Shi Yutian's Ambition

"Come, come, come. This is our Lion Underworld Sect's finest aged wine. Please, honored guests from the Misty Cloud Sect, drink your fill."

Shi Yutian and five other sect elders raised their wine cups together, warmly entertaining Yun Shan and the others. They exchanged cups and drank to their hearts' content, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Yet the more they acted this way, the more puzzled Yun Shan and the others became.

Yun Shan finally could not hold back any longer and asked, "Great Elder Yutian, there's no need to be so polite. From the looks of you, it seems you have something you're concealing. Just tell us what happened. If there's anything my Misty Cloud Sect can help with, we certainly won't refuse."

His words laid bare Shi Yutian's intentions. The several elders of the Lion Underworld Sect exchanged glances as well. After making up their minds, they finally spoke the words they had been holding inside.

Shi Yutian sighed and set down the wine cup in his hand. Then he covered his face with his sleeve and wailed, "Sect Master Yun Shan truly is a forthright man. In that case, I won't beat around the bush. Let me speak frankly with all of you: we represent the Elder Faction of the Lion Underworld Sect and sincerely wish to cooperate with the Misty Cloud Sect to accomplish something great."

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

"That's right. Cooperation." Shi Yutian continued, "The honored guests may not know much about our Lion Underworld Sect. In truth, our sect isn't a unified whole. It is divided into two major factions: the sect master's faction and the elders' faction.

"Because of this, the sect master's faction and the elders' faction have often clashed. In recent years, the sect master, Shi Tian, has indulged in luxury and pleasure, neglected his duties, and lived a life of wine, women, and excess. He completely ignores the management of the sect, yet insists on firmly controlling all authority and refuses to let the elders interfere. He has even declared that he wants to become enemies with the Misty Cloud Sect. We truly can no longer bear to let such a person continue serving as sect master!"

Shi Yutian spoke with grief and fury, tears and sobs streaming down his face. He vividly described how cruel and heartless Shi Tian was, how stubborn and self-righteous he was, and even emphasized Shi Tian's intention to become enemies with the Misty Cloud Sect, constantly stoking their resentment in an attempt to arouse Yun Shan and the others' anger.

She Qingqing lifted the corner of her mouth and said, "So you want to usurp the throne and replace the sect master, but you don't have absolute confidence in seizing power. That's why you thought of seeking help from my Misty Cloud Sect?"

Shi Tian's strength was at the level of a Six-Star Dou Venerate, while Shi Yutian's strength was only that of a Three-Star Dou Venerate. Of the five old men seated at the table, three were at the peak of the Dou Zong realm, while the other two were Two-Star Dou Venerates. There were also quite a few elders within the sect who maintained a neutral stance. With Shi Yutian and the others' strength, they would be no match at all if they confronted Shi Tian head-on.

Moreover, there were several experts in Shi Tian's faction as well, all of them his loyal confidants. That was why Shi Yutian had begun making calculations and invited people from the Misty Cloud Sect to help the Elder Faction seize power.

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

"Ah! Elder Qingqing, you're mistaken. We truly have no other choice. Everything we're doing is for the thousand-year foundation of our Lion Underworld Sect. We have absolutely no ulterior motives. Please, honored members of the Misty Cloud Sect, don't mock our sect's disgraceful affairs." Shi Yutian sobbed. He flicked his long sleeve and wiped at the nonexistent tears in his dry eye sockets.

"And what can we get out of this?" Ye Qianqian, who had not spoken until now, suddenly asked with a smile.

"Who is this child?" Shi Yutian had noticed her from the very beginning. At first, he had assumed she was the illegitimate daughter of Yun Shan and She Qingqing, those two shameless old fools. But when he saw how reverently Yun Shan and the others treated Ye Qianqian, he asked curiously.

Yun Shan said, "This is the ancestor of my Misty Cloud Sect, the true person in charge, Lord Ye Qianqian."

Shi Yutian and the other five old men were stunned. They had never expected the rumors to be true—the ancestor behind the Misty Cloud Sect really was a child only five or six years old.

"Oh my, oh my! So this is the legendary Misty Cloud Ancestor. We truly were blind and failed to realize that Lord Misty Cloud Ancestor was right before our eyes. We have long heard that the Misty Cloud Ancestor's divine prowess is unparalleled beneath the heavens. The five of us have always admired you immensely, but unfortunately never had the chance to meet you. Now that we have, you truly live up to your reputation—what imposing bearing!"

Shi Yutian's skill at flattery was not quite as impressive as Xie Biyan's, but he was not far behind.

Shi Yutian immediately rose to his feet and declared, "Lord Misty Cloud Ancestor, to demonstrate our sincerity, the five of us represent the Elder Faction of the Lion Underworld Sect in promising you this: if your forces intervene and help us eliminate that incompetent fool Shi Tian, then from this day forth, the Lion Underworld Sect will be a friend of the Misty Cloud Sect. Should you give an order, the Lion Underworld Sect will never refuse."

"Your so-called sincerity isn't enough to move me." Ye Qianqian smiled and shook her head. Her goal was to bring all the forces of the Northwestern Continent under her control. Who wanted to be friends with them? "Great Elder Yutian, don't treat me like a real child and try to fool me."

Shi Yutian froze for a moment. Ye Qianqian truly was not easy to fool. Just now, he had indeed treated her like a mere child. He immediately gritted his teeth and put on a pained expression. "As long as you help us eliminate Shi Tian, our Lion Underworld Sect is willing to offer our sect's treasured relic—two Venerate Origin Pills—as payment."

"Venerate Origin Pills?" She Qingqing was slightly startled. She had not expected the Lion Underworld Sect to possess such treasures.

The Venerate Origin Pill was a high-grade eighth-grade pill. After being refined by a Dou Venerate expert, it could raise their strength by one star. Its effects were even more remarkable than those of a Venerate Extreme Pill, and it could be taken repeatedly. Who would have thought that the Lion Underworld Sect would actually have such a treasure hidden away? Its foundation was truly stronger than that of the other sects.

Shi Yutian's heart was bleeding. If his physical body had not been too weak to withstand the Venerate Origin Pill's powerful medicinal energy, he would have taken it long ago. How could he have brought it out as payment?

Seeing the excitement on She Qingqing and the others' faces, he tentatively asked, "How about it? Is my sincerity sufficient this time?"

Ye Qianqian still shook her head and said bluntly, "Three Venerate Origin Pills, plus your Lion Underworld Sect becoming a subordinate force of my Misty Cloud Sect. Take it or leave it."

"You..." Shi Yutian had never imagined that the Misty Cloud Ancestor's appetite would be so enormous. He snorted coldly. "Misty Cloud Ancestor, don't make such unnecessary jokes. Our Lion Underworld Sect has been passed down for a thousand years. How could we become someone else's subordinate force?"

"Oh, that does make sense!" Ye Qianqian rose to her feet and strode toward the door. "Then I'll go tell Shi Tian about today's matter. Perhaps when Sect Master Shi Tian learns that someone is plotting to harm him, he'll be so happy that he'll give those three Venerate Origin Pills to us!"

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

Shi Yutian's heart trembled violently. He had never expected Ye Qianqian to play this trick on him. He and the five old men instantly panicked.

The Misty Cloud Sect was so powerful that killing them to silence them was impossible. If this matter leaked out, the Elder Faction would face a devastating collapse.

Yun Shan held back his laughter. He had learned another method of extorting people from his own ancestor.

"Lord Misty Cloud Ancestor, please wait."

Just then, Shi Yutian suddenly spoke from behind them. He sat dejectedly in his chair and said, "Lord Ye Qianqian, after discussing your proposal just now, the five of us feel that it does have some... reasonable points worth considering."

A smile bloomed across Ye Qianqian's face. She turned around and sat back down. "That's more like it. After all, the Misty Cloud Sect and the Lion Underworld Sect are both sects founded in the Northwestern Continent. We're all one family and should weather storms together, sharing honor and disgrace. If I don't help you, who will? Isn't that right?"

"The Misty Cloud Ancestor is absolutely right." The corner of Shi Yutian's mouth twitched as he echoed her words, while inwardly cursing Ye Qianqian's greed. To hell with sharing honor and disgrace. You insatiable bastard.

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

According to the elders and disciples secretly planted within the sect master's faction, Shi Tian had failed in his attempt to break through to the Seven-Star Dou Venerate realm, causing his cultivation to plummet. He now hid all day in his secluded cultivation chamber, and no one knew how many stars he had fallen. To prevent any unforeseen changes, the members of the Elder Faction suggested inviting people from the Misty Cloud Sect to assist them.

Shi Yutian found the banquet utterly tasteless. Once the plan had been finalized, Ye Qianqian first demanded the three Venerate Origin Pills, claiming they were a deposit. Shi Yutian and the others were so furious that their faces turned ashen. After taking three brocade boxes from their Storage Rings, they led their people and quickly left the restaurant.

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

After spending so much time with the shameless old bandit Ye Qianqian, Yun Shan had long since figured out what kind of temperament his ancestor had.

Looking at Ye Qianqian's mischievous smile, he knew that the utterly shameless Ye Qianqian had fooled Shi Yutian.

"Help them? Of course we have to help them." Ye Qianqian puffed out her little chest and spoke righteously, looking like a champion of justice. "However... the people of our Misty Cloud Sect are too weak. Even if we intervened, we wouldn't have much of an effect. We'll just cheer Shi Yutian and the others on from the sidelines!"

"Pfft!"

Yun Shan nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

This was simply too shameless.

Then again, neither Shi Tian nor Shi Yutian was any good. Once they fought each other to the death and exhausted themselves, the Misty Cloud Sect could simply reap the benefits like the fisherman who profited from the struggle between the snipe and clam. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Next, Ye Qianqian called She Qingqing over and said, "Elder Qingqing, would you like me to give you a great gift?"

"A great gift? What kind of great gift?" She Qingqing asked in confusion.

Ye Qianqian gave a sly smile. "Go secretly to the residence of Shi Tian, the sect master of the Lion Underworld Sect, right now. Tell him that Shi Yutian plans to lead the Elder Faction in seizing power during tomorrow's ceremony, but don't reveal too much. I believe Shi Tian will be grateful to you."

She Qingqing: "..."

Yun Shan: "..."

Wang Ba: "..."

Everyone sighed inwardly. In this world, one absolutely must never make a deal with Ye Qianqian. Otherwise, anyone who did would suffer eight lifetimes' worth of bad luck.