Chapter 288 - 215: Old Friends as Pieces on the Board

After leaving the palace, Li An went straight to the forest where he and Lihua had arranged to meet.

Through two transactions, the two had already agreed on a method of contact. Three days ago, Li An had informed her that he had confidential information to share with them—

It wasn’t long before Lihua arrived.

Her aura had changed; she had leaped from Foundation Establishment Perfection to the Early-Stage True Core!

Clearly, the previous cooperation with Li An had elevated her status at the Taiyi Sect, earned her merit, and resulted in opportunities.

"What confidential information do you want to share with me?"

Lihua took the initiative to ask.

Li An said, "If I’m not mistaken, Luo Yue and Han Shuang from the Taiyi Sect have always wanted to compete with Fei Tianqi for the position of the Saint Child of the Immortal Talent Hall, is that right?"

Lihua replied, "Your information is not incorrect."

Li An said, "I have a way to help them."

Lihua glanced at Li An, but shook her head and said, "If it were a month ago, the Taiyi Sect would have been exceedingly grateful if you could provide useful information, but unfortunately, everything is already settled. Fei Tianqi has already become the Saint Child of the Immortal Talent Hall and is about to marry the first princess of Great Li."

"Although your information is accurate, it’s too late."

Li An smiled calmly and said, "Not necessarily. Fei Tianqi is now the Saint Child, but what if he betrays the Immortal Talent Hall?"

Lihua frowned and said, "How... how is that possible?!"

Li An said, "Maybe it is possible, maybe it isn’t... but I’ve received some information."

"On the wedding day, the Demon Race army will attack Great Li, and the Immortal Talent Hall’s Saint Child, Fei Tianqi, is their insider—"

"By then, he will personally bring the Immortal Talent Hall’s Daoist Scripture to the Celestial Killer Mountain Range, where the Demon Race has already sent General Zhengli to welcome him—"

Lihua was instantly shocked: "What... this..."

She could hardly believe it.

Fei Tianqi now had limitless prospects, how could he do such a thing?

"As long as the Demon Race offers enough benefits, why wouldn’t he?" Li An smiled slightly and said, "Of course, whether this information is true or false, I am also unsure... I just think it might be useful to you."

Lihua pondered for a moment, then nodded seriously, "Thank you, Daoist friend. Whether this information is true or false, we will verify it."

"What reward do you require?"

Li An said, "If the information is accurate, I want a Nascent Soul Pill."

Lihua nodded, "If the information is accurate—we will ensure you are satisfied."

Li An softly said:

"There’s another favor I wish to ask Jiang Master for."

Lihua’s eyes instantly flashed with a wary light!

She had never revealed her true name to Li An, only using a code name. Moreover, after leaving the Jiang Clan, she only referred to herself as Lihua to those close to her, so how did this person before her know her last name was Jiang?

"What favor do you wish for me to do?" she asked calmly.

"On the day of the wedding, if Fei Tianqi indeed arrives at the Celestial Killer Mountain Range, I want you to relay this information to others in the Immortal Talent Hall."

Upon hearing this, Lihua’s brows furrowed instantly as she realized and said, "What do you mean by that? Are you trying to use me to set a trap?"

Li An shook his head, smiling, "No, it’s merely a deal. I’m helping your Taiyi Sect members ascend to the Saint Child position, but it’s not without a price. You help me draw the others over... then we are truly even."

Lihua said coldly, "Your information was already traded for a Nascent Soul Pill, what you’re asking is too much."

Li An calmly said, "Miss Lihua, perhaps you’re mistaken; this isn’t helping me, but helping yourself."

He slowly said, "I have a friend who’s recently encountered some trouble and has no choice but to plunge into danger, heading to Great Li, his life uncertain. Before he left, he instructed me, as he had no worldly attachments, to make sure to rescue Miss Lihua from the Taiyi Sect once he learned that your Dantian was truly restored."

Hearing this, Lihua’s body suddenly shook, looking at Li An in disbelief, and said, "Are you talking about... are you talking about, my master, Zhao Yi?!"

—The alias Li An used when in the Jiang Clan was precisely Zhao Yi.

Before the Jiang Clan was destroyed, she received a pouch and pills from Li An, allowing her to leave the Jiang Clan early and restore her Dantian, leading to her current state.

After that battle, she had inquired countless times about Zhao Yi’s whereabouts... but there was no trace.

She once thought that her master had already died in that battle...

Now hearing the person in front of her say this, she immediately understood... her master was still alive in this world!

"Although I was very close to him, I never knew what name he used then; only that he once lamented that he should not have brought you out from the Four Sceneries Mountains, letting you suffer so much hardship."

Li An spoke calmly.

As his words fell, Lihua couldn’t help but burst into tears!

It really was... her master!

Her master was still alive, he was alive!

"Where is he? Where is my master!?"

She looked at Li An with longing, "Senior, may I ask you to take me to see my master?"

Li An shook his head, "He is no longer in the Celestial Killer Mountain range; he has already gone to Great Li."

"Miss Lihua, do you know that the Taiyi Sect is in grave danger, and the entire Xiling Origin Continent is at risk... He wants to save you, and many others as well."

Li An sighed, "That’s why I told you about this. Whatever you choose to do, Miss Lihua, it is up to you to decide—"

Lihua was both excited and full of questions she wanted to ask. Why did her master go to Great Li, and why was the Taiyi Sect in danger... But she understood, these matters must involve the highest level of conflict and strategic planning.

"I trust my master; he is the only person in this world that I believe in."

Lihua spoke, tears mingled with her smile, "I will not let my master down."

As she was leaving, Li An reminded her once more, "Miss Lihua, regarding the whereabouts of that Daoist friend of mine... you must keep it absolutely secret, tell no one, or he will be in danger on that side of Great Li..."

Lihua nodded, "Senior, will my master... be able to return?"

Li An said, "It’s hard to say... but there’s always some hope."

Lihua left.

...

This was Li An’s third move!

The first move was to use a Divinity Transformation Stage Corpse, refine it into an Evil Crystal and give it to Fei Tianqi, allowing him to acquire the Daoist Scripture and become the Saint Child.

The second move was to have the Demon Race mobilize their troops, preparing to attack Great Li.

The third move was to use Lihua as an insider, passing messages to lure everyone from the Immortal Talent Hall to the Celestial Killer Mountain range.

Each move carried certain risks.

After all these years, could Lihua still be trusted? Would she betray him? Precisely because of this consideration, Li An did not meet her in his true identity and provided her with a false message: Zhao Yi had gone to Great Li.

This way, even if Lihua revealed everything, told the Taiyi Sect or even Great Li, those involved would likely focus their attention on Great Li.

Moreover, his identity in the Celestial Killer Mountain range was unknown to Lihua, so his safety was still assured.

The third step was completed, but Li An did not feel relieved. For the entire plan to succeed, there were at least two more steps needed...

...

The next day.

The Demon Race’s General Zhengli, Shee Anqi, led an elite force of thirty thousand to the Celestial Killer Mountain range!

"Daoist Lin, after many years, you still look radiant."

Shee Anqi met Li An in his palace.

Shee Anqi had been in the Nascent Soul stage for many years; her aura was increasingly powerful, and she appeared even brighter and more alluring. Seeing Li An, a complex expression surfaced in her eyes...

After all these years, Li An was still only at the Late-Stage True Core... Back then, when he refused to follow the Demon Race’s army to the Demon Realm, he indeed missed out on a lot.

In terms of cultivation level, Li An would even have to address her as senior.

But Shee Anqi felt no pride, rather a slight bitterness. After being rejected by Li An for marriage and leaving with the Demon Race army, she once thought, when her cultivation reached Nascent Soul, maybe there would be a different ending upon her return?

Now she deeply understood Lin An’s status within the Demon Race... even surpassing her own!

Even though she had reached Nascent Soul... Lin An remained out of her reach.

Subtly, she speculated that Lin An might have a special relationship with the Demon Queen...

"General Shee has come from afar, weary from the journey. Ordinarily, I should host a banquet to welcome General Shee and refresh you, but due to the urgent military situation, we must first discuss business—"

Li An got straight to the point, "I wonder when the General plans to launch the campaign against Great Li?"

Shee Anqi smiled, "What do you think, Daoist Lin?"

Her mission this time... was also very simple: cooperate with Li An!

In other words, she was here to follow Li An’s lead.

"How about today?"

Li An said, "There is no time to lose, let’s dispatch a strike force to the nearest Yue Kingdom today—"

"In the coming days, we can send small squads on continuous raids to probe and scout out Great Li’s weaknesses, then, when the Great Li Princess’s wedding takes place, deploy the main force and strike—this way, we are sure to achieve a complete victory!"

Shee Anqi said, "That sounds excellent, I’ll make the arrangements right away."

...

With Shee Anqi taking charge, Li An felt reassured, and then he left the Celestial Killer Mountain range immediately.

Next, it was time to make the fourth move in this chess game—

He headed directly to the Blood Province, where the Blood Essence Sect was located!

Fei Tianqi had once been the Saint Child of the Blood Essence Sect, and since Li An couldn’t contact him directly, he could only go through the Blood Essence Sect—

...