Brother Yi, you haven't rested in a long time.

In fact, Chen Yi had long been prepared for the issue of Fang Fan’s origins in the Tian Shu Star Domain.

He knew full well that Ling Xiao would never sit idly by while he peacefully developed after obtaining the Chaos Treasure. Ling Xiao would inevitably stir up trouble, informing Wuji about Fang Fan’s background to escalate the conflict between Chen Yi and Wuji!

At present, the Violet Star Immortal Realm had gone into hiding, making it impossible for Ling Xiao to target directly. Moreover, Ling Xiao dared not confront Wuji head-on, so his only option was to exploit the Tian Shu Star Domain!

Coincidentally, Chen Yi’s attention was also fixed on Ling Xiao.

Of course, not Ling Xiao’s true self—his true form had already been cornered by Wuji deep within the River of Time. What did he have left besides those two severely damaged Chaos Treasures? What else could he possibly offer?

Thus, Chen Yi’s real target was the fragment of the Creation Disk in Ling Xiao’s possession, along with the Epoch Treasury he clung to so tightly.

Truth be told, Ling Xiao had once tried to pass the Epoch Treasury—this hot potato—to Chen Yi. But back then, Chen Yi had been overly cautious, unwilling to confront Wuji directly, so he hadn’t dared to take it...

Now, however, with an alliance forged with the Divine Realm and Wuji already dealt a heavy blow, there was no need to pretend anymore. What was there to fear?

If Ling Xiao dared to offer it again, Chen Yi would dare to take it!

But alas, circumstances kept changing. Now that Chen Yi wanted it, Ling Xiao refused to hand it over, hiding himself tightly and leaving no openings—only teasing from afar.

With no other choice, Chen Yi had to resort to underhanded tactics to succeed.

In this situation, Fang Fan’s origins in the Tian Shu Star Domain made for perfect bait.

So, after Fang Fan gained recognition from the Chaos Treasure and his presence resonated across the realms, Chen Yi deliberately left the Tian Shu Star Domain’s vulnerability unpatched—just to set the trap and lure Ling Xiao in!

And Ling Xiao did not disappoint, taking the bait as expected.

But surprisingly, Ling Xiao seemed aware of Chen Yi’s intentions, acting with extreme caution. Not only did he obscure his interference, but he even deliberately shielded himself from Chen Yi’s perception!

If not for the Xuanji Huan’s alert, Chen Yi might never have noticed Ling Xiao had already finished his scheme.

Still, a minor oversight was no big deal.

Chen Yi understood all too well that Ling Xiao wouldn’t be so easily cornered. After all, Ling Xiao was now a desperate fugitive, as skittish as a startled bird, meticulously calculating every move to avoid any risk!

Thus, Chen Yi had already prepared for the possibility of Ling Xiao evading his surveillance.

Or, to put it more bluntly—he only needed Ling Xiao to show up. How he arrived didn’t matter. Even if Wuji ended up getting involved, it wouldn’t be an issue. In fact, Wuji’s presence might even make things easier!

Hence, he planned meticulously, never engaging in battles without ample room for error.

"Yi-ge, why do I suddenly feel like you’re getting excited?"

The Violet Cat cast a puzzled glance and asked, "Weren’t we just discussing the plan to determine fortune based on actual production value and auditing large amounts of virtual inflation?"

Chen Yi gently stroked the cat’s head and replied softly, "Setting the general direction is enough. The specifics should be left to the Violet Star Celestial Court—none of them are slackers."

"But..." The Violet Cat still seemed confused. "If everyone understood the underlying principles, shouldn’t they have foreseen this and prepared countermeasures long ago?"

Chen Yi shook his head with a smile. "It’s not that they don’t understand. It’s that you don’t. You lack the cognitive framework for this. At the same time, due to rapid development and the constant emergence of new phenomena, their thinking hasn’t caught up yet. Habitual thought patterns have imposed an invisible mental shackle on even the most capable officials who could’ve foreseen the risks of inflated value. That’s why I had to point it out."

"Now that you’ve recognized the problem, that mental shackle has been broken. By this point, Fang Zheng and the others should’ve realized it too."

"So, all you need to do is use our earlier discussion as the guiding framework to ensure no deviations. The minor details will naturally be filled in by the celestial officials."

Hearing this, the Violet Cat paused, then nodded in relief. "Yi-ge, you’re right. Fang Zheng and the others did react—but the first one to realize it wasn’t Fang Zheng. It was someone who usually doesn’t stand out much!"

"Come to think of it, Yi-ge, the officials you assigned may not be exceptionally talented, but their way of thinking is uniquely insightful. They often propose theories that make people see things in a new light."

"Yi-ge, guess who it was?"

"Ah, it’s Qin Sheng, isn’t it?" Chen Yi sighed softly, playing along with the guess—or rather, the answer. "I know the people I assigned best. He used to be a capitalist, so he’s most sensitive to the mechanisms of capital. And in some ways, the fortune of heaven and earth shares similarities with capital flow. It’s only natural he’d be the first to catch on."

"Wow, Yi-ge, you’re so smart!" The Violet Cat praised without restraint. "Yes, it was Qin Sheng. I barely noticed him before. If not for the mental shackle being broken today, he..."

Before the cat could finish, Chen Yi tapped its head lightly and interrupted, "Alright, alright. I know you want me to rest properly. But there’s no helping it—the tallest tree catches the most wind. Instead of waiting for disaster, it’s better to strike first. Only by being strong enough can we remain unshaken no matter where the wind blows."

"I should return to the Illusory Star Cave Heaven now. You should go back and reflect further. After all, several major projects are waiting to launch once the ascension is complete."

"Fine then..." The Violet Cat leaped off his shoulder, watching as Yi-ge’s figure gradually faded away. A trace of heartache flickered in its eyes as it murmured softly:

"Yi-ge, you always say I’m the impatient one. But in truth, it’s you who can’t slow down. You haven’t rested like you used to in so long..."