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Ning Ning nodded, her eyes curving into a delighted arc. "Zou Wu will definitely follow Xu Ye's arrangements and give me a Rare Grade spirit plant. Once everything is done, we just need to arrange for those two sects to meet in the same place and add a little fuel to the fire—the Haoran Sect will believe that Niguang Island is in league with us."

She paused, the smile on her lips deepening. "Besides, Zou Wu saw with his own eyes that Rong Ci and us are on good terms. A lovesick girl like me is perfectly capable of picking a fight with her friends over him."

Even Rong Ci would never have imagined that the mole he had painstakingly planted would become a tool for them to use, leading the Haoran Sect to believe that Niguang Island and Ning Ning's group were deeply connected.

He Zhizhou could only exclaim: Brilliant, simply brilliant!

Both sects were convinced they held the winning hand; one thought they could extort a fortune from them, while the other was ecstatic about the peerless treasure they were about to seize. They never would have guessed that this was all a setup.

After this battle, the people from Niguang Island and the Haoran Sect would inevitably suffer heavy losses.

Their overall strength wasn't great to begin with, and after fighting each other to a stalemate, it would be even more impossible for them to have the strength to cause trouble for Ning Ning.

This performance was a masterpiece of schemes within schemes—counter-espionage, moles, double agents, and sowing discord; it had everything. It was absolutely spectacular.

He Zhizhou clicked his tongue in admiration. "Are you the modern-day Tom Cruise?"

"Sorry."

Ning Ning answered with perfect tacit understanding, "I'm the police."

Evening, Youlan Slope.

The two parties stared at each other, and the leader in green, who had just blasted Zou Wu with a burst of spiritual energy, turned pale.

Didn't they say no one else knew about the Tianhe Stone? What is going on with this group from the Haoran Sect!

Zou Wu, who had nearly had his brains blown out, wore an equally grim expression, his fists clenched tight.

He had listened to Xu Ye and delivered a Rare Grade spirit plant to Ning Ning an hour ago, only to receive news shortly after that she had fled and was about to arrive at Youlan Slope.

However, when he arrived, he didn't see her, but a Voice Transmission suddenly rang in his ears.

It was He Zhizhou's voice, filled with smugness and triumph: "Did Xu Ye tell you all his secrets? Sorry about that, we really couldn't find any Rare Grade plants. Fortunately, Niguang Island said that as long as we give them half of the spirit plant, they can help us solve this problem."

The brat sighed as he spoke, sounding incredibly affected: "Sigh, half is half, I suppose. It wasn't ours to begin with anyway. Brother, take care!"

Zou Wu felt like killing someone.

On the other side, the leader in green also froze.

He Zhizhou's Voice Transmission rang in her ears, sighing and laughing at the same time, a true master of being insufferable: "Trying to plant a mole in our group? We found out ages ago. Those idiots from the Haoran Sect said that as long as we give them the Jinyu Furnace, they'd be willing to help teach you all a lesson. Since they're so stupid, we just agreed."

The Haoran Sect was being used as a sword!

The leader in green clenched her fists and said coldly, "That Jinyu Furnace is a fake, you know that, right?"

Zou Wu's anger flared even higher.

These people had known all along that they were being played for fools, yet they had still colluded with that bunch from the Xuanxu Sword Sect to set them up. And now, to bring this up—

They actually dared to mock him to his face?!

"Damn it all," Zou Wu cursed immediately, responding with a ferocious glare, "I knew it all along! The mole I planted there told me ages ago!"

The leader in green was horrified.

He knew? If he knew, why did he still join forces with the Xuanxu Sword Sect to ambush them here! It seemed this man hadn't been deceived at all; he had intended to wipe them out from the very start!

"By the way, for this trip to Niguang Island to seize the Tianhe Stone, you must have dispatched about eighty percent of your forces, right? Plus Rong Ci, who is still staying at our place..."

He Zhizhou chuckled. "I wonder how many are left in your base camp? Oh, wait, once Ning Ning returns, she'll naturally tell me herself."

Because they were so desperate to snatch the Tianhe Stone, they had only left one person behind to guard everyone's bundles.

The small leader almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

She had only just realized a moment ago that this was a silent counter-espionage scheme, but she never expected—

This was actually a ruse to lure the tiger away from the mountain!

Bastards! They were a bunch of liars who had been completely outplayed by a bigger liar!

The leader in green could no longer hold back. Trembling all over, she blurted out, "You bastard, go f*** yourself!"

Then, she met the man's vicious gaze head-on.

"Go f*** myself?"

Zou Wu sneered. "I'll just kill you instead!"

Outside the Profound Mirror, the crowd was in an uproar.

"Incredible! Just one young girl, and she managed to play the members of two other sects like fiddles. This series of twists upon twists is truly spectacular!"

"Now that the Haoran Sect and Niguang Island have suffered heavy losses, not only has Ning Ning taken the Rare Grade spiritual plants, but she's also looted Niguang Island's bundles. Even if the others are furious, they are currently covered in wounds and their cultivation is severely damaged; there's nothing they can do to her."

"She's sitting on the mountain watching the tigers fight now. She must be having a grand old time, haha!"

He Xiaochen, the Sect Leader of Liuming Mountain, laughed heartily. "As expected of Elder Tianxian's disciple! This unconventional approach really does carry a hint of her master's flair."

The female cultivator from the Wanjian Sect, who had nearly smashed the Profound Mirror in anger just moments ago, let out a long sigh of relief and chuckled softly. "That kid Xu Ye... thank goodness, thank goodness. But how did Elder Tianxian know beforehand that Xu Ye's betrayal was a setup?"

"Huh?"

Tian Xianzi swallowed the mouthful of pastries he had stuffed into his mouth, gulped down some tea, and feigned mystery with a chuckle. "Look at the foolish expression on your disciple's face—does he look like the kind of person who could come up with a scheme to defect to the enemy?"

The female cultivator's mouth twitched. "Tian Xianzi, let's duel!"

Tian Xianzi dodged behind Zhen Xiao. "Senior Brother, she's being mean to me!"

Zhen Xiao ignored him. His brows and eyes, as cold and indifferent as wind and snow, swept across the Profound Mirror. His voice was equally detached. "As sword cultivators, why bother with schemes and intrigue? If others are unconvinced, just draw your sword and make them submit."