The Plague God Sparrow is about to escape?

Hongmi Immortal?

The group was stunned, trading bewildered looks.

But as prodigies, none of them were fools. No one was stupid enough to ask Zhu Ge things like, “What are you talking about?” or “How is that possible?”

“Brother Zhu, you mean to say…” Yan Liyuan frowned.

Zhu Ge sighed. Without another word, he looked up into the sky. “If that’s the case, then I’ll let it go.”

The next moment, Zhu Ge relaxed his Heart Spirit. The layers of mycelia wrapped around the Plague God Sparrow like a rice dumpling slowly fell away and vanished.

Just then, a soft chuckle echoed from the horizon.

“Heh heh. The day I met you, I could tell your courage was extraordinary and your intellect remarkable. I never thought you would actually see through my scheme.”

With the laughter, Hongmi Immortal appeared on the horizon. Dressed in white robes with a full head of white hair and a matching beard, he looked like a venerable, highly respected elder.

“It was only a guess. I just didn’t think you could be this wicked,” Zhu Ge said, shaking his head.

“Wicked? Good?” Hongmi Immortal scoffed. “I never expected that someone so clever in small matters could be so abysmally dull when it comes to the big picture.”

As he spoke, Hongmi Immortal beckoned with his hand.

In an instant, countless towering stalks of red rice burst from the ground. Like brooms, they swept lightly toward the other two locations, where the Locust Demon Crown Prince and the Red River Dragon Python lay.

WHOOSH—

The mycelia melted away instantly, like snow under a blazing sun.

Meanwhile, in the Six Paths Valley, Zhu Ge’s face paled, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.

“This great formation of yours is much weaker than I imagined. It seems you’re running on fumes.” Hongmi Immortal’s face was full of smiles. Judging by his expression alone, he looked like a grandfather speaking to his own grandchildren.

Zhu Ge’s face was ashen. He was speechless.

“Old man, what the hell is your problem? Are you a fucking moron?” Guan Julan couldn’t hold back any longer, being the first to lash out.

Hearing this, Hongmi Immortal cast a gentle gaze her way and chuckled. “You foolish girl. So blessed with beauty, yet cursed with such a venomous tongue.”

With a light flick of his sleeve, Guan Julan was struck as if by a heavy blow. A red handprint appeared on her face as she was sent flying backward.

Seeing this, Yan Liyuan’s expression darkened. “You’re about to break through to the Fusion Realm.”

Hongmi Immortal nodded slightly. “Correct. The Fusion Realm! How many Fusion Realm experts are there in all of Yunjiang? Today, their number will increase by one.”

Hongmi Immortal looked down at the heavily wounded, near-death Locust Demon Crown Prince and Red River Dragon Python. He smiled and beckoned. “Little snake, come here.”

The next instant, the mangled Red River Dragon Python struggled to its feet and flew toward Hongmi Immortal in the sky.

Everyone was aghast. Zhu Ge remained silent.

“You… you… you raised the Red River Dragon Python?!” Su Feibai’s eyes widened. “Raising Ghosts and cultivating Gods, bringing harm to the common people… Aren’t you afraid the Frost Descent Official will come to purge you?”

“The Frost Descent Official?” For the first time, Hongmi Immortal’s expression changed, his gentle demeanor shifting to one of disdain. “The Da Sheng Empire is filled with people who need purging. Can she possibly purge them all? Heh heh.”

He turned to look at his right hand, where the Red River Dragon Python had already transformed into a small snake coiled around his arm.

He stroked the little snake with a tender expression, as if caressing a lover. “Years ago, I saw how difficult your Cultivation was, so I guided you to become a River God and a Great Demon. Today, it is time for you to repay that kindness.”

At his words, the Red River Dragon Python let out a long roar toward the heavens. The demon heart within its body began to pound, and its entire Cultivation condensed, forming a sand-colored, shimmering Dragon Ball that it spat from its mouth.

This Dragon Ball was the very essence of the Red River Dragon Python’s Cultivation, akin to a Cultivator’s Nascent Soul.

“The Red River Dragon Python?!” The Plague God Sparrow, now free, was utterly shocked by the scene:

“It came to Nanyue Mianhuang to invite me to Red River Prefecture… that was your scheme?!”

Hongmi Immortal nodded with a smile. “You were plotting against the little snake as well, were you not?”

Then, he looked down at the Locust Demon Crown Prince. “And what about this Great Witch? Crown Prince? A mere member of the Barbarian Race dares to call himself a Crown Prince? How laughable.”

“You… you…” The Locust Demon Crown Prince had been stripped of most of its swarm, and only one of its two locusts remained. It couldn’t even form a complete sentence.

“You manipulated the Red River Dragon Python to find me in Nanyue Mianhuang, and used that as a pretext to lure the Locust Demon Crown Prince into acting with me…” The Plague God Sparrow was trembling all over.

A thoughtful expression appeared on Yan Liyuan’s face.

The others reacted similarly.

Shock, contemplation, frowns, solemnity… all sorts of expressions could be seen.

Only Zhu Ge remained calm.

‘The source of all this was, in fact, Hongmi Immortal.

‘The tree diagram from my logical analysis made it clear.

‘Everything that happened before had a trail. The insect swarm, the plague, Hongmi Immortal’s strange behavior, the Red River Dragon Python’s strange behavior…

‘All of it was connected to Hongmi Immortal.

‘Take the Red River Dragon Python, for instance.

‘The Red River is a river that ascends to the heavens and falls back to earth, rising from the ground to enter Yuan Yang City, only to fall back to the ground from the city.

‘A small snake just happened to appear in such a river many years ago and, by a stroke of luck, became a River God?

‘I refuse to believe there wasn’t someone pulling the strings.

‘As the Yuan Yang City Lord who controlled the entire Red River Prefecture, Hongmi Immortal was the prime suspect.’

“Hongmi Immortal, your entire scheme has brought devastation to the people of Red River Prefecture! If I report this to the academy, I’m certain many masters will come here to execute you!” Yan Liyuan’s face was stern as he spoke.

“To commit such an outrageous act for your own selfish breakthrough… even if you succeed, you will have no place to survive among the Human Race!”

“The Human Race? Da Sheng?” Hongmi Immortal laughed.

It wasn’t a gentle laugh, but a crazed one. “Haha! You, Yan Liyuan, are a prodigy with the backing of your elders. How could you possibly understand the hardships of a Loose Cultivator like me?”

He pointed toward the barely visible Yuan Yang City in the distance and laughed maniacally. “I’ve sat empty in Yuan Yang City for centuries! I’ve petitioned the Territorial Lord for support dozens, even hundreds of times, but never once received a response.”

“That Territorial Lord spends all his days scheming for the petty interests of his own family. Why would he ever care about a pathless, baseless Loose Cultivator like me, with no backing whatsoever?”

“I guided the Red River Dragon Python and used it as a lure to draw the Plague God Sparrow here. That Locust Demon Crown Prince and the Plague God Sparrow were on good terms, so they were bound to plot against each other.”

“The Locust Demon Crown Prince wanted to devour the Plague God Sparrow and the Red River Dragon Python. The Plague God Sparrow accepted the invitation, intending to devour the Red River Dragon Python and the Locust Demon Crown Prince…”

Laughing and laughing, Hongmi Immortal laughed until tears streamed down his face. “You see, Yan Liyuan? This is a dog-eat-dog world!”

“If you don’t eat others, others will try to eat you.”

“So, I stepped up.”

He pointed to the sky. “Look. The Plague God Sparrow, the Red River Dragon Python, and the Locust Demon Crown Prince… they brought devastation and misery to my Red River Prefecture.”

“As the Pavilion Master, I stepped forward to slay these three. I will merge the Divine Dao, Demon Dao, Demon Dao, Witch Dao, and Immortal Dao—five paths into one—and use them to ascend to the Fusion Realm.”

“When that time comes, not only will Nanyue Mianhuang be annexed into my Da Sheng, but with a Fusion Realm expert like me guarding the border, Yunjiang will also enjoy centuries of peace, just like before.”

“Tell me, what have I done wrong?”

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