Chapter 488 - 354: Don’t Blame Me
To remain weak meant imminent destruction for his sect. A sect’s fortunes, much like cultivation, were akin to rowing upstream—fail to advance, and you would be swept back.
Faced with the terms Fang Qingyuan had laid out, Yan Nanxing had to admit he was tempted. The value of the Tribulation Secret Technique alone was immense. And Chu Hongshang hailed from the Qi Yun Chu Family—compared to a cultivator like him with no powerful backing, she was a figure he could normally never hope to associate with.
And that wasn’t even mentioning the friendship of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect. He didn’t ask for much—just that if the Yan Gui Sect were to decline in the future, the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect could put in a good word and keep the Spirit Wood Alliance from being too predatory.
Thinking this over, Yan Nanxing, being a decisive man, knew what to do. He had clawed his way up from nothing to build his sect, so he certainly understood the art of the trade-off. He then took a Token from his storage bag.
"The Heaven-Reaching Order is here. How do you wish to use it, Sect Leader Fang?"
Seeing Yan Nanxing’s decisiveness, Fang Qingyuan didn’t hesitate either. He stepped forward and stated his plan plainly:
"I want you to report the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect for blockading your gates and interfering with the Yan Gui Sect’s operations!"
"Huh? That’s it?"
A look of utter confusion crossed Yan Nanxing’s face. ’Fang Qingyuan went to all this trouble just for that?’
But a few moments later, Yan Nanxing understood the convoluted nature of the plan. He let out a wry laugh.
"Sect Leader Fang, you’ve really done a number on me, Old Yan."
The words had barely left his lips when the Heaven-Reaching Order in Yan Nanxing’s hand activated, releasing a profound aura that shot straight into the sky.
The next moment, a wave of solemn, righteous energy materialized between heaven and earth, sweeping the Heaven-Reaching Order away. A powerful spiritual sense, belonging to some high-level being, quickly scanned the area. Where the token had vanished, a speck of light appeared. It expanded and solidified, revealing a white, disc-shaped flying shuttle that emerged from within.
"Inspector Envoy of the Great Zhou Academy, Nascent Soul Ji Yulang, investigating the report from the Yan Gui Sect! All uninvolved parties, disperse at once!"
The voice was imbued with the True Meaning of the Great Dao, striking fear into the hearts of all cultivators below the Golden Core Realm. But upon hearing it, Fang Qingyuan couldn’t stop the corners of his lips from turning up in a smile.
Within Chu Hongshang’s courtyard, the three occupants also heard the announcement. Their expressions shifted at once: Lechuan was delighted, Yuan Duo was puzzled, and Nangong Zhi’s face turned grim.
At this time, Nangong Zhi’s spiritual pressure had already enveloped the small courtyard, and Yuan Duo was no longer as composed as she had been moments ago.
Sensing the rapidly approaching aura of Ji Yulang, a Late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Nangong Zhi shot Lechuan and Yuan Duo a dark glance. Without another word, he turned and left.
Only after he was gone did beads of sweat break out on Yuan Duo’s face. She had been under immense spiritual pressure from Nangong Zhi’s True Meaning of the Great Dao.
A thought immediately struck Lechuan. ’This is Fang Qingyuan’s doing.’ That disciple of his had never let him down.
’Nangong Zhi had almost forced his way in just now. Thankfully, things hadn’t escalated that far yet.’
After a brief discussion with Yuan Duo, Lechuan hurried to the main hall. There, he found Fang Qingyuan and Yan Nanxing arguing heatedly before an elderly Confucian Cultivator, looking as if they were about to come to blows.
The elderly Confucian Cultivator, however, was clearly impatient with Fang Qingyuan and Yan Nanxing’s performance.
Ji Yulang was, in fact, bored. He had thought he was on to a major case, but it was nothing more than a squabble between local thugs.
That’s right. In Ji Yulang’s eyes, the conflict between the Yan Gui Sect and the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect was no different from a brawl between common hooligans.
There were no deaths, nor was there any mention of Demon Cultivators abducting infants. It simply wasn’t enough to pique his interest. Still, duty bound him to listen patiently as the two made their cases.
’What a boring day,’ he thought. That is, until he saw Lechuan arrive and give him a meaningful look.
A voice transmission reached Lechuan’s ears. It was Ji Yulang asking:
"What kind of charade are you putting on?"
"This was a last resort. Elder Ji, please prepare yourself for what I’m about to say, and try not to be alarmed."
Lechuan’s expression remained neutral as he sent a voice transmission to Ji Yulang, all while Fang Qingyuan and Yan Nanxing continued their loud argument.
"Rest assured, Sect Leader Le. I’m an Inspector Envoy for the Great Zhou Academy. I’ve seen my fair share of shocking events. I won’t be fazed. You may speak."
"Good. Chu Hongshang was ambushed while she was here to help. There were two Nascent Soul assassins. One was one-armed, with a Mid-stage Nascent Soul Cultivation, and he wielded a Demon Artifact, the Blood Transformation Demon Saber..."
"What?"
"Both assassins are dead. The Divinity Transformation Lion from Awakening Lion Valley showed up, then vanished for some unknown reason. And just now, Nangong Zhi arrived... Elder Ji? Elder Ji? Are you listening?"