
Looking at Banshu Qingping in the cloudy sky, he knew someone else had also taken off their mask.
It turned out that the Banshu Qingping he saved that day perhaps hadn't needed his saving at all.
Under the watchdog's natural array, the three Masters of the Martial Academy stared grimly at Banshu Qingping.
The First Master surveyed the surroundings.
Now, divine senses were locking onto their three Masters; there was nowhere left to hide.
The First Master said, "Prefecture Lord Banshu has hidden himself very well."
Banshu Qingping raised his head slightly, frowning.
"Every generation of the Banshu family has cultivated under the Red Dust Immortal. Banshu Ao did, Banshu Weide did, and so did you."
A trace of coldness and murderous intent flashed through the First Master's eyes.
"Banshu Ao cultivated the 'World' rule. It seems you are even more of a genius than he was. If you have cultivated the Red Dust Realm and forged our decrees, everything makes perfect sense."
"The people of Grandhaven Prefecture—you ordered them all to be killed?" From within the crowd, Li Yuanshang supported Li Zhiheng, who had recovered some Spiritual power over the past three months.
Li Zhiheng stared calmly at Banshu Qingping standing on the tentacle.
Along the journey through Grandhaven Prefecture, he had accrued a massive karmic debt; dealing with the three Masters had yielded very little karmic merit.
Now that the mastermind was right in front of him, his Heavenly Dao Divine Heart beat wildly.
"Only he could have done it."
The First Master understood everything now.
"He cultivated the Red Dust Realm, forging our decrees to the Martial Academy to make our Six Masters wary of each other.
With his identity as Prefecture Lord, he kept Grandhaven Prefecture devoid of decision-making, and even turned a blind eye to Jade Mist Valley.
He wanted to eat everyone in Grandhaven Prefecture."
"And this grand array of Grandhaven Prefecture..."
"That was me," the Fox Saint said plainly.
Through the cloud layer, this old fox stared at his disciple, Xu Cuihua, on the heavenly coffin.
He then looked at Daoist Mosquito and the other subordinates of the Fox Tribe; in his eyes, these figures from the past were drifting further and further away.
He slowly placed his hand on his abdomen. Mirroring Banshu Qingping's wave of the hand, he actually forcefully ripped the Dao Seed out of his body and crushed it.
Exhaling a long breath, he looked around at everyone present and revealed everything.
It turned out that after the old fox's Fox Tribe was destroyed by the Northern Frontier Asura Army's commander, he began to flee.
He encountered Min Tiange and joined the Peerless Hall.
Subsequently, he was dispatched to Grandhaven Prefecture.
This old fox was not someone content to serve under another; he had always wanted to break free from the Dao Seed's control.
While working for the Peerless Hall, he secretly laid out plans to escape, and in the process, he grasped the geopolitical layout of Grandhaven Prefecture.
Simultaneously, he discovered that Prefecture Lord Banshu Qingping wanted to resist the Blood Moon and hid himself incredibly deep.
Thus, these two insidious individuals joined forces.
"When the Blood Moon arrives, the commoners and major factions of Grandhaven Prefecture will never be able to escape it.
Positioned on the absolute frontlines, they are dead either way."
Atop the silver coffin, Xu Cuihua couldn't believe it.
The master she had spent day and night with in the Northern Frontier was actually uttering such cold-blooded words. "Master, you..."
But the old fox gave absolutely no response.
He said calmly,
"Rather than letting them be swallowed by the Blood Moon and strengthening it, it is better to use them to aid Prefecture Lord Banshu's and my cultivation.
Prefecture Lord Banshu controlled everything in Grandhaven Prefecture. His identity as Prefecture Lord was enough to keep Grandhaven Prefecture disunited for a century, preventing them from joining forces with your Three Prefectures."
"You are insane." Li Dalong's expression darkened. He could feel Cuihua gripping his arm with tremendous force.
"I am not insane." The Fox Saint stared at everyone with pity.
"You do not know how terrifying it is beneath the Blood Moon, but I do. The revival of the Blood Moon is also the revival of immortals.
You have used every trick you possess just to face a watchdog and Linghu Xian. What do you have to fight against the Blood Moon?"
"Beneath the Blood Moon, there are many of these things."
The tentacles beneath him squirmed, and the blood on the ground floated upwards; the watchdog actually attempted to suck up this blood it had accumulated for so long.
Under the disgusted and resentful gazes of everyone in all directions, his expression turned cold as he stomped his foot on the tentacle.
His Dao method blasted through the tentacle toward the watchdog's main body. "Behave."
The First Master's entire body trembled.
These floating droplets of blood—his Red Dust Realm could see them.
The souls of the thousands upon thousands of commoners they, the many Masters, had enlightened were trapped within this blood, bewildered and lost.
The fury in his chest rolled through his throat, emerging as almost a low roar: "So you decided they were useless and ate them all? You didn't leave them a single chance?!!"
"Then what is the difference between you... and the immortals?!!"