The Ancestor Space.
Within the Ancestor Space, the various Li family members were now assembled.
Li Wei proceeded to convey to everyone the general disposition and insights he had gleaned from his confrontation with Lin Wudao.
A flicker of understanding crossed Li Yaowen's ethereal features.
A faint smile touched her lips. "Ancestor," she said, "This child believes she comprehends. The truth is, Ancestor, these avatars of Tian Xing... they are not, in fact, entirely without their vulnerabilities!"
"Vulnerabilities?" Every Li family member present leaned in, their attention utterly focused.
Li Yaowen elaborated, "Each of Tian Xing's avatars possesses its own distinct consciousness. They function as a unified entity, yet simultaneously, each is a separate, individual being.
While they all adhere to the directives of the central consciousness, should any single avatar perish, its accumulated power is then distributed amongst those that remain. In other words,"
Li Yaowen stated, her insight sharp, "Each of these avatars is, in a sense, secretly wishing for the demise of its brethren, so that it might absorb their power and grow stronger itself!
"Yet, it appears they are bound by some unwritten law, a directive that prevents them from engaging in mutual slaughter or deliberately harming their fellow avatars. If not for such a constraint, they would undoubtedly have been culling each other for ages to augment their own individual power.
"And that,"[Li Yaowen concluded, her eyes gleaming with understanding, "is why Lin Wudao, that primary manifestation on Qilin Mountain, truly doesn't give a damn about the fate of those avatars in the Imperial Capital! In fact, one might even say he'd be delighted if we managed to annihilate every last one of them for him!"
As Li Yaowen elaborated on the vulnerabilities she had identified in Venerable Tian Xing's avatars, Li Changsheng's eyes also narrowed thoughtfully.
"Beyond that, Old Ancestor," he interjected in a somber voice, "You must have also noted: when those Tian Xing avatars converged on Azure Mountain and realized it was our ambush, their immediate reaction was to turn tail and flee."
"Which indicates," Changsheng continued, "that beyond merely carrying out the directives of Tian Xing's central mind, each individual avatar possesses a powerful instinct for self-preservation – a desire to survive, at the very least, until the final outcome. And the one who ultimately survives to the very end... that one will become the primary vessel, inheriting the entirety of Tian Xing's power! He's not just creating avatars – he's cultivating Gu!"
"Then that Tian Xing Abode..." someone else interjected, the horrifying implication dawning.
The moment Changsheng voiced this theory, a chilling possibility struck everyone present.
Li Tianyue drew a sharp, steadying breath. "If that is indeed Tian Xing's way of doing things," she stated, her voice tight, "then the Tian Xing Abode... It's highly probable that it too is one of his 'Gu cultivation' vessels! And the final survivor within that Abode...
Their body will inevitably be possessed by him! Venerable Elder Baimei once mentioned that the Tian Xing Abode itself is intrinsically linked to Venerable Tian Xing, perhaps even an extension of him. And Elder Uncle Li Yunlin managed to acquire 'Tian Xing's Tear' from within it – an object of such profound significance... It stands to reason, then, that the Abode holds some of Venerable Tian Xing's most vital and closely guarded secrets!"
As the Li family members meticulously dissected these deductions, piece by piece, a new light began to dawn in their eyes.
After enduring Venerable Tian Xing's relentless persecution for so many years, this was the first time they had felt such a profound surge of hope.
Venerable Tian Xing, they now realized, was not an insurmountable entity.
He had vulnerabilities, flaws that could be exploited. And as their comprehension of him deepened, so too would their prospects of eventual victory increase – however remote those prospects might currently seem!
"Now then," Li Wei said, a new resolve in his voice, "Let's pay a visit to our prisoner."
Li Wei's eyes narrowed fractionally. "I need to ascertain whether Venerable Tian Xing's various avatars share a common pool of memories or not."
...
With that thought, Li Wei's form materialized in an instant within the small village.
He found the three Li family members and the entire Azure Cloud region group gathered, forming a tight circle around Gu Donglai.
At that moment, Gu Donglai looked thoroughly bewildered and deeply aggrieved.
He scratched his head in confusion, staring at Li Kuanghua.
"Aunt Kuanghua," he said, his voice laced with indignation, "Are you up to your old testing games again? If this is a jest, it's gone much too far!"
At his words, the rest of Gu Donglai's group also looked momentarily stunned.
Given their past experiences with Kuanghua's methods of rooting out spies, they also surmised this was just another temporary probe by Li Kuanghua.
After all, Gu Donglai was the one who had convened this entire group for the purpose of finding the Li family; that alone made him a prime candidate for suspicion, so it was perfectly understandable for Kuanghua to probe him in such a manner.
However, they quickly realized that Li Kuanghua's face was still a mask of frigid ice, and the other two Lis (Qingyu and Xinghuo) beside her mirrored her stern demeanor.
"A pity," Li Kuanghua stated, her voice devoid of warmth, "but this is no mere test."
With a subtle gesture to her companions, within a mere breath, Gu Donglai was seized and bound.
Li Kuanghua observed Gu Donglai. He offered no resistance, his face still a mask of bewildered innocence. Her voice was low and chilling.
"Bind his senses completely. This place is compromised. As we relocate to a more secure position, we will... interrogate him. Someone step forward who has a talent for... torture methods."
"This..." The members of Gu Donglai's group exchanged uneasy glances. Yet, seeing the unyielding, deadly earnestness in Li Kuanghua's eyes, they reluctantly complied.
Subsequently, as the group began to relocate their base of operations, they simultaneously commenced the interrogation of Gu Donglai.
Ye Xiu drifted to Li Kuanghua's side, glancing back at Gu Donglai.
The captive's senses had been completely blocked, yet his anguished screams under interrogation still echoed.
"Kuanghua," Ye Xiu inquired, his brow furrowed in confusion, "What makes you so utterly convinced that Gu Donglai is one of Tian Xing's avatars? If you've made a mistake, if he's innocent..."
"Master," Li Kuanghua replied, her voice hushed, "Gu Donglai is, in a manner of speaking, from a collateral line of our Li Clan. Of all those in his group, he possesses the most intimate knowledge of our family's affairs. The only reason 'Tian Xing' could launch such a devastating surprise attack against our clan on that fateful day was because someone on the inside betrayed us, leaking vital intelligence.
Consider this, Master: the Gu family faced what should have been utter extermination.
Even Li Kuangming himself perished in that fight. Yet, somehow, miraculously, about a tenth of the Gu household survived. That wasn't luck – it was a deliberate deception! And furthermore, he was the one who assembled all of you to search for us..."
"I see now." The pieces clicked into place for Ye Xiu. A fresh wave of terror washed over him at the thought of Venerable Tian Xing's truly monstrous, deep infiltration – so pervasive, so impossible to guard against.
He now found himself wondering if, even after Gu Donglai's exposure, there might yet be other avatars of Tian Xing concealed among them.
Yet, Li Kuanghua refrained from voicing everything she had truly ascertained.
Her gaze swept briefly over the assembled contingent, then settled on Ye Xiu.
"Master," she announced, "It is imperative that I depart now. While it's true we've now pinpointed all of Tian Xing's avatars currently operating within the Imperial Capital, the peril has by no means passed. Our only true path to security lies in separating, in scattering our forces."
"There is much I still need to accomplish," she added, a chilling edge to her voice. "Such as, ensuring that every last one of Venerable Tian Xing's avatars learns to live in dread."
...
Just then,
"AHHH!!!"
Inside a private estate within the Imperial Capital, Lai Teng – an avatar of Venerable Tian Xing, the one known as 'the Invincible Divine Spear', holding the third position on the Nascent Divinity List – was roaring in a fit of uncontrollable rage.
And he was not alone; at that very instant, every Tian Xing avatar was experiencing a searing pain that seemed to emanate from the very core of their spiritual beings – it was the agony of Gu Donglai, currently under torment, being broadcast to them all!
While it was true that these avatars shared certain perceptions, and that upon an avatar's demise, its power would be inherited by others, this interconnectedness meant they also shared in the agony of any tormented individual unit!
"Damn them! Damn them to all hells!" Lai Teng raged.
"Five centuries! It took me five agonizing centuries of meticulous progress, step by painstaking step, to reach my current station! To become the leader of a legion of a thousand mercenaries! To claim the third spot on the Nascent Divinity List!
I was on the very cusp of ascending to the Divinity Transformation stage! I had ambitions! Grand designs! To rise and become one of the true influential figures of the Imperial Capital!
That is the only proper path for us, for Tian Xing! We were meant to become the Human Emperor!"
"Tian Xing!" Lai Teng shrieked, the shared pain from Gu Donglai likely intensifying his panic.
"The Li family – they know I'm here! They've found me! You must dispatch the others to come to my aid! Quickly, send reinforcements to rescue me! It is I who should be your true vessel, your primary form!
My only misfortune was being manifested somewhat later than the others! Had it not been for that, I would have attained Divinity Transformation eons ago! And how then could those avatars in the Eternal Sun Prefecture have ever had the chance to strut about, lording it over everyone as they do?!!"
Lai Teng continued to roar his grievances. He remained oblivious, however, to a pair of watching eyes, fixed intently upon him from the surrounding shadows.
---
Donate on Ko-fi ➡️ [https://ko-fi.com/darktea] ⬅️
Get Early Access to 50 Chapters: Search for "Dark Tea" on Ko-fi (Explore tab) and join my membership to read ahead!