The eighth-rank Pill for Gathering at the Apex was still far too distant for Bai Lan as she was now.
So Li Xunxian's real reason for getting rid of her was likely fear of information leaking.
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion possessed immense influence, something no Rogue Cultivator could contend against. Trying to pry information from within the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion was no different from snatching food from a tiger's jaws.
Once the secret leaked, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion would certainly trace the matter back to its source and investigate the true culprit. At that point, they would most likely trace it to Bai Lan.
This was not something that could be made foolproof merely by swearing a Heart Demon Vow. The Soul Searching Technique was the best example.
If they truly traced it to Bai Lan, one search of her soul would expose Li Xunxian's scheme, and she would then be besieged and slain by the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's high-level cultivators.
Therefore, the safest course was to first use Bai Lan to obtain the intelligence, then dispose of Bai Lan afterward.
Bai Lan's hands would be the dirty ones, and Bai Lan would be the one to die. It would have nothing whatsoever to do with Li Xunxian.
That way, the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion's trail would be completely cut off.
You cultivators who liked playing with disguises really did not do things aboveboard, Bai Lan sighed inwardly.
"Speaking of which, I have heard some things about alchemists at the Nascent Soul stage... Has Senior ever heard of Xuan Sha Zi?" Bai Lan suddenly smiled, bringing up her answerer of alchemy troubles.
"Xuan Sha Zi? Could it be Gongsun Sha, who became renowned throughout the cultivation world several centuries ago for his poison arts?" Li Xunxian nodded slightly. "Of course I