Chapter 940: I, Have Entered...

Sheng Yuan Jing Shi?

Ye Xiaotian froze on the spot.

Why was it "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi"? What a coincidence—this very item, a mysterious crystal he had no idea what to do with, was right in his hand. Could this also be a coincidence?

Suddenly, an image flashed in his mind: a middle-aged man in his fifties, wearing a straw hat and a rain cape, smirking silently with a sinister grin that made his scalp tingle.

A gust of cold wind swept over the high cliff, and Ye Xiaotian shivered, realizing his back was damp with cold sweat soaking through his bloodstained clothes.

He thought of the letter from Sang Lao.

It had been delivered to him in Dong Tian Wang City by a junior from the Sheng Nu, Luo Lei Lei, only after a long time had passed since Sang Lao's capture.

The main content of the letter was a request for him to help obtain the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi" in the Yun Lun Mountains.

Yet, Sang Lao, imprisoned as he was, couldn't possibly have sent any messages out.

So, the only explanation was that the letter had been written before the battle at Bai Ku.

But why would Sang Lao write such a letter so early, asking him to seize the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi" much later and even predicting its appearance in the Yun Lun Mountains?

As for the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi" showing up in the Yun Lun Mountains...

Now that he thought about it, that was strange too.

Ba Zun An had clearly manipulated the remote clash between the Mo Di Black Dragon and Dao Qiong Cang, which everyone could see as the first direct confrontation between the Sheng Nu and Sheng Shen Dian Tang under public scrutiny.

It couldn't be that the real focus of this clash wasn't the probing between the two sides, or Xu Kong Island's major attempt to break free from its chains, or even confirming the rumor of "Feng Sheng Dao Ji" and sparking widespread frenzy...

But solely to secretly deliver the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi" into his hands through various deceptions?

"I'm just an outsider..." Ye Xiaotian silently shouted in his heart.

He clearly remembered that Sang Lao's letter hadn't specified what to do with the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi."

Yet, right after he obtained it, Qiao Qianzhi had immediately requested a communication and asked for it.

They couldn't have planned this in advance, could they?

"This absolutely isn't a coincidence, is it?" Ye Xiaotian pondered in growing terror, feeling as if his fate had been orchestrated every step of the way.

On the other side of the space mirror.

Qiao Qianzhi watched as the person on his end froze after he spoke, like a bad signal from too far away, with the entire image on the space mirror suddenly going still.

"Ye Xiaotian?"

Qiao Qianzhi raised his voice and even reached out as if to tap the space mirror, but quickly realized it was pointless and lowered his hand, asking:

"Is there a problem? If it's too troublesome, forget about the 'Sheng Yuan Jing Shi.' After all, the Yun Lun Mountains are full of trouble—you should just head home soon!"

Ye Xiaotian snapped out of it, noticing sweat beading on his forehead.

He showed no other signs of unease, just gently brushed his forehead bangs—now streaked with white—and casually wiped away the sweat, probing indirectly: "When was the last time you talked with Sang Lao?"

Qiao Qianzhi was taken aback by the sudden shift in topic but didn't suspect anything, replying: "Right before he left Tian Sang Ling Gong. After that, I haven't seen him, so how could we talk?"

Ye Xiaotian nodded thoughtfully and pressed on: "Before or after he left Tian Sang Ling Gong, did he ask you to do anything, or wait for some opportunity... anything like that?"

Qiao Qianzhi frowned, a flicker of suspicion in his eyes as he wondered about the deeper meaning behind Ye Xiaotian's abrupt questions.

But he couldn't quite grasp it...

So, he hesitated before answering: "Not really. That old man vanished like he evaporated from the world. Besides you, he probably wouldn't contact anyone else at Tian Sang Ling Gong—he's afraid his identity would bring us trouble."

Ye Xiaotian fell silent.

After a long pause, he held up the hexagonal crystal in his hand and asked: "Do you recognize this thing?"

The fist-sized hexagonal crystal refracted a faint rainbow light through the space mirror, emitting a subtle holy glow that suddenly drew the eye.

This wasn't Qiao Qianzhi's first time seeing it—he had noticed it in Ye Xiaotian's hand earlier when checking the mirror—but he hadn't paid much attention then.

Now, for the first time in their conversation, he focused on it seriously.

"What is it?

"What do you mean?"

After carefully examining the hexagonal crystal and confirming he'd never seen anything like it before, Qiao Qianzhi chuckled: "Ye Xiaotian, you're not trying to tell me this is the 'Sheng Yuan Jing Shi,' are you?"

From Qiao Qianzhi's expression, Ye Xiaotian could tell he genuinely hadn't recognized the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi" before. He sighed inwardly, feeling utterly baffled by everything that had happened.

"This is exactly what you want..." Ye Xiaotian confirmed, "the Sheng Yuan Jing Shi!"

"What?" Qiao Qianzhi's eyes widened in disbelief, stammering: "You—you're not joking?"

"Does it look like I'm joking?" Ye Xiaotian smirked.

"That's impossible... Wait, how could... No, what I mean is..." Qiao Qianzhi was at a loss for words, staring enviously at the hexagonal crystal for a moment before meeting Ye Xiaotian's gaze: "You—how did you get it?"

How did he get it... Ye Xiaotian's eye twitched at the question. "I was wandering around the Yun Lun Mountains, and it just flew over on its own, right into my face—I grabbed it with my hand."

As he spoke, he freed a hand and mimed grabbing at the empty air, delivering a twelve-out-of-ten deadpan joke.

Qiao Qianzhi: "..."

He was completely stunned.

The "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi," the dream of so many, had flown straight to Ye Xiaotian?

When he'd asked Ye Xiaotian for it earlier, Qiao Qianzhi hadn't held out much hope, but now it seemed the thing had come to them as if destined.

Wait—no!

Since when did the world work like that?

"Ye Xiaotian, have you noticed anything unusual lately? Do you feel like someone set you up?" Qiao Qianzhi asked sharply.

"Yes." Ye Xiaotian nodded immediately.

"Who?" Qiao Qianzhi asked in alarm.

Ye Xiaotian sighed: "Right now, I feel like from the moment I entered Dong Tian Wang City, I became a pawn in some unknown game, completely at someone's mercy... Including how I got the 'Sheng Yuan Jing Shi,' I've racked my brain and still can't figure it out."

Qiao Qianzhi stared blankly from the other side of the space mirror, silent for a long, long time.

Ye Xiaotian could see the internal struggle in Qiao Qianzhi's eyes—rationality eventually winning over emotion—as he suppressed his greed and said firmly:

"Ye Xiaotian, throw away the 'Sheng Yuan Jing Shi.' We don't want it—whoever else wants it can go pick it up.

"As for you, get out of the Yun Lun Mountains right now!"

Ye Xiaotian smiled.

He knew Qiao Qianzhi was still the same Qiao Qianzhi.

In his eyes, the great dao of the heavens and his lifelong pursuits would always come second to his family.

It was why he could sit as the head councilor in Tian Sang Ling Gong's Ling Shi Ge, his only goal to wake up each day and see the fresh faces of the palace's young members, feel their vibrant energy, and gruffly scold them with a soft heart...

"No!"

At that thought, Ye Xiaotian shook his head and refused. "I'll send the 'Sheng Yuan Jing Shi' to you through spatial transmission right now. You can focus on studying your Ling Zhen Dao and Tian Ji Dao. If you can really create something like a Ban Sheng Kui Lei for me, I'll owe you one.

"As for A Jie in Xu Xiao Shou's hands, give me some time, and I'll get it for you.

"In the meantime, study the power of the 'Sheng Yuan Jing Shi.' I only got one, and I doubt I'll find another, so this is your only chance.

"As for the other miscellaneous stuff..."

Ye Xiaotian paused, then said dismissively: "With me around, you have nothing to worry about."

How could Qiao Qianzhi listen to that?

Even though Ye Xiaotian had grown strong enough to shatter Yan Wang's Huang Quan with his Ban Tian Hand, Qiao Qianzhi still trembled with worry, his face full of concern.

"Ye Xiaotian, I don't want the 'Sheng Yuan Jing Shi.' We can find a substitute—you get your ass back to Tian Sang Ling Gong right now!" Qiao Qianzhi shouted angrily.

Ye Xiaotian chuckled.

A substitute? Nothing could match the power of the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi," the source of sainthood.

Besides, the world's powers were constant—if Qiao Qianzhi were that capable, could he really turn stone to gold and create a Ban Sheng-level Tian Ji Kui Lei from ordinary materials?

Without another word, Ye Xiaotian summoned a spatial channel and sent the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi" through.

He ignored Qiao Qianzhi's frantic gestures and calls from the space mirror, simply smiling as he said his final words:

"The Tian Ji Kui Lei will come to you later—just focus on your path. As for everything else, with me here, you don't need to worry."

With that, he waved his hand and closed the space mirror.

The world fell silent.

"Woo—"

The demon wind of Gu Yin Cliff whipped through the gorges on both sides, creating a haunting, desolate sound that swept over the lone white-haired boy on the high cliff.

"So quiet..."

Ye Xiaotian stood motionless at the cliff's peak, listening to the wind and gazing at the sea of clouds, like an ancient, unyielding rock.

He felt his heartbeat quickening.

It was that long-forgotten rush of excitement, just like back in Sheng Gong, before each intense duel or fierce competition.

He bent down, picked up a small stone, and tossed it.

The stone traced a parabola from the high cliff, piercing through the clouds and plummeting into the unseen depths below, vanishing midway—beyond even his spiritual sense.

"I've entered the game..."

Ye Xiaotian narrowed his eyes, suddenly regaining his calm, his heartbeat steadying to normal.

Once the gears of fate started turning, no one could escape, not even someone like him who had tried to hide in Tian Sang Ling Gong for years to avoid the whirlpool of greater events.

"When did I get pulled in..." Ye Xiaotian frowned in thought.

He considered Dong Tian Wang City but quickly dismissed it.

Then Bai Ku, then Ba Gong Li, and dismissed those too.

"No.

"Maybe it was back at Tian Sang Ling Gong, when Ba Zun An first appeared."

Ye Xiaotian sighed slightly as he thought of that night...

While the Ling Gong enforcers were on high alert against external threats, inner court disciples Feng Kong and Shao Yi went to the outer court to assassinate Xu Xiao Shou, the outer court disciple who had just won the "Feng Yun Zheng Ba" championship.

In full view, Xu Xiao Shou pulled off an astonishing counterkill and chased them to the shores of E Lake.

In the end, he nearly pierced the heart of the masked man who suddenly appeared—the one who was later revealed as the Eighth Jian Xian.

But while Xu Xiao Shou could do that, Ye Xiaotian couldn't...

Ye Xiaotian recalled his own shame of the severed arm.

He had always seen himself as a prodigy of Sheng Gong, awakened to the rare spatial attribute on the continent, yet he couldn't last more than a few rounds against the Eighth Jian Xian before losing his arm.

In the decades since leaving the palace, Ye Xiaotian hadn't slacked on his cultivation, but he was always one step short of what he truly wanted.

Perhaps because no external force pushed him, he grew complacent and never took that final step in the spatial path.

But after clashing with Ba Zun An, he was spurred on.

Because he "wanted" it, he decided to push forward, to take that last step and achieve mastery of spatial mysteries.

Looking back now, with Ba Zun An's influence, he had indeed mastered his spatial mysteries.

But because he had "wanted" it and taken that step, drawing others' attention, he might have to bid farewell forever to the peaceful life he'd known for the past decades.

"People really shouldn't be greedy..."

Ye Xiaotian shook his head, letting the cold wind of the high cliff snap him back to the present.

Sending the "Sheng Yuan Jing Shi" was what he wanted right now.

This might be fate's arrangement, but since the greater trend couldn't be reversed, he'd face whatever came—meet force with force, flow with the current.

How could he throw away what he'd gained just because of unknown fears?

"It's time to leave this damned place..."

Ye Xiaotian's thoughts shifted to the Tian Ji Kui Lei and Xu Xiao Shou.

He needed time to find Xu Xiao Shou.

But he didn't dare stay in the Yun Lun Mountains any longer.

After his battle with Huang Quan, he had used 362 spatial channels to hide his trail, certain no one could track him.

He had researched a lot for this operation and knew that Hong Yi Zhi Dao's leader, Rao Yao Yao, was extremely shrewd.

"If Rao Yao Yao and Hong Yi use their tracing abilities, and I erase the spatial traces on the spot, they might still track my aura with special spirit techniques or items, and I wouldn't escape.

"After all, I was badly injured then...

"So, by creating 362 possibilities to hide myself and leaving a slight flaw in one, Rao Yao Yao would likely outsmart herself and never guess I'd rest at the only vulnerable exit of those spatial channels.

"As the saying goes..."

Ye Xiaotian smiled confidently: "The most dangerous place is often the safest."