Bai Qifeng’s eyes flashed with mockery: "Although it is an unprecedented anomaly for a mere youth to enter the Heavenly Saint Palace as a Guardian, this young man possesses an ethereal physique unseen since ancient times... If we could secure this person, the Heavenly Saint Palace would undoubtedly be willing to open its gates once—that much is beyond question!"

Next door, Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu exchanged horrified glances.

While Bai Qifeng was undeniably arrogant to the point of madness, his analysis was entirely accurate. They had, in fact, harbored that exact intention.

The subsequent conversation could no longer be overheard. Evidently, having failed to provoke a response, Bai Qifeng lowered his voice significantly, as much of the discussion involved classified secrets of the Illusionary Manor that could not be known to the three Great Sacred Lands. Under the formidable aura of Cao Guofeng, the Third-Stage Saint Emperor, Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu, whose cultivation levels paled in comparison, could hear nothing more...

"The ensuing developments are even easier to deduce. Although Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu outwardly agreed to Zhan Mubai's terms, they must have immediately reported back to the Heavenly Saint Palace!" Bai Qifeng chuckled: "Old Cao, as long as the reinforcements from the three Sacred Lands are not limited to these few individuals, or if someone from the Heavenly Saint Palace appears, then this deduction stands firm—even if not absolutely certain, there’s at least a seven or eight-tenths probability."

"The result is that the experts from the Heavenly Saint Palace took action and snatched that boy away. Most likely, they dispatched two experts simultaneously. One left in another direction, while the other led us away with the second son of the Chen family, striking him down at the critical moment to sever the Illusionary Manor's hopes... Even if an elder from the Manor arrived later, they could simply claim the person was dead and dismiss all inquiries."

"That makes sense!" Cao Guofeng conceded: "He assumed that with the man's head smashed beyond recognition, even if Zhan Mubai was ultimately made the scapegoat, or even sacrificed to settle the matter, it would all be worth it just to secure the child. But the Chen family head, relying on a birthmark, unexpectedly recognized the true identity of the corpse. This must have disrupted their plans, exposing a loophole that allowed us to piece together the truth!"

Though he spoke of having deduced the truth, Cao Guofeng's brow furrowed deeper. If this were truly the case, his disciple might indeed be beyond recovery...

"It's not certain we can’t snatch him back!" Bai Qifeng, perceiving Cao Guofeng's worry, grinned: "Do you think our disciple is so easily taken by them? This situation may not be entirely without recourse."

"What is your strategy?" everyone pressed.

"Our Ethereal Illusionary Manor has always maintained internal unity, unlike the three Sacred Lands which harbor inherent conflicts of interest. As long as we report the situation and request the Manor Lord to intervene and demand the return of this disciple, that should suffice. We can then petition the Lord to accept this disciple under his personal tutelage... You all know the Lord doesn't care much about such trivialities; as long as the person remains within the Manor, under whose banner is irrelevant—so long as he belongs to the Manor, it's fine. Even if the Lord himself takes a liking to the child, letting him take an additional master is inconsequential; it is infinitely better than letting the child's brilliance be obscured or falling into the hands of our rivals..."

"That is indeed a viable approach." Cao Guofeng frowned, meticulously weighing the feasibility of the plan.

"However, this will inevitably breed conflict between the Manor and the Sacred Lands. But... from this day forward, the schism between the two sides is irreparable. Offending them once more will hardly matter; besides, the seniors on both sides can smooth things over easily. Furthermore, Old Cao has single-handedly managed all the Manor's external affairs for years; his contribution is immense, and the Lord must grant him respect, lest the morale of everyone suffers! Not to mention, if that child truly falls into the hands of the three Sacred Lands, his future growth could very well turn him into a formidable enemy of our Illusionary Manor!"

As Cao Guofeng listened, his eyes brightened. Finally, he clapped his hands: "Yes, precisely! It is indeed your quick wit, Qifeng, that sees the way through. I was so worried moments ago I could barely eat..."

Bai Qifeng laughed heartily: "Boss, you suffer the same myopia as Old Zhan. Caring too deeply prevents one from seeing the complex relationships clearly. I, however, am known for being carefree and unburdened..."

Everyone laughed, feeling a significant easing of tension. Hope flared anew for reclaiming the disciple with the rare ethereal physique.

The group shifted focus, methodically planning how to evade the three Sacred Lands and swiftly relay intelligence to the Manor Lord. Naturally, the volume of their voices dropped lower and lower.

These were truly critical secrets; if overheard by outsiders, it would ruin everything. The two Saint Emperors next door, though summoning their utmost power and pushing their five senses and spiritual awareness to the extreme, straining to hear every whisper, still caught not a single sound—a source of deep frustration.

Though the seven Saint Emperors pooled their wisdom in consultation, Bai Qifeng harbored a separate grievance he dared not voice. He felt intensely frustrated. To lose such a rare, excellent disciple so easily! Although he had vented some of his spleen by beating Zhan Mubai afterward, analyzing the current situation showed Zhan Mubai was actually a victim. Yet, the two true instigators, Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu, were now shadowing them, and they could do nothing about it... What kind of situation was this? It was infuriating!

If they could not retaliate in kind, how could this anger be discharged? If they swallowed this suffocating frustration, wouldn't those two think people from the Illusionary Manor were easy targets?

Old Cao, though filled with rage, was mature and cautious, unwilling to deliberately tear down the relationship and escalate the conflict... If things continued this way, how could satisfaction be achieved? Bai Qifeng's eyes flickered downward as he secretly solidified a plan. Didn't those two claim to have benefited from Zhan Mubai? This Sovereign would make them grasp at nothing!

Just then, Young Master Jun arrived gracefully, gliding invisibly through the void, landing in the inn as lightly as a drifting willow catkin. He did not land directly on the roof but paused in mid-air some distance below it.

These were Saint Emperor powerhouses. Even though he was currently cloaked in the invisibility of the Yin-Yang Evasion, landing directly on the roof might cause the slightest anomalous air current, potentially alerting them. He was certain the Illusionary Manor Saint Emperors were now on high alert, watching for the smallest trace. If they were discovered, the situation would be disastrous—failing to steal the chicken and losing the hens instead.

Avoiding any possibility of accident was paramount; caution ensured a thousand years of safety!

With all precautions taken, Jun Moxie hesitated no longer and cast out his spiritual sense—yes, cast it out!

Following the trajectory of its movement, it was indeed cast forth!

The Young Master first directed his divine sense skyward, then dispersed it in the mid-air, silently enveloping the area. By the time it approached the inn, the countless threads of sense had formed a vast, boundless net, covering the entire building without omission.

This was Jun Moxie’s unique technique; in fact, it seemed only the Heaven-Creating Divine Art could foster a spiritual detection ability so powerful yet so undetectable, even to Saint Emperors.

The giant net of divine sense silently descended, and Jun Moxie instantly locked onto two rooms! He was slightly taken aback: Were so many Saint Emperor experts sleeping in one communal room?

A discreet check revealed that the Illusionary Manor group was holding a meeting, while the Sacred Land members next door were clandestinely eavesdropping. Seeing the peak experts of both factions behaving so sneakily, Young Master Jun nearly swooned.

These factions had seemingly cooperated earnestly for centuries, yet in just a few moves by him, they had reached a point of absolute mutual distrust.

This reminded Jun Moxie of a famous saying: Loyalty exists only because the price for betrayal is insufficient. When faced with a definitive divergence of absolute interests, even deep affections cultivated over centuries were liable to crumble!

Of course, long-term hypocrisy also played a significant role. While today's incident was a major factor, the fundamental underlying cause was the mutual wariness between the Sacred Lands and the Illusionary Manor.

Jun Moxie’s eyes spun, and he silently drifted into one of the empty rooms. As long as he remained within the wondrous state of the Yin-Yang Evasion and avoided overly aggressive movements, no one, not even a Saint Emperor, could detect him!

The seven Illusionary Manor Saint Emperors were gathered in the central room for their meeting, while Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu from the Sacred Lands were eavesdropping in the room to the right. This meant the rooms to the left were occupied by the rest of the Manor personnel. Jun Moxie counted exactly six empty rooms on that side, and only one empty room on the right.

As for the rooms outside these nine, they were all occupied by irrelevant individuals. A brief sweep of his divine sense confirmed this.

The room Jun Moxie entered was that belonging to He Zhiqiu, the Sage Emperor of the Three Supreme Golden Cities.

He Zhiqiu possessed the disposition of a scholarly aesthete, often sighing: "Life is but a grand dream; how many autumn chills have the affairs of the world seen?" Prone to melancholy over spring sorrow and autumn lament, he carried the air of a sentimental poet. Before becoming a Saint Emperor, his title was 'Autumn Scenery Supreme,' later 'Autumn Scenery Venerable'; but at the Saint Emperor level, he became the 'Knowing Autumn Saint Emperor.'

When the golden wind brings down the falling leaves, the world echoes with desolate autumn!

Autumn Wind Leg, Autumn Wind Palm, Autumn Wind Kick! Autumn Scenery Divine Art!

The Autumn Wind Leg stirs the universe; the Autumn Wind Palm makes ghosts and gods despair; the Autumn Scenery Divine Art dominates the heavens, and the Autumn Wind Sword cries out the world's autumn!

With every movement, the sorrow of the human autumn arises—this was He Zhiqiu’s signature technique! His enlightened supreme art of worldly power was 'Ten Thousand Miles of Sorrowful Autumn'!

The moment Jun Moxie entered the room, he knew whose it was. For any room occupied by He Zhiqiu would naturally retain an aura of desolate chill and sorrow! Anyone entering would immediately feel the world weighed down, life meaningless, like water flowing east never to return.

Jun Moxie thought: If this fellow changed rooms daily, every inn in the world would likely close down. What traveler would willingly stay in a room that induces immediate sadness and overwhelming grief upon entry? What kind of person is this? A true eccentric!

Deciding against half-measures, Jun Moxie casually swept a narrow satchel resting on the bedside table into the Hongjun Tower.

Regardless, the luggage of a Saint Emperor must hold some value. The Young Master felt this was a guaranteed profit, even if his own wealth meant he cared little for such trifles...

But profit first—not taking an available advantage would make him a fool!

It seemed exceedingly coincidental that the moment the Young Master secured his prize, a faint sound registered. Jun Moxie was startled: Weren't those two conferring in the next room? Did they not need to discuss things after eavesdropping? He thought he had been cautious enough; could he still have been detected? He immediately suppressed his breath, freezing invisibly in a corner.

The window opened soundlessly. Jun Moxie marveled inwardly: This Saint Emperor Zhiqiu dislikes the conventional path; even entering his own room, he climbs through the window. Truly an oddity...

As he pondered this, a figure flashed, and another person silently materialized in the room.

Upon seeing him, Jun Moxie almost cried out. The person was silent, furtive, moving with the stealth of a thief; tall and slender, with a thin, scholarly face—it was Bai Qifeng, the Saint Emperor of the Illusionary Manor!

Bai Qifeng’s personality was the most vindictive! Though he had the opportunity to beat Zhan Mubai today, his anger was far from extinguished, and then he was being monitored by the two Saint Emperors... Even if they weren't explicitly monitoring, Bai Qifeng interpreted it that way, especially since he believed these two were the architects of today’s awkward situation.

Therefore, this Saint Emperor Bai intended to teach them a lesson.

Before the meeting concluded, Bai Qifeng excused himself and slipped out. Knowing Hai Wuya and He Zhiqiu were eavesdropping next door, Bai Qifeng naturally sought a deserted place first. His target was the very item Jun Moxie had just sequestered in the Hongjun Tower: He Zhiqiu’s satchel!

The room was not large. A quick glance confirmed nothing was present. Saint Emperor Bai felt a surge of irritation. He muttered to himself: Damn it, did he bring his luggage to the next room to eavesdrop? Is this He Zhiqiu too cautious? Or perhaps he left his luggage at the Chen residence?

Muttering a couple of complaints, Saint Emperor Bai snorted, then silently floated back out.

Jun Moxie let out a breath of relief, about to stretch, when a figure flashed back in. Bai Qifeng returned, a smug look on his face, holding a large basin filled with leftover scraps—chicken heads, fish bones, and vegetable leaves. He yanked open the quilt, dumped everything inside with a whoosh, and muttered triumphantly, "Let that make you mourn the autumn, you bastard!"