☆This was Li Qing's first trap. Yet Li Qing knew for certain that neither the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva nor Yuan Zhihui would fall for it, precisely because they both believed Li Qing would already be aware of their every thought. Thus, they would presume that Li Qing knew they would find this hiding spot. A mere ploy to lure the tiger from the mountain would no longer suffice against old adversaries like these.

So, the phantom avatar moved on to a second location—a peculiar inn that operated under a binding "principle." Each day a guest remained, the toll was blood: one drop on the first day, four on the second, eight on the third… and so forth, until the guest bled out and perished.

To ensure this predatory mechanism functioned properly, the inn released the aura of its guests through the blood they offered—meant to draw out their enemies and lure them to the doorstep. (After all, only those being pursued to the ends of the world would dare take refuge in such a place.) The inn would then provide protection for the guest at a level that even the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva or Yuan Zhihui could not easily overcome. It was, therefore, considered a safe haven.

Leveraging this trait, the phantom avatar fed the inn a drop of someone else's blood—yet infused it with his own aura. The goal: for Yuan Zhihui and the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva to trace it here.

Both adversaries knew full well that Li Qing possessed the Commander's Decree, allowing him to summon a host of Yin Generals equal to their own level. As long as he endured the Tribulation, Li Qing could use these summoned spirits to break the encirclement and escape. A viable method—one that Li Qing intentionally allowed them to believe was a viable method.

☆This was Li Qing's second trap. A beautifully painted illusion for his hunters to chase. Yet even this was far from sufficient.

Thus, Li Qing arrived at the third location—the Labyrinth of Heavenly Prison beneath the capital's earth. One of the oldest places in the city, it had existed even before the capital was built.

The Labyrinth was unique in that any cultivator who entered would be stripped of nearly all their cultivation, reduced to mere level one, even most "principle-bound" artifacts rendered useless. In short, should the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva, Yuan Zhihui, and Li Qing all enter, they would be as three level-one cultivators wrestling with their bare hands—nullifying all difference in power. It was a direct challenge thrown into the faces of his enemies, for Li Qing was undefeated within his own level. The only uncertainty was whether the other two dared to accept.

☆This was the third trap—an unvarnished provocation. Within the Labyrinth, who was hunter, who was prey, remained unknown. Yet this still was not the end.

☆The first, second, and third traps were merely foundations for the fourth. The abandoned shrine of the first trap—cast aside by both enemies—would become the actual point of concealment. Knowing that Li Qing could peer into their thoughts, the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva and Yuan Zhihui would surely overlook the shrine, focusing instead on the later traps. Unlike the inn and the Labyrinth, if caught within the shrine, Li Qing would have no means of resistance. Thus, neither believed he would choose to hide there. Precisely because of this assumption, Li Qing chose to hide within the shrine they would ignore.

As expected, Yuan Zhihui visited all three locations—investigated, deduced, and saw through each of Li Qing's traps. He even deduced the fourth one. If Li Qing could perceive his thoughts, then surely Li Qing would know that Yuan Zhihui had passed over the shrine. Hence, Li Qing might double back and hide there. In response, Yuan Zhihui left surveillance spells at only the inn and the Labyrinth, leaving the shrine unwatched. A calculated 50/50—whether he would return to check or not even Yuan Zhihui knew. The only question was whether Li Qing would dare go there.

The Bone-Pale Bodhisattva was no less astute. Believing he had seen through all of Li Qing's moves, he chose to remain dormant.

On the day of reckoning, the rebel coalition besieged the capital. Emperor Khun Tai, after poisoning all members of the imperial bloodline, made contact with both Li Qing and the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva. The avatars of both soon arrived. (Li Qing had no fear of the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva, for within the palace, all were mortal.)

At that moment, the Qi of Heaven Li Qing had long prepared at the base of Mount Hidden Dragon erupted—instantly drawing away every high-level cultivator in the capital. Only the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva and Yuan Zhihui remained, suppressing their desires. Both instantly recognized this as Li Qing's orchestration—such perfect timing could not be mere coincidence.

After revealing the secret of ascension, Emperor Khun Tai took his own life and activated the sacrificial formation—sealing off the entire capital. The final confrontation between Li Qing, the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva, and Yuan Zhihui began.

Two avatars of Li Qing were discovered—one at the blood-draining inn, another beneath the Labyrinth. The Bone-Pale Bodhisattva dispatched avatars to both locations, while his true body, along with Yuan Zhihui, charged into the shrine. There, they clashed over who would seize Li Qing.

The grand formation ignited successfully. Though both the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva and Yuan Zhihui sensed something amiss, the moment the rank-nine abomination appeared within the seal, they were cut off from knowing more. The beast, split into countless fragments, lay before Li Qing like a banquet laid bare. Yet Li Qing did not devour it immediately—he used the "Apocalypse Incantation" to erode its strength further.

The Bone-Pale Bodhisattva and Yuan Zhihui quickly realized that Li Qing was in neither the shrine nor the other locations. But they had anticipated this possibility. Their countermeasure was simple—guard the capital. No matter how well Li Qing hid, he was still within the city. Once he surfaced, they would strike. Until then, they would hold position.

But in the very moment they believed they had sealed all of Li Qing's escape routes—they stepped into his final snare.

Far to the north, a battle of unimaginable scale erupted. At its core were two of Li Qing's allies: Wang Riyue and Jia Ke Shence. Under the banner of the Confucian Sect, they led their forces, backed by Jia Ke's private army, wielding power at the level of eighth-tier cultivators. In that battle, they annihilated three Destiny-bearers of the demonic path, their armies, and numerous tier-seven cultivators—shattering the final strength of the demonic faction after its previous losses. All of it had been arranged by Li Qing. Throughout, a divine entity had acted as messenger and scout, enabling the plan's flawless execution.

And while that campaign unfolded, the true Li Qing, still in the capital, summoned another eighth-tier Yin General. With the Slaughtering Immortal Flying Blade in hand, he began cleaving apart the rank-nine monstrosity.

Signs of the summoning were soon noticed by the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva and Yuan Zhihui, who grew wary—ready to intercept Li Qing should he try to use the Yin General to break out. But nothing happened. Only one general had been summoned, and it was clear—one alone could never stand against the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva, let alone both of them together.

While they puzzled over this silence, news from the north reached them. The great battle had indeed killed three Destiny-bearers, involved numerous tier-seven cultivators, and—rumors swirled—witnessed the power of tier-eight. (In truth, this came from Jia Ke Shence's elite troops.) The timing matched exactly with Li Qing's summoning of the Yin General. The battle's scope alone could serve as a Heaven-Tribulation.

☆This was the fifth trap Li Qing had laid. He had already foreseen that traps one through four would be deduced. All of them were bait, designed to convince the Bone-Pale Bodhisattva and Yuan Zhihui that Li Qing's Tribulation would take place here—while in truth, it occurred far away in the north.

The two split their efforts—one watched the capital, the other investigated the northern battlefield. The more they investigated, reasoned, and verified, the more their worst hypothesis solidified. They concluded the capital was the grandest illusion Li Qing had ever cast. He knew they would come, so he made this place seem the perfect site for his Tribulation. In truth, he remained unimpeded in the north, passing through the ordeal with ease.

Thus, both Bone-Pale Bodhisattva and Yuan Zhihui withdrew. Guarding the capital no longer held meaning.

☆And this—this was the sixth and final trap.

Li Qing had foreseen even this, knowing exactly how they would interpret the northern battle. They would conclude that between the capital and the borderlands, one must be real, one false. To deceive them into thinking the capital was the fake, Li Qing arranged for them to see that while chaos still reigned in the capital, all high-tier cultivators had been drawn away to Mount Hidden Dragon. The rank-nine monster had not rampaged, and so this could not be a true Heaven-Tribulation.

In the end, Li Qing successfully achieved the "Supreme Spirit Sense" and escaped the capital unscathed.