"Master. You mean... Qinghu Island?" A cold glint flashed across Yang Dong's eyes.

Teng Qingshan nodded: "Since I returned to Jiuzhou, the only ones who truly hold a grudge against me are the Yu Huang Sect, the She Ri Divine Mountain, and Qinghu Island! However, both the Yu Huang Sect and She Ri Divine Mountain are vast and powerful entities, they wouldn't be so foolish! Of course, it's not impossible that they might make a move, but the highest probability is that the remnants of Qinghu Island are seeking revenge!"

"Remnants of Qinghu Island?" Hong Wu and Hong Lin, the siblings, looked bewildered.

When they were born, Qinghu Island had long since been destroyed. Naturally, they didn't feel much about it.

"The remnants of Qinghu Island..." Li Jun frowned. "After you killed the Blind Sword Saint, Qingshan, the elites of Qinghu Island immediately collapsed. They scattered. Many masters weren't wiped out by us. If the numerous masters of Qinghu Island were to gather, that force would indeed be astonishing."

"A'Dong." Teng Qingshan suddenly commanded.

"Master." Yang Dong immediately responded.

"Pass down my order. This Gong Yu has managed to hide for a year. He must have helpers in Youzhou. Investigate! Find out who Gong Yu has been in contact with over this past year, and exactly which faction he belongs to!" Teng Qingshan's brow furrowed. "Furthermore, the mysterious Xiantian within Youzhou who secretly tipped me off about the Xingyi Sect—if not for him, at least a thousand disciples of my inner martial arts lineage would have died."

"Gong Yu is hiding in Youzhou, and this mysterious Xiantian is also in Youzhou."

"This Youzhou holds a great secret! Investigate thoroughly!"

"Also, across the entire land of Jiuzhou, instruct those agents planted within the Qinghu Island remnants! Find out, by any means necessary, if the Qinghu Island remnants have any conspiracy brewing," Teng Qingshan stated solemnly. The Xingyi Sect was now an immense powerhouse across Jiuzhou, and it also had 'deep-cover agents' among the Qinghu Island remnants.

"Yes, Master." Yang Dong replied respectfully.

A killing intent flickered beneath Teng Qingshan's expression. He mused internally: "Qinghu Island, you stragglers. I intended to let you go, but if you are truly plotting revenge behind the scenes, you are courting death." The main instigator, the 'Blind Sword Saint,' had been killed by him, and Gu Yong could not be found anywhere in the world.

Teng Qingshan originally held no strong desire to kill the others from Qinghu Island.

But to dare plot against him? They absolutely could not be spared.

Five days later, under the cover of night.

In Teng Qingshan’s study, Elder Zong Lu personally arrived to report.

"Sect Master, we have news from Youzhou." Zong Lu held a thick stack of papers. "This is all the information uncovered about Gong Yu over the past year. Every matter, big or small, has been recorded."

Teng Qingshan glanced at the thick pile and frowned slightly. If he were to read it all, it would likely take him half the night. He said immediately, "Uncle Zong, what did you all find out from this intelligence? Tell me directly."

"Yes."

Zong Lu spoke quickly and respectfully. "In Youzhou, we identified eighteen people who had contact or association with Gong Yu. Of these eighteen, four showed no suspicious behavior, but the other fourteen were highly suspicious. We immediately dispatched men to apprehend these fourteen... However, when our people arrived, all fourteen were already dead!"

"All dead?" Teng Qingshan was startled.

"Yes. Not only were those fourteen dead, but their relatives were also slain," Zong Lu replied.

Teng Qingshan sucked in a sharp breath.

The force plotting against him was truly ruthless, even killing their own people, including the relatives of those fourteen, just to keep silent. After all... the dead cannot talk.

"The trail on Gong Yu has gone cold."

Zong Lu continued respectfully, "Sect Master, we can only confirm one thing now—that Gong Yu infiltrating our Xingyi Sect to learn the martial arts and then leaking them was indeed a frame-up! Because during the time he was in hiding, his life was consistently simple and low-key, and he rarely went to crowded places. Clearly, betraying the Xingyi Sect was not for wealth or fame."

Teng Qingshan nodded.

Everything was confirmed—behind Gong Yu, there was indeed a large force lurking, watching and targeting him!

"Alright. Uncle Zong, you can return to rest now," Teng Qingshan said.

"Yes."

After Zong Lu respectfully withdrew, Teng Qingshan sat alone in his study, deep in thought for a long time, before sending a sound transmission summoning Li Jun.

"Qingshan, what is it?" Li Jun walked into the study with a smile.

"Xiao Jun, immediately instruct Dao Chi to go to the Barren Lands and invite Xiao Qing over... Starting today, my Xingyi Sect must enter a state of heightened alert. At the same time, I will arrange for Xiao Qing to stay long-term in Mount Dayan." Teng Qingshan stated solemnly.

"It's that serious?" Li Jun was greatly alarmed.

"Mmm."

"It's a pity," Teng Qingshan shook his head. "Youzhou is not the territory of my Xingyi Sect; it belongs to the Heavenly God Palace. Our manpower there is limited. Although I know... this force must have many agents lurking in Youzhou, no matter what, my Xingyi Sect cannot owe the Heavenly God Palace too great a favor."

Teng Qingshan did not want the Heavenly God Palace's help.

"It's best we keep our distance from the Heavenly God Palace," Teng Qingshan stated.

"Yes, I also feel the Heavenly God Palace is becoming increasingly dangerous," Li Jun nodded. "When their armies first assembled in Youzhou, I thought they might move against the Snow Eagle Sect. But who expected... the elite armies of both Qingzhou and Youzhou gathered, traversed thousands of miles, and entered the Great Grasslands. They then joined forces with the elite armies of the Great Grasslands, and now they have reached the southernmost edge of the Grasslands, beginning their entry into the desert..."

Teng Qingshan nodded.

"Indeed, the Heavenly God Palace dares to do this!"

Since the Heavenly God Palace began gradually mobilizing its armies two years ago, slowly gathering over a million elite soldiers from Qingzhou and Youzhou. They then merged with the elite armies of the Great Grasslands and marched for ten thousand miles, now entering the vast desert!

Ten Thousand Miles of Desert!

That was a forbidden zone for life! Water was severely scarce in the desert, and horses could not maintain speed within it. Moreover, the desert was immense... making troop movement incredibly difficult.

"It's obvious that the Heavenly God Palace intends to cross the Ten Thousand Mile Desert, bypass the Western Regions' nations, and then follow the 'Golden Road' to assault the Mani Temple!" Teng Qingshan couldn't help but sigh. "The amount of food and water required for this journey is enormous. Fortunately, the Heavenly God Palace only dispatched elite troops; combined from the three regions, the army is only slightly over a million."

With the territory of the Heavenly God Palace controlling nearly a billion subjects, this one million-plus army was certainly elite.

"A direct clash between the two most powerful sects in Jiuzhou," Li Jun said with a slight smile.

Since the Heavenly God Palace army began assembling at the edge of the desert, the major sects of Jiuzhou understood the Heavenly God Palace's intentions.

There was no possibility other than attacking the Mani Temple!

In truth, there was a simpler method—destroying the Ying Clan, passing through Yongzhou, and then striking into the 'Rongzhou and Liangzhou' regions occupied by the Mani Temple. However, Yongzhou, where the Ying Clan resided, was guarded by the three-thousand-mile Qinling Mountains, making a breakthrough extremely difficult. The Heavenly God Palace clearly did not wish to become enemies with the Ying Clan.

They would rather detour through ten thousand miles of desert!

"The original plan for the Heavenly God Palace must have been to destroy Qinghu Island, then destroy She Ri Divine Mountain. Only then could they attack the Mani Temple!" Teng Qingshan couldn't help but state.

"Yes, this route is the easiest of the three paths. Qinghu Island and She Ri Divine Mountain are relatively weaker in strength," Li Jun agreed.

Teng Qingshan smiled faintly: "Pei San wants to attack the Mani Temple. Let the Mani Temple worry about that; it has nothing to do with us! Right now, I must find out exactly who is scheming against my Xingyi Sect behind the scenes."

...

In the following days, intelligence reports continuously flowed into the Xingyi Sect, landing on Teng Qingshan's desk.

However, this intelligence held little value; they failed to uncover any specific conspiracy by the Qinghu Island remnants.

"I will meet any change with constancy, and see who it is that is plotting against me." Teng Qingshan remained stationed at Mount Dayan. The Undying Phoenix 'Xiao Qing' and the Six-Legged Dao Chi were also at Mount Dayan, meaning he feared no one.

The land of Jiuzhou entered a period of strangely calm days.

The Heavenly God Palace army slowly advanced through the vast expanse of the desert, while the land of Jiuzhou remained largely quiet.

Mount Dayan, Xingyi Sect.

"Rumble~~~" The two large doors of Teng Qingshan's training room in Donghua Courtyard burst open, and Teng Qingshan walked out. The entire Donghua Courtyard was now silver-white, the ground covered in snow.

"Qingshan." Li Jun came forward to meet him.

Teng Qingshan looked at Li Jun and shook his head helplessly: "I always feel I am close to the Dongxu Realm, but every time I enter seclusion, I find some flaw remains. Every time, I gain a bit of insight, a slight improvement." Teng Qingshan was also frustrated, as if he could see a towering mountain ahead, but no matter how he walked, the mountain remained ahead. He could see it, but couldn't reach it.

"But I cannot rush," Teng Qingshan shook his head. "Like my master, the Dao he comprehends is the 'Dao of Life.' After years of agonizing study, he has yet to fully grasp it."

"Sect Master Zhuge is too ambitious," Li Jun shook her head. "He could have mastered the 'Dao of Mist,' but he refuses, insisting instead on grasping the entire 'Dao of Life,' which would allow him to command fifty percent of the Heavenly Power in one go!"

Zhuge Yuanhong was on excellent terms with Mu Tao, who governed the Guiyuan Sect.

Ever since learning that 'Duanmu Yu' of the Duanmu Continent commanded fifty percent of the Heavenly Power upon his first entry into the Void Realm, Zhuge Yuanhong, with Mu Tao guarding the sect, settled down to comprehend the 'Dao of Life' in one leap.

"My master's approach also has its benefits,"

"If he can fully comprehend the 'Dao of Life' before entering the Void Realm, comprehending the Heavenly Dao later on will be much smoother," Teng Qingshan smiled.

Shortly after Teng Qingshan emerged from seclusion, Elder Zong Lu, in charge of intelligence, hurried over.

At that moment, Teng Qingshan and Li Jun were sitting opposite each other, eating lunch in the living room.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Treading on the snow, Zong Lu walked swiftly.

"Uncle Zong." Teng Qingshan smiled and walked to the living room door to greet him.

"Sect Master, I rushed over immediately upon hearing you were out of seclusion," Zong Lu said, pulling a stack of papers from his robes.