Yan Beihan’s face was deathly pale. He struggled to gather his Divine Sense, picked up a chess piece between two fingers, concentrated his Spear Formation, and resolutely placed it with a snap.

It landed on the chessboard.

The piece didn’t move at all once it fell.

He immediately withdrew his fingers and prepared for the next move.

Duan Xiyang, with a sullen face, looked at the chessboard, made a move with a quick snap, without a second thought, moving at lightning speed.

Yan Beihan reached out again, Sword Formation.

The aura of sharp metal, fierce and cutting, came through.

After fifty consecutive moves, the game concluded.

Duan Xiyang’s black pieces had lost.

He stared at the chessboard, his face darkened even more.

Damn it, I actually lost!

Then he looked up: "Any insights?"

"After winning, it feels great! A sense of elevation!" Yan Beihan responded without hesitation.

She was soaked in sweat, but her eyes shone brightly. Even her hair clung together with sweat, but anyone could see her exuberant spirit.

Duan Xiyang’s mouth twitched slightly.

He stood up and left the room.

Yan Beihan collapsed to the ground with a thud, drenched in sweat, and a wet patch formed beneath her.

Aunt Hong helped her up, feeling heartache, said: "Alright, alright, you can finally rest. Chief Duan is really too harsh... But it’s for your own good."

Yan Beihan smiled, seemed to want to say something, but fainted before she could speak.

A full hour and a half of total concentration, heightened focus, and constant pushing of limits.

It’s like putting everything into each move, fighting for an hour and a half!

Moreover, she couldn’t even catch her breath, only internal circulation was allowed!

Really exhausted her!

...

Duan Xiyang stepped out of the room and saw Yin Shen Palace bending his back, his expression increasingly displeased.

I, Old Duan, may not be great at chess, but losing to a little girl is unreasonable. It must be because you disturbed me.

"What is it?"

Yin Shen Palace looked left and right, showing difficulty.

Duan Xiyang stretched out his hand, a soundproof barrier descended with a swish, and said irritably: "Speak!"

"It’s, it’s the Yemo side having issues... I just reported to Vice Sect Master Yan, and he instructed me to report to the Chief..."

Under Duan Xiyang’s pressure, Yin Shen Palace hardly dared to breathe.

"Speak!"

"Here’s what happened..."

Yin Shen Palace recounted everything in detail.

Duan Xiyang’s expression calmed down, he was like this, the bigger the issue, the calmer he became.

After listening, he rolled his eyes: "What does Yan Wu intend?"

"Vice Sect Master Yan didn’t say anything."

Yin Shen Palace was sweating profusely: "But I thought, since Yemo reported this way, then the one called Yao Ping’an must be one of us, in other words, this is an internal conflict within our sect."

"If it’s handled by Yixin Sect, given Yixin Sect’s strength, and being on Guardian’s territory, the Heaven and Earth Net can’t be fully implemented, giving that person a chance to escape. But now, we can’t give this person any chance to escape, it must be one strike to kill! Or arrest in one strike."

Duan Xiyang’s ghostly eyes flickered, and he said: "Do you have a guess?"

"Yes, I suspect it’s Heavenly God Sect Master Kou Yifang."

Yin Shen Palace said: "Previously, the high ranks of Heavenly God Sect accompanied Lord Dream Demon, infiltrating Baiyun State, but with... that incident, everyone knows about it. Later, Kou Yifang only kept spreading rumors, but there’s no news of him returning to Southeast Headquarters."

"Moreover, Baiyun State is heavily guarded, Kou Yifang might not be able to escape, even if he does escape, he wouldn’t be willing. Because he once applied to use Yemo’s Worldwide Escort Agency to escape."

"But before the plan could be executed, something went wrong, even implicating Lord Dream Demon also..."

"So Kou Yifang might not dare to return now, because for this matter, someone has to take the blame, but this responsibility, Kou Yifang cannot bear... As soon as he returns, he might be thrown into prison or executed on the spot." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Yin Shen Palace continued in one breath: "So I suspect... this Yao Ping’an, who is plotting to destroy Yixin Sect’s most successful sub branch... is actually Kou Yifang, the Heavenly God Sect Master!"

This suspicion had swirled around in Yin Shen Palace’s mind at least hundreds of times.

He was more than eighty percent sure.

This Yao Ping’an, is Kou Yifang.

Only by dragging himself down can the Five Sects of Southeast be nominally non-existent. San Sheng Sect half-destroyed, Yemo Sect gone, Heavenly God Sect gone, if even Yixin Sect is crippled... a situation of lawlessness by the majority forms.

Even if punished, future development of Southeast subordinate sects must be considered.

Only then can Kou Yifang have a glimmer of hope.

Of course, Yin Shen Palace dared not voice these more detailed speculations, it was too long-winded, and Duan Xiyang wouldn’t have the patience.

Duan Xiyang coldly said: "Wait here. I’ll ask Yan Wu."

Then he took out his Communication Jade, connected with Five Spirits Gu.

"Yan Wu, what do you mean?"

"Just to let you understand this matter first, and now in the Southeast, you’re the closest." Yan Nan said.

Duan Xiyang almost laughed out of anger: "You want me to deal with this small fry myself?"

"There’s no other way, if Little Hong went, she could easily handle it, but... doing so would expose Yemo’s identity. It’s not good." Yan Nan said.

"Your own granddaughter, you don’t trust her?" Duan Xiyang coldly asked.

"This is not about trust, it’s about confidentiality." Yan Nan solemnly said: "Since it’s a secret, from the day it becomes a secret, it must be strictly adhered to. Old Duan, if you hadn’t accidentally stumbled across Yemo, you wouldn’t know either."