The cold, damp atmosphere of the underground interrogation chamber in the Law Enforcement Hall had not yet fully dissipated, but the clues regarding the "mysterious messenger" had struck like a massive boulder thrown into an ancient well, stirring tremendous waves in the hearts of several core high-ranking members of Qingxu Temple. The group moved to the Document Room adjacent to the Taiqing Hall, where the lights burned brightly, yet the atmosphere was more solemn than usual.
Senior Brother Mu Qingfeng had been waiting there. After Liu Yun recounted the interrogation results, his brow furrowed deeply, forming a distinct character resembling the Chinese word for "river" or "sorrow."
"Not a demon cultivator, yet colluding with the remnants of Shadow Snake Pavilion, intending to seize Xiaoqi's purification origin for the so-called 'great sacrifice'..." Mu Qingfeng paced slowly, his voice low. "This person's heart is worthy of condemnation. What is even more troublesome is that they seem to know our Qingxu Temple inside and out, especially regarding Xiaoqi!"
Tang Xiaoqi sat beside them, his fingertips unconsciously tapping lightly on the armrest. In his mind, he kept replaying the confession from Shadow Nine -- "that ethereal, indeterminate feeling similar to when divination cultivators deduce celestial secrets."
Divination cultivators...
Tianjizi...
He raised his head, looking at Mu Qingfeng and the others. "Senior Brother, esteemed elders, regarding this 'mysterious person,' I have some speculations, but they need verification."
With a wave of his hand, an antique-looking instrument appeared in his palm -- a luopan-style device covered in fine cracks yet still radiating an aura of profound mystery. This was the Zhoutian Star Disk, entrusted to him by Tianjizi before his death.
"This is the treasure passed down by the House of Celestial Secrets, the Zhoutian Star Disk." Tang Xiaoqi placed it before everyone. "Before Senior Tianjizi perished, he said the Demon Overlord had not been completely destroyed, and hidden dangers remained. And he himself... had at one point behaved strangely, as if controlled by something invisible."
He described in detail his several encounters with Tianjizi, especially the final state of Tianjizi, which had seemed to penetrate fate yet also carried a trace of helpless resignation.
"The 'divination cultivator aura' mentioned by Shadow Nine, this person's precise knowledge of our sect's defensive formations and my whereabouts, even providing methods to breach weak points in the arrays... these various techniques, while indeed somewhat similar to the abilities of the House of Celestial Secrets in deducing celestial secrets and foresight, show certain resemblances."
Upon hearing this, Elder Xuanguxuan's expression changed. "Xiaoqi, are you suggesting... Tianjizi is not dead? Or that his successor is behind this? This... how could this be possible? Tianjizi, in order to warn the world and calculate the Demon Overlord's whereabouts, caused his entire sect's destruction and exhausted himself, becoming an ally of justice known to all under heaven!"
Elder Mingjing also stroked his beard, contemplating deeply. "Indeed, it is most bizarre. But if it truly involves the House of Celestial Secrets, many things would conversely become explainable. Only those with the ability to peer into celestial secrets could grasp the timing so precisely and provide intelligence."
Liu Yun's voice was cold. "Regardless of whether it involves the House of Celestial Secrets, this person hides extremely deeply and harbors great malice toward our sect. We must find them quickly!"
Tang Xiaoqi nodded, his gaze falling on the Zhoutian Star Disk. "Whether it is or isn't, perhaps it can give us an answer."
He took a deep breath, his hands hovering over the star disk. His pure spiritual energy, mixed with a trace of the faint purification origin, slowly poured into it. He did not attempt to deduce the intangible "mysterious person," but instead focused his will on a relatively concrete direction -- tracing the jade slip given by the "mysterious person" to Shadow, which contained the defensive layout map of Qingxu Temple, and the possible residual karmic traces related to its creator or handler.
Hum...
The cracks on the surface of the Zhoutian Star Disk flickered faintly. The pointer in the central region began turning slowly, and the tiny stellar projections embedded on it emanated a hazy glow. Countless dense, tadpole-like talismanic characters flowed and combined across the star disk's surface, attempting to capture the thread of celestial secret in the darkness.
Everyone held their breath, watching the changes on the star disk.
However, the disk's rotation was unusually sluggish and hesitant, as if shrouded in an invisible mist that could not be penetrated. The pointer wavered unstably, sometimes pointing in a certain direction, then suddenly rebounding, unable to steady itself.
Sweat gradually beaded on Tang Xiaoqi's forehead. He could sense a powerful and concealed force interfering with the disk's divination, confusing the celestial secrets, protecting the existence of that "mysterious person."
Just as he was about to give up, the ancient character in the star disk's center, representing the "core of fate's trajectory," suddenly flickered extremely faintly, pointing toward a vague stellar region signifying "chaos" and "rebellion." At the same time, a wisp of extremely faint, barely detectable fragments of intent, bearing a sense of coldness and calculation, like an electric shock, passed through the disk's resonance, reversely transmitting into Tang Xiaoqi's mind!
It was not a specific image or sound, but rather a pure "intent" -- a will that regarded all living beings as chess pieces, indifferent to everything, operating ruthlessly only to achieve some cold purpose!
"Pfft!"
Tang Xiaoqi abruptly pulled back his hand, his face slightly pale. The Zhoutian Star Disk's light instantly dimmed, the pointer falling limply.
"How did it go?" Mu Qingfeng asked urgently.
Tang Xiaoqi caught his breath and shook his head. "The celestial secrets are confused, the interference is strong, and I cannot pinpoint the location. But..." His eyes sharpened. "I caught a trace of that person's 'intent' -- cold, calculating, viewing all things as worthless. Moreover, the general direction the disk finally pointed to carries the signs of 'chaos' and 'rebellion,' which is entirely different from the path pursued by orthodox divination cultivators who seek 'following heaven and conforming to humanity' and 'clarifying cause and effect'!"
He looked at everyone, his tone heavy. "This person may indeed be skilled in divination and deduction techniques, but their path has deviated, perhaps even... walking against heavenly principles! Their knowledge of Qingxu Temple may not entirely come from calculation; quite possibly... when we did not know, they had already extended their tentacles into the sect's interior!"
This news was even more shocking than the speculation that the person might be Tianjizi or his successor.
A deadly enemy skilled in divination against heavenly principles, extremely knowledgeable about Qingxu Temple, hidden in the deepest shadows!
"An internal investigation must begin immediately, and it must be more thorough!" Mu Qingfeng made a decisive command. "All disciples and stewards who have access to core defensive layouts and elder whereabouts must undergo strict review! Especially those who joined in recent years, or those with unusual behavior!"
"This matter will be handled by the Law Enforcement Hall with full authority." Liu Yun immediately accepted the order, cold light flickering in her eyes.
Tang Xiaoqi added, "Additionally, we cannot relax our efforts regarding clues about the 'Void Realm' and the 'sacrifice.' Aunt Su may still be able to provide some help; I will go ask her again. At the same time, we need to rely on the Alliance's strength to collect relevant ancient texts and intelligence."
Though the clues about the mysterious person remained vague, they at least pointed to a terrifying direction -- a deadly enemy skilled in bizarre divination techniques, deeply familiar with Qingxu Temple's internal situation, and acting without any bottom line, was lurking in the shadows, scheming plots against Tang Xiaoqi and Qingxu Temple like a master moving chess pieces. Every step from now on must be taken as carefully as walking on thin ice, with utmost caution.