Chapter 81: People of Qian Prefecture

Three hundred li away from Yi Feng Valley.

A solitary, towering peak hung between the sea of clouds.

On the summit, a blood-red figure hovered silently, hands clasped behind his back.

He was a middle-aged man clad in a blood-colored Taoist robe.

His gaze was heavy as he stared into the distance, occasional sparks of blood-red light flickering in his eyes.

His divine sense instantly spanned the three hundred li, probing the sky above Yi Feng Valley like invisible tentacles, drawing the distant battle fully into view.

No one noticed.

No one knew what kind of existence was hidden on this seemingly desolate peak.

After a moment.

A streak of blood-red light raced across the horizon.

The blood light halted ten zhang from the robed middle-aged man, stopping half a head shorter than him; its radiance retracted, and a figure stepped out.

That person wore a red-sleeved robe and a gold-red mask, exuding a chilling, cold aura all over.

The red-robed cultivator had barely landed before he hurriedly dropped to one knee before the robed cultivator.

He buried his head deeply, his posture supremely deferential.

The middle-aged man did not even bother to look back at him.

Clearly, this man’s identity and strength were far from ordinary.

“Second Elder.”

The red-robed cultivator spoke, his voice low and urgent.

“According to the clues I found in ancient records from Lingchuan on our side, those foreign cultivators who suddenly appeared overseas were actually from Lingchuan back then.”

“But later, when the Heaven Demon descended, the entire Lingchuan continent threw everything into the effort and paid a tremendous price to barely seal it. To eliminate future trouble, they also took a portion of people and, using an ancient teleportation array, sent them to the outer sea, sealing that Heaven Demon completely between the outer seas.”

“And those many cultivators who now claim to be from the Tianyuan Sea are precisely the descendants of those Lingchuan refugees.”

“The records say they have returned this time because the Heaven Demon’s seal has loosened, the blood mist is spreading…”

“That’s enough.”

The middle-aged man interrupted the red-robed cultivator suddenly.

He stroked his beard, his tone indifferent, as if he had no interest in the matter of the Heaven Demon.

“Get to the point.”

The red-robed cultivator choked briefly and hurriedly changed course.

“Yes.”

“According to the materials I found, Lingchuan once possessed a Connate Spirit Treasure.”

“But to suppress the Heaven Demon, that spirit treasure was taken to the outer sea.”

“Now, most likely, it is in the hands of those Lingchuan descendants.”

He paused, glanced at the Second Elder’s back, then quickly lowered his head.

“The Connate Spirit Treasure’s power is vast. Even after tens of thousands of years of wear, its might remains formidable. If confronted head-on, it would be hard to deal with.”

The middle-aged man nodded slightly.

A look of confirmation crossed his face.

There was unabashed heat in his eyes.

“Connate Spirit Treasure…”

He murmured, his voice low but rife with uncontrollable greed.

“That’s something even Spirit Transformation cultivators would covet.”

“Across our entire Qian Prefecture, among the nine great sects, there might not even be a single intact Connate Spirit Treasure.”

“Even our Blood Abyss Sect, with tens of thousands of years of inheritance, only has an imitation treasure for show.”

He turned, hands behind his back, his gaze once more fixed on Yi Feng Valley in the distance.

“Wait until they weaken each other to the point of mutual ruin, then we strike by ambush.”

“That Connate Spirit Treasure will fall into the hands of the Blood Abyss Sect.”

“By then, unless some reclusive Spirit Transformation old monster personally intervenes, no one in all of Qian Prefecture will be able to compete with the Blood Abyss Sect.”

After he finished speaking,

the two men exchanged a look.

They then threw their heads back and laughed recklessly.

Their laughter echoed across the empty peak, imbued with long-suppressed ambition and arrogance.

After a moment.

The middle-aged man’s laughter abruptly stopped.

His tone shifted, becoming icy.

“By the way, Old Six.”

“How goes the investigation into Little Seventeen’s death?”

Upon hearing this, the red-robed cultivator immediately bowed his head lower.

He answered properly.

“Reporting to Second Elder, I personally went to the place where Elder Ye last fell to investigate.”

“I also captured several low-rank Lingchuan cultivators who were present, and after soul interrogation, obtained some clues.”

“Elder Ye appears to have been killed easily by a single person.”

“As for exactly who it was, those low-rank cultivators were too weak to clearly see the killer’s face.”

“They only knew the person’s methods were strange, able to use both soul-path cold fire and Pure Yang Flame. Two completely opposite forces in one body, certainly no ordinary person.”

The red-robed cultivator paused, then added,

“I personally witnessed Elder Ye’s strength.”

“His sword array composed of thirty-two Golden Swords was terrifying. A common mid-Nascent Soul cultivator trying to kill him might not have succeeded.”

“Moreover, Elder Ye’s Nascent Soul didn’t even get away; it was extinguished on the spot.”

“Whoever could do that must have been at least a peak mid-Nascent Soul existence.”

As he spoke, his gaze involuntarily turned toward the battlefield at Yi Feng Valley in the distance.

“Right now, Lingchuan and the Abyssal Sea are holding thirteen matches in Yi Feng Valley.”

“Each side will surely send their strongest mid-Nascent Soul cultivators.”

“When the time comes, if we just observe patiently, we will be able to find the killer who slew Elder Seventeen.”

The middle-aged man nodded faintly.

His eyes too turned toward that battlefield, a trace of regret flashing in them.

“A pity about Little Seventeen.”

He sighed.

“He’d been undercover in Lingchuan for so many years and had contributed a lot.”

“The Grand Elder just emerged from seclusion, and this is the time to make use of people.”

“Our years-long plan is about to be set in motion. Once we anger those blood demons in Blood Demon Valley who can rival mid-Nascent Soul cultivators, and lure them into attacking the Lingchuan continent, that land will be drenched in blood and forced to call out its high-level cultivators. We can take action while that happens.”

“Especially those three late-Nascent Soul cultivators’ Nascent Souls — they are exactly what we covet.”

He paused, snorted coldly.

“Unexpectedly, a Lingchuan descendant killed him mid-path.”

“Hmph, who would have thought these refugees also have three late-Nascent Soul cultivators among them.”

“But that’s fine.”

Cold light flashed in his eyes.

“In total, that makes six late-Nascent Soul cultivators.”

He muttered as he slowly raised his hand.

A flash of spiritual light pulsed in his palm, and a black ceramic basin the size of a human head suddenly appeared.

The basin was lacquer-black all over, and faint black vapor curled from its mouth.

Within the black vapor, faint wails of restless spirits could be heard, piercing and mournful.

“Let them brawl until both sides are exhausted, then we pick up the spoils. Best of all would be if we could seize their Nascent Souls…”

The middle-aged man’s voice grew colder.

“Add the two late Nascent Souls already sealed inside the Xuanjin Lamp, and that makes eight late-Nascent Soul cultivators’ essences in total.”

“If we refine them all, Grand Elder might indeed be able to perform that legendary forbidden technique.”

“A one-time breakthrough into Spirit Transformation.”

“Then, unless the other major sects have Spirit Transformation cultivators secretly backing them, the Blood Abyss Sect could leap to the top among the nine great sects of Qian Prefecture…”

He shook his head.

“But this matter is difficult and cannot be rushed.”

Longing filled the red-robed cultivator’s eyes, but he quickly composed himself.

“Second Elder.”

He reminded in a low voice.

“Their matches are about to start.”

As his words fell,

powerful spiritual energy fluctuations suddenly rose from the Yi Feng Valley battlefield in the distance.

Spiritual light shot into the sky, waves of qi surged.

Shouts and battle cries thundered, echoing far and wide.

The middle-aged man retracted the ceramic basin, hands folded behind his back, his gaze icy.

“No hurry.”

“Let them fight first.”

“Wait until they are bleeding rivers and have played their hands. Then we…”

On the mountain peak, two blood-red figures quietly concealed themselves within the mist.

In the distance, Yi Feng Valley was already tense, swords and bows drawn.