Chapter 462 - 258: Caocao (Part 2)
Her expression grew tense as she looked at Lü Zhong, as if she were terrified of angering him.
’Heh!’
Lü Zhong remained expressionless, only cursing her internally.
’She barely says a single true word.’
’But on second thought,’ he mused, ’Li Qionghua probably gave me this method with the secret intention of supporting Yun Tao. After all, she’s her own blood relative, and blood is thicker than water.’
Then again, the method Li Qionghua had provided was actually quite feasible.
The Lingyue Seven Peaks were all treasure troves, but the crème de la crème was undoubtedly Lingyue Peak. Not only was it the place where the Nascent Soul True Monarchs entered seclusion, but it was also the location of the Lingyue Sect’s Inheritance Hall and Treasure Vault.
If they could actually seize it by surprise, the benefits would be immense.
According to Li Qionghua’s information, Lingyue Peak housed many Spiritual Objects that aided in Nascent Soul Formation. There were quite a few of them, and even the Purifying Spirit Liquid was considered one of the less valuable items. There were other, even better treasures.
The key issue was the risk involved.
It wasn’t that Lü Zhong was afraid to risk his own life for a great undertaking.
Rather, when the Lingyue Sect collapsed, with the exception of a few Elders who would try to save their own skins, the rest would most likely choose to take everyone down with them. He estimated that self-detonations would be happening everywhere.
One wrong move, and he’d end up as collateral damage.
This scenario was highly likely.
"I need to discuss this with my master," Lü Zhong said honestly.
According to Li Qionghua’s plan, seizing Lingyue Peak would require the cooperation of all three of their factions, and the process had to be flawless. Although a timely retreat after failure would prevent major losses, watching such a heavenly opportunity slip away would leave anyone feeling bitter.
Fortunately, there were two factors that Li Qionghua hadn’t accounted for.
First, Shuini had cultivated to the Fake Infant Realm, which meant she was more powerful.
Second, Lü Zhong now had an Incarnation that could temporarily exhibit the combat strength of a Core Formation cultivator. If necessary, he could even use it to take a Lingyue Sect Elder down with him in a self-detonation.
In other words, the plan had more room for error.
"Sigh, alright then." Yun Tao couldn’t object. After all, Lü Zhong held all the cards.
Likewise, she had no way of finding other allies.
The method Li Qionghua had devised had extremely demanding requirements for individual strength. If it were just a matter of numbers, Yun Tao was confident she could use her silver tongue to recruit a dozen or so Core Formation cultivators. Unfortunately, this plan valued quality over quantity. In fact, the main force would have to be Lü Zhong and his master.
If she didn’t play an irreplaceable role at a certain key moment, she probably wouldn’t even be qualified to participate.
...
After leaving the Illusion Cloud Sect, Lü Zhong rushed to the True Spirit Sect without stopping.
「True Spirit Hall.」
Shuini was seated high up in the hall, meditating with her eyes closed. Hearing footsteps enter, she assumed it was Chuu Yuehong. But when she lifted her eyelids slightly, she saw the very person she longed for day and night.
Both surprised and delighted, she ran down, barefoot.
On the way, she didn’t forget to activate the Prohibitions, lest anyone barge in and ruin her fun.
"Well, now. You never visit a temple for nothing. Did you finally deign to come see your master?"
Shuini’s bold actions made Lü Zhong a little embarrassed. Remembering his purpose for coming, he said seriously, "I actually do have something to discuss with you this time, Master."
"Oh? You actually have business?"
Hearing this, Shuini looked a little displeased, but she still straightened her clothes and let Lü Zhong continue. After he finished explaining Li Qionghua’s plan, she fell into deep thought.
After a long moment, she said,
"Seizing Lingyue Peak is indeed a good thing."
It would allow them to take revenge on the Lingyue Sect, fully win over the people of the former Three Heling Sects, and complete the True Spirit Sect’s internal integration ahead of schedule. It would also bring her, a Fake Infant Realm cultivator, the Nascent Soul Spiritual Objects she desperately needed.
It was, without a doubt, killing two birds with one stone.
"The problem is, how do we verify if this information is true?" Shuini raised her own question.
Hearing this, Lü Zhong spread his hands.
"That’s precisely why I came."
"Hmph, so you really only came because you needed something!" Shuini muttered under her breath.
Her voice wasn’t that low; it was clearly intentional.
"..." Lü Zhong heard every word.
Shuini pretended not to notice, acting as if nothing had happened. She smiled sweetly at Lü Zhong. "It’s actually not hard to verify the information. I have my channels."
She had actually already sent numerous spies to the Lingyue Sect.
One or two of them had even managed to secure fairly high-ranking positions. Combined with the spy network inherited from the Three Heling Sects, she was more than capable of verifying the information’s authenticity.
Hearing her say this, Lü Zhong knew at once that he had worried for nothing.
...
Half a month later, Shuini finally, and reluctantly, let Lü Zhong leave.
Lü Zhong walked out of the True Spirit Sect’s main gate, feeling the ache in his lower back. ’If I’d left any later,’ he thought, ’I’m afraid even my Primordial Qi would have been damaged.’
Still, it wasn’t without its benefits.
After reaching the Fake Infant Realm, Shuini was temporarily unable to attempt Nascent Soul Formation, so she needed to disperse her power from time to time.
He had profited quite a bit from this visit.
It had been exhausting, yes, but it was worth it to save himself two or three years of hard cultivation. Besides, what he had gained from Shuini wasn’t just an improvement in his cultivation...
There was also a great deal of pleasure.
Slowly rising into the air, Lü Zhong glanced toward the True Spirit Hall. He gave a nod to Shuini, who was standing at the hall’s entrance, before transforming into a streak of rainbow light and flying toward Lingyue Immortal City.
The journey should have taken half a day, but he forced himself to fly for two full days.
When he arrived at the Hundred Beasts Manor, however, he found only a scene of crumbling ruins. Weeds grew thick and wild, with bleached bones faintly visible among them. Even the fertile fields where fodder was grown had been completely abandoned. There wasn’t a single member of the Su Family to be seen.
Flying high into the sky, Lü Zhong found a mortal village.