Chapter 1036: The Clash Between Two Pavilions

Yu Hua had changed into a loose black robe that concealed her figure. She followed a step behind Li Guanqi, curious about the Guanyun Pavilion. She had never imagined its headquarters would be inside the Daxia Sword Sect’s territory.

Buzz!

A mysterious spatial fluctuation enveloped her, and the two of them vanished from midair.

Whoosh!

They appeared above the Guanyun Pavilion’s domain, and Yu Hua’s eyes widened. Spirit qi hung like mist in the air as cultivators flew or teleported between the buildings. More than a thousand vermilion buildings spread across the peaks, which were linked by massive pavilions. The Guanyun Pavilion now had over five thousand cultivators, each attending to their own duties. The entire organization ran like a vast, intricate machine.

A radiant scroll several hundred zhang long floated above the Guanyun Pavilion’s largest main pavilion. Flecks of spirit light flashed across its surface. Yu Hua stared at it in shock. “Is that the legendary Heavenly Intelligence Map?”

Li Guanqi glanced at the cultivators bustling below and replied through voice transmission, “No. It’s a replica, with less than one-tenth of the original’s power. If we had the real map, they wouldn’t have to work nearly this hard.”

Yu Hua’s eyes widened beneath her hood. She had just learned a startling secret. “A replica? Isn’t the real one supposed to be here at the Guanyun Pavilion?”

Li Guanqi merely shrugged without elaborating.

Gu Chuan, Xi Yunhuai, and Qian Qiusui had come to meet them. Qian Qiusui looked far more haggard than before. Her face was sallow, her hair disheveled, and she seemed to be struggling to stay alert. She frowned at the black-robed figure beside Li Guanqi, but he offered no introduction, so she kept her question to herself.

“Let’s go. We’ll talk in the main pavilion,” Li Guanqi said.

The three nodded and followed him. On the way, Li Guanqi asked, “Brother Chuan, how strong is Chen Xiaotian of the Cloud Shadow Guard now?”

Gu Chuan paused, then answered, “He’s reached the peak of the late Golden Core Realm. He should break through to the Nascent Soul Realm soon.”

Li Guanqi was surprised, though he could understand why. He had never cultivated under such favorable conditions himself. Still, he warned them, “Remember, the Cloud Shadow Guard handles only pavilion affairs. Never accept assassination missions. I won’t let the Guanyun Pavilion become a killing machine. We’re not the Dark Raven Order.”

The others stiffened and nodded solemnly. Xi Yunhuai was shaken, yet relieved that he had made the right call. When Wu Bing had posted an assassination mission targeting Kong Yan via the Guanyun Pavilion, Xi Yunhuai had suppressed it before anyone else saw it.

They entered the council hall. Once the doors closed, Li Guanqi raised a hand, and Yu Hua lowered her hood. Everyone except Xi Yunhuai looked surprised.

“Who is she?” Qian Qiusui asked with a frown.

Xi Yunhuai explained as briefly as possible. Yu Hua smiled brightly, bowed slightly, and said softly, “I’m Yu Hua. I look forward to working with you all.”

Li Guanqi introduced the others. “Our vice pavilion master, Xi Yunhuai, oversees the pavilion’s affairs. Gu Chuan is an old friend of Old Xi’s. He leads the Cloud Shadow Guard and handles our security. Qian Qiusui runs the Guanyun Pavilion’s commercial empire. Most of our funding comes through her.”

Yu Hua nodded to each of them. “Has no one taken charge of intelligence after Ji Yuchuan, the former vice pavilion master, left?”

“I wouldn’t say it’s been entirely leaderless,” Xi Yunhuai replied with a rueful smile.

Yu Hua smiled at the old man. “Then you’ve certainly had it rough, Old Xi.”

The others smiled, and Yu Hua continued, “I can take over the intelligence work. I can’t promise I’ll do it perfectly, but I’ll do my best.”

Li Guanqi nodded and tossed her a jade slip containing a cultivation technique. “This is the Great Void Shadow Concealment Divine Technique.”

Yu Hua scanned it with her divine consciousness and froze. It was an incredibly profound Heaven-tier concealment technique. If it appeared in the outside world, cultivators across the Six Territories would fight a bloody battle for it.

Her breathing quickened. “You’re giving this to me?”

Li Guanqi tapped his fingers against the table and replied softly, “Mm. It’s yours. I’ve made three versions of the technique, each with different capabilities. You can give the lesser versions to your subordinates as rewards.”

Overjoyed, Yu Hua carefully put the jade slip away. She regarded Li Guanqi with even greater respect.

The others, however, had long since grown accustomed to such things.

Li Guanqi straightened in his seat and turned toward Qian Qiusui. His expression grew grave, and the mood in the hall grew heavy. He took a swig of strong liquor from his wine gourd. “How far has the conflict between the two pavilions gone?”

Qian Qiusui’s expression turned solemn. She took a deep breath and slowly rose to stand before everyone. With a wave of her hand, she projected an image of the Heavenly Intelligence Map into the air above the hall.

She glanced at Yu Hua. Li Guanqi held up the jade slip containing a fragment of Yu Hua’s divine soul. “From now on, Yu Hua will oversee the Guanyun Pavilion’s intelligence operations. She’s one of us. You can speak freely.”

Qian Qiusui nodded and turned to Gu Chuan. “Brother Chuan, tell them.”

Gu Chuan stood and spoke in a deep, booming voice. “Since our conflict with the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion began, Old Xi and Qian Qiusui have been investigating both within our ranks and outside them. We’ve identified and killed 173 spies they planted among us.”

Li Guanqi frowned. He had not expected so many infiltrators, and there were probably more. He looked at Qian Qiusui. “Go on.”

“The Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion has been making one move after another against us,” Qian Qiusui said. “The reputations of our businesses are deteriorating, and their methods have been underhanded. Factions that once worked with us are distancing themselves for all sorts of reasons. Our transport arrays in several cities have been sabotaged repeatedly. Some of our members have even defected while on missions. There’s serious infighting within the pavilion, and someone may be stirring up trouble behind the scenes.”

She raised her head and looked directly at Li Guanqi, her voice turning icy. “In short… the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion is attacking us from every angle. They’ve already started this war. Now they’re waiting to see how we retaliate!”

Li Guanqi was silent for a moment before a cold smile formed on his lips. “Good. They’ve dropped all pretenses. Let’s show everyone which pavilion will be left standing. Tell everyone in charge to assemble in the council hall in thirty minutes. We’re launching our counterattack!”