"Clatter."
In the Sage Master Martial Academy, atop the towering stacks of books, the silently reading Red Dust Immortal was stunned.
He maintained his original posture, completely oblivious to the book slipping from his hands.
A bookboy climbed the layers of books and handed a newly appeared text to the Red Dust Immortal.
"Master... Master? Why are you frozen?"
The bookboy called out, staring with large, innocent eyes.
The Red Dust Immortal finally snapped out of his daze, yet his eyes still lacked focus.
He picked up the dropped book from the floor, oblivious to the fact that he had grabbed the wrong one, and then absentmindedly took the bookboy's book.
"How could another immortal appear so quickly?"
"Another?" The bookboy clearly knew a thing or two about immortal affairs.
"Didn't Master say that in Grandhaven Prefecture, there was only the watchdog of the Banshu family, and Immortal Linghu who wishes to become an immortal?"
Suddenly, the bookboy's eyes flashed with golden light.
He scanned his surroundings, his gaze finally stopping in the direction of Grandhaven City, his mouth dropping wide open. "Wh-what a massive heart."
"It is someone from the Azure Cloud Li Clan."
The Red Dust Immortal held the book, continuously tapping it against his hand, his expression grave.
"I had long heard of the Azure Cloud Li Clan's extraordinary nature. Having cultivated for around a millennium to reach this point, they must definitely be harboring an immortal.
Ordering the six Masters to venture out this time was precisely to test the abilities of all factions."
"This..."
Seeing the Red Dust Immortal hesitating, the bookboy suddenly recalled his Master playing chess.
After pondering for a moment, he replied, "We only moved a pawn one step, and the opponent immediately put us in check."
"Sigh." The Red Dust Immortal let out a sigh.
In his eyes, there was only that beating heart.
He racked his brains, groaning in deep frustration, "Why can't I remember which old friend that is?"
"Then... what do we do?"
The bookboy blinked. Having followed the Red Dust Immortal for so long, this was his first time seeing him act so timid and overly cautious.
The Red Dust Immortal did not hesitate. Patting the bookboy's head, a cold light flashed in his eyes. "A mere heart, how could it possibly do anything to me? Let's go!"
...
A moment later.
At the Sage Master Martial Academy, only a scattering of disciples remained in the courtyard.
They frowned, watching a person brazenly walk into the academy.
This man wielded a long spear and wore a profound-colored suit of armor.
Beneath his helmet, a pair of lightning-like eyes captured the soul; beneath his single glance, all evil retreated.
He walked completely unimpeded right up to the doors of the Sage Master Martial Academy's library pavilion.
Li Xinghuo tightly gripped the spirit tablet in his hand and pushed open the wooden doors of the library pavilion with the tip of his spear.
Books were scattered all over the floor. No one was there.
"Old Ancestor..."
Li Xinghuo's expression was heavy.
"Following the corner of the rules Zhiheng transmitted back, we found this place, yet there is no sign of the Red Dust Immortal. I fear he has set his sights on our clansmen."
After learning of Grandhaven Prefecture's secrets from Banshu Qingping and seeing the Banshu family's secret ground, the family had been relentlessly searching for these so-called 'immortals'.
Zhiheng had battled the three Masters, and his Sacred Heart Domain struggled against the Red Dust Realm for a long time, all to strip away a sliver of the Red Dust Realm's rules to locate the Red Dust Immortal.
After all, if an immortal wanted to hide, how could they be so easily found? Li Xinghuo had tracked him down to the Sage Master Martial Academy.
"..."
At this time, Li Wei was already by Li Xinghuo's side.
Before his eyes was the screen.
[Special Event — Swallowing Grandhaven Prefecture]
[After multiple investigations in Grandhaven Prefecture, your family learned of the immortal affairs.
Aside from rescuing the righteous figures of Grandhaven Prefecture, they are attempting to swallow the immortals of Grandhaven City.]
...
[Special Event — The Fleeing Red Dust Immortal]
[The Red Dust Immortal attempted to dispatch the six Masters to test the strength of the various factions.
Unexpectedly, Li Zhiheng's Heavenly Dao Divine Heart suddenly appeared, prompting his decision to flee...]
Looking at the empty library pavilion, Li Wei was left utterly speechless.
Feeling the scattered books and the scent of ink in the library pavilion, he remained silent for a long time, his facial muscles twitching slightly.
"Bro, you're the Red Dust Immortal. We haven't even met face-to-face, and you just ran away on me?"
At this moment, Li Wei felt a profound sense of powerlessness—as if he had geared up for a vicious battle, only to find he had been preparing to fight thin air.
On their trip here from Azure Cloud Prefecture to swallow Grandhaven, their primary motivation was knowing the Peerless Hall definitely had schemes here.
The locations of these immortals were just like the cultivators scheming for karmic opportunities in the Western Frontier; the family's main goal was still to seize the immortals' karmic opportunities.
Now that the common people of Grandhaven Prefecture were being slaughtered, if the Red Dust Immortal had been in Grandhaven Prefecture for tens of thousands of years, how many people in Grandhaven Prefecture could have died? How many treasures like blood qi were left on the Red Dust Immortal's body?
Li Wei wanted to try and see if he could snatch them away.
If he truly couldn't win, he was fully prepared to lure the entity straight to Ancestor Lan.
Who knew the Red Dust Immortal would just run away.
However, Li Wei quickly realized something.
Immortals were legendary existences, but they had already been defeated by the Human Race in ancient times.
Looking at the current situation, whether it was the Blood Moon of the Western Frontier, the Zhao Clan Old Ancestor's Heavenly Dao Divine Heart, or the immortals of Grandhaven Prefecture, they were all existing in a hidden state after suffering defeat.
Therefore, they were inherently incredibly cautious.
Just like that divine infant of the Banshu family—the moment it discovered it was being spied upon, it fled without hesitation.
The Red Dust Immortal had dispatched three Masters to deal with Zhiheng, but Zhiheng unleashed the Divine Heart.
It was as if the opponent had played a mere 'three', and their Li Clan had directly thrown down a pair of 'jokers'...
However, the current Zhiheng was indeed formidable.
"Old Ancestor, look at this book."
Li Xinghuo's call interrupted Li Wei's train of thought.
Li Wei's phantom figure walked to Li Xinghuo's side. He saw Li Xinghuo holding a book.
The book was open, and the text within it was actually moving.
There were figures in the book; a single glance revealed the mortal world.
The book recorded a portion of the tens of thousands of years of Grandhaven Prefecture's history.
The methods of gods and immortals.
Li Wei's mind raced.
"Immortals feed on the offerings of all living things in the world. The Heavenly Dao Divine Heart is like this, the Blood Moon is like this... what does the Red Dust Immortal feed on?"
"Old Ancestor, within the book left behind by the Red Dust Immortal, there is an aura that is only found in the Heavenly Dao Divine Heart. Perhaps this is immortal qi."
Li Xinghuo knew the Old Ancestor was right beside him. He wore a puzzled expression.
"Right now, the Sage Master Martial Academy of Grandhaven Prefecture is slaughtering the commoners. Logically speaking, it is to prepare for the Red Dust Immortal.
But the books the Red Dust Immortal left behind are merely records—they seem to be purely memories. There is absolutely no living blood qi or souls like we guessed."
"Unless the one giving the orders to kill isn't the Red Dust Immortal at all."
Li Wei frowned deeply.
Things involving immortals were always so complicated.
He relaxed his mind and stopped worrying too much about it.
Regardless, the purpose of this trip was to devour the Peerless Hall and these ill-intentioned factions to strengthen themselves.