Shi Yutian's Ambition

"Come, come, this is the fine aged wine of my Lion Underworld Sect. I invite all the esteemed lords of the Misty Cloud Sect to drink this cup."

Shi Yutian and five other elders from the sect raised their wine cups together, enthusiastically entertaining Yun Shan and his companions. During the feast, they exchanged cups and drank heartily, enjoying themselves immensely.

However, the more they acted this way, the more confused Yun Shan and his group became.

Yun Shan finally couldn't help but ask, "Elder Rain, you don't need to be so polite. I observe that you seem to be hiding something. You can tell us whatever it is. If our Misty Cloud Sect can help in any way, we will not hesitate."

His words revealed Shi Yutian's thoughts. The elders of the Lion Underworld Sect exchanged glances, and after making a decision, they finally spoke what was on their minds.

Shi Yutian sighed, put down his wine cup, and then covered his face with his sleeve, sobbing and weeping, "Sect Master Yun Shan is indeed a straightforward person. Then I will not beat around the bush. I will tell you the truth, sirs. We, representing the faction of elders in the Lion Underworld Sect, sincerely wish to cooperate with the Misty Cloud Sect and plan great things together!"

"Cooperate?" Yun Shan and She Qingqing were somewhat confused.

"That's right, cooperation," Shi Yutian continued. "Perhaps you lords do not fully understand our Lion Underworld Sect. In fact, our Lion Underworld Sect is not truly monolithic. It is divided into two major factions: the Sect Master and the elders.

Because of this, the Sect Master's faction and the elders' faction often have friction. In recent years, that Sect Master, Shi Tian, has become extravagant and decadent, neglecting his duties, indulging in debauchery, and ignoring the management of the sect. Yet, he tightly controls the decision-making power, forbidding the elders from interfering. He has even threatened to become enemies with the Misty Cloud Sect. We truly cannot bear to have such a person continue to hold the position of Sect Master!"

Shi Yutian spoke with grief and indignation, tears streaming down his face. He described Shi Tian's cruelty and arrogance in vivid detail, and repeatedly emphasized Shi Tian's intention to oppose the Misty Cloud Sect, trying to incite the anger of Yun Shan and his group.

She Qingqing curled her lips and said, "So, you want to usurp the position of Sect Master, but you don't have the absolute confidence to seize power, so you thought of seeking help from our Misty Cloud Sect?"

Shi Tian's strength was that of a Six-Star Dou Venerate, while Shi Yutian's strength was merely that of a Three-Star Dou Venerate. Among the five old men sitting at the table, three were at the peak of the Dou Ancestor realm, and two were Two-Star Dou Venerates. There were also many elders in the sect who remained neutral. If Shi Yutian and his group were to confront Shi Tian head-on, their strength would be insufficient.

Furthermore, Shi Tian's faction also had several experts, all loyal confidantes of Shi Tian. Therefore, Shi Yutian hatched a plan to ask people from the Misty Cloud Sect to help their elder faction seize power.

Hearing that the Misty Cloud Sect had annexed the Heavenly Snake Mansion, and that She Qingqing, a Five-Star Dou Venerate, had joined the Misty Cloud Sect's forces, and that there was also a Nine-Star Dou Venerate expert named Kaguya, whose strength was beyond imagination, how could Shi Yutian let this opportunity slip away?

"Alas! Elder Qingqing, your words are mistaken. My companions and I are also acting out of desperation. All of this is for the sake of our Lion Underworld Sect's foundation of a thousand years. We have no other intentions. I implore all the esteemed lords of the Misty Cloud Sect not to mock the embarrassing affairs of our Lion Underworld Sect." Shi Yutian choked back a sob, flicked his long sleeves, and wiped away the non-existent tears from his dry eyes.

"Then what can we gain?" Ye Qianqian, who had been silent all along, suddenly asked with a smile.

"Who is this child?" Shi Yutian had noticed this child from the beginning. At first, he thought she was the illegitimate daughter of the shameless Yun Shan and She Qingqing, but seeing Yun Shan and the others showing great respect to Ye Qianqian, he curiously asked.

Yun Shan said, "This is our Misty Cloud Sect's Ancestor, the true leader, esteemed Ye Qianqian."

Shi Yutian and the other five elders were stunned. They never expected the rumors to be true. The Ancestor behind the Misty Cloud Sect was indeed a child of only five or six years old.

"Oh, my, my, so this is the legendary Misty Cloud Ancestor! We are truly blind. We did not realize that the Misty Cloud Ancestor was right before us. We have long heard of the Misty Cloud Ancestor's peerless divine skills, unmatched in the world. We have always admired you greatly, but unfortunately, we never had the chance to meet. To see you today, you truly live up to your reputation, majestic and awe-inspiring."

Although Shi Yutian's flattery skills were not as good as Xie Biyan's, they were not much inferior.

Immediately, Shi Yutian stood up and declared, "Esteemed Misty Cloud Ancestor, to show our sincerity, we, on behalf of the elder faction of the Lion Underworld Sect, promise you that if your forces help us eliminate this incompetent fool Shi Tian, from this day forward, the Lion Underworld Sect will be a friend to the Misty Cloud Sect. If you have any commands, the Lion Underworld Sect will not refuse."

"The sincerity you speak of is not enough to move me," Ye Qianqian said with a smile, shaking her head. Her goal was to bring all the forces on the entire Northwest Continent under her banner. "Elder Rain, do not think you can fool me like a child."

Shi Yutian was slightly taken aback. This Ye Qianqian was indeed not easy to fool. He had indeed treated her like a young child just now. He gritted his teeth, looking pained, and said, "As long as you help us get rid of Shi Tian, our Lion Underworld Sect is willing to offer our sect's treasure, two Venerate Origin Pills, as a transaction."

"Venerate Origin Pills?" She Qingqing was slightly surprised. She did not expect the Lion Underworld Sect to possess such a treasure.

The Venerate Origin Pill was a high-grade eighth-tier pill. After refining it, it could increase the strength of a Dou Venerate realm expert by one star, with more potent effects than the Venerate Extreme Pill. Furthermore, it could be taken continuously. It was unexpected that the Lion Underworld Sect actually possessed such a treasure, with a deeper foundation than other sects.

Shi Yutian's heart was bleeding. If his physical body's strength were not insufficient to withstand the powerful medicinal effects of the Venerate Origin Pill, he would have taken it long ago. How could he possibly offer it for a transaction?

Seeing the excited expressions of She Qingqing and the others, he tentatively asked, "How about it, is my sincerity enough this time?"

Ye Qianqian still shook her head and said directly, "Three Venerate Origin Pills, plus your Lion Underworld Sect becoming a subordinate force of our Misty Cloud Sect. If you agree, fine. If not, then forget it."

"You..." Shi Yutian never expected that this Misty Cloud Ancestor would be so greedy. He snorted, "Misty Cloud Ancestor, do not make unnecessary jokes. Our Lion Underworld Sect has been passed down for thousands of years. How can we become a subordinate force to others?"

"Oh, that is indeed the case!" Ye Qianqian stood up and strode towards the door. "Then I will go and reveal today's events to Shi Tian. Perhaps Sect Master Shi Tian, knowing that someone is plotting against him, will be so happy that he will give us those three Venerate Origin Pills!"

As Ye Qianqian left, Yun Shan and the others immediately followed without any hesitation.

Shi Yutian trembled inwardly. He never expected Ye Qianqian to play this trick on him. He and the other five elders panicked.

The Misty Cloud Sect was so powerful. Killing them to silence them was not an option. If the matter were to leak out, the elder faction would face serious collapse.

Yun Shan suppressed a smile. He had learned another skill of extorting from his own Ancestor.

"Misty Cloud Ancestor, please wait."

Just then, Shi Yutian, who was behind them, suddenly spoke. He sat down on his chair with utter dejection and said, "Esteemed Ye Qianqian, the proposal you just made, we feel, has a slight... reasonable ground for discussion."

Ye Qianqian's smile bloomed. She turned back and sat down. "That's right. Our Misty Cloud Sect and the Lion Underworld Sect are both sects established on the Northwest Continent. We are all in the same boat, sharing honor and disgrace. If I don't help you, who will? Don't you agree?"

"The Misty Cloud Ancestor speaks very wisely," Shi Yutian said, his mouth twitching. He echoed her words, but inwardly cursed Ye Qianqian for her greed. "To hell with sharing honor and disgrace! You insatiable fellow."

Since the agreement was settled, Shi Yutian also revealed some information about Shi Tian.

According to elders and disciples who had infiltrated the Sect Master's faction, Shi Tian had failed in his attempt to break through to the Seven-Star Dou Venerate realm, and his cultivation had drastically dropped. He was now hiding in seclusion all day, and no one knew how many stars his cultivation had fallen by. To prevent any unforeseen changes, the elder faction suggested inviting people from the Misty Cloud Sect to be their helpers.

The banquet left Shi Yutian with no appetite. After the plan was set, Ye Qianqian first demanded the three Venerate Origin Pills. She called them a deposit, which angered Shi Yutian and the others to the point of their faces turning ashen. They took out three brocade boxes from their storage rings and quickly left the restaurant with their men.

"Ancestor, are you really going to help Shi Yutian and the others?" Yun Shan asked with a smile.

Having spent so much time with the shameless old rogue Ye Qianqian, Yun Shan had long understood his Ancestor's temperament.

Looking at Ye Qianqian's mischievous smile, he knew that Shi Yutian had been fooled by the unscrupulous Ye Qianqian.

"Help, of course, I will help," Ye Qianqian puffed out her small chest, her expression righteous and like a champion of justice. "However... our Misty Cloud Sect's strength is weak. Even if we take action, it won't have much effect. We'll just cheer Shi Yutian and the others on from the sidelines!"

"Pfft."

Yun Shan almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

This was too shameless.

But then again, neither Shi Tian nor Shi Yutian were good people. When they were fighting each other to the death and exhausted, the Misty Cloud Sect could then reap the benefits. Wouldn't that be wonderful!

Next, Ye Qianqian called She Qingqing over and said, "Elder Qingqing, I'll give you a great gift, will you accept it?"

"A great gift? What great gift?" She Qingqing asked, confused.

Ye Qianqian smiled mischievously, "Go secretly to the residence of Shi Tian, the Sect Master of the Lion Underworld Sect, and tell Shi Tian that Shi Yutian plans to seize power with the elder faction at tomorrow's grand ceremony. But don't reveal too much, I believe Shi Tian will be grateful to you."

She Qingqing: "..."

Yun Shan: "..."

Wang Ba: "..."

Everyone sighed to themselves. In this world, never make a deal with Ye Qianqian, or you'll be cursed with bad luck for eight lifetimes.