Chapter 95: Cooperation

Kao Mountain Town.

Li Si stood before his Statue Avatar, lost in thought.

After a long while, he leisurely burned the two letters from the Old Madam. Soon, a spiritual light rose and vanished into the Statue Avatar. A second later, her voice sounded in his mind, surprisingly tired.

“Brother Kaoshan, Sister Jiuxuan’s village was attacked last night. But the assault didn’t come from the Evil God Cult of the Mortal Realm; it was launched from the Illusory Realm. The problem was her Idol of Fortune… It happened so suddenly, I only had time to alert the others. I couldn’t reach you, so I had to move your Idol of Fortune to the first floor of the Hall of Fate. I don’t know the current situation.”

“I apologize for this. In my haste, I sent my disciple to deliver the letter and left you a message. The situation was urgent, and I didn’t know what would happen next, so I told you to prepare to relocate. If my words were abrupt, please forgive me.”

“Later, I managed to contact the other fellow practitioners and also reached Sister Jiuxuan. Everyone is safe for now, but Sister Jiuxuan lost one-third of the Fate she was responsible for guarding.”

“Also, we’ve identified the cause of the incident. One of Sister Jiuxuan’s disciples was manipulated by an unknown Evil Immortal. Through small clues, the enemy invaded our Hall of Fate. If I hadn’t been on duty at the time, the consequences would have been unthinkable.”

“This serves as a warning to us. We are World Guardian True Immortals, granted by the Heaven and Earth Decree, so we’re secure. But our disciples, who often travel outside, can easily fall prey to Evil Spirits, Evil Immortals, or even Evil Gods if they’re not careful. It’s not their fault, but their low strength and weak spirits make them the easiest targets.”

“In short, after this event, please be very cautious, Brother. Core secrets should not be entrusted to disciples. This is for their own good.”

“If your Idol of Fortune has found a safe place, please lie low for now. We will rebuild the Hall of Fate in the future.”

“To make up for today’s abruptness, I will send my disciple to set up a Four Symbols Formation Array for you soon.”

After hearing this, Li Si felt both fear and relief.

He was afraid because the Old Madam should be called the Reckless Old Woman.

What kind of move was “kicking out the Idol of Fortune”?

Luckily, his Idol of Fortune was too small to be stolen by that Evil Immortal, and he arrived in time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been dire. If the Idol of Fortune had been deciphered, the enemy could have struck right at the heart of Kao Mountain Town.

He was relieved that he hadn’t confessed to the Old Madam yet.

To be honest, he admired the Old Madam and the other World Guardian True Immortals greatly. Out of respect, he had often felt the urge to come clean.

But now he saw that he had been naive. It wasn’t that the Old Madam and the others had poor character, but their level and perspective were far beyond his.

There were many secrets the Old Madam and others wouldn’t share with their disciples—not for secrecy, but out of care.

But what if Li Si had confessed?

Would they accept a mere Golden Core cultivator who had built an undertaking they might envy?

At that point, they would only suspect that a more powerful and terrifying Evil Immortal or Evil God had secretly taken control of Li Si.

Most importantly, Li Si really was a transmigrator. He wasn’t named Li Ergou, and a simple soul-searching spell could end him.

“I really am immature, but that just shows I’m a kind and pure person.”

Li Si laughed at himself. He had been too naive.

If he wanted to confess, his identity as a transmigrator was the first hurdle he couldn’t pass.

Unless he had enough strength.

He was moved by the Old Madam and the others’ spirit of sacrifice for the Human Race, but he had to realize that their values were on different levels.

“This is a dark, cruel, and merciless world. I have to adapt. Did I really think having a Fate Forge meant I could do whatever I wanted? That’s a quick way to die.”

Li Si reflected once more. He had been too reckless lately.

Almost being killed by Little Mushroom was one instance, and now this was another.

Maybe the Old Madam and the others already suspected him.

Maybe the unexplained collapse of the Hall of Fate was a test.

Were those granted by the Heaven and Earth Decree necessarily allies?

Last night, he had recklessly bestowed Divine Grace Baptism on Jiang Ying, Ji Chang, Xu Shen, himself, and everyone else. He thought it was keeping the benefits within the group.

But how would the Old Madam see it?

And his act of giving out rewards yesterday—it felt great at the time, but it might have raised suspicions among the Old Madam and the others.

These were all ancient, cunning experts. They truly cared for this world and were willing to sacrifice for the Human Race, but because of their great righteousness, they would be even more cautious and decisive in handling minor details.

What about his own disciples?

Expecting these old foxes to protect their own? No way. If there was even a hint of suspicion, they would likely be closely monitored.

The more Li Si thought about it, the more anxious he became. Did the Old Madam sending him to deliver letters twice in a row mean she had noticed something?

Thinking this, he quickly checked his Annihilation Domain and his counter-curse talisman. Everything was normal; these were the best means against divination.

“Dammit, dammit, stop overthinking. Don’t go from one extreme to the other.”

“The Hall of Fate incident couldn’t have been targeting the Kaoshan Patriarch. These World Guardian True Immortals are as poor as ghosts; where would they get such courage?”

“Even if others suspect me, the Old Madam witnessed last night’s battle herself. She would never doubt me. But these three letters she sent, plus the message in the Hall of Fate, were subtly reminding me that hiding myself inherently breeds distrust.”

Taking a deep breath, Li Si teleported to the wilderness, then solemnly headed to Kao Mountain Town to deliver the letter. From now on, he shouldn’t think about confessing. Admiration was one thing, but he needed to act in his own way.

Hurrying along, Li Si arrived at Kao Mountain Town, formally announced his name, seriously stated his purpose, stood before the Kaoshan Patriarch’s Divine Idol for a while, then turned and left.

This procedure couldn’t be skipped.

As for whether the letter was received, didn’t he already know?

Then he solemnly walked back to the Floating Cloud Sect to report to the Old Madam.

“No reply?”

“Reporting to Master, I waited for a moment at the Kaoshan Patriarch’s Temple but didn’t see any response.” Li Si answered truthfully, then couldn’t help adding, “Master, the people in Kao Mountain Town treated me with great respect. This morning, the Kaoshan Patriarch even issued a Divine Decree, saying that from today on, the Mountback Sect and the Floating Cloud Sect are as close as family.”

“Now, the priests are planning to build a dock near our Floating Cloud Sect, but this matter still needs your approval, Master.”

Li Si spoke carefully, telling only the truth. Go ask them if you don’t believe me.

The Old Madam fell silent, lost in thought. After a long while, she said, “If the Kaoshan Patriarch isn’t there, his spirit must still be in the Illusory Realm. This is my fault, but we can’t delay matters in the Mortal Realm. The Evil God Cult’s army is gathering. In at most half a month, this place will be engulfed in war. Xu Shen, go prepare. We will relocate near Kao Mountain Town soon. As for Li Si, you will now stay in Kao Mountain Town. If the Kaoshan Patriarch returns, you must bring his reply back immediately.”

“In this battle, our chances of victory are slim. Cooperation is our only way out.”