CHAPTER 57: THREADS OF DECEPTION, ROOTS OF WAR

"Unless we are certain it was their doing," Mo Yuntian replied, "we will not breach the truce. You may call it pragmatism, or weakness... but it is necessary."

No one dared refute him directly.

It was then that Elder Lin Guang cleared his throat.

"There is another matter... related, yet more disturbing."

The elders turned toward him with guarded expressions .

Mo Yuntian’s gaze sharpened faintly. "Speak."

Lin Guang raised his hand, and with a flick of his sleeve, a jade slip floated into the air. It glowed with faint green light before unraveling into a projection.

A flickering image appeared—blurred, as if recorded from afar through layers of illusion-repelling mist. But even so, the scene was unmistakable: a man clad in black and silver robes with his hands clasped behind his back

A few elders stiffened visibly.

"That’s—"

"Impossible..."

"Li Fang."

The name dropped like a stone into still water.

Elder Qiao Lian’s face darkened. "I was there when he died. We ambushed him few years ago. Six Nascent Soul cultivators struck in unison. I personally pierced his heart with the Violet Thunder Sword."

Silence followed his words.

Then Elder Yuan Mo let out a quiet breath. "Or so we believed."

Sect Master Mo Yuntian’s brows furrowed slightly. "The image is clear. The cultivation pressure emanating from that scene... "

"...The one we killed back then—was not the original Li Fang."

Elder Qiao Lian frowned. "His Nascent Soul fought to the last breath. I shattered it myself. Are you suggesting it wasn’t his?"

"Not the original?" Lan Zhi echoed. "What are you implying, Elder Lin?"

Lin Guang’s voice turned low and cold.

"I believe that the man we killed was a Second Nascent Soul."

A deathly silence fell over the council chamber.

Even Mo Yuntian’s eyes narrowed faintly.

"That technique..." Yuan Mo couldn’t help but take a deep breath. "It was lost long ago."

Jiang Chen’s eyes flickered with a trace of surprise. "Such techniques still exist?"

Elder Yuan Mo stroked his beard. "Not in any orthodox manual. But the demonic sects preserve many such forbidden paths. And the Shadowclaw Sect... has always walked close to the edge."

"And now, Li Fang has returned," Mo Yuntian murmured. "More powerful than before."

"Indeed," Lin Guang said. "His aura now almost half a step into the Heavenly Tribulation Realm."

A collective intake of breath followed.

Elder Lan Zhi frowned. "The Nascent Soul we destroyed back then... it was already at peak-stage. A formidable force on its own. But now that the original has re-emerged—"

"It means he never left the Shadowclaw Sect," Jiang Chen finished quietly. "He was hiding all along."

"Not hiding," Lin Guang corrected. "Waiting. Cultivating. And now, most likely... confident."

He turned to Mo Yuntian. "Sect Master, I believe that Li Fang’s so-called ’death’ was nothing but a ruse. He cultivated the Second Nascent Soul Technique, and used that soul to take our blow. The true Li Fang never left the Shadowclaw Sect."

Bai Yilan remained silent, her gaze cast downward. But if one were to look closely, a faint tremor flickered beneath her fingertips.

Yuan Mo stroked his beard thoughtfully. "So the one we killed... was perhaps the stronger of the two at the time. He sacrificed his stronger soul to ensure his survival. Bold... and ruthless."

Mo Yuntian closed his eyes for a moment.

"...That is in line with Li Fang’s character."

When he opened them again, a subtle light swirled within.

"From this moment onward," he said, voice steady, "treat all information related to the Shadowclaw Sect as priority red-class intelligence. I want observers placed at every trade point and neutral ground within two hundred leagues of their domain."

He looked toward Jiang Chen.

"Jiang Chen, you are to remain within sect bounds and not accept any missions—until the Bo Clan’s matter is resolved."

Jiang Chen bowed without a word, concealing the ripple in his heart.

"And Elder Bai," Mo Yuntian continued, "you will personally oversee all investigations regarding the matter concerning the Bo Clan. Take the Azure Diviner’s Mirror with you, I want definitive answers."

Bai Yilan clasped her hands. "As you command."

Mo Yuntian rose slowly from his seat.

"The reappearance of Li Fang changes everything. We thought the Shadowclaw Sect crippled... yet now, we may be facing a force even more dangerous than before. The old grudges must remain dormant—but our vigilance must not."

His gaze swept across the room.

"Prepare for war... even if peace is demanded."

As the meeting dispersed, the elders left one after another, some in silence, others in quiet pairs. There was no chatter, no discussion. What had been said behind closed doors was not to be spoken of lightly—especially not when it involved the name Li Fang.

The vast jade court slowly emptied, leaving only faint residual traces of Nascent Soul pressure lingering in the air.

Bai Yilan was among the last to depart.

Just as she turned past a stone column engraved with the Azure Dragon Insignia, a quiet voice called from behind.

"Elder Yilan."

She paused, her eyes flickering back slightly.

"Junior brother Jiang, still lingering after the meeting? Or have you come to question this old woman?"

Jiang Chen offered a polite bow. "Of course not, Senior Sister. I only wished to speak with you for a moment... about the Bo Clan."

Her brows arched faintly. "Oh?"

"One of my old friends... his name was Bo Yun. We cultivated together briefly at the Southern Training Summit four years ago. He was... a decent man." Jiang Chen’s voice lowered slightly. "Not especially talented, but earnest. I heard he died along with the rest of his clan."

Bai Yilan’s gaze deepened, then she nodded lightly. "I see. You have my condolences."

"I was hoping..." he looked at her hopefully "if you hear anything further regarding the attackers, would you inform me?"

She chuckled lightly, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear. "Why ask so formally? Of course I’ll keep my eyes open. I wouldn’t want a bright junior like yourself to remain troubled by such matters."

Jiang Chen inclined his head gratefully. "Then I’ll trouble Elder Yilan."

But as he turned to leave, a slender hand reached out and gently touched his sleeve.

"Leaving so quickly?"

Jiang Chen halted.

Bai Yilan’s smile deepened, her twilight-hued robes swaying slightly in the breeze. She stepped closer, her breath faintly fragrant. "You’ve grown so tall since we last spoke. How time flies. When I first saw you, you were barely a Foundation Realm disciple."

Jiang Chen’s ears turned red.

"Elder Yilan flatters me. I... I should not keep you. Please forgive me."

He bowed quickly and made to leave again, but Bai Yilan’s voice followed lazily behind.

"If you ever feel burdened... you may come to my cultivation quarters anytime. The nights are long, and I rarely have good company."

Jiang Chen stumbled slightly in his stride, his face now crimson.

Without another word, he vanished in a streak of light.

Bai Yilan watched him go, her smile fading slowly.

A cold snort escaped her lips.

"Grudges resolved? Hmph."

"You think it’s that simple? When the time is right... I’ll kill that brat myself."