Chapter 72: I Will Act

Chapter 72: Chapter 72: I Will Act

Chen Yue nodded and said gravely, "Haven’t we been wondering why a tiny place like Youlin County would attract so many demons and devils?"

Chen Yue paused, his gaze turning sharp.

"According to their confessions, they didn’t gather here to hunt for treasure. They’re planning to perform a blood sacrifice at a specific hour to gain power. The others were abducted to become members of the cult."

"A blood sacrifice?" Upon hearing this, Shen Dujiang’s brow furrowed deeply.

His fingers absentmindedly tapped on the tabletop, making a soft TAP-TAP sound, as he muttered to himself,

"It seems one really can use an Evil Technique like that to gain power, but it has many drawbacks. Still, if it’s an evil cult, they just might do it. Did they mention a specific time?"

Chen Yue slowly shook his head. "They don’t know. Or even if they did, they could just give us a random time, and we would have no way of knowing if it’s true or not."

Shen Dujiang stopped tapping the table, a worried look on his face.

"True. It’s impossible to verify, and actively investigating would be too risky—we’d just tip them off. I had been speculating that some unknown treasure was about to emerge near Youlin County, which was what drew this pack of slavering wolves..."

Chen Yue chuckled. "I thought so, too. That might even be part of the truth. But regardless, this place has become a hornet’s nest. What’s our next move? Should we leave the county now and not wait for the caravan?"

Leaving early meant abandoning the relative safety of the caravan for an unknown journey through the wilds. But if they stayed, they might walk right into the evil cult’s blood sacrifice.

Shen Dujiang didn’t answer immediately. His fingertips gently traced the rim of the rough earthenware cup.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he leaned forward, stared intently at Chen Yue, and confirmed again in a low voice, word by word,

"What you said earlier... you really killed that Marrow Refining Realm expert, plus one at the Bone Forging Realm?"

Chen Yue met Shen Dujiang’s gaze and nodded. "I killed them."

With this final confirmation, Shen Dujiang looked visibly relieved, and a sharp glint returned to his eyes.

"Judging by recent events, the cult’s strongest masters in Youlin County probably top out at the Marrow Refining Realm! If they truly had a Refining Organ Realm expert overseeing things, they would have swept through the county with overwhelming force long ago, rather than just chipping away at it like this.

In fact, that Marrow Refining Realm master was likely dispatched here only recently."

Chen Yue nodded, confirming part of Shen Dujiang’s speculation. "Before they died, they mentioned that the Marrow Refining Realm expert had indeed only recently arrived in Youlin County."

"That explains it. With your strength, it’s actually not that dangerous for us to stay in Youlin County for a short while."

A glint appeared in Shen Dujiang’s eyes. He stood up and paced back and forth a few times.

"However, if we decide to leave on our own without the caravan, we have a problem. I’ve never been to the Celestial State Prefecture, so I don’t know the route or any of the dangerous areas. We’d have to ask for directions along the way.

And if we go to other counties first, I suspect the evil cult has already infiltrated them as well. We’d stick out even more as outsiders. There might be people in Youlin County who have traveled to the Celestial State Prefecture before, but it would take time to find them and verify that they’re trustworthy."

Chen Yue understood Shen Dujiang’s underlying meaning: going by themselves was risky and required time to prepare.

Chen Yue thought for a moment and said, "In that case, let’s keep waiting for the caravan. At the same time, use the next few days to secretly ask around and find a reliable guide, as a backup plan for an early departure."

Shen Dujiang’s eyes lit up. "Alright, that’s the plan!"

Shen Dujiang paused, a crafty smile spreading across his face—the look of an old fox from the black market.

"For that evil cult to transfer even stronger experts here is not something that can be done overnight. It takes time! And most importantly, they still have no idea about your true identity or what you look like.

And now that one of their Marrow Refining Realm masters has died mysteriously at your hands, that threat gives us a lot more room to maneuver!"

A flicker of interest in his eyes, Chen Yue said, "Elaborate."

"From their perspective, anyone who can kill a Marrow Refining Realm master must be at the same level, if not stronger. They can’t gauge our true strength, so..."

Shen Dujiang paused, his tone taking on a ruthless edge. "Don’t you need a large quantity of medicinal herbs? This is our chance. I’ll go buy them up in bulk! If we find anyone tailing or spying on us, we’ll just eliminate them!"

Chen Yue immediately grasped Shen Dujiang’s plan. "You want to create the illusion that we’re so powerful we can act with impunity?"

"Exactly!"

Shen Dujiang nodded emphatically. "Make the real seem fake, and the fake seem real. They might suspect we’re bluffing, but after losing a Marrow Refining Realm master, they won’t be so quick to judge.

What’s more, I’ll spread the news of the blood sacrifice. We’re not the only ones in Youlin County with something to lose!"

Chen Yue pondered for a moment and nodded. This was indeed a relatively feasible strategy under the current circumstances. It would buy them the most time and initiative, and he could also get the medicinal herbs he needed.

"This plan is feasible, but what if the blood sacrifice suddenly erupts before the caravan arrives? What do we do then?"

The excitement on Shen Dujiang’s face faded. His brow furrowed once more, and his fingers resumed their habitual tapping on the table. "Although the blood sacrifice is just a rumor, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Let me ask you something..."

Shen Dujiang stopped tapping and looked at Chen Yue, his voice dropping to a near-whisper. "With your current strength, what are your chances against two Marrow Refining Realm masters of the same caliber as the one from today?"

Hearing this, Chen Yue’s brow twitched slightly, and he didn’t answer immediately.

He carefully recalled every detail of his fight with Gu Yiqiu, assessing his true combat power after his breakthrough.

After a moment, Chen Yue said slowly, "If they’re both at the same level as the one today... I should be able to fight two of them."

He hadn’t spoken with absolute certainty, but the confidence in his voice was undeniable.

"Good!"

Shen Dujiang slapped his thigh, his voice rising with excitement before he quickly hushed it. "With that assurance from you, even if the blood sacrifice does happen soon, it’s no big deal!

A blood sacrifice has to be hosted and maintained by masters. As long as you can break through a blockade of at least two Marrow Refining Realm experts, we’ll have the power to flip the whole table! When Youlin County is thrown into chaos, who’s going to bother chasing us?"

Chen Yue nodded. "Then how should we arrange the purchase of the medicinal herbs?"

"If we’re going to create a smokescreen, we have to make it look convincing."

Shen Dujiang stroked his beard, a sharp glint in his eyes. "I’ll use multiple channels to purchase as many of the herbs you need as I can. Once I’m done, I’ll go back into hiding immediately. A mix of real moves and misdirection, truths and lies—let them try and guess what we’re really up to."

"When should I come get the herbs?"

Shen Dujiang did a quick calculation. "The night after tomorrow, same place. I will have all the medicinal herbs I can gather ready, but..."

Shen Dujiang’s tone shifted, growing more cautious. "During the procurement, if I really run into someone too tough for me to handle..."

A smile spread across Chen Yue’s face. "If it comes to that, I’ll make my move."