Chapter 197: Returning the Favor

Watching Pei Qingxuan depart on her sword, her cold figure quickly blending into the night, Xu Ping’an slowly withdrew his gaze.

He took a deep breath of the cool night air, trying to calm his mind.

Looking down, he held the small Jade Bottle in his palm; it felt ice-cold to the touch.

He walked back into the courtyard. Instead of entering the house, he went to the old Rong Tree and sat in his familiar rocking chair.

As his fingertips rubbed the smooth surface of the bottle, Xu Ping’an’s eyes were calm, but his thoughts were surging.

Although he did not intentionally activate the Chaos Golden Salt, merely “gazing” at it allowed his perception to clearly see the tiny red dot, about two or three millimeters in size, wriggling slightly within the foul blood and residue inside the bottle.

That was no ordinary poisonous insect or exotic beast.

Its form and the cold, chaotic life fluctuations it emitted, carrying an ancient and desolate aura, matched certain descriptions hidden deep in his memories that only existed in legends.

Witchcraft Gu.

These two words weighed heavily on his heart.

According to his understanding of this world and the fragmented information gathered from Pei Qingxuan and the Sect’s ancient records, the Wu Tribe inheritance—along with its signature Witchcraft Gu, Corpse Refining, and Blood Fiend Art—should have been completely annihilated long ago in an era too distant to trace, following the “severing of the Mandate of Heaven” for that tribe.

They were supposed to be abandoned by the Heavenly Dao and buried by time.

Even if ruins or remnants occasionally surfaced, it should never be such a… fresh inheritance, so full of “vitality.”

But the cold little bottle in his hand and the tiny insect swimming inside silently mocked this “should have been.”

It truly existed.

Furthermore, it didn’t just exist; it had been used on a Great Elder of the Liuyun Sect, utilized in the plot to assassinate Pei Qingxuan, and even faintly pointed toward the same source as that substance entwined with the Dragon Qi of Great Qi, which was suspected to be the Wu Tribe’s Blood Fiend Qi.

This was no coincidence.

Xu Ping’an gently rocked the chair, his gaze fixed on the deep night sky.

The stars were scattered, yet they seemed unable to reflect the turbulence in his heart at this moment.

The inheritance of a tribe that should have perished had suddenly reappeared in this era, its Target aimed directly at the foundation of the Qi Nation’s destiny—the Dragon Qi.

The superposition of these two factors forced him to think in a deeper, darker direction.

This did not seem like a simple struggle for power or the expanding ambition of some Demon Path giant.

Wu Tribe methods, Dragon Qi, Fortune… these terms linked together to faintly outline a Chessboard far beyond the imagination of ordinary Immortal Cultivators.

What the player at the Chessboard sought was likely not the replacement of a single surname or dynasty, but… the shaking of the very foundation of Human Fortune.

Human Fortune was mysterious and profound, yet it truly influenced the rise and fall, the potential, and even the status of the entire race between Heaven and Earth.

Dragon Qi was merely a relatively concrete “manifestation” or “branch” of Human Fortune condensed during a specific period and by a specific dynasty.

Cutting off a Dragon Vein would cause a dynasty to collapse and plunge the people into misery, but as time passed and Fortune flowed, new Dragon Qi would be nurtured, beginning a new era.

But if the root of Human Fortune itself was directly targeted and eroded… the consequence would be the weakening of the entire race, a fracture in the inheritance of civilization, and it might even invite the covetous eyes and oppression of other races or forces.

“Using the legacy of the Wu Tribe to strike at the roots while the Dragon Qi is weak and Human Fortune is fluctuating…”

Xu Ping’an whispered to himself, a layer of gloom clouding his brow.

If this were truly the case, then the schemes and plots of the person behind the scenes were far too terrifying.

This had already exceeded the scope of struggles between ordinary Immortal Cultivators and reached the level of the fate of a race.

He closed his eyes, rapidly sorting through the clues in his mind.

From the suspected Wu Tribe Blood Fiend entwining the Dragon Qi, to the assassination and silencing disguised as Corpse Puppet Sect methods, and now to this tangible Witchcraft Gu… the opponent was moving step by step, both secretive and ruthless.

The Liuyun Sect, or rather Pei Qingxuan, had clearly been identified by the opponent as an obstacle that needed to be removed or disrupted.

This caused the question of “what kind of existence this world truly is” to surface in his heart once more.

There were traces of the Great Desolation, the inheritance of the Wu Tribe, and Dragon Qi… Was this world truly just an ordinary Cultivation World?

Could it be one of the fragments scattered across the myriad worlds after that earth-shattering battle that led to the shattering of the Great Desolation?

Or perhaps, it was the continuation of the Post-Primordial world, only having experienced infinite ages and vast changes, to the point where even the legends of Saints had become blurred?

These thoughts flashed like lightning, but without more concrete evidence, they were all just speculations.

The most urgent matter at hand was to respond.

He opened his eyes again, his gaze falling on the Jade Bottle in his hand.

Though the Gu insect in the bottle was tiny, it was clear evidence of the opponent’s “move” on the Chessboard—a “thread” connecting to the practitioner.

The opponent might think this “thread” was as thin as spider silk, disposable without loss, and already severed.

But Xu Ping’an did not think so.

“Since a ‘gift’ has been sent, wouldn’t it be rude not to return the favor?”

A cold arc curved at the corner of Xu Ping’an’s mouth.

He had never liked being a passive target.

The opponent hid in the shadows, using various methods to test, harass, and silence, all to maintain an information advantage and keep him, Pei Qingxuan, and the Liuyun Sect in the dark, following the steps they had designed.

Rather than waiting for the opponent’s next assassination attempt at an unknown time, it was better to… actively beat the grass to startle the snake.

No, it was to directly knock the mountain to shake the tiger.

Let the opponent know that in this corner of the Chessboard, there was an “unexpected” piece that had not only seen through part of the layout but also had the ability to follow the “thread” and even… take a vicious bite.

This would undoubtedly expose part of his existence and special abilities, putting him out in the open.

But weighing the pros and cons, Xu Ping’an felt it was worth it.

A poisonous snake in the dark was the most dangerous; once it realized there was a nail in the grass that could wound it, it would surely be more cautious in its actions.

Moreover, he had enough confidence in himself—the concealment characteristics of the Chaotic Body, combined with the Array Formations and methods in his mind that came from another knowledge system and differed from the conventions of this world, were enough to allow him to retain sufficient trump cards and a sense of mystery that would leave the opponent unable to see through him, even while exposing some of his abilities.

No sooner thought than done.

Xu Ping’an stood up from the rocking chair, took the Jade Bottle, and walked into his Room.

He closed the doors and windows. He did not light a lamp, relying only on his extraordinary eyesight to move in the darkness.

He first carefully placed the Jade Bottle on the floor in the center of the Room.

Then, he took several items out of his Storage Bag.

A few strange ores of dark color with faint starlight flickering within.

Several withered branches of unknown material, carved with natural patterns.

A small bag of extremely fine powder, ground from a mixture of various special materials.

And a seemingly ordinary Wolf Hair Brush.

He did not use spiritual power, because he had no spiritual power to use.

Relying entirely on his hands, his profound understanding of material properties, and his precise grasp of Array Formation structures, he began to set the arrangement.

First, using the mixed powder, he outlined a complex circular pattern about three feet in diameter on the ground, with the Jade Bottle as the center.

The pattern was not a standard rune or array line; the lines were fluid but carried a certain sense of discordant distortion, as if they harmonized with the rhythm of chaos and reversal.

Next, he embedded those strange ores and withered branches into the key nodes of the pattern according to specific positions and angles.

As he placed each piece, he lightly tapped or rubbed its surface with his fingers, adjusting the subtle connection between them and the “field” formed by the powder lines.

Finally, he picked up the Wolf Hair Brush.

The tip of the brush held no Ink; instead, he held it suspended directly over the pattern, holding his breath and concentrating his mind.