Chapter 1568

Sleeping Lady demands an explanation from Meng tribe, or she will not let the matter drop. Her losses are truly disastrous: the thief stripped her front-back divine obstruction needles and left not even one spine, though she always leaves most to keep growing. Regrowing them needs time and an enormous investment. She cannot move the divine hedgehog into her immortal aperture, and keeping it outside is truly not safe. ^{ch. 1568}

The second supreme elder urges calm, but she retorts that she took Meng tribe’s report of a murder on trust and found nothing herself. She relied only on Investigation Courtyard, and she asks whether the later clues were truly left by the culprit. Vigilant, she spreads a large amount of Gu worm auras and retreats slowly. The Meng immortals understand, as the hedgehog’s battle strength has fallen to an all-time low. ^{ch. 1568}

The elder asks why a tribe that really planned the theft would return with her instead of luring her into a trap. She replies that righteous path rules probably bar a direct attack, so they weakened her first and now deceive her. She threatens to let the world judge, and despite the elder’s shout to stop, she reveals the matter in treasure yellow heaven and informs Murong tribe. Meng Tu’s death, the failed search for the culprit, and her lost needles are completely revealed. Meng Zi Zai points at her in fury. ^{ch. 1568}

Her expression stays impassive, but she is inwardly bitter, knowing she has greatly harmed her ties with Meng tribe. The elder tells her not to be so suspicious, since he and Meng Zi Zai were likely used by the culprit. The two Meng immortals deduce the culprit is extremely vicious, having forced Meng Tu to self-detonate and left clues that led Meng tribe’s pursuers to the valley. The elder promises an explanation before leaving. Once they go, she arranges a Gu formation around the hedgehog. ^{ch. 1568}

The Meng immortals head back without clues, suspecting any new one might be another trap. Meng Zi Zai proposes sentencing Sleeping Lady as the culprit to regain prestige, perhaps winning the hedgehog. The second supreme elder refuses: Investigation Courtyard cannot subdue her and the hedgehog quickly, Murong tribe is near, and an alliance agreement would bring a heavy backlash. Longevity Heaven has appeared openly and is uniting all Huang Jin tribes, planning to merge lone cultivators with the righteous path, so a rash, mishandled Meng tribe attack on a lone immortal would bring its blame. That is the elder’s greatest worry. ^{ch. 1568}

Fang Yuan, rushing back, holds a pile of front-back divine obstruction needles in his sovereign immortal aperture, for he is the culprit. Knowing Meng tribe well, he set a simple but effective trap, and his powerful luck drew Sleeping Lady away. Using familiar face to disguise as her completely, he stays calm when the hedgehog opens its eyes, then plucks every spine once it sleeps again. He leaves the hedgehog with her, since it is of little value to him and she resisted Heavenly Court in his first life’s memories. When a new batch grows, he can steal again. ^{ch. 1568}

Great thief ghost hand decided his battle with Meng Tu, and theft path lets him gain resources without a life or death fight. Still, only Great Thief, a rank seven Immortal Gu, supports his theft path moves, and having exposed great thief ghost hand in Western Desert, he cannot rob widely, since someone would probably deduce his identity. The myriad self Immortal Gu recipe still lacks one crucial immortal material, and afterwards he will hurry back to Lang Ya blessed land to refine the Gu. He cannot overdo theft, since his soul cultivation is more urgent and requires Suan Bu Jin’s identity to stay secret. He spreads rumors in treasure yellow heaven that Sleeping Lady lies, schemes against Meng tribe and kept the needles herself to prepare for tribulation and advance, which helps conceal him. She spits blood from anxiety and anger on learning of them. ^{ch. 1568}