Chapter 597: Ch 597 - I Heard the Holy Maiden of the Divine Abyss Gate Fought Yino!

Another change, the sword sect has been fully renamed to Jianlan sect,

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"Ji Zichen, us villains need to look at the bigger picture." Yino leaned against the handrail. He waved the kneeling Ji Zichen closer.

Ji Zichen had no idea what that meant. However, he was currently at the man’s mercy. He obediently rose and walked over.

"Master, what do you mean?" he probed carefully.

Yino turned sideways and draped an arm over his shoulder. "With my current methods, it would be effortless to secretly rig the next round of the tournament and ensure Lin Che loses to you."

"But have you thought about it? If we let Lin Che suffer defeat this early, Pei Zhihan will lose all face. Who exactly stands to benefit in secret once she returns to the Northern Region’s Jianlan Sect?"

"Do you really think Pei Zhihan will willingly abandon the Primordial Sacred Land and hand over the Primordial divine sword and the Primordial inheritance to your noble family just because she loses a bet?"

Yino turned his head at the very end of his sentence. He stared straight into his eyes.

The kneeling man trembled and sucked in a sharp breath. "Master, are you saying someone else might take advantage of our conflict?"

"Exactly. You’re a bit smarter than I thought." Yino smiled. "Right now, your noble family covets the Primordial Sacred Land. You want to swallow up the legacy the Primordial Sword Ancestor left to Pei Zhihan. But you need to understand something. Ever since the Primordial Sword Ancestor fell, that piece of Primordial Sacred Land has been Pei Zhihan’s only worldly attachment."

"What meaning would her life have left if she lost her final Dao of the sword?"

"Therefore, in order to protect the Primordial Sacred Land, she would most likely choose to rely on the Grand Preceptor’s Lin mansion. Lin Yuchen has pursued her many times in the past. He even claimed he would help her deal with your family as long as she agreed to marry into the Lin mansion."

"If that happens, wouldn’t your noble family be playing right into Lin Yuchen’s hands?" Yino bent his index finger and lightly tapped Ji Zichen’s forehead.

The two of them leaned against the staircase corner with their arms around each other’s shoulders. The atmosphere of their conspiracy felt much more harmonious than Ji Zichen had expected.

He listened intently. "That makes sense. However, our family is a major power within the Jianlan Sect. The Elders wouldn’t possibly leave themselves completely unguarded against the Lin mansion."

"I know. Your family has colluded with that Northern Region Demoness." Yino waved a hand dismissively.

Ji Zichen’s eyes widened. "The Northern Region Demoness?"

The image of the blood-feathered demon woman who secretly visited his residence that night surfaced in his mind.

Could that woman from that night be the legendary Northern Region Demon Sovereign? But I heard the ancient Demon Sovereign was suppressed under Mount Xueheng by the Eight Desolations Formation years ago. Ji Zichen kept his thoughts to himself.

Regardless, this was a matter for the big shots. As a junior, he didn’t even have the right to listen in on the conversation between his clan’s Elders and that woman.

"You wouldn’t understand the Northern Region’s affairs even if I explained them. Let’s focus on the Immortal Alliance tournament right now." Yino tapped his forehead again to pull him back to reality.

Ji Zichen reacted like a fresh recruit. He simply nodded obediently out of pure instinct.

"From what I know, your family Elders have already sent a message to Pei Zhihan. The Northern Region’s Secret Realm will open next spring and summer. The ancient battlefield where the Primordial Sword Ancestor fell will become accessible within the Secret Realm."

"Master, you know about this too?" Ji Zichen stared in disbelief. He recalled the scene of him going to mock his enemies that day.

Yino wasn’t even in the Jianlan Sect, yet he knew everything happening there like the back of his hand!

"Of course I know. Aren’t you curious why your family wanted to give her this news?"

"You mentioned the Northern Region Demon Sovereign earlier," Ji Zichen muttered. He thought for a moment before realization dawned in his eyes, followed by a creeping terror. "Could my Elders be planning to lure Pei Zhihan to the Northern Region? Are they going to join forces with that Demon Sovereign to kill her and steal the Primordial inheritance?"

"Very smart." Yino nodded with a smile. He looked straight ahead. "Ultimately, your Elders know very well that she would never hand over the Primordial inheritance obediently. Your family prepared a backup plan long ago. Next spring and summer will be the true opportunity to kill her."

"Therefore, I actually think it doesn’t matter if Lin Che wins a top three spot in this tournament. The most crucial thing right now is to prevent Lin Yuchen from gaining a cheap advantage!"

"I see!" Ji Zichen sucked in a sharp breath. His thoughts became much clearer after receiving this guidance.

After all, the clan Elders always considered him frivolous and kept many clan secrets from him. In contrast, Yino truly treated him like family and dared to share everything.

"Do you know what to do in the next round now?"

"I understand. I’ll pretend to fight with everything I have and then just let Lin Che win."

"That won’t be necessary. You will not win even if you went all out." Yino patted his shoulder. He looked at him with the pity one reserved for a fool.

Ji Zichen froze.

"Master, you’re looking down on me too much. I might have suffered a crushing defeat in the Western Region back then, but I am still in the Divine Transformation stage."

"Give it a rest. I advise you to take fewer pills and practice more abstinence. Otherwise, you’ll ruin your body at such a young age." Yino waved him off and stood up. He couldn’t be bothered to argue further.

Ji Zichen looked back. Those words pierced his heart so deeply that he was left completely speechless.

"That’s all for now. I’ll tell you the rest of the plan once I arrive at the Jianlan Sect next spring."

"I understand!"

After dismissing him, Yino returned to the Wuji Sect’s seating area.

He lifted the curtain this time and discovered two beauty sitting together in the seat of honor.

They wore matching divine dresses in black and white. Their ethereal faces possessed a cold and aloof beauty, and their bodies were equally curvaceous. However, Yino could instantly tell Yuyan and Zhihan apart just from their differing complexions and subtle details.

"Lady Pei, what brings you here?" Yino stood in the doorway with a raised brow.

The two women on the main seat looked up simultaneously. "Today’s tournament has almost come to an end. Sister Pei came over to discuss sword Dao cultivation with me," Yuyan said mildly. She wore a simple white dress.

Beside her, Zhihan looked at Yino with complicated emotions. "I will head back right now if I am interrupting the private time between Young master and little sister Yuyan."

Their tones were vastly different. Yuyan was aloof and confident, while Zhihan remained somewhat timid and submissive in front of him.

Funnily enough, Zhihan’s cultivation was an entire stage higher than Yuyan’s.

Yino understood the situation perfectly. He leaned against the doorway to block her exit. "You’re already here. We’re all family so there’s no need to treat us like outsiders."

"Family." Zhihan’s lips twitched slightly. For some reason, her mind drifted to the times he had teased her recently.

But Yuyan was right next to her. She didn’t dare act too familiar with him, lest Yuyan misunderstand their relationship.