Jiang Yi understood one thing clearly: Li Guanqi had come with ill intent. In three days, he had thrown the entire Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion into turmoil. At first, the middle and high-level members hadn’t taken Li Guanqi seriously, but that changed fast. He destroyed the Four Towers and declared all matters had to pass through him. Then, within hours, he executed a Heavenly Intelligence Guard right in front of the Red Tower Master. The power and authority behind it shocked everyone.

There was also the death of the Black Hall Master in the Yellow Tower. Yuan Hongyi had carried it out personally under the pretense of embezzlement, but many were already speculating that Su You’s rise had been orchestrated by Pavilion Master Li. If true, Li Guanqi had showed the authority befitting his position. Everything he’d done had been in full view, and his prestige was growing by the day. Now, wherever he went, anyone within the Pavilion would stop, bow, and address him as Pavilion Master. That was why Jiang Yi was so uneasy.

Under the cover of night, Li Guanqi sat in his room, staring at the mountain of jade slips before him. A headache was forming. Even with the Heavenly Intelligence Map organizing vast amounts of information, certain critical matters still demanded his personal attention. These responsibilities had once fallen to the tower masters, but now they all rested on him alone.

He didn’t mind. He circulated his vital force and formed a temporary clone. A streak of light shot from him, and the true Heavenly Intelligence Map hovered beside the clone, glowing faintly. He didn’t need the clone to last long, so it cost him little effort, yet the sensation was fascinating. No wonder the Blue Tower’s middle and high-level members are all under Ji Yuchuan’s control.

He let the clone handle Pavilion affairs while he sat alone in the courtyard, drinking. His gaze grew distant.

He hadn’t made a move against Ji Yuchuan yet because he still couldn’t tell which side the man was on. He had initially believed Ji Yuchuan was a guardian appointed by Gu Yong, but Ji Yuchuan had been present in the void-bound hall with the other tower masters. If he were truly a guardian, he should never have appeared there.

Li Guanqi tapped his fingers against the table and murmured, “At this point... they’re probably getting restless. I wonder what they’ll do next.”

He took out several jade slips, warning Ye Feng and the others to be careful.

Upon receiving the message, Xiao Chen sealed off his domain. He would only return to the outside world when Li Guanqi said it was safe. He needed to enter seclusion to cultivate anyway, so it worked out.

Li Guanqi took out a purple jade slip and spoke in a low voice. “Sect Master, have the disciples reduce their outings for now. I’ll send a few suitable cultivation methods. Recall them. And delay the plan to summon back former disciples.”

Soon, Lu Kangnian’s voice came from the jade slip.

—Understood. Anything else?

Li Guanqi’s lips curled. Perhaps only he knew how precious it was to be trusted unconditionally. “Nothing much. But there are a few disciples you should transfer from their positions. They’re agents of the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion.”

He put the jade slip away and narrowed his eyes. “Targeting the people around me... that’s the lowest of tactics.”

Beyond that, he couldn’t think of any other way they could threaten him.

After handling everything, Li Guanqi said softly, “Ge Qi.”

“I’m here.”

“Do we have poison?”

“Yes.”

“Administer it to the direct third-generation heirs of the Jiang, Yuan, and Tu families. All of them.”

Ge Qi, hidden in the void, went still. His pupils dilated. “What level of poison?”

Li Guanqi smiled coldly. “If I want someone dead, they die.”

Ge Qi inhaled sharply but nodded. “Understood.”

Ge San’s surveillance reports came next. Ever since Li Guanqi destroyed the Four Towers, communication among the middle and high-level members had surged. Unease spread as they struggled to read the situation. With all four tower masters gone from the domain, no one needed their approval anymore. Many had already begun to waver, ready to side with Li Guanqi.

Within a pitch-black void, hidden inside a cluster of gray, chaotic mist, lay a speck of dust.

A figure cloaked in black appeared there, moving furtively. Yuan Hongyi. Strange dark-green patterns spread across his face, his complexion pale, his expression pained. After confirming no one had followed him, he formed hand seals and vanished.

In the dark, hollow space, Yuan Hongyi spoke in a low voice. “I’ve brought everything for this year. Give me the medicine.” 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

He flicked his hand, and over a hundred glowing storage rings appeared in midair. Another figure, cloaked entirely in black, emerged from the darkness. The black-cloaked figure swept the rings up, scanned each one with divine consciousness, and stored them away. With a flick of their hand, a purple-gold jade box flew toward Yuan Hongyi.

Yuan Hongyi hurriedly opened it and swallowed the dark-green pill inside. As its medicinal power spread through him, the green patterns on his face gradually faded. Color returned to his complexion, and even his trembling lips regained some life.

The figure spoke. The voice was ethereal, neither clearly male nor female. “In the current state of the Heavenly Intelligence Pavilion... can you still deliver on time?”

Yuan Hongyi’s pupils dilated, his expression turning grim. “That’s none of your concern. Just prepare the medicine on time. And when will you let me go? What conditions must I meet to obtain the antidote?”

He could no longer endure the torment. He wanted the cure.

Beneath the hood, the figure’s lips curled slightly. Their tone was playful. “You’ll live under my control for the rest of your life. Stop dreaming about an antidote. I won’t give it to you.”

Once the words fell, the surrounding space warped and disappeared.

Yuan Hongyi stood in place, his expression dark, cursing under his breath. “Damn it... One day, I’ll kill you with my hands.”