Chapter 417 - 48: Heist Plan
With the exception of the Cyan Rattan Demon King, everyone took turns "attacking" the Bronze Giant Tree, causing treasures wrapped in spiritual light to fall from its crown.
Among them, Zhao Wuji was the most powerful. One of his three strikes unleashed power comparable to a Dharma Cultivator’s, and he reaped a Fourth-rank Talisman.
The Qianmu Demon King, Bing Wuyi, and Lady Wei all obtained some third-tier magical artifacts, talismans, pills, and spiritual objects.
The brothers Jingyuan and Jingxuan attacked with all their might, each obtaining three Tier Two Talismans.
Aside from Zhao Wuji, it could be said that everyone else’s haul was merely average.
But everyone secretly suspected that the true treasures in this great tomb of a Tribulation Realm Cultivator had already been seized by Fang Cheng. What they had obtained were merely his scraps.
Having now witnessed Fang Cheng’s methods, everyone felt this was only to be expected.
Strength commands respect!
Jingyuan and Jingxuan fiddled with their three talismans, their expressions somewhat odd. Fang Cheng noticed but didn’t ask about it, simply recalling the two brothers into the Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman.
Finally, Fang Cheng spoke in a low voice, "Everyone, the Great Tomb Master is still here. It’s not wise to linger. We should leave as soon as possible."
Shock appeared on the faces of Zhao Wuji and the others, and they all nodded in agreement.
Before a Tribulation Realm Great Power, they were no different from ants. Being ignored was one thing, but if that entity was in a foul mood, their lives could be extinguished in an instant.
So, upon hearing Fang Cheng say that the Great Tomb Master was not dead, everyone’s first instinct was to stay as far away as possible.
This was especially true for old foxes like Zhao Wuji and the Qianmu Demon King. Their thoughts were even more complex, and they completely abandoned any notion of exploring the Outer Ancient Tomb for treasure.
The group returned the way they came, encountering Xue Jiu along the way. He had managed to suppress his injuries for the time being, but his vital energy was severely damaged. It was likely his cultivation would never advance another inch for the rest of his life.
After exiting the Outer Ancient Tomb, the group fled for hundreds of miles before finally stopping at the shore of the Nuhai.
On this trip to the Western Wilderness, Zhao Wuji had lost a disciple, and his Demon Servant had been gravely wounded.
The Cyan Rattan Demon King from the Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts was critically injured and on the brink of death, having had a close brush with the afterlife.
The Valley of Ten Thousand Beasts’ gains didn’t even cover their initial investment...
After all, they had paid the price of a Fourth-rank Talisman just to get into the Celestial Traveling Immortal Pavilion.
Then they had invited the Loose Cultivator, the Black Dragon Taoist, which must have also cost a great deal.
To make matters worse, the Black Dragon Taoist had been killed by Fang Cheng almost as soon as he arrived.
The Qianmu Demon King truly lived up to his reputation as a long-time leader. He was deeply inscrutable. After leaving the great tomb, his expression was calm and unperturbed. Unmoved by gains or losses, he had once again resumed the noble bearing of the master of the Demon Race Sacred Land.
As long as the bright moon remains over the lakes, one need not worry about finding a place to cast a golden hook.
Just then, Zhao Wuji called Fang Cheng and the Qianmu Demon King over. With a wave of his hand, he set up a privacy ward and began to discuss something with them.
Zhao Wuji took out the Fourth-rank Talisman he had just obtained and handed it to Fang Cheng. "Please, take a look."
Fang Cheng accepted the talisman and studied it. He saw countless writhing, tadpole-like runes flickering across the surface of the silver talisman, casting a radiant glow.
"A Fourth-Grade Middle Grade Breaking Forbidden Talisman."
Fang Cheng remarked.
Ordinary Tier One and Tier Two Breaking Charms are not uncommon in the Cultivation Realm, but high-tier ones are exceedingly rare.
Especially a Fourth-tier Forbidden Breaking Talisman like this one. It was incredibly difficult to create, and very few Fourth-tier Talisman Masters at the Dharma Realm would go to the trouble of refining such a talisman.
Let alone in a New Domain like the Wilderness Domain, where a Dharma Cultivator hadn’t emerged for a very long time.
Zhao Wuji looked at Fang Cheng, then at the Qianmu Demon King, and said slowly, "You two, I have a plan. We can use this talisman to accomplish something major."
Fang Cheng smiled faintly. "What do you have in mind, Mr. Zhao?"
Zhao Wuji said grimly, "This Breaking Charm can breach a Fourth-tier Array. I wonder, are either of you interested in the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault?"
The Qianmu Demon King raised an eyebrow, his tone turning somewhat sinister. "Mr. Zhao, are you planning to rob the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault?"
Zhao Wuji smiled calmly. "I planted a sleeper agent in the Qiankun Saint Sect many years ago. Now that I have this talisman, I feel the time is ripe. Add to that the fact that Fellow Daoist Fang killed four of their Supreme Elders and seized three Fourth-rank Magical Artifacts in one fell swoop... How could we possibly pass up such a golden opportunity?"
The Qianmu Demon King mused for a moment before nodding. "Mr. Zhao has a point. The Qiankun Saint Sect has gone too far. If we don’t retaliate, what will become of the pride of us Eastern Desolate Cultivators?"
Fang Cheng asked, "What are the Qiankun Saint Sect’s resources and overall strength?"
Zhao Wuji explained, "The sect claims to be the greatest power in the Western Wilderness. They originally had thirteen Life Soul Realm cultivators, but now only nine are left... Both their main grounds and their Treasure Vault are protected by a Fourth-tier Array. They also have a fourth-rank, top-grade Magical Artifact that anchors the sect’s destiny."
He paused, then added, "If we disregard their sect’s Array, those Elders are no match for you, Fellow Daoist Fang. Besides, I have a plan to empty their Treasure Vault without a sound. You have nothing to worry about."
Fang Cheng said, "Why don’t you lay it out for us, Mr. Zhao."
"The plan has four steps..." Zhao Wuji chuckled and began to lay out the details.
After listening, Fang Cheng felt the plan was sound, and he was tempted.
The first step, as Zhao Wuji explained, involved his sleeper agent in the Qiankun Saint Sect. The agent, who had since become an Inner Sect Disciple, would lure the Saint Sect’s Tenth Elder out of the sect grounds.
Together, they would subdue the Tenth Elder, Chen Chizhong, and perform a Soul Search.
The second step was to use a Secret Technique to impersonate Chen Chizhong and then use the Lingxiao Three Sceneries Talisman to get everyone inside the Qiankun Saint Sect.
No matter how powerful the Secret Technique, it couldn’t replicate a person’s soul. It would never fool the other Elders of the Qiankun Saint Sect, who were also at the Life Soul Realm.
Especially the Supreme Elder who guarded the Treasure Vault.
Therefore, the third step was to use the Breaking Charm to silently breach the Treasure Vault’s wards, get inside, and assassinate the Elder on guard duty with lightning speed.
Then, they would quickly empty the Treasure Vault of its contents.
This step was critical. The Treasure Vault was protected by multiple layers of wards. Forcefully breaking them would not only be time-consuming but would also risk raising an alarm.
The Fourth-tier Forbidden Breaking Talisman was the perfect solution to this problem.
The fourth step: a safe withdrawal.
They would have to get out quickly, before the other Life Soul Cultivators in the Qiankun Saint Sect noticed that their sect brother’s Soul Lamp had gone out.
Zhao Wuji’s sleeper agent could poison the Cultivator on duty in the Ancestral Hall, knocking them unconscious...
This was where the sleeper agent’s value became apparent.
A mere Life Talisman Cultivator, yet capable of playing such a vital role.
Especially when it came to intelligence!
Without the intelligence provided by the agent, Zhao Wuji’s entire scheme would have been a non-starter.
Fang Cheng thought for a moment, then said, "Mr. Zhao, I have a few questions, if you would be so kind as to answer them."
"Please, ask away, Fellow Daoist Fang."
"The first step hinges on the Soul Search. How can you guarantee its success?"
Performing a Soul Search on a cultivator of the same rank has an extremely low success rate. It’s highly likely to destroy the target’s soul.
Or worse, you could end up being possessed by them.
Zhao Wuji answered with great confidence, "I may be untalented and have wasted two hundred years of my life, but when it comes to the art of the Soul Search, handling a mere Early-stage Life Soul Cultivator is child’s play for me."
Fang Cheng nodded and asked his next question. "The key to the second step is avoiding detection. How will the impersonator avoid the other Life Soul Cultivators of the Qiankun Saint Sect?"
Zhao Wuji had clearly already thought about this. He replied in a cheerful tone, "That’s precisely why we’re targeting the Tenth Elder, Chen Chizhong. He’s a recluse with an arrogant, unruly personality. He’s extremely unsociable and prefers to be alone. Besides, once your cultivation reaches our level, you rarely make appearances in the sect anyway."
"Worst case scenario, if our luck is poor and someone spots us, with your cultivation and the Breaking Charm, we can leave the Qiankun Saint Sect whenever we please."
Finally, Zhao Wuji said, "Fellow Daoist Fang, if I hadn’t witnessed your Divine Techniques for myself, I’m afraid I would have had to wait until I broke through to the Dharma Realm before daring to make this move. As for the spoils from this venture... you’ll take fifty percent. The Qianmu Daoist and I will split the other fifty. How does that sound?"
The third step of the plan was also crucial. It required enough combat power to instantly kill the Elder guarding the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault.
It was only after seeing Fang Cheng’s terrifying power when he swept away the other cultivators in the great tomb that Zhao Wuji dared to entertain the idea of plundering the Qiankun Saint Sect’s Treasure Vault.
The only remaining concern was the risk that the Qiankun Saint Sect might use the Grand Arrays and treasures left behind by their predecessors to trap and kill them all.
But then again, what great reward comes without risk?
The Qiankun Saint Sect was known as the greatest power in the Western Wilderness. The collection in its Sect Treasure Vault and its overall resources would surely not disappoint.
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