When Wang Ping read the letter, his body shot up from the meditation cushion.

He reread the beginning of the letter to make sure he wasn’t mistaken. Yu Lian, noticing his agitation, glanced at the letter in his hand and said in a tone of disbelief, "How could it be that old man, Dan Chen? Of all the minds I’ve observed, his was the most balanced. And how could he be connected to what’s happening in Shangjing City?"

Wang Ping’s thoughts, however, turned to the information he had given Dan Chen...

’If Dan Chen had used that information to kill someone, then he might have indirectly caused Second Senior Brother’s death.’

Wang Ping suppressed the urge to bolt from the room and verify the truth of the matter. Instead, he forced his gaze back to the rest of the letter:

"I write this letter, first, to offer my apology. This humble Daoist has always acted honorably, yet in this one matter, I resorted to a ploy against you, Fellow Daoist. It is a transgression I will regret until my dying day. Second, I wish to clarify something. Only after my involvement reached this point did I realize this whole affair is an utterly absurd joke...

"I left home at the age of seven to study the Alchemy Dao at the Upper Dan Sect. At that time, Zhongzhou was in utter chaos. Dozens of men had declared themselves kings and emperors, and not even one in ten of the common people survived. Later, I had the good fortune to meet King Xia. He was diligent and cared for his people, and he possessed great vision and strategy. I decided to stay by his side and, along with many other righteous individuals, assist him in pacifying the feuding Dukes.

"I was high-spirited in those days and made a grand vow to sacrifice my life for the peace of the realm. In the blink of an eye, more than four hundred years have passed. Now, I can only look back on myself as ridiculous and pathetic.

"How could pathetic, ridiculous ants like us ever hope to watch over this world? The very land beneath our feet is nothing but a tool for *them* to stabilize their spiritual essence. The common people are merely instruments for cultivating spirituality. Even we self-important Cultivators are just tools... tools to shoulder and suppress their madness.

"Writing this, I suddenly have so much more I want to say, but some things cannot be written down. To record them would be to be discovered. You can only investigate and seek the truth for yourself.

"I believe it was about two hundred years ago. I had just arrived on Nanlin Road, driven by a fiery passion to change this terrifying world. For this, I made quite a few enemies. One day, a person found me. As my spirituality was being monitored by him, I can neither describe his appearance nor tell you his name.

"He said he could take me to meet a Saint. He claimed this ravaged world could only be saved by two Saints. At first, I took him for a madman.

"But as our conversations deepened, I found myself deeply drawn to his views. And so, I decided to meet this Saint he spoke of.

"And I saw him. It was a true Saint; of that I am certain. I cannot describe him. Later, I learned he wasn’t real either, but by then, it was too late. All I can tell you is this: he is a projection of a consciousness. I can’t fathom where these people acquired this fragment of a projection, but he is terrifying.

"He is balanced and kind, but his balance and kindness are twisted. His followers, however, thoroughly enact his distorted benevolence, all to please him.

"Assassinating your senior brother was also an act to please the Saint. They felt your brother was creating strife, and they believe that suppressing strife pleases him. These people will do anything to please him. They have no concept of good or evil, no thoughts of justice or wickedness. Everything they do is for the sole purpose of pleasing the one they call their Saint.

"They say your destiny is special. That is why I am telling you this. If you truly have a special destiny, you must stop them.

"You must be careful. They act without reason, showing a complete disregard for the lives of others, as well as their own.

"As a token of my apology, I offer you a piece of information. I know you and your master have been searching for Li Yan. He has since changed his name to Jiao Hu and is hiding in the dungeons beneath the headquarters of the Commander of the Imperial Guard."

The letter ended there, without any closing remarks.

After reading it, Wang Ping sat down again, staring into the darkness through the half-open window, lost in thought. A wisp of Wood Spirit Qi emerged, and the letter in his hand turned to dust.

After a long silence, Wang Ping asked, "Do you think what Dan Chen said is true?"

"He has no reason to lie to you."

Yu Lian replied, "It’s just... a Saint... That’s simply too incredible to believe."

In the myths and legends of every continent in this world, the only beings worthy of the title "Saint" were the Nine Heavens Yin Yang Great Celestial Venerable and the Great Celestial Venerable of the Primordial Profound Method. The names just varied from place to place.

These two were creator-level figures. According to the orthodox legends in the Daoist Scripture Hall, they were the two beings born at the same instant as the Cosmos—primordial by nature. All life and matter that followed were their creations.

And Dan Chen was claiming he’d not only seen a projection of such a being, but had also communicated with it!

The mere thought was enough to make one’s skin crawl.

"Don’t spread this for now. We’ll investigate slowly. Let’s start with the investigation into Second Senior Brother’s death," Wang Ping instructed in a barely audible voice.

"Alright!"

"Right now, the priority is to deal with the trouble right in front of us."

With that said, Wang Ping closed his eyes. He needed to calm his heart and mind, to face whatever the morning brought in his best possible state.

Before dawn, Yu Cheng Taoist returned to the small courtyard. Following him was a short old man with grizzled hair, a wrinkled face, and a beard that reached his stomach. A Jade Green Gourd was fastened to his waist.

"This is Fellow Daoist Tianshan," Yu Cheng Taoist said with a friendly smile as Wang Ping emerged from the house. "He’s your grand-senior uncle’s sworn brother. You can call him Senior Uncle."

"Senior Uncle!" Wang Ping hurried to bow respectfully.

"Enough of that. We’re all family here, no need for such formalities." Tianshan took the Jade Green Gourd from his waist with his left hand while forming a spell with his right. "Don’t move!" he ordered Wang Ping. As he spoke, a stream of azure light flowed from the mouth of the gourd, enveloping Wang Ping entirely.

The next moment, particles like fine dust appeared on Wang Ping’s body. Seeing this, Tianshan immediately dispelled the spell and gave a gentle wave of his hand. In an instant, all the dust gathered into his palm.

"It really is Star Iron. It’s an otherworldly material. It has no spirituality of its own, but it can merge with Spiritual Qi. Some special Star Gods can summon it to the earth, using certain methods to break it down and control it. Any Star Iron they have broken down can be sensed by their divine souls, unless it is refined... This is good stuff. Many Artifact Cultivators use it to forge Magical Artifacts. It can kill without a trace."

As he spoke, he poured the Star Iron from his hand into the Jade Green Gourd. He then looked at Wang Ping and said, "Take me to your Dao Field. We’ll call this stuff my payment for helping you out."

"Let’s wait until this is all over. We don’t want to tip our hand," Yu Cheng Taoist cut in.

"Hmph, true enough. So when do we make our move?" Tianshan asked, looking at Wang Ping.

At his words, Wang Ping immediately formed a spell. A phantom image of the ’Water Moon Bell’ appeared, rising into the air before descending upon Yang Hou’s room.