Chapter 560: The Providence Flag

"Alright, this is how it is... so and so... then..."

Yun Yang said, "By then, I would have found others to work with you. You would find it useful to roam around first for these next few days. Make some noise, but don't attract undue attention. However, when those with ill intentions find out more what is going on, they will soon know that you fellows have been moving about for quite a long while; what happens afterward will not be intentional. All of you must pay careful attention to this; you can't afford to be reckless."

"Understood!"

Four pairs of eyes shone brightly as four heads nodded with fervor. They found the task terribly interesting. They intended to enjoy themselves with that order, have the type of fun that was truly exciting and amusing.

The four fellows fell to discussing their subsequent action plan in order to perfect the plot, right in that very room.

Yun Yang left the house and stood in the center of the yard. Watching the night sky and the sprinkle of stars, he tried his best to empty his mind. He was in careful contemplation; once this plan was underway, there was no way of stopping it.

Looking at the situation, it might not have been the best time to execute such a plan, but it would be too difficult to encounter another opportunity when all sorts of troubles were brewing in Tiantang if they missed this chance.

It was on this day, at the break of dawn, that Shui Wuyin's messages arrived with the intensity of a hurricane.

The Four Seasons Tower had finally made their move!

Shui Wuyin had sent more than ten different messages in the short time that had passed.

The correspondence from the Four Seasons Tower was obviously written in a hurry. Those who came to help popped out one after another without any form of discipline or tactic. Therefore, the tower's planted agents, who were famed for their discretion, were exposed without fail.

"Someone has entered the Venerable Lords' premises."

"Another person has gone in."

"Someone in a high-ranking military uniform has entered the Venerable Lords' premises. He came out after a while, but we lost him almost immediately after. This person is very skilled."

"The Residence of Crown Prince's chief aide, Sir Bi, has slipped into the house. He left in disguise after an hour of discussion, but he is recognizable from his physique and form."

"At dawn, someone landed from the sky and entered the house. There is no confirmation of this person leaving for now. Further observation is needed."

The messages were informative but Yun Yang's expression grew darker the more he read them. He had weeded out so many of the Four Seasons Tower's men hidden in Yutang's imperial court, but he had never imagined that there were so many more he had missed. Just the high-rank martial general alone and the Residence of Crown Prince's chief aide was bad enough, let alone all the others..."

Chief aide?

Yun Yang's train of thought trailed off with a sudden, shocking insight.

"Residence of Crown Prince? Chief aide?" Yun Yang frowned. As he had focused his thoughts earlier, there was an idea that glimmered at the tip of his mind. Almost at the same time, an icy glare shot out from his eyes.

Yun Yang had long heard of Sir Bi. His origin was a mystery, but his skills were widely lauded; his mannerisms were so discreet that even when at the crown prince's residence, he was stealthy, and it was difficult to ascertain his actual whereabouts. He only met the people he wished to; it was rare for anyone else to contact him first.

Before the Tianxuan Cliff incident had taken place, his eldest brother, Supreme Earth, had specifically spoken about this person, "Everyone in this world maintains that the Nine Supremes are almighty and that nothing can stop us, but they've simply regarded us too highly. There are more than a few people whom we can't figure out nor dare provoke just within this capital city of Yutang. The first one is the eunuch that serves His Majesty. This person's ability and skills are impressive and at a standard, we are unable to reach; we wouldn't provoke him without cause. The second person is the Residence of Crown Prince's Sir Bi. This person's background is a mystery while he seems to entertain peculiar thoughts; it's difficult to gauge his true capabilities. We leave him alone as best as we can. Then there's the third, Anchorite Cangwu, from the Bliss Tower in the capital."

"Among these three, the two latter ones are more skilled and a challenge to fight, especially Sir Bi. I've asked around several times before, but no one seems to know where he's actually from - they don't even know who his true self is. He has just appeared out of the blue to aid His Highness..."

Yun Yang remembered Supreme Earth's words like it was yesterday, but Sir Bi had disappeared for some time after the Tianxuan Cliff incident and had not reemerged until Yun Yang returned to Tiantang, having gone through arduous ordeals. Yun Yang had almost forgotten about this person.

However, he had appeared at the three Venerable Lords' premises!

The implication was well within the imagination's reach and the reality of it caused the Yun Yang's blood to run cold. Everything was pointing to the fact that the crown prince was actually an accomplice. If that were truly the case, then there was another mastermind behind the incident - a culprit who had to be uprooted.

"Sir Bi!"

Yun Yang thought about the matter but had already decided that the person had to be of significant import. He had to meet the Venerable Lords to find out the man's background and plan further. He could not risk a single misstep.

Then, there was the other news that puzzled Yun Yang.

"Grey clouds appeared abruptly in the Empire of Dongxuan before it disappeared almost immediately. It is greatly similar to the incident we experienced five months ago. It is suspected that there is some peculiar event afoot, the direct results of an unknown force... Further observation is needed."

"The grey clouds appeared behind the Fortress of Resilience was headed towards Yutang. It made a grand movement, which was very odd considering the circumstances."

Yun Yang frowned.

Shui Wuyin rarely forwarded intelligence reports that were meaningless after having gone through them but these two messages seemed rather random. Furthermore, they were sent here after being scrutinized by Shui Wuyin - obviously, the man thought they were important.

Grey clouds.

Yun Yang mused, recalling the similarly peculiar incident Dongxuan they faced last year.

Could it be related to this? If so...

Yun Yang was deep in thought but a creak from the door on the right preceded the sight of Ji Lingxi's slim figure walking out elegantly.

"Where are you going?" Yun Yang asked subconsciously after a short moment of stupor.

"Out to play," Ji Lingxi snorted.

She was not going out for fun, of course, but upon seeing Yun Yang, she could not help recalling the dummy's lack of sense last night and her temper rose. She then spoke the first words that came to her mind."

Yun Yang stroked his nose and chuckled awkwardly. "Shall we go together then?"

...

At the same time, clouds rose in the south-eastern quadrant of Tiantang City. A silhouette waltzed across the fog of black clouds, holding an inky black flag. As the black flag waved in the stiff breeze, more ominous dark clouds rose and covered the sky, spreading everywhere.

From afar, only columns of dark clouds could be seen multiplying and growing in size, the silhouette within well-hidden from the outside world.

"I've made a huge round using this Providence Flag before I confirmed the direction here..." The black-clothed man within the dark clouds frowned and delivered a stream of mystical Qi into the inky flag, using it to push the clouds about. His eyes were gleaming as he carefully observed the minuscule changes in the clouds.

The black-dressed man's cultivation base was at a level unimaginable by the masses. He roamed the skies and had activated the Providence Flag with mystical Qi. There was no trace of fatigue despite the thousands of miles he had traveled. The proficiency in his mystical Qi cultivation base was more than alarming.

"The Providence Flag had previously pointed towards Dongxuan, but it has changed its direction recently..." The man murmured to himself, "By taking Dongxuan's defeated astral influence as the initial clue and connecting Tiantang City's prospering providence, I finally see the source of this change..."

"At this critical juncture, the person the Providence Flag points at shall be the person disrupting the flow of destiny. As long as this person is killed, the destined flow of events will recover itself, flow its natural course. The original character of fate will be crowned once again... Then, the School of Kismet State shall rest, free and easy! Therefore... whether the person identified by the Providence Flag is an ordinary commoner or the emperor of Yutang... he has to die!"

The dark clouds continued to roll in, drifting forward from an incredible distance. For every area it passed over, the dark clouds grew increasingly ominous.