Chapter 221: Reverse Deduction
’Someone’s using the Celestial Mechanism Inference Skill, trying to spy on me?’
Soon, Zhang Chi deduced some results from the special cracks on the turtle shell.
’To be able to spy on me and make me feel so uneasy... this person’s Celestial Mechanism Inference Skill must be on par with my own. Could it be Celestial Star True Monarch? But why would he spy on me?’
’I remember he was supposed to have just come out of seclusion. Could some other Cultivator have hired him? Anyone who could hire him must have a high Cultivation and status.’
’I’ve got it! This must be the work of Yu Wan and her master!’
Building on this, Zhang Chi immediately began to speculate further.
Although he was quite famous, he had very few enemies. Besides the Song Family, whom he hadn’t yet managed to completely eradicate, there was only Yu Wan and her master.
Of course, the Cangwu Sect also had powerful enemies who might target him as well.
Furthermore, he had also double-crossed that Senior Brother Wen, who was skilled with Puppets, in the Secret Realm within the Demon Abyss back then.
However, the former should already be aware of his situation and would have no need for divination, while the latter was completely incapable of hiring Celestial Star True Monarch.
Even the Song Family lacked the standing to do so.
That left only Yu Wan and her master.
Their reason for seeking help from Celestial Star True Monarch was most likely to find the person responsible for wiping out their sect.
So, Zhang Chi immediately took out another turtle shell and performed a counter-divination.
His target, however, was not Celestial Star True Monarch, nor the Cyan Cloud Sect’s Supreme Elder, but Yu Wan.
Yu Wan’s Cultivation was lower, making her an easier target for divination, one that wouldn’t trigger a major Celestial Secret Retribution.
He quickly got his result. Just as he’d guessed, they were indeed searching for the perpetrator.
They hadn’t found their target, however, and had no idea that the master from all those years ago was still alive.
Of course, Zhang Chi wasn’t surprised by this.
After all, he was a transmigrator; strictly speaking, the body’s previous owner was already dead.
Therefore, even if Yu Wan and her master had more Spirit Stones than they knew what to do with and, on a whim, asked Celestial Star True Monarch to divine whether the previous master was dead, they would never get an accurate result.
Besides, given his understanding of Yu Wan and her master, it was highly unlikely they would reveal such an embarrassing affair to Celestial Star True Monarch.
’Trying to divine who I am? Looking for revenge, are we? I haven’t even come for you yet, and you have the audacity to come looking for me!’
’It’s a pity that even with Celestial Star True Monarch’s help, you’ll never get any answers!’
Zhang Chi couldn’t help but sneer.
Even so, he remained extremely wary of Celestial Star True Monarch. He secretly resolved to raise his Cultivation faster and, at the same time, further improve his Celestial Mechanism Inference Skill.
After all, the fact that he had felt uneasy meant his opponent had already obtained some information about him—information that could potentially threaten him.
It just couldn’t have been very much information.
What he didn’t know, however, was that Celestial Star True Monarch was far more wary of him than he was of the True Monarch.
’Huh? No, that’s not right. It can’t be just this. Something else is about to happen!’
But a moment later, Zhang Chi still felt a sense of unease. He knew at once that he must have missed something.
’After all,’ he thought, ’I already know the truth. I should be back to normal by now.’
Zhang Chi immediately suspected he was in danger.
But he was in his Nine Peaks Lake Cave Mansion, protected by a Grand Array, Corpse Puppets, Spirit Beasts, and other Puppets. His own Combat Power was strong, and he even had a Tier Three Peak Spirit Talisman. Not even a Golden Core Peak expert could necessarily harm him.
’Could a Nascent Soul Powerhouse be coming for me? Or are a large number of Demon Cultivators about to attack the Cangwu Sect? Or both?’
Zhang Chi quickly arrived at an extremely bold conjecture.
WHOOSH!
Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Chi fully activated the Grand Array of his Nine Peaks Lake Cave Mansion.
He had considered fleeing immediately, but he wasn’t sure if enemies were waiting for him outside.
If so, leaving would only be more dangerous.
Only then did he take out more turtle shells to continue his divinations.
He also noticed that even with the Grand Array active, his sense of crisis didn’t weaken in the slightest. In fact, it grew stronger with each passing moment.
’Good thing I only need to divine my own safety right now. Otherwise, I might not get any results at all. After all, Tier Two Turtle Shells are no longer enough to meet my needs.’
’Speaking of which, ever since I lost contact with Lan Xuan, I’ve had no way to buy Tier Three Turtle Shells, and they’ve become harder and harder to obtain. The key is that I also have to stay out of sight of the Sect Leader, Lu Daoyi, and the others, which is particularly difficult.’
Zhang Chi’s thoughts drifted as he continued his divination.
He had very few Tier Three Turtle Shells left. Even though he was a Nascent Soul Seed and could be considered extravagantly wealthy compared to an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, he still had to use them sparingly.
But as he thought of this, an idea suddenly struck him.
’Lan Xuan? Right! If the Demon Sect is invading, Lan Xuan has likely come to Yuan South as well. I can try to divine her situation in a bit. Perhaps I can grasp the larger picture from the small details.’
So Zhang Chi thought.
Just then, one of his divinations completed. He immediately concluded that while danger was approaching, it would not arrive right away.
In other words, he still had some time to prepare, though likely not much.
Following that, he immediately used three more Tier Two Turtle Shells to quickly perform three divinations, confirming three things.
First, would it be more dangerous for him to leave Nine Peaks Lake? The result indicated it would be safer.
Second, would it be safer for him to go into the Sect? The result was yes.
Third, would it be safer for him to go outside the Sect? The result was still yes; moreover, it was an omen of turning misfortune into a blessing and finding fortune in disaster.
This meant the enemy would attack Nine Peaks Lake directly, and his only hope for survival was to flee.
Going outside the Sect meant he would encounter enemies, but they would certainly be ones he could handle. He might even gain something significant from it.
Going deeper into the Sect’s territory, however, would be completely foolproof.
Next, he immediately used the Blood Curse Technique and his Master-Servant Spirit Contract to sense Lan Xuan’s location, but he came up with nothing.
It was as if she had vanished.
But he knew the Blood Curse and the master-servant bond were still intact. The inability to sense her was, paradoxically, more proof that something was wrong.
He immediately divined whether Lan Xuan was in Yuan South. The result confirmed that she was.
’Lan Xuan came to Yuan South but didn’t contact me. She’s either been captured, or she’s on a mission with other Demon Cultivators and is unable to communicate.’
’Combined with my current ominous feeling, it’s highly probable that the Demon Sect has already invaded, and the Cangwu Sect is one of their targets! More importantly, I might have been personally targeted by a Nascent Soul Powerhouse from the Demon Sect!’
With this speculation in mind, Zhang Chi performed another divination, asking if his guess was correct. The result confirmed it.
Upon this confirmation, Zhang Chi immediately packed up, closed his cave mansion, and even collected his Array Deployment Tools, preparing to head deeper into the Sect’s territory.
Master Jian’s cave mansion, the Sect Hall, or the Floating Celestial Palace—all were excellent places to seek refuge.
He wasn’t worried about his cave mansion.
Even if the Demon Sect invaded, they would at most plunder and kill; they would never destroy the cave mansion’s Spiritual Vein.
With Yuan Bei already fallen, the Demon Sect would certainly need to establish itself in Yuan South. Destroying Spiritual Veins would bring them nothing but trouble, serving only to make the Cultivators of Yuan South hate them even more.
’Hmm? Qin Susu went to the White Cloud Marketplace?’
But when he went to get Qin Susu, he found she wasn’t there. It was only after checking the message she’d left him that he learned where she had gone.