Combining Kindness and Severity, Secretly Forming a Faction

The guard battalion of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion had maintained a disciplined and solemn atmosphere for ten consecutive days. Yun Ce appeared at the training grounds promptly at the hour of the dragon every day to personally supervise the guards' training. He was neither harsh nor indulgent; those who trained diligently and showed rapid improvement were rewarded on the spot with spirit stones and pills. For those who were lazy, slack, or merely going through the motions, he showed no mercy—the light punishments involved labor at the beast-taming grounds, while the severe ones resulted in immediate expulsion from the guard battalion.

On the afternoon of this day, as training concluded, Yun Ce stood in the center of the training grounds. His gaze swept over the lined-up guards as he spoke in a resonant voice, "Over the past ten days, I have seen the results of your training. Ten of you have shown the most significant progress. Zhao Hu, read their names."

Zhao Hu stepped forward, unfolded the roster in his hand, and loudly announced ten names. The ten guards hurriedly stepped forward, bowing as they stood at the front of the formation, their expressions filled with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

Yun Ce waved his hand, and ten bags of spirit stones along with ten bottles of pills slowly manifested, hovering before the ten guards. His tone was gentle yet solemn, "These are your rewards: each bag contains fifty mid-grade ores, and each bottle contains three Qi Gathering Pills. This is enough for you to refine powerful magic treasures and break through to higher realms. From now on, as long as you train well and obey orders, I will not treat anyone unfairly. Those who contribute will be rewarded, and those who err will be punished; there will be no favoritism!"

The ten guards were filled with ecstasy. They hurriedly bowed and saluted, their voices trembling with excitement, "Many thanks, Great Protector! Your subordinates will surely swear loyalty to you unto death and train diligently!"

The remaining guards watched this scene with envy, secretly resolving to train harder in the future so that they, too, might earn the Great Protector's appreciation and rewards. The awe they originally felt for this newly appointed Great Protector gradually shifted into genuine support—most of them were low-level Demon Cultivators who usually received only meager resources in the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion. Now, not only did Yun Ce provide them with better cultivation techniques, but he also allowed them to earn generous rewards through their own strength. They kept this kindness in their hearts.

Qin Yu stood beside Yun Ce and whispered, "Master, your strategy of combining kindness with authority is truly effective. The guards are now genuinely devoted to you."

Yun Ce smiled faintly, his gaze resting on the ranks of guards as he spoke in a gentle tone, "These guards come from the bottom rungs of society; all they seek is cultivation resources and room to grow. As long as we give them opportunities and let them see hope, they will naturally pledge their true allegiance. Zhao Hu, Li Bao, you two have done very well during this time. These are your rewards."

As he spoke, Yun Ce produced two mid-grade spirit artifacts and handed them to Zhao Hu and Li Bao. Both men were pleasantly surprised and hurriedly bowed in salute, "Many thanks for your generous reward, Great Protector! Your subordinates will surely give our all to assist you in managing the guard battalion!" After ten days of interaction, they had completely surrendered to Yun Ce's strength and demeanor, no longer viewing themselves as the old subordinates of Cha Po and Cha Ge, but as genuinely loyal to Yun Ce.

Yun Ce nodded and continued, "Next, I will select twenty guards with outstanding aptitude to form a personal guard unit, which I will personally guide in cultivation. Zhao Hu, Li Bao, you are responsible for the screening; submit the list to me tomorrow."

"Yes! We understand!" The two responded in unison, their awe deepening—to receive personal guidance from a Void-Piercing Realm expert was a monumental opportunity for any low-level Demon Cultivator. They knew that Yun Ce was deliberately cultivating his own core force.

Just as Yun Ce was reorganizing the guards and winning their hearts, a stifling atmosphere permeated Sang Mo's cave mansion. Sang Mo sat on a stone chair, his face gloomy. The wine cup in his hand creaked as he squeezed it, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness—having been easily suppressed by Yun Ce that day, he had lost all face. Seeing Yun Ce win over the hearts of the guards in a mere ten days, to the point where he even showed signs of overshadowing him, the hatred in his heart grew ever more intense.

"Yun Ce! You are nothing but an outsider; what right do you have to hold such a high position and steal my spotlight the moment you arrive!" Sang Mo hissed, his tone dripping with venom, "I have managed the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion for many years, yet now I must bow to an outsider. I cannot accept this!"

He knew clearly that he was no match for Yun Ce on his own. If he wanted to suppress Yun Ce or even drive him out of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion, he had to unite with the other protectors to form a force capable of contending with him.

"Someone, come here!" Sang Mo barked in a deep voice.

A guard at the late Golden Core stage hurriedly entered the cave mansion and bowed, "Your subordinate is here!"

"Go and invite the four protectors: Bai Yin, Ran Lan, Mu Xu, and Zhuang Zhong. Tell them I have an urgent matter to discuss and instruct them to come quietly, ensuring no one else notices." Sang Mo's tone was cold, a flicker of calculation in his eyes. He knew that the four of them were responsible for managing the storage vaults and the beast-taming grounds. They held some of the mansion's resources but had always been overlooked by Cha Hong, leaving them dissatisfied. Furthermore, their strength was only at the late Golden Core stage, and they feared that Yun Ce's arrival would threaten their status, so they would certainly be willing to join forces with him.

"Yes! Your subordinate will go at once!" The guard bowed and quietly exited the cave mansion to deliver the messages to the four protectors.

Before long, Bai Yin, Ran Lan, Mu Xu, and Zhuang Zhong arrived quietly at Sang Mo's cave mansion. All four wore plain black robes and looked cautious. After entering, they immediately closed the hall doors and vigilantly checked their surroundings. Only after confirming there were no outsiders did they relax.

"Protector Sang Mo, you summoned us here today; what is the urgent matter?" Bai Yin spoke first, his tone cautious—Sang Mo was known for his cruel nature and rarely interacted with them. For him to suddenly summon them, there had to be an unusual motive.

Sang Mo gestured for the four to sit and poured each of them a cup of wine. He forced a smile, though his tone carried a hint of instigation, "Four brothers, I believe you have all felt it: ever since that Yun Ce arrived, our status in the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion has become increasingly awkward."

Upon hearing this, the four exchanged glances, a flicker of agreement in their eyes. Ran Lan sighed and said, "Protector Sang Mo is absolutely right. The moment that Yun Ce arrived, he was appointed as Great Protector, placing him above us. He even took over the thousand guards of Vice Cave Masters Cha Po and Cha Ge. Now, he is reorganizing his men and buying their loyalty. If this continues, it won't be long before our positions are in jeopardy."

"It is not just our positions that are in jeopardy; I see that Yun Ce has great ambition and wants to control the entire mansion!" Sang Mo's tone intensified, his eyes filled with malice, "That Yun Ce's background is unknown, and he spends money lavishly; he is certainly no ordinary Demon Cultivator. He lowered himself to join the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion with an ulterior motive. Once he controls the mansion, we old protectors will likely be pushed out or even silenced!"

Mu Xu felt a chill in his heart and hurriedly asked, "Protector Sang Mo, what should we do then? That Yun Ce is a Void-Piercing Realm expert; we are no match for him!"

"The few of us alone are indeed no match for him, but if the four of us join forces, along with the many guards under our command, we may not be unable to contend with him!" A flicker of calculation flashed in Sang Mo's eyes as he continued, "Moreover, although Cha Po and Cha Ge have lost their direct guards, they must also be dissatisfied with Yun Ce. As long as we win them over to form a sufficiently powerful force, we can pressure Cave Master Cha Hong to suppress Yun Ce and drive him out of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion!"

Bai Yin pondered for a moment and said, "Protector Sang Mo, this is a grave matter. If we fail, we will likely have no place to be buried. Besides, Cha Po and Cha Ge are Cha Hong's brothers; will they really join forces with us?"

"Although they are Cha Hong's brothers, they are narrow-minded and already dissatisfied after losing their guards. As long as we promise them enough benefits and sow discord between them and Yun Ce, they will certainly agree!" Sang Mo said with confidence, "Four brothers, we are like lips and teeth; if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold. If we do not join forces, we will eventually be suppressed by Yun Ce one by one. It is better to eliminate him while he has yet to fully establish his footing and preserve our status in the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion!"

The four were shaken. They knew Sang Mo was right; if they allowed Yun Ce to continue, their situation would only become more difficult. Zhuang Zhong gritted his teeth and said, "Fine! Protector Sang Mo, we are with you! As long as we can preserve our status, we are willing to follow your lead!"

"Good! Good!" Sang Mo was overjoyed, a flicker of ecstasy in his eyes, "With the four of you helping, we will surely succeed! Next, we shall each perform our duties. I will go to win over the two Vice Cave Masters, Cha Po and Cha Ge, while you four secretly contact your own trusted subordinates and keep an eye on Yun Ce's movements. Once there is an opportunity, we will strike immediately!"

"Understood!" The four responded in unison, a hint of ruthlessness in their eyes.

After the discussion was settled, the four quietly left Sang Mo's cave mansion and returned to their respective quarters to secretly contact their trusted subordinates and plot the plan to suppress Yun Ce. Sang Mo stood by the window of his cave mansion, looking toward the direction of Yun Ce's residence, his eyes filled with resentment and malice, "Yun Ce, just you wait. I will definitely make you pay the price and drive you out of the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion!"

Meanwhile, inside Yun Ce's cave mansion, Yun Ce sat cross-legged on the stone bed, his divine sense quietly spreading out to cover the entire Crimson Blood Cave Mansion. The conspiracy between Sang Mo and the four protectors reached his ears, word for word. A cold sneer flashed in Yun Ce's eyes, and the corners of his mouth curled into a faint arc—Sang Mo was indeed unable to stay quiet, colluding with other protectors to suppress him. This saved him the trouble of acting first; he could simply wipe them all out and clear the current hidden dangers within the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion that were unfavorable to them.

Qin Yu walked into the cave mansion and, seeing Yun Ce's expression, asked softly, "Master, what is it? Is there some movement?"

Yun Ce slowly opened his eyes, his tone gentle yet carrying a hint of coldness, "Nothing much, just that Sang Mo cannot stay quiet and has secretly colluded with the four protectors, Bai Yin and the others, wanting to join forces to deal with us."

A flicker of vigilance flashed in Qin Yu's eyes, "Master, should we make preparations in advance? If Sang Mo and the others join forces, their strength cannot be underestimated."

Yun Ce smiled faintly and shook his head, "No need to rush; they are just a bunch of clowns. We only need to continue reorganizing the guards and cultivating our core force. Once they jump out on their own, we will wipe them out in one fell swoop. This will not only clear the hidden dangers but also allow us to take control of the guard battalions under their command."

Black Feather, the Dragon Rock Lion, and Red Phoenix also gathered around, transmitting through spiritual sense, "Master, as long as they dare to come, we will deal with them!"

Yun Ce nodded with satisfaction, his tone gentle, "Good, everyone perform your duties and continue to advance according to the plan. We shall observe Sang Mo's conspiracy for now and wait for the best opportunity to strike."

The night grew deeper, and the Crimson Blood Cave Mansion appeared calm, but in reality, undercurrents were surging.