81. Cloaks And Veils
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Meanwhile, at the Starry Pavilion, Tai Yue bit his nails apprehensively.
Unlike the Fate Disciples and Vice who could peer into the Fate Mirror, only the Night Immortal could read the stars.
But Tai Yue was powerful enough to sense something amiss from the Starry Ledge, where Yin Xing often read the stars...
This often meant that an event not written in the stars was suddenly appearing there as it was occurring, and that could only mean immortals were changing fate in some way!
Unfortunately, Tai Yue could also roughly sense what region it was coming from, and that stopped him in his tracks.
'What do I do?!' He wondered.
Yin Xing had been gone for months, but before leaving, he specifically instructed Tai Yue through telepathy, warning him to never do or say anything that would draw attention to the Yueyan region, specifically Yue City.
It didn't take Tai Yue much to guess what, or rather who his master was trying to protect... It was certainly Yin Xiaolong!
But Tai Yue wondered what to do right now...
Keep this hidden?!
"But countless mortal lives could be in danger?!" He worried aloud, then nearly jumped when...
"Alert the sky Emperor at once!" His master's voice ordered behind him. "At all times, we can't let our own selfish motives cause the death of innocents!"
But Tai Yue shook his head.
"You're merely a clone, what do you know?"
"Idiot! Have you become a *sea sponge?! Do my clones offer you advice?! I'm obviously speaking through the clone!"
(*The dumbest sea creature I could think of!)
Tai Yue nearly tripped. "Ma- Master?!"
"Something is preventing me from entering Sky Realm, which means Fate Immortal is likely trapped here as well! Send a warning to the Sky Emperor, but merely tell him there is an interfering calamity, and we can't find the Fate Immortal!"
"Y- Yes Master!" Tai Yue bowed to the clone, but Yin Xing had already vanished from within, heading for Yue City.
The news would draw the Sky Emperor's attention to Fate Hall and whatever might be wrong there, and that should buy Yin Xing enough time to reach Bailong, take him away from Yue City, and hopefully hide their trail...!
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Back at Yueyan Mountain, a pair of eyes watched the events within Yue City from atop a high cliff, and a dark cloak hid a pleased smirk.
'Hmph. Yin Xiaolong, once again, you can only blame your own excellence...'
She had suspected Yin Xiaolong was hidden somewhere in Yue City from the Divine Cub's birth.
It was rare for a mortal to know anything about a Divine tiger, much less how to birth one and even prepare for the many monsters drawn to the tiger's divine aura.
This had reminded the cloaked woman of her eye-eater's death in the same region, and was soon followed by the sudden appearance of powerful pills in the same region!
By the time the Dragon Pearl flared on Luoyin's wedding day, the cloaked woman's eyes were already on Yue City, and though she lost the pearl's trail, it wasn't long before she sensed faint traces of a Shadow Tiger's golden bell technique.
That was the night Luoyin had first read Duan Xiu's memories, and the cloaked lady had smiled.
She knew only one Shadow Tiger in existence, and knew only one person who owned him!
And by tracing that bell technique, she had set eyes on Yin Xiaolong himself, or rather...
'Zhang Luoyin! Heh! He even appeared next to that woman!'
In truth, the cloaked woman couldn't be completely sure Zhang Luoyin was Yin Xiaolong... He might simply be a lure or decoy used by the real Yin Xiaolong.
But she didn't care.
Zhang Luoyin's face when added to the dragon pearl, the eye-eater's death, the pills, the divine cub's birth, yinying's presence, and even the way he spoke...
Even the most righteous might kill him for those coincidences!
However, the cloaked woman couldn't blindly approach.
Though a weak mortal, Yin Xiaolong had somehow dug his claws deep into the Sect, so he couldn't simply vanish without cause.
Also, for some reason, the Sky Emperor was re-investigating past events, and the cloaked woman couldn't be sure if immortal activity was being strictly monitored.
So she had struck with human hands, playing on the Mo family's greed and fear, while she ensured the skies were blinded for today!
"My Mistress." Qin Yuelian, the Floral deity appeared, bowing behind the cloaked woman. "He's trapped within the Hunting grounds, and the poison formation was activated.
"However, those nosy disciples are headed towards him, and I can't sense the younger Mo mortal anymore...! Won't there be problems?!"
"Tch. He even managed to defeat that Mo brat?" There was an air of annoyance surrounding the cloaked woman. "Redirect all the rogue mortals there. Since those disciples want to help him, they can perish with him...
"Then plant a few of your Red Dew flowers around this city. Even if he survives, he would lose his protection once the Sect falls. With our backing, it won't be too difficult for Lord Mo to kill him!"
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Meanwhile at the Arena, Xu Fengyan's eyes narrowed at Lord Mo, wondering how he knew information about the immortals, and then he glanced at the Arena's core.
Only a highly powerful cultivator could affect such a powerful core.
'Are Immortals really involved?!'
"Frankly speaking," Lord Mo was saying, "...the Yueyan Sect has drawn too much attention to itself recently, and even offended the Immortals by demanding the Sky Emperor's Divine Tiger's Cub...
"Everyone will see this as retribution, as long as I spin the tale in certain ways!"
There was a sudden slow and deliberate applause, and everyone's attention turned to the veiled guest.
"Hao!" The veiled guest clapped. "I heard rumours that someone in my Sect was raising a rogue army." He bowed his head to remove his veiled bamboo hat.
"Elder Mo, you've certainly opened my eyes today." He raised his head slowly, and everyone but Xu Fengyan gasped.
It was Lord Huo, Sect Leader of Huofeng Sect!
Lord Huo was also one of the strongest Mortals, not only in Baishan, but in the Entire Mortal Realm!
"W- we're saved!" A Sect elder exclaimed.
It was common knowledge that Lord Huo was like an uncle to Xu Fengyan, so he was certainly on their side!
Lord Ju was suddenly relieved he hadn't taken Lord Mo's side!
And Lord Mo...? He was now extremely worried, as Lord Huo's presence was a big unforeseen factor which could destroy his entire plans!
"S- Sect Leader! What are you doing here?!" He asked, not quite able to keep a strain of fear from his voice.
"Hmph." Lord Huo tossed his veiled hat aside.
"If I wasn't here, how would I see your true face? To think one of my righteous Sect Elders is capable of such a thing... If I wasn't here, would you have returned to the Sect tomorrow, acting like nothing had happened?! Like you hadn't just claimed countless lives?!!"
Lord Mo flinched at his tone, but shook the fear away.
He had come too far to freeze here!
"Sect Leader Huo, since things have come to this, then I can't be polite to you either!" He pounded his scythe to the floor. "Don't underestimate my own strength!"
His aura exploded around them, rumbling the entire arena and its surroundings. A dark purple seal appeared beneath him with six counter spinning rings, and there were shocked gasps around.
"Astral Tier Nine!" One of the Sect Elders exclaimed.
After stepping into the Astral Tier, the third ring was acquired, but beyond that point, a ring was only acquired after each set of three stages, so the fourth ring at Astral Tier three, the fifth at stage six, and the sixth at stage nine.
Compared to him, Xu Fengyan was still a stage behind, at Astral Tier Eight, but Xu Fengyan simply turned to Lord Huo.
"Forgive me for troubling you, Senior!" He cupped his hands and bowed. "Permit me to go and defend the City!"
Lord Huo placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "What is this small favour between us?" He turned and stepped toward Lord Mo.
"Xiaofeng, be assured! You and the rest should go and defend the city."
Lord Huo said. "You can leave this eye-sore to me! It can also be seen as me cleaning up my own sect!"
He waved a hand, releasing his own aura, and a fierce wind blew about, nearly sweeping everyone away, and destroying the Arena!
Beneath his feet were eight rings.
'Astral Tier Sixteen?!' Xu Fengyan thought incredulously as he hastily shielded everyone and most of the arena, locking in the shockingly powerful aura!
'I don't have to be worried at all!' He thought, and with a final bow, he and Lord Ju disappeared with the Sect Elders.
Meanwhile, Lord Mo had created a shield around himself, but a dismayed look was evident on his face.
Though Lord Huo was considered one of the strongest in the Mortal Realm, most mortals never came close to Astral Tier Twenty, which was the final tier, so everyone assumed Lord Huo was only somewhere around Astral Tier Twelve at most...
Certainly not Astral Tier Sixteen!
Just four steps from the Divine Martial Tier- the tier which led to Immortality!
"It's been a while since I had to teach foolish children a lesson." Lord Huo was saying as his sword appeared to hover before him... "I will make you regret your decisions...!"
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