Chapter 529: Major Progress in Cultivation! Doom is Imminent

Chapter 529 -259: Major Progress in Cultivation! Doom is Imminent

Tomorrow, internal strife will erupt within the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect!

He pushed open the door to his room, and the afterglow of the setting sun cast a warm, golden fringe of light upon the courtyard.

Chen Sheng faced the twilight glow and stretched his back and limbs, which had grown slightly stiff from sitting for so long.

Several days of arduous cultivation, nearly amounting to seclusion, had been immensely beneficial, but also quite stifling.

His gaze swept casually across the courtyard, quickly landing on Sun Yuzhi, who was sitting quietly in cultivation not far away.

At that moment, she held an Elemental Crystal in each hand, absorbing the pure Spiritual Qi within. Her red robes, reflecting the fading sun, created a picturesque scene all their own.

As if sensing his emergence from seclusion, Sun Yuzhi’s long lashes trembled. She slowly opened her sharp, bright eyes and turned her gaze toward him.

“Yuzhi,” Chen Sheng said with a smile as he slowly walked closer.

“Why are you out all of a sudden?”

Sun Yuzhi’s tone held a hint of surprise.

She knew that when Chen Sheng cultivated, he was often completely focused, and it wasn’t unusual for him to remain in seclusion for a month at a time.

“I’ve more or less absorbed the feedback from the Dragon Yang Gu King’s power. I came out to get some air and clear my head.”

Chen Sheng answered casually, though he couldn’t reveal the real reason.

Sun Yuzhi didn’t press the matter. However, hearing him mention “absorbed,” she couldn’t help but snort lightly and glance at him.

“Absorbed it all? Hmph… Isn’t that slut coming back for another helping tonight?”

These past few days, she had certainly seen Lan Yufei’s diligence firsthand.

During the day, she put on the airs of a Sect Leader, all solemn and self-possessed.

But once night fell, she would show up on time almost every evening to cultivate with Chen Sheng, utterly shameless.

If Chen Sheng hadn’t still been considerate of her feelings, always seeking her out for tender comfort afterward, she probably would have been unable to suppress her jealousy long ago.

But even so, frustration and resentment continued to fester in Sun Yuzhi’s heart.

She had even secretly written a letter and sent someone to deliver it to Nie Lingxi of the Nie Family.

She figured that while she couldn’t deal with Lan Yufei herself for now, the legitimate daughter of the Nie Family, who was already engaged to Chen Sheng, ought to do something, right?

Unfortunately, Nie Lingxi’s Cultivation had not yet reached the late stage of Profound Mastery, so she hadn’t developed a Divine Sense and couldn’t be contacted directly with a Sound Transmission Magical Artifact.

Otherwise, she would have tattled on him long ago.

“Ahem, it’s all for the sake of cultivating the great Dao.”

Chen Sheng gave a dry laugh, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.

“Besides, Yuzhi, haven’t you also… benefited immensely?”

“Benefited?”

Hearing this, Sun Yuzhi’s pretty face grew even colder.

It was true that the situation these past few days had been a win-win-win for the three of them.

Lady Lan helped Chen Sheng, and Chen Sheng in turn helped her.

But in her heart, Sun Yuzhi would rather do without this benefit.

If not for her unwillingness to see Lan Yufei monopolize Chen Sheng, she would have disdained to take part.

Even though Chen Sheng thoroughly washed himself every time before coming to her.

The awkward and repulsive feeling of indirectly sharing him with Lan Yufei never went away.

“By the way, where is Elder Nie right now? Is she still in the sect?”

Chen Sheng changed the subject at the right moment, turning to serious matters.

With chaos imminent in the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, he wouldn’t feel completely at ease if Nie Xiangjun, a Golden Core Grandmaster, wasn’t nearby.

Sun Yuzhi pondered for a moment before saying:

“Elder Nie… is in the Poison Flame Cave.”

“The Poison Flame Cave?”

Chen Sheng raised an eyebrow, quite surprised.

“She’s a Golden Core Grandmaster. What is she doing in a cave teeming with poisonous insects?”

Sun Yuzhi shot him a glance, her tone faint, making it impossible to tell if she was serious or joking.

“Elder Nie said… she plans to collect some rare poisons to brew a few jars of ‘Ten Thousand Poisons Heart-Eroding Wine.’ She said she’ll let you have a good taste of what it’s like to be afflicted by a hundred poisons, to vent some anger for her niece and cure you of your philandering ways.”

“Yuzhi, since when did you learn to make jokes like that?”

Chen Sheng shook his head with a laugh, not believing a word of it.

Leaving aside whether Nie Xiangjun truly had such a personality, with the Dragon-Singing Celestial Cicada now in his possession, ordinary poisons could hardly pose a threat to him.

“Believe it or not.” Sun Yuzhi snorted and turned her face away.

Just as Chen Sheng was about to say more, he suddenly sensed something. His brow furrowed slightly as he turned toward the entrance of the guest courtyard.

He saw Lady Lan, dressed in a palace-style long gown, walking briskly toward them with a grim expression, clearly on urgent business.

“Tsk… The sun hasn’t even set, and she’s already this impatient? Hmph, truly a harlot…”

Seeing this, Sun Yuzhi sneered, the mockery and hostility in her voice unconcealed.

She might not resort to physical violence, but asking her to be pleasant to Lan Yufei was absolutely impossible.

Lady Lan’s steps faltered slightly. She gave Sun Yuzhi a cold glance, her brows tightly knitted.

“Get out of the way. I have no time to bicker with you!”

Her tone was laced with anxiety; she clearly hadn’t come for personal matters.

“You…!”

“Yuzhi, calm down.”

Chen Sheng raised a hand to gently press Sun Yuzhi’s shoulder, stopping her imminent outburst. He then turned his gaze to Lady Lan and asked in a low voice:

“You seem to be in a hurry, my lady. Has something happened in the sect?”

Lady Lan took a deep breath and nodded heavily, her beautiful eyes a mixture of shock and anger.

“Chen Sheng, you were right. That old scoundrel Song Zhe… he couldn’t hold back after all.

My spies within the sect just sent an urgent report. Song Zhe’s trusted subordinates are secretly tampering with several core nodes of the Mountain Protection Array!”

As Lady Lan spoke, the look of shock and anger in her eyes continued to shift.

Before this, although she knew Song Zhe was colluding with the Profound Yin Valley to seize power, a part of her still clung to a sliver of hope.

She believed that, as a veteran elder of the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, he wouldn’t go so far as to completely damage the sect’s foundation, even in an internal struggle.

But now, the truth was laid bare.

He was actually targeting the Sect Protection Array.

The safety of the entire sect depended on this array. If it were compromised, the consequences would be unimaginable!

“Did you alert them?” Chen Sheng’s gaze hardened as he pressed.

“No. I came to find you the moment I received the news. I didn’t startle them.”

Lady Lan shook her head, her tone then turning resolute.

“I came to discuss with you whether we should strike immediately, capture Song Zhe and his followers, and eliminate this threat for good!”

At this critical juncture, she could no longer hesitate or be lenient, or the entire Ten Thousand Poisons Sect might be buried with her.

“Not just yet.”

Chen Sheng considered for a moment, then slowly shook his head, his gaze profound.

“Since Song Zhe chose to tamper with the Mountain Protection Array instead of launching a direct assault, it means he’s planning a coordinated attack from within and without. He must have powerful reinforcements outside, preparing to strike in concert and achieve victory in one fell swoop.”

If we alert them now, we risk his outside support becoming vigilant, which would introduce new complications.”

Chen Sheng paused, his tone growing colder, tinged with a chill.

“Why don’t we… turn his own plot against him, play along, pretend we don’t know, and let them in. Then… we slam the door and wipe them all out in one go!”

These past few days, his relationship with Lady Lan could be said to have advanced by leaps and bounds.

And after their long days together, she held almost nothing back from him.

She had even told him that, apart from the publicly known Mountain Protection Array, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect had another set of backup Restrictions, secretly laid down by an ancestor of the Ouyang Family and passed down through generations only to the Sect Leader.

They could absolutely lure them into a trap and then turn the tables.

Hearing this, Lady Lan’s elegant brows furrowed, the worry in her eyes undiminished.

“The plan is clever, but I’m worried… what if the wolves we lure in are too fierce, and we can’t handle them? That would be outsmarting ourselves and getting burned!”

After all, the Profound Yin Valley, a behemoth of an organization, was pulling the strings.

Even including Chen Sheng and Sun Yuzhi, they had, at most, only five Profound Mastery-level combatants on their side.

If the Profound Yin Valley really sent a Golden Core Grandmaster or numerous Profound Mastery experts, how could they possibly resist?

Chen Sheng looked at Lady Lan’s beautiful, worried face, then suddenly smiled. He reached out, took her delicate hand, which was cool from nervousness, and asked gently:

“My lady, do you trust me?”

The warmth from his palm made Lady Lan tremble slightly. She looked up to meet Chen Sheng’s calm, confident gaze, pursed her lips, and finally whispered:

“I do.”

“If you trust me, then you don’t need to worry.”

The curve of Chen Sheng’s lips deepened, his tone certain.

“I will arrange everything. You just need to follow the plan and hold your ground. Tomorrow will be the day we clean house and secure our victory.”

Lady Lan’s eyes still showed a trace of conflict, but as she looked at Chen Sheng’s confident expression and felt the strength in his palm, the tension in her heart inexplicably eased.

Finally, she gave a slight nod, her voice soft but firm.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.”

Nearby, Sun Yuzhi, who had taken in their entire conversation and their intimate gestures, couldn’t help but purse her lips and look away.

‘Others might not know, but I certainly know where Chen Sheng’s confidence comes from,’ she thought.

——————

A request for monthly tickets at the end of the month.