Each Harboring Their Own Intentions

Five-Colored Divine Light.

Born from a wisp of Primordial Chaos Qi, it differentiated into the Five Elements. Within the cycle of the Five Elements, there was nothing it could not sweep away, nothing it could not destroy.

Five feathers, each about three feet long, slowly emerged behind Su Mu, resembling precious swords. Each was a different color, divided into green, yellow, red, black, and white. Within the circulating light, they subtly resonated with the Five Qi in his body.

The five feathers gently trembled, soaring into the sky, transforming into five divine lights tens of zhang long.

At this moment, three flowers shimmered above Su Mu's head, the Five Qi circulated, the Five-Colored Divine Light floated behind him, his long hair billowed, his Daoist robe fluttered. Standing amidst the mountains and forests, he resembled an immortal descended to the mortal world.

"Go!"

With a thought, Su Mu swept the divine light horizontally, aiming it towards a barren mountain not far away.

The five small feathers were as heavy as Taigu Divine Mountains. If Su Mu's spiritual power had not been profound, he would not have been able to move them at all.

The divine light swept past, and rocks, trees, and grass instantly vanished without a trace. A gigantic gully appeared on the mountainside, cleaving the barren mountain in two.

"Another protective divine ability..."

Su Mu smiled contentedly, retracted the five feathers, and his figure flickered. He swept up Bai Ze and the other person, then quickly departed, executing the Five Elements Escape Art.

Although the two were temporarily out of mortal danger, prolonged delay might leave lingering after-effects.

A moment later.

Several figures of different shapes appeared, surrounding the gigantic gully.

Above the gully, a trace of the Five-Colored Divine Light's spiritual power still lingered. Observing it with Divine Sense would even lead to being devoured.

"Taishan Prefectural Lord, did you see the one who cast the spell?"

One of them, the Prefect of Qiuye Prefecture, asked the Taishan Prefectural Lord, who had arrived first.

"Never seen them. This place is not far from my Ming Dian. I heard the commotion and immediately came, but still didn't find anyone."

The Taishan Prefectural Lord circulated his spiritual power, and dark death qi enveloped the gully. Confronting the lingering divine light, it surprisingly neutralized it.

However, the death qi was endless, while the divine light was like a rootless plant, quickly worn away by the death qi.

"Five-colored light, could it be the legendary item..."

A white-robed scholar seemed to be deep in thought. He gently waved his right hand, summoning a pool of water.

"Reviewing the old to learn the new."

A water mirror appeared before everyone, and the images within flickered, showing the scene before their arrival.

The white-robed scholar was named Chen Zhi Qing, the head of Chonghua Academy. His scholarship was extraordinary, and his vast righteous qi connected heaven and earth. He had long since entered the "words become law" realm.

"Bang!"

The water mirror shattered with a loud explosion, and the image stopped on a five-colored divine light, but the owner of the divine light was completely obscured.

"To think there's something even Senior Chen couldn't see? This old man's trip here wouldn't have been in vain, otherwise, I'd regret it for life."

The old man, who looked like a merchant, couldn't help but sneer, his voice full of sarcasm.

"What, is Manager Ma looking for a spar with This Chen?"

Chen Zhi Qing's lips twitched slightly, counterattacking without yielding.

Chonghua Academy and Guling Pavilion, one representing Confucian scholars, the other merchants, had always had conflicting ideologies. The two men were representatives of these two forces in Qiuye Prefecture, and their conflict was not new.

"Sirs, please give This Tian some face."

Seeing the two about to engage in a verbal battle again, Tian Shuang, the Prefect of Qiuye Prefecture, smiled helplessly, standing between them. Suddenly sensing something, he flew into the distance.

The others followed one by one, arriving at the place where Su Mu's group had fought.

"This place seems to have been a battleground. Looking at these traces, it appears to be lightning magic?"

Chen Zhi Qing looked around and stated his assessment.

"The Five Elements are complete, containing majestic heavenly might. It's the Zixiao Divine Thunder of Yujing Mountain."

The Taishan Prefectural Lord glanced at it, his expression slightly changing, as if remembering something.

Tian Shuang nodded slightly, his eyes sparkling with spiritual light. He swept his gaze over the scorched earth, and his expression suddenly changed.

"Demonic Qi!"

The other three's expressions turned solemn. They quickly released their Divine Sense to investigate and also detected the faint demonic qi.

"I must report this to His Majesty. All of you had best prepare early."

...

Taiyi Illusory Realm.

Palaces stood in dense rows, majestic and solemn, bearing the appearance of a royal dynasty.

The Taiyi Illusory Realm was the residence of the Myriad Demons Alliance Lord, the ruler behind countless demons and monsters in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

A stream of light flashed past, landing before a grand palace, transforming into a young woman with a graceful figure.

The woman wore an emerald green smoke-colored robe, a long skirt with a pattern of green grass and water mist, and a thin smoke-colored gauze cloak. Her shoulders were slender as if carved, her waist as delicate as a ribbon, her skin like jade. Her aura was like an orchid in a valley, her charm captivating to the bone. If she were to step into the mortal world, who knew how many outstanding talents would bow before her.

"Demon Master, what orders do you have for summoning me?"

A voice emanated from within the palace, calm and cold, as if from icy hell.

"Tu Shan Yue, Kong Ming is dead. You are to personally investigate in Da Yu."

The woman was the clan leader of the Tu Shan Clan, a branch of the ancient Nine-Tailed Fox Clan, Tu Shan Yue.

Tu Shan Yue frowned upon hearing this: "Kong Ming? He had the Five-Colored Divine Light protecting him, his demonic qi hidden. How could he..."

The descendants of the Peacock Clan were very few. This Kong Ming was a young genius, and the Kong family's Old Ancestor had deliberately bestowed the Five-Colored Divine Light upon him for protection, precisely fearing Kong Ming's premature death.

Now that Kong Ming was dead, heaven knew what that person would do.

"You only need to investigate. I will explain to the Peacock Clan."

The cold voice sounded again: "If you discover a Demon Sealing bloodline, report it immediately. I will send others."

"Yes, Demon Master."

Tu Shan Yue's eyes shifted, and she immediately nodded in agreement, transforming into a stream of light and flying into the distance.

"Ying Long."

"Your subordinate is present."

A robust figure instantly appeared before the grand hall, kneeling on one knee.

"Is everything prepared?"

"All is prepared, awaiting the Demon Master's command."

"Begin."

"Yes."

Ying Long vanished, and the palace once again fell silent.

...

Early morning.

Su Mu, as usual, finished his morning routine, preparing to dispose of today's trash.

Bai Ze had been absent for several days, so Su Mu temporarily took over the morning duties.

Song Li did not strictly manage them. Apart from a monthly appraisal task, they were free to arrange their remaining time, as long as they did not neglect their responsibilities.

"Junior Brother Su, has Junior Brother Bai not returned yet?"

As Su Mu left his room, he saw Zhao Shi knocking on Bai Ze's door. Upon seeing Su Mu, he immediately asked.

"Probably not yet. You know, Senior Brother Bai always lingers in Qiuye Prefecture for a while whenever he goes down the mountain."

"Indeed."

Su Mu's face didn't redden, nor did his heart pound, as he casually made up an excuse.

After leaving that day, Su Mu found a quiet place to settle the two, using spiritual power to dissolve the purple-gold medicinal pills to heal their injuries. Then, taking advantage of Bai Ze being about to wake but not fully conscious, he left first.

As for how they developed later, Su Mu had no desire to know.

Bai Ze had clearly hidden many things, and Luo Li's identity was also very strange. The karma behind the two was certainly not small.

Saving the two was out of fellow disciple sentiment, but Su Mu had no intention of getting involved in unnecessary karma.

Click.

Just as the two were about to leave, the door suddenly opened, and Bai Ze emerged with a sleepy expression.

"Oh, Senior Brother, Old Su, what are you two doing outside my room? Is something wrong?"

Su Mu raised an eyebrow and asked, "Senior Brother Bai, when did you return?"

Bai Ze scratched his head, yawned, and said, "I came back last night, but everyone was asleep then."

"So that's how it is."

Su Mu nodded, his eyes suddenly flashing as he looked towards the top of Bai Ze's head.

Purple Qi coming from the east, karmic luck taking form!