532: Chapter 532 Foundation

Lianyue Immortal Palace.

"This is the special Magical Artifact Liu Xuan asked me to bring back. Please take a look." You Ruo presented the Karmic Fire Oil Lamp.

Ghost King Lianyue took the oil lamp in her hand, her heart full of curiosity. When her Divine Sense was attached to the lotus seed, she had seen Liu Xuan hand this object to You Ruo, but she didn't know what Liu Xuan's intention was.

"It burns the Divine Soul; it's a rare spiritual fire indeed."

"Hmm?!"

"Wait, something's wrong!!"

Ghost King Lianyue's pupils shrank suddenly as a sharp pain transmitted from her Divine Soul. This fire actually caused slight damage even to her!

What kind of spiritual fire could actually cause damage to her?! This was simply inconceivable!

She was a Peak Middle Stage Soul Transformation Ghost King whose soul body had reached the realm of Perfection. Even ordinary lightning had absolutely no effect on her, so how could she be injured by a mere spiritual fire?

Let alone spiritual fire, even most of the True Fires in the world caused negligible damage to her.

"An ordinary Spiritual Artifact could never have this kind of effect!" Ghost King Lianyue brought the oil lamp close to her face for a closer look, saying eerily, "This is at least a spark from a Rank 5 Spirit Treasure, and a Rank 5 Spirit Treasure specifically targeting ghost Cultivators at that!"

"This is a blatant threat!" Ghost King Lianyue said angrily.

After her anger subsided, she quickly calmed down. From the current situation, the other party truly had the qualifications to threaten her.

Liu Xuan's Sea of Consciousness contained a mysterious and terrifying suppression. It was highly likely that a super powerhouse stood behind him, or he himself was a hidden super powerhouse.

His cultivation was at least that of a Late Stage Soul Transformation Dao Lord. Combined with a Rank 5 Spirit Treasure specifically designed to restrain her, if they truly clashed, she might not be able to protect herself even with the enhancement of the Black Death Marsh.

"This Liu Xuan must absolutely not be made an enemy!"

Having made up her mind, she put away the Karmic Fire Oil Lamp and ordered You Ruo below, "I want all the information on this Liu Xuan. Go find it for me as quickly as possible."

"As you command!"

You Ruo received the order and withdrew.

A few days later.

A pile of information was delivered to Lianyue Immortal Palace. Liu Xuan's information was very easy to find and wasn't considered a secret.

Fifty years ago, he joined the Red Pine Sect and established the Liu Family at White Crane Lake. Along the way, he married and had children, becoming the de facto master of the Red Pine Sect.

After that, the Pioneering War broke out. He first attached himself to the Southern Courtyard of the Beast Taming Sect to develop rapidly, then later attached himself to Peach Blossom Demon Lord to develop even further. Now, he had become half a master of the Star Academy.

"Is that all?" Ghost King Lianyue scanned with her Divine Sense and looked at You Ruo below with a strange gaze.

"Uh..." You Ruo hesitated for a moment before bowing. "Indeed, that is all. All of Liu Xuan's experiences are clearly traceable. It is said that from the very beginning, he was a pawn secretly cultivated by Peach Blossom Demon Lord and planted within the territory of the Heavenly Sword Sect."

"A pawn?" Ghost King Lianyue sneered. "It's more likely that Peach Blossom Demon Lord is his pawn!"

The data was just records of ordinary news, but sometimes key information was hidden within small matters.

Ghost King Lianyue patiently reviewed all the information and indeed found some things that were not quite right.

First, Liu Xuan was far too lecherous. He had over a thousand Dao Companions and Concubines, and nearly a thousand children. This was simply ridiculous; she had never seen such a Cultivator.

Second, if he hadn't been possessed, his cultivation had increased too quickly. At seventy years old, he was already a Peak Golden Core Great Immortal Master. In the entire history of the Cultivation World, few people could achieve such a level.

Everyone defaulted to the belief that before joining the Red Pine Sect, he was no longer Liu Xuan, the son of a Yongning farmer, but someone Peach Blossom had arranged to enter, with his specific age unknown.

This explanation was very logical, but after reading various detailed records, Lianyue found that this explanation was untenable.

From Liu Xuan's attitude toward his elder sister Liu Miao and the early batch of Red Pine Sect Concubines, it was highly likely that he was the original farm boy, with at most some changes in personality.

Third, Liu Xuan mastered too many cultivation arts, and his level was too high. He was proficient in Alchemy, Artifact Refining, Talismans, and Formations. Among them, Alchemy and Artifact Refining were at the Rank 4 Great Master level.

A Cultivator only seventy years old mastering Rank 4 cultivation arts was even more exaggerated than his cultivation level; it completely exceeded the realm of understanding.

"From his way of doing things, he is basically confirmed to be a young Cultivator, yet from the level of cultivation arts he has mastered, he seems like someone who has undergone Possession. It's truly a contradiction!"

Fourth, Liu Xuan placed too much importance on his Family. It was easy to analyze that most of what he did was for his nearly one thousand children.

"How could a mature Cultivator care about Family and kinship? This is irrational!"

Fifth, why would Peach Blossom Demon Lord willingly submit?

The information stated that Liu Xuan was a pretty boy kept by Peach Blossom Demon Lord, but Ghost King Lianyue could tell at a glance who the master really was.

She had had several contacts with Peach Blossom Demon Lord. This woman was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao and would do anything for Soul Transformation; she was definitely not someone who would easily submit.

To make her submit and cooperate so well, there was only one possibility: Liu Xuan could help her achieve Soul Transformation.

Sixth...

...

After carefully reading all the information regarding Liu Xuan, Ghost King Lianyue reached a conclusion.

It was highly likely that a mysterious powerhouse was hidden behind Liu Xuan, but for some reason, they couldn't freely exercise their full power. It was more like they were using Liu Xuan's hands to recover their strength.

"His unwillingness to expose himself suggests there might be another enemy, or several enemies, at the Dao Lord level."

At this thought, Ghost King Lianyue felt no excitement at having seen through everything; instead, a faint trace of fear arose.

In the struggles and games between Soul Transformation Dao Lords, the best choice was to keep a respectful distance. Placing bets randomly without knowing the specific situation was a sure way to die without knowing why.

"From what Liu Xuan and Peach Blossom are doing, although they are on the side of the Beast Taming Sect, they aren't working wholeheartedly for Daoist Lord Lihuo. Instead, it seems like... they want to fish in troubled waters."

"In that case..."

"I'll just pretend not to know and proceed as usual!"

With a casual wave of Ghost King Lianyue's hand, all the information on the desk before her turned to ashes.

Then, she summoned her subordinate You Ruo again, handed her a Jade Slip and a spatial ring, and ordered, "This is my apology. Deliver it to Head of the Liu Family for me."

"Be sure to stabilize him for me. It would be best if you could get him to keep you in the Liu Mansion."

"Stay in the Liu Mansion?" You Ruo didn't understand what Ghost King Lianyue meant.

"Yes! Stay in the Liu Mansion."

"Isn't he, Liu Xuan, lecherous? With your beauty, I presume he won't refuse."

You Ruo's willow-like brows furrowed slightly, then slowly smoothed out. "Master, Liu Xuan's purpose in taking Concubines is to have children. I am merely a ghost Cultivator; I'm afraid I won't be up to the task."

You Ruo had also read Liu Xuan's information. His lecherousness was just a surface appearance; what this man valued more was his progeny.

Without bearing children, even if she became Liu Xuan's Concubine, she wouldn't be able to touch the core of the Liu Family. If her master wanted to use this to conduct a deep investigation, she was afraid she was thinking too simply.

"No matter!" Ghost King Lianyue waved her hand. "It's just a try; there's no loss if it fails."

"The information you collected before was all investigated by others, so there are bound to be errors and omissions. This is the perfect opportunity to properly probe Liu Xuan's roots for me."

"As you command!"

You Ruo had no choice but to agree.