The dark ring flashed a black light, directly sucking in the pair of strange eyes, crafted from an unknown material.
Roar—
As the red eyes were taken by the ring, an angry roar erupted in the secret chamber, its source untraceable.
Even Ye Kunlun, probing with his divine sense, could not pinpoint the origin of the sound.
"Go!"
Ye Kunlun knew that any anomaly here would alert the person behind this painting.
Reactivating the formation, Ye Kunlun left the painting.
The moment he reappeared, Ye Kunlun sensed a presence rapidly approaching, that of the middle-aged man from before.
Ye Kunlun masked his aura and quietly departed.
Three breaths later, the middle-aged man appeared, his expression grim as he stared at the painting.
The next second, he activated the formation and entered the painting.
When he saw the eyes removed from one of the heads, he let out an enraged roar, "Who, who trespassed here and took the Witch God's eyes?!"
His angry roar echoed through the vast secret chamber.
The middle-aged man quickly regained his composure, sat down cross-legged, and began reciting incomprehensible words.
A few minutes later, a colossal stone statue lit up, forming a mirror image before the middle-aged man.
The content in the mirror was precisely Ye Kunlun entering the painting.
However, Ye Kunlun's figure seemed erased by the heavenly mechanism; only a blurry silhouette could be seen, his appearance obscured.
The middle-aged man gazed at this scene, his face etched with extreme displeasure, "Who is it? Someone in the capital can shield from the Witch God's detection? How is this possible..."
Recovering himself, the middle-aged man continued his incantations, seemingly trying to erase the mist surrounding Ye Kunlun, but it was in vain.
Half an hour later, the middle-aged man finally gave up, "Whoever it is, they dare to disrupt the Witch God's affairs will die!"
With that, the man leaped, landing on the head of the Witch God whose eyes had been taken by Ye Kunlun.
He then cut open his wrist, dripping his blood into the empty eye sockets.
A bizarre scene unfolded.
The man's blood slowly solidified within the Witch God's eye sockets, reforming into a pair of blood-red eyes.
However, compared to before, these eyes lacked much of their luster.
Having done this, the middle-aged man's face was extremely pale as he left the painting.
After exiting the painting, he immediately sent a message to Gu Changsheng, urging him to come immediately.
Within ten minutes, Gu Changsheng arrived in haste.
"What's wrong?" Gu Changsheng rushed to the second floor, his eyes widening in surprise at the middle-aged man's pallor, "The capital has been a bit restless lately. My frequent departures from the Qintian Tower will attract unwanted attention."
"This place has been compromised," the middle-aged man adjusted his breathing. "Someone in the capital can shield heavenly secrets and evade the Witch God's detection. Help me find out who possesses this ability."
Hearing this, Gu Changsheng's mind instantly conjured Ye Kunlun's image.
"What? You know?" the man asked.
Gu Changsheng pondered, "Someone in the Shanhetian Palace should be able to do this, after all, it is where the Son of Heaven resides."
"Our affairs, the Shanhetian Palace should not have noticed yet," the man shook his head with certainty. "Therefore, it shouldn't be Shanhetian Palace."
The man's brows furrowed, a deep killing intent flickering in his eyes.
If it were indeed someone from Shanhetian Palace, he wouldn't have the strength to kill them now.
The security of Shanhetian Palace was undoubtedly the most stringent in all of Huaxia.
"If we exclude Shanhetian Palace, in the capital currently... the only person I can think of."
Gu Changsheng said gravely, looking at the man.
"Who?"
"Ye Kunlun!"
Upon hearing Gu Changsheng's answer, the middle-aged man's face grew even more grim. "How could it be him? He absolutely couldn't know about this place!"
"Besides him, I really can't think of anyone else who could evade the Witch God's detection!"
Gu Changsheng's expression was equally solemn.
If it were truly Ye Kunlun, then the problem likely originated with him; Ye Kunlun had discovered this place through his movements.
"He is indeed the only variable," the middle-aged man's gaze flickered. "I had originally planned to deal with him after the Yellow Springs Secret Realm, but now, he knows too much. We must act ahead of schedule."
The man's eyes were filled with killing intent towards Ye Kunlun.
Faced with the middle-aged man, Gu Changsheng couldn't help but shiver, "This kid's strength is formidable. Killing him in the capital might not be so easy."
"Then lure him out," the man mused. "Isn't Han Qingmian his senior sister? She's heavily injured. Lure him to the East Sea Military Region, and there will be plenty of opportunities along the way!"
The man was determined to kill Ye Kunlun.
"If Ye Kunlun is truly killed, then the item we sought back then will be completely lost," Gu Changsheng revealed a hint of worry. "Without that item, even if all our plans succeed, the final step will be impossible!"
The man knew Gu Changsheng's concerns.
After a moment of thought, he continued, "The Witch God told me that his grandfather is in a place of nine deaths and one life. As long as the person is still alive, we will definitely find that item. Eliminating Ye Kunlun will be even more beneficial to our plan."
"Furthermore, doesn't he have a woman in Qingcheng? As long as we have leverage on him, controlling him will be easy!"
The middle-aged man let out a sinister smile. "Leave this matter to you. You've been the楼主 of Qintian Tower for so many years. If you can't even handle this..."
"Rest assured!"
Gu Changsheng interrupted him, his tone somewhat displeased, "Don't forget, if I hadn't secretly assisted you ten years ago, your plan wouldn't have been executed so smoothly."
"Zhou Lie has already been killed by Ye Kunlun. I don't want him to truly investigate me, so his death is the best outcome."
"However, Feng Zhan has just returned. Let him clash with Ye Kunlun first. Perhaps he can eliminate Ye Kunlun."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man sneered, "Feng Zhan wants to replace Zhou Lie, he's just a bit too impatient."
"Very well, give him a few days to fight Ye Kunlun. If he can truly eliminate Ye Kunlun, it will save us the trouble."
"Also, this place has been exposed. I need to leave the capital for a few days. The matters here are temporarily entrusted to you."
The middle-aged man instructed Gu Changsheng.
"Where are you going?" Gu Changsheng asked tentatively.
The middle-aged man chuckled, "You are the楼主 of Qintian Tower, your divination skills are unparalleled in the capital. Shouldn't you guess?"
"I don't have the leisure for that," Gu Changsheng replied coldly.
The middle-aged man did not conceal his intentions and replied in a low voice, "I'm going north. You should know why."
"The Barbarian tribes?" Gu Changsheng frowned.
The middle-aged man nodded and said gravely, "They are a tribe of misfortune. If utilized properly, they can be of immense help to our plan."