Hearing this, Li Chengxin immediately looked at Fu Yun in surprise and said, "Uh, why would you say that, Elder? Do I look like such a maniac that I’d kill the Child of Fortune of our Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect just because he refused my proposal to become sworn brothers?"
Elder Fu Yun was taken aback by these words, then shook his head and laughed. "True. It was just a moment of confusion on my part. After all, killing him isn’t the only way to share in this boy’s fortune..."
Li Chengxin nodded. "Exactly. Not only will I not kill him, but I’ll turn things around and become his savior!"
Just as Elder Fu Yun had said, there were many ways to share in a person’s fortune. Since becoming sworn brothers was out of the question, acting as Zou Feng’s savior would yield even better results. If Zou Feng were to encounter a true life-and-death crisis and Li Chengxin just "happened" to rescue him, the resulting cause and effect would be massive. By then, whether Zou Feng was willing or not, this connection would inevitably draw his fortune over to Li Chengxin.
"Then again, this boy’s vision is too narrow. He doesn’t deserve the title of Child of Fortune in the first place.
"He didn’t even use his brain. No matter how unparalleled his fortune is, the ones who can truly decide the course of a battle are us Direct Disciples and the ancestors of the Immortal Sect.
"Whatever fuss he and that Gongyang Wuji kicked up before, it was nothing but child’s play!
"His fortune should be used for far more important matters. The fact that he can’t even see that... In my opinion, Elder Undying is probably going senile!"
Clearly, Li Chengxin was still brooding over Zou Feng’s refusal to become sworn brothers.
"But, to become his savior..." Fu Yun, fully acting the part of Li Chengxin’s loyal subordinate, had already begun scheming on his behalf.
After all, under normal circumstances, a person with as much immense fortune as Zou Feng would never die—as long as he didn’t actively court death on his way back to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect. Under the interference of his great fortune, the Yama Meng Po and Celestial Immortals from the Tribulation Cultivator Camp couldn’t possibly lay out targeted traps against him. Even Elder Fu Yun couldn’t do it at this moment.
However, as a Direct Disciple of the Immortal Sect, Li Chengxin was perfectly capable! In reality, as a Direct Disciple and an undisputed high-ranking figure within the Immortal Sect, Li Chengxin was blessed with no less fortune than Zou Feng. He only coveted Zou Feng’s fortune because his own reckless actions had caused him to suffer a severe setback. Thus, he needed more fortune to eliminate hidden dangers and get everything back on track as quickly as possible.
"I will make the arrangements for this myself... If all goes smoothly, I can even slaughter a few Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivators while I’m at it. Killing two birds with one stone!"
With that said, Li Chengxin sat down. At some point, an exquisite chessboard had appeared in his hands. There weren’t many pieces on the board, but each radiated an incredibly bizarre aura. It felt as though these pieces could come alive at any moment, transforming into terrifying demons. Li Chengxin continuously fiddled with them. Before long, the pieces gradually took on distinct appearances, though their features remained blurred upon closer inspection. The auras they emitted had also differentiated.
If Zou Feng had been there, he would have instantly and clearly sensed that these chess pieces carried the auras of the Tribulation Cultivators from the Ninefold Celestial Court and the Yama Underworld.
"That should be enough..."
By the time Li Chengxin had "forged" three Tribulation Cultivator chess pieces, thick beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, making him appear heavily strained. It wasn’t impossible to continue laying out the board, but the price would be exorbitant. Besides, using three Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivators to target Zou Feng would undoubtedly be more than enough.
Of course, these Tribulation Cultivators who would soon hunt down Zou Feng were not conjured out of thin air. Li Chengxin’s abilities were not that heaven-defying. These chess pieces actually represented real, existing Tribulation Cultivators. It was just that a long time ago, when Li Chengxin had secretly ventured deep into the Northern Domain, he had placed special marks on these cultivators without their knowledge.
Naturally, these marks couldn’t directly control the Nascent Soul Realm Tribulation Cultivators. However, they could subtly guide their subsequent actions. It was well known that the vast majority of Nascent Soul existences within the Tribulation Cultivator Camp held a unified attitude toward Zou Feng: if given the chance, they must eradicate him immediately. They were only thwarted by Zou Feng’s great fortune, which prevented them from truly locking onto him.
But before long, under Li Chengxin’s guidance, these three "chess pieces" would experience certain "accidents," allowing them to successfully encounter or deduce Zou Feng’s location...
Although Fu Yun had witnessed Li Chengxin’s strategic mastery on the chessboard before, every time he saw him use this technique, he still felt a profound sense of terror. He truly lived up to the title of "Chess Player"...
Meanwhile, aboard the Holy Lotus as it flew toward the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect at full speed, Zou Feng still felt somewhat uneasy. During the journey, he had checked the List of Gods more than once. Yet, Li Chengxin had never appeared on the list.
He wondered, "Does he really have no murderous intent toward me?"
But on second thought, for Li Chengxin to seize his fortune by killing him would be far too risky. Unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn’t resort to such a foolish move. Besides, apart from killing him personally or becoming sworn brothers, there were other ways to share in his fortune. Given the current situation, Li Chengxin’s most likely course of action was actually quite easy to guess.
He thought, "Could he throw me into a desperate situation, only to pop up and rescue me, forcefully becoming my savior?"
The more Zou Feng thought about it, the more he felt this was highly probable. If he fell into a deadly trap, even if he knew Li Chengxin was likely behind it, being saved by the man would undeniably make Li Chengxin his savior.
Thinking of this, Zou Feng couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. If Li Chengxin were on the list, things would be easy. But since he wasn’t, Zou Feng was stuck in an awkward position where he had no target to strike.
However, there was no need to worry unnecessarily. The desperate situation Li Chengxin might cook up would only be desperate in Li Chengxin’s eyes. As for Zou Feng himself, he might just be able to resolve it on his own without needing Li Chengxin to swoop in with a fake rescue. Especially since Li Chengxin had never personally witnessed or experienced it, he could never anticipate just how absurdly powerful the Xuanwu Poison Domain truly was.
Therefore, no matter how perfectly Li Chengxin orchestrated his schemes, his efforts would likely be in vain. Still, Zou Feng had to be prepared in advance. After all, it was better to be safe than sorry.
Zou Feng immediately gathered Jiang Wanzhao and the other True Disciples, spilling all his suspicions to them.
At first, Fang Shi and Chen Zifan were skeptical. In their eyes, how could an aloof Direct Disciple disregard the bigger picture like that? It was simply too disgraceful. But after Zou Feng quickly explained his reasoning, the two men fell into a heavy silence.
"Senior Sister Jiang, Brother Fang, Brother Chen, I need your help!" Zou Feng said sincerely.
The three thought Zou Feng wanted their help in fighting off the danger they might soon face, and their expressions varied. Jiang Wanzhao naturally looked completely ready and duty-bound, but Fang Shi and Chen Zifan couldn’t help but hesitate. It wasn’t that they were cowardly; if Li Chengxin was personally laying the trap, what use would they be other than cannon fodder?
However, Zou Feng certainly wasn’t asking them to be cannon fodder.
"I need you to split up and return to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect as quickly as possible, or find a way to send a message to Elder Undying along the way..."
If they continued traveling together on the Holy Lotus, they would all be dragged down together. Having Jiang Wanzhao, Fang Shi, and Chen Zifan rush back to the sect separately would maintain enough flexibility. After all, if they truly encountered an unsolvable crisis, they could hold out hope that Undying Master or the Great Cultivators from his faction would arrive in time to support them.
Furthermore, since the three of them had yet to comprehend his dance art, their effectiveness within the Xuanwu Poison Domain was extremely limited. If they encountered a powerful Nascent Soul Realm enemy, they might even become burdens. Only someone like Zhao Feixiong—who fully recognized his art and had already become a "Vice Lead Dancer"—could be of great use in the Xuanwu Poison Domain!