The Cloud Runners, in the end, could not escape this world of cultivation. Not without the consent of Wang Lin, dared they flee.

Wang Lin, upon his return, immediately unleashed his arcane power, carving a vast cavernous abode from the very earth. He began his seclusion, layering potent wards upon the entrance, forbidding any cultivator from stepping within a hundred leagues.

Beyond Wang Lin’s secluded haven, the Dark Scorpion Clan, highest in standing, claimed a swathe of territory. The Cloud Runners, humbled and hesitant, could only find solace in a distant direction, making a temporary camp.

Zhong Dahong, ever arrogant, strode through the domains of both clans as though they were his own. He reveled in the attention, a feeling never known within the Flash Lightning Clan.

Inside his cavern, Wang Lin sat in meditative pose, eyes filled with contemplation. The envoy of the Grand Emperor from the Dragon Armor Clan had spoken, before his departure, of a significant day three months hence in the Fallen Land – a day when the Elder Council of the Fallen Assembly would be reshuffled.

Some would maintain their positions, while others would be cast aside, replaced by rivals hungry for power.

Yet, these affairs were distant echoes to Wang Lin. His gaze was fixed upon the Fire Sparrow Clan, upon how he might navigate the Elder selection and achieve his true purpose.

“The lure has been cast…” Wang Lin’s eyes gleamed. He closed them, allowing his spiritual sense to unfurl, seeking that subtle, yet profound, connection. Slowly, his consciousness dissolved, merging with the very fabric of existence, becoming one with the Heavens and the Earth.

After a long while, Wang Lin discerned a familiar aura, a subtle echo hurtling through the distant cosmos, rapidly receding, becoming ever fainter.

Far from the Fallen Land, within the inky blackness of the stellar void, three members of the Fire Sparrow Clan sped through the darkness. The foremost, a man of middle years, wore a grim expression. He reached up, touching his brow, his eyes flashing with an unnatural light.

“The Elder charged me with delivering the blood from that pill back to the clan for study. This matter is of utmost importance, failure is not an option. If the Elder’s analysis is correct, the Clan Leader and Great Elders, upon seeing this blood, will surely issue orders,” the man said, his resolve hardening, as he and his companions pressed onward, vanishing into the endless dark.

Wang Lin opened his eyes, his spiritual sense retracting, a cold smile playing on his lips. The blood within the Soul Pill contained intense heat and a trace of his very essence. No other blood could substitute his own.

Thus, he could, through the bonds of blood, sense its approximate location even across the vast gulf of space.

“That sliver of essence within the blood, once delivered to the Fire Sparrow Clan, will undoubtedly trigger a storm. And with my plans aligned, seizing the Fire Sparrow Clan’s source of fire, I should be able to succeed!”

“Now that the blood has been sent, it is time to enact the second stage of my plan…” Wang Lin’s eyes flickered with a shadowed gleam. He raised his right hand and with a flourish, a rift tore open in the void before him.

The moment the fissure appeared, a heart-rending shriek echoed forth, so sharp and terrible that it sent shivers down the spine of any who heard it.

“Grandfather Xu, Little Biao was wrong! Truly wrong! I beg you, Grandfather Xu, have mercy! I’ll never do it again! Ahhh!” Another cry, laced with Xu Liguo’s lewd laughter, reverberated.

“Falling into the hands of your Grandfather Xu is a stroke of luck! Your Grandfather Xu has been lonely these thousands of years and would never kill you! He’ll cherish you with the utmost care. Jin Biao, my little treasure, don’t worry, your Grandfather Xu won’t make it too painful…”

The harrowing cries rose and fell, a symphony of despair…

Wang Lin frowned and cleared his throat. The sound resonated within his storage space, instantly silencing it. Then, Xu Liguo’s delighted voice echoed forth, and he materialized as a bolt of black light, shooting out of the storage space.

In Xu Liguo’s grasp was a figure, his clothes torn and tattered, as if he had just suffered a brutal assault. His face was gaunt, his eyes filled with horror. Xu Liguo dragged him before Wang Lin.

“Master, what grand scheme do you have this time? Rest assured, Little Xu will execute it flawlessly! Nothing like that fiasco with the Flash Lightning Clan!” Xu Liguo threw Liu Jinbiao aside, rubbing his hands together and offering assurances.

Wang Lin did not look at Xu Liguo but fixed his gaze upon Liu Jinbiao. The man trembled, consumed by an unspeakable fear. After being cast into the storage space, he had suffered endless torment at Xu Liguo’s hands, a constant stream of cruelties, twisted by Xu Liguo’s perverted tastes, that haunted him like a waking nightmare.

“Jinbiao… do you know your transgressions?” Wang Lin spoke slowly.

His words sent another tremor through Liu Jinbiao. He collapsed to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face. He cried, “Immortal… This lowly one knows! I know! Please, Immortal, grant this lowly one a chance at redemption. I shall never cheat again…”

Wang Lin tapped his fingers lightly upon his knee, his eyes gleaming strangely as he stared at Liu Jinbiao. “Tell me, if you did not possess that jade pendant, how skilled would your deceit be?”

Liu Jinbiao wiped away his tears, his face filled with remorse. “Immortal, this lowly one possesses no true skill in deceit. It was all the jade pendant that allowed me to cheat. Now that the Immortal has taken the pendant, this lowly one can no longer deceive anyone. I beg you, Immortal, release this lowly one. Grant me my freedom. I can no longer deceive anyone…”

A chilling light flashed in Wang Lin’s eyes. He nodded slowly and said, “Since you possess no true skill in deceit, you are no better than refuse. There is no reason to let you live.”
A look of utter, joyous surprise bloomed across Liu Jinbiao’s face, only to be quickly replaced by a bewildered frown. As the meaning of Wang Lin’s words finally pierced his understanding, his countenance underwent a dramatic shift, twisting with fear. Especially when his gaze locked onto the glacial chill in Wang Lin’s eyes, he visibly trembled, blurting out in a high-pitched voice, “Merciful Immortal, you misunderstand! Benign Earth-Sprite, a grievous mistake! This lowly one misspoke. Even without the jade trinket, my deceptions are nothing short of earth-shattering. Across the Sea of Clouds, none can compare. I long ago understood the folly of relying too heavily on the bauble. Thus, only in direst straits would I deign to use it. My other cons, each and every one, has been wrought by my own hand. Since childhood, whenever the opportunity presented itself, I would practice. Now, I have attained the pinnacle of artistry!”

* * *

“Oh?” Wang Lin queried, his right index finger still drumming a measured rhythm against his knee. His words were smooth, but the movement sent shivers down Liu Jinbiao’s spine. The rogue’s very soul seemed to dance to the beat of Wang Lin’s tapping finger. “Then tell me, what are your insights into the art of deception?”

“Deception…” Liu Jinbiao began cautiously, ever aware of the Immortal’s gaze. “In essence, it is the manipulation of others into falling prey to your designs. The exploitation of all manner of means, especially the mark’s trust, misunderstandings, even their prejudices, to achieve a desired end. And, if the need arises, this art demands skillful disguise, to the point that one must first utterly convince *themselves* of the veracity of their lies before they can hope to deceive another.” Seeing a slight nod of acknowledgement from Wang Lin, Liu Jinbiao’s heart eased slightly.

“My study of deception has led me to identify three distinct stages. The first is merely deceiving others. The second is the far more challenging act of deceiving oneself. The third, however, transcends the others. It is a state of profound understanding, of seeing the mountain, then not seeing the mountain, before returning to the initial state: deceiving others.”

“These three stages sound simple,” Liu Jinbiao continued, his voice losing some of its fear, “but in truth, amongst the teeming masses, amongst those who call themselves practitioners of this art, most are trapped within the first stage. Their words ring hollow, not even believed by themselves. They deceive for the sake of deceiving, achieving only a pathetic level of mediocrity.”

“Only when one has attained a certain degree of understanding, only when one truly comprehends the depths of deception, does one naturally progress to the second stage: deceiving oneself. One must use all methods, every experience in life, to perpetually deceive oneself, until one completely believes in the illusion. Only then can one reach the higher levels!” Liu Jinbiao inhaled deeply, seemingly forgetting his current predicament. His expression turned grave.

“Amongst our brethren, few have reached this second stage. Throughout my wanderings, I have encountered some fellow travelers on this path, and upon such meetings, we would engage in discourse, sharing insights and experiences.”

“Yet, most of those I have met fear to delve too deeply into this second stage. For it is a treacherous realm, fraught with peril! This danger stems from within, for when one completely deceives oneself, one risks becoming lost, trapped within the illusion, forever changed. One might become a virtuous soul, or a villain, or even a madman!”

“Indeed, there are elders amongst us who have sunk too deeply into this second stage, even forgetting that they were once deceivers. Whenever I encounter such individuals, a profound sorrow washes over me. How tragic, how truly tragic!” Liu Jinbiao, lost in his own reverie, spoke with a peculiar gravity.

Standing nearby, Xu Liguo’s jaw dropped in disbelief. He sneered, “Just a conman, talking like a damn Daoist…”

Before Xu Liguo could finish, Liu Jinbiao sprang to his feet, whirling around to fix the younger man with a furious glare. Within his eyes flickered a hint of arrogance, but beneath that lay a stark loneliness. It was the lonely pride of one who stood atop a towering peak, gazing down upon the world below.

“Ignorant whelp! You cannot fathom the depths of my heart!”

“I began my craft at the tender age of four. By nine, I was known as a prodigy, daring to deceive even Foundation Establishment cultivators! By sixteen, I could see the desires within the hearts of all I encountered! And since that time, I have wandered the world, seeking the very pinnacle of deception!”

“Heaven and earth, we speak of the Three Thousand Great Daos. But who can name all of them? Who can say, with certainty, that deception is not among them?!”

“What you cultivate may be called a Dao, but what I cultivate, is it not also a Dao?! Throughout the endless ages, countless beings have risen and fallen. Since the very dawn of creation, there have been mortals, and where there are mortals, there is deception. If deception were worthless, it would have long been extinguished by the passage of time. Instead, it persists to this very day!” Liu Jinbiao’s voice boomed. “What I seek is to ask the Heavens, whether in the Three Thousand Great Daos, where does deception stand? And if the Three Thousand Daos hold no place for deception, then I shall create one beyond them! I shall forge the Thirty-Thousand-and-First…”

Xu Liguo stared in utter shock, and even Wang Lin seemed momentarily taken aback.