He Lingchuan’s mind lit up. "Keep our transaction secret?"
He Lingchuan was truly brilliant. Frost Leaf replied solemnly, "Precisely."
"Alright. I won't breathe a word of it." The Blood Demon cradled in He Lingchuan's arms wasn't human and therefore didn't count.
"Thank you, Great Emperor." The Nine Nether Great Emperor's reputation for integrity was renowned throughout the world; even his enemies felt secure upon receiving his solemn promise.
Then Frost Leaf proactively stated, "I will move the mountain now to allow the Luo River to flow again."
He Lingchuan nodded, "I appreciate it." The two bowed in farewell. Frost Leaf smiled, turned, and with his wide sleeves fluttering, walked directly into the shadows of the mountain wall.
A gust of wind passed, and before the tree shadows ceased swaying, Frost Leaf's figure had vanished into the darkness. The Blood Demon specifically flew out from behind He Lingchuan, circled the mountain wall a few times, plunged into it headfirst, and then reappeared shortly after. "He was hiding in there earlier too?"
"It seems so," He Lingchuan confirmed his suspicion. "After Frost Leaf ambushed Xu Wenqin and framed the Bingyuan Division, he indeed infiltrated Feilai Peak and began to work on this Golden Core. Later, when the Qixia Sect entered the Mirror World, they temporarily lost contact with the Golden Core. As Yuan Xilin's control over it weakened, Frost Leaf seized the opportunity."
Frost Leaf was like a wolf descending from the mountains. He circled the sheepfold several times, not to attack directly, but to devise a plan for the shepherd to provoke a tiger and fall into peril. Only then would he feel secure enough to enter the fold and gorge himself on the sheep.
While Cangyan's demons couldn't enter the Golden Core, this didn't mean the Abusers couldn't. With the Qixia Sect currently in the Mirror World and no one able to control the Golden Core, Frost Leaf had an excellent chance to exploit the situation. No one knew what methods he employed, as humanity still understood too little about the Abusers' brain cores.
Just then, the ground began to tremble. He Lingchuan stood up and strode down the mountain.
The Blood Demon, having held back until now, could no longer restrain himself: "You could have reached out and grabbed him just now! Why didn't you arrest him?"
"Arrest him?" He Lingchuan countered, "Why would I?"
"He incited the Qixia Sect and caused trouble for your Wei'an City!" The Blood Demon was clearly agitated, needing to vent. "If not for him, would the Luo River have run dry? Wasn't Wei'an City almost ransacked by the Qixia Sect?"
Frost Leaf first disguised himself as Tang Jingye, giving the Qixia Sect the terrible idea of using the Golden Core to dam the Bingjiang River. Then he impersonated Liao Han, causing the death of Elder Xu, which directly led the Qixia Sect to descend the mountain and retaliate against Wei'an City. For this person to stir up such chaos and then roam freely, wouldn't it imply that Cangyan was helpless and couldn't control him?
He Lingchuan smiled. "How do you know he did it? Do you have evidence?"
"Of course I do!" The Blood Demon retorted, though his words faltered as soon as they escaped his lips. "He clearly... ugh..." *It was obviously Frost Leaf!*
"Did Frost Leaf admit it himself just now?"
"...No." The Blood Demon replayed the conversation in his mind. Apart from their mutually sarcastic remarks, He Lingchuan had never accused Frost Leaf of using disguises to harm Wei'an City, and Frost Leaf himself had never, from start to finish, admitted, "I did it."
"But weren't those two people just impersonated by him?"
"There's more than one type of face-changing ability in this world. How can you be certain that the person who impersonated Tang Jingye and Liao Han was Frost Leaf?" While face-changing abilities are rare, several exist. For instance, Tong Yu, whom Dong Rui rescued, can transform his appearance to resemble his prey. The Mirage Horn of the Thousand Illusions Master and the Great Divination Heavenly Pearl on He Lingchuan's person can all achieve similar effects.
"Didn't Frost Leaf say he was traveling through the Glimmergold Plains and 'happened' to arrive here?" He Lingchuan paused. "You claim he impersonated Qixia Sect members to instigate war, but do you have a witness or material evidence? Otherwise, how could you falsely accuse Beijia's National Preceptor?" He emphasized "Beijia."
He Lingchuan told the Blood Demon, "You used to kill whoever you pleased, accustomed to acting without requiring evidence. But that approach won't work with Frost Leaf."
In Cangyan, He Lingchuan could easily wield absolute power, declaring anyone guilty with a mere word. But when facing the National Preceptor of another major nation, he couldn't act so arbitrarily.
"He entered your territory privately, merely to travel. What justification would you have for arresting him?" He Lingchuan pressed the Blood Demon. "When Beijia inquires, what reason will you offer? The same question remains: where's the evidence? Without tangible proof, wouldn't it be a false accusation?"
The Blood Demon was thoroughly unconvinced: "So he can stir up trouble and then simply walk away unharmed?"
"Wasn't that precisely what I did back in Lingxu City?" He Lingchuan retorted. "If you set the precedent, don't complain when others follow suit. It's actually better if National Preceptor Frost Leaf doesn't admit to it; otherwise, dealing with him would be even more complicated."
If National Preceptor Frost Leaf were to admit it, if he stubbornly declared, "Yes, I did it," He Lingchuan would be compelled to address the situation, which would prove far more vexing.
Regardless of whether Frost Leaf came on official or personal business, his political status was undeniable. If He Lingchuan were to apprehend him, it would easily cause a significant uproar.
Just a few days ago, Frost Leaf met with National Preceptor Wang Xingyi in Mou Nation. Even Mou Nation didn't dare detain him; why would Cangyan cause such a commotion? If news of his arrest reached Mou Nation, Emperor Mou would surely be delighted.
Furthermore, who's to say National Preceptor Frost Leaf truly came alone? The fact that he dared to appear directly before He Lingchuan suggests he had something to rely on.
In truth, He Lingchuan had indeed considered detaining Frost Leaf just moments ago; the idea was certainly appealing. However, after a brief deliberation, he decided against it.
The Blood Demon remained unconvinced: "Oh, you actually gave him the Golden Core? Aren't you afraid of what he might do with it?"
He Lingchuan dusted off his hands. "Even if Frost Leaf utilizes the Golden Core, it poses no immediate threat to me or to Cangyan, and that's sufficient. The intelligence he provided regarding the Concealed Deity Lord is indeed vital."
As the ruler of Cangyan, he clearly understood the principle of "focusing on the primary contradiction." Minor conflicts like this could be set aside for now.
"Frost Leaf claimed he needed the Golden Core merely to learn from the experiences of others like him. Do you believe that?"
"No," He Lingchuan replied calmly. "Not a single word. Is a bit of experience truly worth him traveling thousands of miles, infiltrating Cangyan, and risking capture by me?"
"Uh..."
"This Golden Core must be critically important to him," He Lingchuan reasoned. "But he also insisted on secrecy, meaning he undertook this trip without the knowledge of the Heavenly Demons. In other words, he absolutely cannot let Jin Du's Ghost Mother or other Heavenly Demons discover that he possesses a second Abuser's brain core."
The Blood Demon sneered, "Who exactly is this fellow secretly scheming against?"
"I have a strong feeling that keeping this secret is incredibly important to him." This conviction had no logical basis, yet He Lingchuan was utterly certain. "Regarding the incident in Wei'an City this time, if I hadn't impulsively decided to come myself, Frost Leaf could have remained hidden behind the scenes the entire time, stealing the Golden Core without ever revealing his presence. In that scenario, no one would have known of his connection to the Qixia Sect, nor his involvement in the Wei'an City disaster, nor his interaction with the Golden Core."
[2 hours ago] Chapter 1767: Nine Stele First
[3 hours ago] Chapter 450: Decisive Battle Today
[5 hours ago] Chapter 2931: Yang Qinglong's Blood
[9 hours ago] Chapter 1766: Refusing to Enter the Palace
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