East Sea,
Changhe City.
An ordinary-looking tavern.
It was packed with wandering martial artists from all corners of the world and rogue cultivators. Most were discussing the "Heavenly Curtain."
But
some of the people there were keeping out of the conversation.
Looking around,
one could see many mysterious figures seated at the stalls inside and outside the tavern. They wore all sorts of clothes, their expressions indifferent, their eyes glinting with faint wariness as they occasionally glanced around, seemingly on guard against some danger...
These people were all elites from the Four Great Sects of the Demonic Sect.
Why had they gathered here?
Naturally, it was because the Four Great Sect Masters of the Demonic Sect were meeting inside this tavern!
In one of the private rooms,
the atmosphere was dim, and the candlelight faint.
"Cough, cough."
Poison God's eyes flickered slightly.
He gave a light cough, looked at the two men and one woman before him, and slowly said, "Now that everyone's here, let's get down to business."
At his words,
Wan Renwang raised an eyebrow.
Three Marvels Fairy and Yuyangzi nodded lightly.
Poison God pondered for a moment, then said:
"I organized this meeting, so I'll start by bringing up a few matters."
"Does anyone have any objections?"
Wan Renwang smiled faintly and said, "As a venerable pioneer of our Holy Sect, Poison God, we will listen attentively to your guidance."
At his words,
Yuyangzi's eyes narrowed slightly.
Three Marvels Fairy chuckled softly and said, "Please, go ahead, Senior Poison God."
"Mm."
Poison God gave a slight nod.
After pondering for a moment, he said, "I'm sure you've all heard about the Heavenly Curtain that appeared suddenly not long ago. I can't be certain whether the information it contains is true or false!"
"But—"
"To be on the safe side,"
"I contacted the spy our Myriad Poisons Sect planted in the Qingyun Sect."
At his words,
Wan Renwang and the others were momentarily stunned.
The Myriad Poisons Sect had planted a spy in the Qingyun Sect? This was the first they'd heard of it!
"According to the intelligence the spy sent back,"
"there really is a female disciple named Lu Xueqi at the Qingyun Sect's Little Bamboo Peak. Her talent is unparalleled throughout history, and she's hailed as the greatest beneath Qingye..."
"It matches what was recorded in the Heavenly Curtain almost exactly."
Poison God spoke in a low voice:
"But... the matter of the 'Azure Cloud Sect Leader' isn't so simple."
At his words,
the Demon Sect masters present narrowed their eyes slightly.
It wasn't so simple?
Could there be more to it?
Poison God said gravely, "The intelligence states that the next Sect Leader of the Qingyun Sect won't be Xiao Yicai..."
At that,
Wan Renwang and the others frowned.
"Not Xiao Yicai?"
"Then who could it be?!"
Yuyangzi suddenly spoke up. "Is Senior Poison God's intelligence reliable? As far as I know, Xiao Yicai of the Qingyun Sect has already received Daoxuan's personal teachings and is regarded as the successor to the position of Azure Cloud Sect Leader!"
"Hmph!"
Poison God snorted coldly.
His piercing eyes fixed on Yuyangzi as he said, "Are you questioning me?"
"I wouldn't dare."
Yuyangzi lowered his head slightly, his voice calm. "It's just that... this matter concerns the survival of our Holy Sect. We can't afford to be careless."
At that,
Poison God fell silent.
He glanced at Yuyangzi,
then noticed Wan Renwang and Three Marvels Fairy watching him as well.
Poison God pondered for a moment, then finally said, "The source of the information is absolutely reliable. The Azure Cloud Sect Leader revealed by the Heavenly Curtain definitely isn't Xiao Yicai. Daoxuan himself said so..."
"Not Xiao Yicai? Then who is it?"
Wan Renwang asked.
They didn't press Poison God about where he'd gotten his information.
After all,
they'd already gotten this far.
There was no need to keep asking.
To know what Daoxuan himself had said? The Myriad Poisons Sect's spy in the Qingyun Sect had to be at least a Peak Elder, perhaps even a Head of one of the Seven Peaks...
"I don't know."
Poison God shook his head and said, "The person might not have joined the Qingyun Sect yet, or perhaps they haven't come into prominence."
At his words,
everyone fell silent.
If Xiao Yicai wasn't going to be the next Azure Cloud Sect Leader,
then there were only a few possible explanations!
"Whether or not this person is Xiao Yicai, we must act as soon as possible and nip the threat in the bud..."
Wan Renwang spoke in a low voice.
"Indeed."
Poison God nodded in agreement and said, "So I plan to send people into the Qingyun Sect to assassinate the outstanding talents of the Seven Peaks..."
"Especially Lu Xueqi of Little Bamboo Peak."
The Number One Female Sword Immortal Under Heaven?
A cultivation level at the Peak of Supreme Purity?
Heh—
Quite the reputation.
She really was an impressive prodigy, too!
But
a prodigy who hadn't yet grown to her full potential
was nothing more than an insignificant ant.
At that,
the others pondered briefly.
The Myriad Poisons Sect had an accomplice inside the Qingyun Sect. If they tried to assassinate someone... their chances of success would indeed be fairly high.
"Count the Longevity Hall in as well,"
Yuyangzi said.
This was a good opportunity to establish his standing in the Holy Sect.
If the Longevity Hall's people succeeded in assassinating one of the Qingyun Sect's prodigies, the Longevity Hall would make a name for itself throughout the Holy Sect!
"Count the Ghost King Sect in as well,"
Wan Renwang said after a moment's thought.
For a while,
Three Marvels Fairy was the only one who hadn't expressed an opinion.
Under the gazes of Poison God and the others,
Three Marvels Fairy smiled lightly.
Her voice was alluring and delicate as she said, "The Joyous Union Sect is just a group of weak women. We're not particularly skilled in combat, so we'll leave the assassination to all of you..."
At that,
Poison God and the others remained expressionless.
They didn't believe a single word Three Marvels Fairy said!
The Joyous Union Sect wasn't skilled in combat?
Heh!
If you weren't skilled in combat, how did you earn your place among the Four Great Sects?
With your looks?
Poison God pondered briefly.
He wasn't particularly bothered by the Joyous Union Sect sitting this one out.
The Longevity Hall and the Ghost King Sect were already involved.
It would be enough for each sect to send a few more people.
They could do without the Joyous Union Sect.
"In that case,"
"let's leave it there for now."
Poison God spoke slowly and said, "I'll let you two know as soon as I've drawn up the details of the assassination plan..."
With that,
he looked at Wan Renwang and Yuyangzi.
"Very well."
The Four Great Sect Masters rose to their feet.
They exchanged glances, then clasped their hands in farewell.
"Whoosh!"
In the next instant,
the figures in the private room flashed away.
Not a single person remained.
But
just then,
Three Marvels Fairy appeared again.
She stood on the top floor of the tavern, gazing into the distance, a strange look flickering in her eyes.
"Master."
A quiet voice sounded behind her.
A pretty girl in a white dress peeked out from behind the door. Curiously, she came over and asked:
"Have the seniors all left?"
"Mm."
Three Marvels Fairy nodded with a smile.
Her expression grew wistful as she said, "Ping'er, do you know why I refused to join Poison God and the others' assassination plan?"
Jin Ping'er furrowed her brow.
She thought hard for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't know."
Three Marvels Fairy spoke in a low voice. "According to the information revealed by the Heavenly Curtain, the Myriad Poisons Sect and the Longevity Hall were wiped out by the 'next Azure Cloud Sect Leader.' Only the Joyous Union Sect disbanded because of his existence. Tell me..."
"Why?"
"Could it be because he can't resist a beautiful woman?"
"Heh—"
"What's there to pity about a bunch of worn-out women in our sect?"
"There must be more to this."
"That's why I refused. Perhaps... the Joyous Union Sect still has a ray of hope!"
Most members of the Joyous Union Sect were female disciples who specialized in Harvesting Yang to Replenish Yin.
But a small number practiced the cultivation of yin and yang in balance.
There were very few of them, though.
Before you continue