Pursuit

That night, Anyang Prefecture buzzed with unusual excitement.

First, Lorian Vale self-destructed his Heavenly Heart, sending a surge of energy piercing the heavens. Then, Shi Wunian and Xiao Biehan clashed fiercely, their battle raging from Wind Veil Crossing to the summit of Cloudveil Peak. The residents of Anyang Prefecture spent the entire night watching the sky flare with brilliant lights and rumble with thunder.

The hurricane whipped up by the surging spiritual energy swept through Anyang Prefecture, demolishing nearly a hundred homes. Little Origin Mountain at Wind Veil Crossing was flattened into the ground.

Yet, it wouldn't be long before life returned to this place.

The vanished vegetation would sprout anew, and even the leveled mountain would gradually rise again under the influence of spells.

Such was the way of the cultivation world. The continent's landscapes often shifted with the cycles of life and death among cultivators—rivers changed course, mountains rose and fell, all routine occurrences.

Cultivators might retreat for a century, only to awaken from a dream and find the world transformed, with familiar places and faces gone.

Thus, while cultivation wars were brutal—eclipsing the sun and moon, bathing the skies in blood—once the fighting ceased, ancient battlefields often turned into flourishing lands enriched by concentrated spiritual energy.

If an ancient power fell, their blessings could stretch for thousands of miles, giving rise to countless thriving sects.

Of course, some powers, unwilling to perish in time, would exhaust their strength to seal off spiritual lands. The Warlord of the Nine Li was one such example, which is why his domain remained hidden for ten thousand years. Only when the sealing array could no longer hold did a trickle of spiritual energy leak out, blessing the surroundings and drawing countless covetous eyes.

To seize the Profound War Mirror, Shi Wunian had little patience to waste on Xiao Biehan. After a round of combat, he shouted, "Xiao Biehan, I concede! Isn't that enough?"

Xiao Biehan roared with laughter. "You're not honest! You've clearly got strength left—why give up? Come on, let's keep going. We'll talk when we're done!"

Despite his reluctance and frustration, as long as Xiao Biehan pressed on, Shi Wunian couldn't break away.

They fought until dawn broke in the east. As the sky lightened, Shi Wunian bellowed, "Xiao Biehan, how long do you plan to drag this out? I've got business to attend to—I don't have time to mess around with you!"

The sky full of sword shadows abruptly vanished. Miraculously, Xiao Biehan sheathed his blade, stepped back, and laughed heartily. "Since the Vow Master has no heart for the fight, fine, we'll stop. What a pity, though—winning like this brings me no pride. If the Vow Master has matters to handle, go ahead. The Moon-Washing Sect won't hold you back. But remember: Wenxin Kingdom is under our protection. Mind your actions."

With that, he departed, still chuckling.

Shi Wunian was so furious he nearly spat blood.

I came here quietly, keeping a low profile. You're the one who charged in and started this brawl—who's the reckless one here?

Dropping back to the ground, Shi Wunian spotted He Chong and Vale Ruogu still waiting, his eyes flashing with murderous intent. "Why haven't you gone after that boy yet?"

He Chong replied, "Li Hongyang and Ming Yekong showed up and kept us pinned here, refusing to let us leave."

"What? Moon-Washing Sect, I'm not done with you!" Shi Wunian's rage boiled over, and with a single palm strike, he reduced a nearby boulder to dust.

But anger aside, he had no real way to retaliate against the Moon-Washing Sect.

After a moment's thought, he said, "So much time has passed—that boy's probably long gone by now. Finding him won't be easy. He Chong, track down the family that sold the house, get a detailed description of the boy's appearance, sketch his likeness, and mobilize all our hidden disciples in Wenxin to hunt him down. We must find him!"

"What? All the hidden disciples?" He Chong flinched in shock.

The hidden hall comprised spies planted by major sects in rival territories, tasked with gathering intelligence and occasionally executing covert missions. The role was so perilous that most cultivators with any promise avoided it, making each spy a precious asset. The Celestial God Palace had only about a hundred hidden disciples in Wenxin, and deploying them all risked exposing their identities. If the Moon-Washing Sect caught wind of it, death awaited them.

The Moon-Washing Sect might spare Shi Wunian, but they'd show no mercy to these operatives, arranging all manner of "accidents."

"We can't afford to hesitate. The Profound War Mirror is the key to the Celestial God Palace's resurgence—we must reclaim it at any cost," Shi Wunian said coldly.

Vale Ruogu, equally stunned, hurriedly interjected, "Vow Master, this has already alerted the Moon-Washing Sect. They'll be watching us closely. If we activate the hidden disciples now, I fear…"

He trailed off, but Shi Wunian grasped his meaning. Deploying the spies now might see them snatched up by the Moon-Washing Sect before they could even act.

Shi Wunian nodded. "You're right—I was too hasty. Do you have a better plan?"

Vale Ruogu responded, "Vow Master, this is still Wenxin Kingdom's turf. We shouldn't move too boldly. I suggest we tackle this from multiple angles."

"Oh? Tell me more."

"First, bring in skilled trackers from the Celestial God Palace and Moqiu. Start here and follow his trail. Second, bribe Wenxin's local officials to gather information from them. Third, assemble a group of locals to search on our behalf. By using Wenxin's own people, we can deploy more manpower at less cost, and even the Moon-Washing Sect can't interfere."

Shi Wunian nodded repeatedly. "Not bad. As expected of the Vale family's future head—you've got a sharp mind. Using Wenxin's own people to catch him is a solid idea. In that case… He Chong, send word to the Celestial God Palace to dispatch the Hunting Falcon, and have the hidden disciples assist."

He Chong bowed respectfully. "Yes, but Vow Master, this will only make our intentions clearer to the Moon-Washing Sect."

"They're already clear enough," Vale Ruogu replied.

"Hahaha! Thrilling, absolutely thrilling! That was one hell of a fight!"

In Anyang Prefecture, Xiao Biehan strode into the Moon-Washing Sect's local branch, laughing uproariously with his sword slung over his shoulder. He took the seat of honor, flanked by two Heavenly Heart Realm True Persons.

One wore green robes, the other black, seated on either side below him. The green-robed figure had a pale, corpse-like face, while the black-robed one was strikingly handsome, enough to stir even a man's heart.

Nan Baicheng and the other cultivators knelt before Xiao Biehan.

"Greetings, Third Uncle Ancestor!"

"Greetings, Ancestor!"

"Greetings, True Person Hongyang!"

"Greetings, True Person Yekong!"

A chorus of salutations echoed through the hall.

Xiao Biehan waved them off. "Up, all of you. Who's in charge here?"

Nan Baicheng stepped forward. "Nan Baicheng, disciple of Yan Changfeng, greets Uncle Ancestor, True Person Hongyang, and True Person Yekong!"

Xiao Biehan glanced at him. "Changfeng? You're Yan Changfeng's disciple? Tell me what happened here. Everyone else, out."

The others filed out, leaving Nan Baicheng to recount the events. He didn't shy from highlighting his own bravery—standing firm against the Vow Master, even at the risk of death. The three listened silently.

When he finished, the green-robed Li Hongyang asked, "Do we know who was in that estate?"

Nan Baicheng quickly replied, "True Person Hongyang, after Uncle Ancestor's clash with the Vow Master, I sent people to investigate the estate. It housed two individuals. One was a twelve-year-old boy named Evan Reed, who bought the property under his name and worked at an inn in Anyang Prefecture. He was there until last night but hasn't been seen since. The other was a young man in white, in his twenties, who'd stayed in the estate for six months, rarely leaving. I questioned the family who sold the house—they confirmed that during their chat, they learned his surname was Vale."

"Vale?" The black-robed Ming Yekong cut in. "I know who that was last night—it was Vale Ruogu!"

"So Shi Wunian came to hunt down a traitor?" Li Hongyang mused.

Xiao Biehan snorted. "Nonsense! Does chasing a traitor need Shi Wunian himself? And since when was the Vale family part of the Celestial God Palace? Last night's spiritual surge was clearly a Heavenly Heart Realm True Person blowing up their Heavenly Heart! Hmph, a dignified True Person driven to self-destruction—this isn't simple. Hongyang, check how many Heavenly Heart cultivators the Vale family has and how many favor white robes."

"No need," Ming Yekong said swiftly. "The Vale family has seven Heavenly Heart cultivators: Vale Huaili, Vale Ruogu, Vale Mingyue, Lorian Vale, and three others not surnamed Vale. The man in white was too young to be Vale Huaili and was male—so it's Lorian Vale!"

"Lorian Vale?" Xiao Biehan paused. "The array master?"

He stroked his chin, muttering, "So the Celestial God Palace and Vale Ruogu came for Lorian Vale, but he chose death over capture. Yet after he died, they didn't leave—they're after that boy instead… Hmm, something's off. Either the boy's got an extraordinary background, or he's carrying a valuable treasure."

"Uncle Ancestor's insight is spot-on. I'd wager it's the latter—no word of a sect's young master going missing lately," Ming Yekong said.

"No need to guess," Xiao Biehan huffed. "I don't know what the Celestial God Palace wants, but it's big—big enough for Shi Wunian to show up himself, big enough for his arrogant ass to admit defeat to me! Heh, the more he wants to leave, the less I'll let him. I don't care what they're after—the Moon-Washing Sect's job is to make sure they don't get it, or at least not without a fight!"

He slammed his hand down, shattering the table into dust.

Known as the Sword Maniac and a battle-hungry lunatic, Xiao Biehan was no fool. His love for combat was a mask. This time, he'd seized the chance to thwart the Celestial God Palace. Had Shi Wunian openly admitted Lorian Vale stole a treasure, Xiao Biehan might've let it slide.

The Moon-Washing Sect wasn't desperate enough to rob their rivals outright.

But the more Shi Wunian concealed, the more Xiao Biehan smelled a rat—and the more determined he became to interfere, making the fight all the sweeter.

The six major sects kept up a facade of harmony while scheming in the shadows. Each had only one true ally—for the Moon-Washing Sect, it was the Thousand Passions Sect. The rest was polite pretense. With the Celestial God Palace on their turf, Xiao Biehan would be a poor Third Uncle Ancestor if he didn't throw a few wrenches in their plans.

After all, he was just a "martial maniac."

With his feigned madness, he'd derailed the Celestial God Palace's scheme entirely.

He continued, "Investigate that boy's identity immediately and tell our disciples to keep a sharp eye out. We must find him before the Celestial God Palace. I refuse to believe we can't outmaneuver them on our own ground. Also, send someone to watch Shi Wunian's movements. It'd be ideal if he uses his hidden disciples—then we can flush out those rats hiding in the dirt."

Nan Baicheng broke into a sweat. "Uncle Ancestor, tracking a Violet Palace True Lord… I…"

"No need for stealth—do it openly," Ming Yekong interjected. "Since the Vow Master honors Wenxin Kingdom with his presence, we should show some hospitality. Arrange lodging, assign attendants. I doubt he'd refuse the Moon-Washing Sect's kindness… Pick some sharp, discreet people for the job."

"Understood," Nan Baicheng replied promptly. Open surveillance might not yield much, but details often revealed more than expected. Besides, the Moon-Washing Sect already knew their target—now it was about slowing them down, not digging deeper.

The truth would come out once they found the boy named Evan Reed.

"Shi Wunian and his group were in such a rush to leave back then. Thinking about it, Evan Reed probably hadn't gotten far. Mobilize everyone local—we should be able to track where he went," Li Hongyang added.

"I'll get on it," Nan Baicheng said, stepping back.

"Wait," Xiao Biehan called suddenly. "Before we arrived, you risked your life to stall Shi Wunian. Well done. I'll report this to my senior brother—you'll get your reward."

"Thank you, Uncle Ancestor!" Nan Baicheng bowed, beaming.

In just two days, the Moon-Washing Sect had uncovered everything they needed.

That night, six boys traveling alone matched Evan Reed's age and description according to locals. Five were accounted for, with no ties to Lorian Vale.

One remained untraced.

Word was, he'd headed north.

Xiao Biehan promptly ordered surrounding officials to deploy masses of searchers. Meanwhile, He Chong, having bribed local officials with heavy coin, got the same intel and rallied a band of rural martial artists to hunt for Evan Reed.

Yet, after two full months, no one found him—as if he'd vanished from the earth.