Only after his hook landed on Gray Sparrow’s Nest ten consecutive times did Li Qingxian deploy the bait Destiny Star, succeeding on the first try.
One by one, he slowly reeled them in.
An hour later, after consuming five Qi Fortune Fish and four purchased Destiny Stars, he had successfully caught Gray Sparrow’s Nest, Microscale Submerged Grass, Chameleon Hideaway, and Outcast Horses.
Li Qingxian immediately removed the Fox Posing as Tiger’s Might Destiny Star, placing Gray Sparrow’s Nest, Microscale Submerged Grass, and Chameleon Hideaway onto his Moon Pillar, Day Pillar, and Hour Pillar.
With the four Fates forming a Life Formation, Li Qingxian immediately felt the light from his Life Mansion grow brighter. Within it, a subtle, mysterious aura began to emerge.
Though it wasn’t enough to form Life Mist, his Fate Grid had already undergone a major transformation.
Li Qingxian performed another quick Inference, readjusting the positions of the four Fates. By following the principles of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, he resolved their conflicts, making his overall fate even more potent.
Finally, Li Qingxian frowned as he stared at the Golden Toad with Treasure.
This Destiny Star could indeed bring him great wealth, but it didn’t synergize with the other three. Even Outcast Horses was a better match.
After a moment of thought, he gazed toward his Life Pool and Destiny Star Mountain.
Five Qi Fortune Fish swam about in the Life Pool. He gained one every day, but his consumption was high as well.
On his Destiny Star Mountain, there had originally been eighteen purchased Fates. He had now used six, leaving twelve.
In addition, he still had Fox Posing as Tiger’s Might and Outcast Horses.
With a mere thought, Golden Toad with Treasure left his Life Mansion, and Fox Posing as Tiger’s Might settled onto a Life Pillar.
The instant the Destiny Star settled on the pillar, Li Qingxian felt his Life Mansion tremble faintly.
A faint layer of Life Mist materialized above the Destiny Star.
The Life Formation of four Fates was complete.
Above the four Destiny Stars and beneath the Life Mist, a tiny glass sphere had appeared.
The Destiny Stars were the size of a person’s head, but this tiny glass sphere was only the size of a fingertip.
White mist swirled inside the glass sphere.
A look of delight crossed Li Qingxian’s face. "The Life Formation is gestating a Life God! I never thought the combined power of Pang Mingjing’s Destiny Star and the one from the Ge Dynasty could give birth to a Life God. It makes sense, though. Fox Posing as Tiger’s Might has always been about deception and trickery."
Li Qingxian withdrew, satisfied, and once again used Observing Fate and Qi on the Ge Dynasty.
No longer protected by a Life Formation and now subject to the Emperor Star’s Fate Suppression, a series of Destiny Images flickered into existence above the Ge Dynasty’s head, playing out like a film.
Li Qingxian examined them one by one.
He stopped Observing Fate and Qi. In his peripheral vision, he noticed an official wearing the same Fourth-Grade Official’s Uniform standing beside Zhou Chunfeng, distinguished only by the Daoist Crown on his head. Paying it no mind, Li Qingxian called out, "Are the Scribes present?"
"Here!" The two Tenth-Grade Clerks responsible for interrogation records stepped forward from Jingg Guan’s side.
"Take this down immediately."
"Yes, sir." The two Scribes immediately picked up their brushes and unrolled scrolls of paper.
Li Qingxian began rattling off details from the Destiny Images with the speed of a machine gun.
"His wife is innocent, but his son was turned long ago. The Qingsheng Pharmacy five streets from his house is one of their strongholds. He once framed a Night Guard Prisoner—that prisoner was innocent..."
By the time Li Qingxian finished, everyone was staring, dumbfounded.
Li Qingxian clasped his hands in a salute toward the Imperial City. "The reason I can see all this so clearly is entirely thanks to the Emperor. The subject is currently under the Emperor Star’s Fate Suppression."
Understanding dawned on the faces of the crowd, and they nodded slowly.
"Excellent! A tiger father does not raise a worthless pup," the Fourth-Grade Official praised.
Zhou Chunfeng said, "This is Imperial Prison Envoy Wu Zhao. In the future, if you have any questions regarding Daoist Skills, you may consult Lord Wu."
"This humble official, Li Qingxian, pays his respects to the Wu Imperial Prison Envoy." Li Qingxian turned to face the Daoist Official.
He was tall and lean yet vigorous, his face a web of wrinkles. He sported a three-stranded, pure black beard, wore a Senior Fourth-Grade Official’s Uniform, and had a Pure Yang Daoist Crown perched on his head. He appeared to be in his fifties or sixties.
Wu Zhao smiled. "I seem to have missed two good shows by not attending the last two sessions at the Disciplinary Hall. As for matters of Daoist Skills, with Fairy Qingcheng around, this humble Daoist wouldn’t dare embarrass himself."
Li Qingxian countered, "Senior Sister Youfei is well-read, but in the practical application of Daoist Skills, she is by no means your equal."
"You’ve become an Official Disciple of the Celestial Cloud Sect?" Wu Zhao asked.
"Senior Sister Youfei accepted me as a disciple on behalf of her master," Li Qingxian explained.
Wu Zhao nodded repeatedly, smiling. "Excellent. Our Daoist Sect is the best fit for you after all."
"Alas..." Zhou Chunfeng sighed in resignation. "The boy is good at everything, except for what matters—he’s neither a scholar nor a warrior."
Wu Zhao stroked his beard and chuckled.
"All finished?" Zhou Chunfeng asked.
"It’s over," Li Qingxian confirmed.
"Old Wu, we won’t disturb you any longer," Zhou Chunfeng said.
"My quarters are on the way. I’ll walk with you," Wu Zhao replied.
Zhou Chunfeng and Wu Zhao led the way with the others following behind. They walked out of the cell, and after just a few steps onto the main path, a thick fog suddenly billowed up ahead.
"Be careful!" Wu Zhao warned in a hushed voice.
Li Qingxian looked up, and his heart sank.
The road ahead, leading to the West Gate, was now white as jade, as if covered by a blanket of winter snow.
At the end of the White Road, gray mist churned violently.
Everyone stood frozen, staring at one another in stunned silence.
"Is my luck really this bad?" Li Qingxian muttered to himself.
Zhou Chunfeng whispered, "Don’t speak rashly. Old Wu, you stay here and look after them. I’m going to the end to see what’s going on."
Wu Zhao nodded, his expression grave.
Both men simultaneously reached into their Qi Fortune Silver Fish Pouches. Wu Zhao drew a Magic Iron Seven-Star Sword, while Zhou Chunfeng produced a yellowed, ancient book.
Zhou Chunfeng slowly approached the border between the normal path and the White Road, and the dense fog ahead began to thin.
The White Road suddenly began to bubble, and thick strands of long, black hair pushed through, dense as a forest. They drifted gently in the air like strands of seaweed.
Wu Zhao murmured in a low voice, "Black hair from white earth grows, a path from which no one returns."
Deeper down the White Road stood a ten-foot-tall, gray-white stone doorframe. Its threshold was about a foot high and consisted of three tiers—front, middle, and back. Each tier undulated like a mountain range, complete with swirling mists and dense forests.
The doorframe divided the White Road. Beyond it, at the very end of the path and in the deepest part of the fog, stood a pair of massive, closed, frameless gates, easily ten stories high.
Li Qingxian gazed at the gates from afar. They seemed to be forged from brass, thick and imposing.
The left gate was carved with winding rivers flowing between mountains. The dark, ochre water within them flowed upward, from bottom to top.
The right gate depicted a city where blurry figures of living beings moved about. These beings also traveled upward, and any who stopped or turned back were instantly swept away by the ochre river’s current.
Within the mist flanking the gates, flashes of yellow-clad figures could occasionally be seen.
Zhou Chunfeng, surprisingly, was marching in place.
Wu Zhao sighed softly. "Everyone, hold your ground. That is the No Return Road."
Wu Zhao lowered his voice and called out, "Old Zhou, how is it?"
"I’m fine. I haven’t actually stepped onto the No Return Road. As long as I don’t turn back, marching in place will neutralize the effect. Once the Deceit of the No Return Road is broken, I can come back. I recognize the ’Santu Mountain’ in the threshold up ahead, but what is that gate?"
"Yellow Springs," Wu Zhao said, his voice grim.
"I see," said Zhou Chunfeng.
TAP... TAP... TAP...
The dignified Senior Fourth-Grade Official stood before the hair drifting like seaweed, marching in place like a common foot soldier.
Wu Zhao turned to look at the others.
Li Qingxian and Zhou Henn stood together. Behind them were Jingg Guan, Wu Zhao’s two subordinates, a Ninth-Grade Prison Guard Captain, and six Tenth-Grade Prison Guards. Including Zhou Chunfeng, there were thirteen people in total.
Fear was etched on every face.
Zhou Henn sent a secret voice transmission: "Do your best not to move forward. Try not to move at all."
Li Qingxian gave a slight nod.
Wu Zhao let out a long sigh. "I know you’re afraid. You might even want to run, but it’s impossible. It’s not just us—the several hundred Prison Guards, officials, and prisoners in this entire area are all trapped. I have a piece of good news and a piece of bad news. The good news is that the Yellow Springs Mysterious Land is an Unending Mysterious Land; it will naturally dissipate after twelve hours pass. It’s considered the most ’benevolent’ and simplest of its kind. If we’d run into the other Deceitful Land that haunts the Imperial Prison Department, not one of us would be leaving alive. The bad news is, every hour, a boat arrives to ferry souls into the Yellow Springs. Since we were the first to see the Yellow Springs Gate, we have the highest probability of being sent there."