Chapter 126 Playing Dumb

"Feng Shang? Not bad, not bad at all."

Tan Ya’s eyes shimmered with brilliance. With her small, snow-white hands clasped behind her back, she paced around Feng Shang as if appraising a precious treasure, a hint of amusement clearly dancing in her gaze.

Feng Shang suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

This was Tan Ya, the Hierarch of Yuchu, an ancient enchantress who had lived for countless eons. She was by no means the dainty, youthful girl she appeared to be. Being scrutinized like this by her would make anyone feel uneasy.

Moreover, he had once committed grave offenses at Yuchu, nearly driving the Nine Great Divine Guardians to madness.

"I hear that the Nine Venerables have a precious grandson whom they have pampered and protected to an extreme degree over these years, even bestowing one or two of the Ten Supreme Divine Energies upon him. That would be you, wouldn't it?"

Tan Ya’s lips curled, her beautiful eyes sparkling with a playful, cunning light. As she smiled, two dimples appeared on her fair, oval face. At this moment, she looked like nothing more than a girl next door, the icy indifference she had shown earlier completely vanished.

Qing’er furrowed her delicate brows. Watching Tan Ya—who behaved with such effortless grace, possessed such exquisite beauty, and held a smile in her eyes—she couldn't help but feel that the woman was harboring malicious intent.

Yuan Ni, the Nine-Fold Red Saint, might have been gifted with extraordinary talent and an unparalleled aura, but she was notorious for twisting many men around her finger; her temperament was truly formidable.

*Be careful. A Saint's divine sense is incredibly powerful. She must have performed divinations after you wreaked havoc at Yuchu. Although the causal links were completely severed, I suspect she feels a familiar aura about you. Stay calm; do not give yourself away,* Qing Tian’e transmitted.

Feng Shang glanced at the back of his hand, where the seal patterns were completely hidden and dimmed. He shifted his gaze without a trace, meeting Tan Ya’s smiling eyes, and suddenly let out a boastful hum, revealing a hint of arrogance.

"That’s right, it’s me! The old man even said that in his lifetime, he would refine all nine Supreme Divine Energies for me. When that time comes, any master of the cultivation realms or ancient immortal saint will be beaten to the ground by me!"

"Oh?"

Tan Ya looked deeply surprised, unable to tell if Feng Shang was spouting wild nonsense or if the Nine Venerables had truly made such a promise, filling him with such confidence.

The Ten Divine Energies were no trivial matter. When combined in pairs, they could produce special, profound effects with exponential power gains; the more one possessed, the greater the strength.

During the Ancient Era, it was said that someone had gathered six Supreme Divine Energies. By that person's estimation, even an ordinary human could potentially rival a Divine Lord of the cultivation realm with those six energies.

"I never imagined the Nine Venerables had such ambition."

Tan Ya smiled, pondering silently. Da Jiuxing was known as the number one star-refiner in the spirit universe. Having established his reputation long ago and accumulated wealth since the ancient times, if there was anyone who possessed the most Supreme Divine Energies, it was certainly him.

Although he had not been canonized as a Saint, his status and standing were transcendent. The Nine Saints of the Star Sea were very eager to befriend him, not only because of his miraculous refining skills but also due to rumors that Da Jiuxing had already collected seven or eight Supreme Divine Energies.

Judging by the attitude of the Star Sea Saints toward him, it was clear that these rumors were not without foundation. Da Jiuxing possessed at least the combat power of a mid-stage Universal Saint, perhaps even higher.

*This enchantress shouldn’t be able to discover anything, right?* Feng Shang muttered to himself. Just now, he had deliberately displayed his arrogant side—the side that was most authentic to him—without a shred of guilt or fear.

Even if Tan Ya was suspicious, seeing him so arrogant and unbridled would likely dispel her doubts.

"Young Master Feng, I hear that among the Star-Refining Precious Energies, there is one called the 'Wind-Chasing and Shadow-Snatching Energy,' which is best at tracking and investigation. Do you happen to have it on you?" Tan Ya asked.

"Wind-Chasing and Shadow-Snatching Energy? That is a high-grade precious energy, and it is indeed capable of tracking. Why does the Hierarch ask?"

"I simply wish to catch a petty thief."

Tan Ya, her small white hands still behind her back, gazed into the distant starry sky. "Three years ago, a thief broke into my Yuchu Sanctuary. Not only did they steal a Universe Stone, but they also threw unclean water into the Life Spring Pool, forcing a group of disciples to drink from the contaminated water... It wasn't until a few days ago that the pool was finally purified."

"Pfft."

Qing’er couldn't help but giggle. Everyone knew that the Yuchu disciples viewed the Sanctuary as a holy site, and the Life Spring Pool as a sacred spring, consumed monthly by tens of thousands of elite disciples. Whoever did that was truly wicked.

Wait! This story sounded suspiciously like someone’s handiwork.

Suddenly, Qing’er’s eyes widened as she looked at Feng Shang. Seeing his expression remain unchanged, an unsettling thought surfaced in her mind.

Could it be that Feng Shang had also patronized the Yuchu Sect?

A bad premonition grew stronger. Qing’er frowned; she had heard of Feng Shang’s exploits over the years, but she didn’t know everything. In cases where the situation was particularly serious, he would always hide it from her.

"There are people bold enough to do such a thing?" Feng Shang feigned shock, then showed a look of confusion. "Hierarch Tan Ya, with your vast supernatural powers, surely you captured the thief?"

Tan Ya turned around, her autumn-water eyes clear and glowing with a sense of spirituality. She looked straight at Feng Shang and said, "Unfortunately, the thief was highly skilled. Although I performed many divinations, they would always break off halfway. I suppose they must have severed the connection using some special method."

Old Yuan, listening nearby, couldn't help but clench his fists in indignation. "That thief is truly detestable! A single rat dropping ruins the whole pot of porridge! During these past days, the Life Spring Pool was defiled, and all our disciples were severely humiliated! They deserve to die!"

Feng Shang, seeing his anger, muttered to himself. *Don't tell me this old man also... cough, cough. The image is too vivid; I dare not imagine it.*

Then again, his own little offering was merely a bit of refined super-core energy; it was purely formal. To call it "defiled" was a bit of an exaggeration, wasn't it?

As he was thinking this, he suddenly noticed Tan Ya’s gaze fixed on his face.

Her eyes were filled with careful scrutiny, as if trying to find a flaw in his expression.

Feng Shang’s heart skipped a beat. Just as Uncle E had said, this female Hierarch was suspicious of him. However, his status was special; as long as she had no evidence, she couldn't easily make things difficult for him.

"The Wind-Chasing and Shadow-Snatching Energy is merely a relatively high-grade star-refining treasure energy; how could it compare to your divinations, Hierarch? If you cannot calculate the culprit's location, then the energy would be even less likely to succeed," Feng Shang continued, shaking his head.

"Is that so? Then that is truly a pity."

Tan Ya’s figure was light, her features delicate. When she wasn't smiling, the enchantment faded, leaving a hint of heroic spirit; she truly resembled a beautiful young man in fine robes. "The Nine Venerables possess countless Star-Refining Precious Energies. Perhaps among them, there is one that could help me. I will pay a visit another day."

"You may go."

This was addressed to the young man.

"Farewell."

The young man, his white robes whiter than snow, waved a hand. The "Derivation Realm" around him erupted with dazzling light. Suddenly, a sacred aura surged forth, enveloping the group as they vanished from sight.

In the vast, empty space, there was only silence.

The ninety thousand meteorite mountains in the distance were dark and gloomy, rolling and undulating, majestic and mysterious. Occasionally, one could see the evolution of disasters within them, erupting with brilliant flames of light.

Deep within, the ancient temple had vanished, disappearing completely along with the Linglong Edict. No one knew how many years it would be before it emerged again.

Tan Ya stood in place, lost in thought, while Old Yuan accompanied her, treading carefully by her side.