Chapter 96: Exposed

“What do you mean?” the old man in the blue-green rain cloak frowned.

Purple Camel Peak stared in the direction Tu Lu had departed and let out a cold laugh. “Do you remember what that man said when he gave away the Nine-Transformations Sacred Fetus Pattern?”

“The divine fetus shelters the soul; this pattern condenses the spirit. If it does not soar, so be it; if it does soar, it will rise straight to the heavens. If it does not sing, so be it; if it sings, it will startle the world!”

Purple Camel Peak shook his head. “The line after that.”

The old man in the blue-green rain cloak fell silent for a moment, then said, “But this pattern was created by an ancient grandmaster. In this age, one would need at least nearly the skill of a master inscriber to succeed.”

“Exactly.” Purple Camel Peak gave a cold smile. “I have seen Master Tu’s inscriptions with my own eyes. Apart from his realm being insufficient, his level of inscription is by no means inferior to that of a master inscriber.”

“Given his age, his cultivation, and his skill in inscription arts, let alone here, even in the royal capital he would be enough to shake the world and draw the cultivation of supreme powers.”

“Such a man—what reason would he have to come here?”

At those words, the old man’s expression changed. His form emerged from the void, and he stepped fully out of hiding.

Purple Camel Peak glanced at him and went on, “At first I only had a faint feeling and did not pay it much heed. But whether it was his usual attitude or what happened at the auction, it was all too deliberate.”

“It was as though he were putting on a show for me. Tell me, what virtues do I possess, as Purple Camel Peak, that would make a genius who has both inscription arts and cultivation take such a humble tone before me?”

“Something is indeed wrong. Should I kill him?” the old man in the blue-green rain cloak said in a low voice.

Purple Camel Peak shook his head.

“Forget it. Whatever his purpose may be, so long as he has not reached the Profound Heaven Realm, then under the restraint of the Blood Jade Soul Pact, he cannot stir up any great trouble. Before the Nine-Transformations Sacred Fetus is complete, we will keep him alive for the time being.”

“Still, increase the surveillance on him. If he has any hidden intentions, now is the time they should show themselves.”

“Understood. Be careful as well.” The old man’s voice remained grave.

Having said that, he quietly slipped back into the void and vanished without a trace.

“Rest easy, Father.”

Purple Camel Peak smiled faintly.

At the same time, Tu Lu returned all the way to his guest chamber, did nothing at all, and simply sat down to meditate and recover.

The test had gone very smoothly. Purple Camel Peak truly had no intention of letting him approach the divine fetus again.

The excuse was that he should rest, but Tu Lu saw the matter clearly enough.

Only, this time Purple Camel Peak was destined to fail. Tu Lu was not worried in the least.

What concerned him was that after he left Purple Camel Peak’s side, there was faintly an aura following him through the surrounding void.

That aura had actually given him a sense of danger.

One must know that, aside from his Water Lotus avatar being elsewhere, he now held sixteen incarnations within one body. Though he had not yet broken through, his magical power was purer than that of an ordinary Purple Mansion cultivator, and his divine sense was even stronger by far.

Anyone capable of giving him such a dangerous feeling—people like Wu Hao and the others—simply could not.

Though Purple Camel Peak had a sensitive identity and stood backed by the old mansion master and several Deity Transformation Venerables, in the end he was still only a poor youth from Yellow Cloud City. His own power was limited, and the people he could call upon were few.

A Purple Mansion expert capable of making Tu Lu feel threatened could not possibly be gathered in such a short time by Purple Camel Peak’s current standing. Even if such a person existed, it would perhaps only be that old city lord.

Tu Lu let out a cold smile.

At the same time, the Water Lotus avatar in the Moonlit Inn quickly relayed the news of the divine fetus to Zhang Cheng and the others.

Though he did not know where he had slipped up, the fact that Purple Camel Peak would not let him approach the divine fetus a second time, and had even sent people to keep watch over him, made it obvious that they were already sufficiently guarded against him.

In that case, the chance of his scheme to seize the sacred embryo dropped to nothing. Naturally, he would not take any pointless risks.

It would be far better to join forces with Zhang Cheng and the others to destroy the divine fetus than to let him succeed.