Chapter 40: A, B, C, D, All are Pawns

```

Chenqing Mountain, midnight, cool as water.

Xie Xuanyi, in somber black, sat crossed-legged on a large rock, resting with closed eyes and his long sword lying across his knees.

A "ding" sound.

A crisp striking noise echoed from afar.

Chenqing Mountain was full of purple bamboo, and the sound was that of a sharp weapon colliding with the bamboo.

Xie Xuanyi slowly opened his eyes.

In the bamboo forest at midnight, shrouded in a faint mist, the meeting at this moment was just like the soul encounter inside the demon artifact three days ago.

The two stood ten feet apart, each only showing a rough outline.

Neither could see the other's true face.

The figure ten feet away stood tall as a mountain, consistent with the image of the soul in the demon artifact.

"Did you bring the item?"

However, at this moment Jia Liu's voice came from all directions.

If one closed their eyes, they could not tell the direction from which the speaker was actually located.