The Pool

The Duanhai Waterfall is teeming with people, and the proximity of the Wanxiang Sect adds a unique flavor to this spectacular waterfall.

There were young Aristocratic Clan who came to visit, as well as literati who came to appreciate the scenery and compose poems, and even poor families who brought their entire families hoping to try their luck and be accepted into the temple.

The former two mostly frequented taverns and brothels along the riverbank, while the latter gathered on the dike.

This bustling area is separated by the waterfall, with one half filled with lively crowds and the other half with the magnificent yet desolate palace complex.

Because of its proximity to the waterfall, and the fact that lower-level disciples have low cultivation levels, the palace was built with either water-repellent materials or engraved with water-repellent array patterns to prevent dampness from entering their bodies, allowing them to walk around comfortably.

On that long corridor leading to the sect's important location, two sets of footsteps sounded just as they had a month or so ago.

"Old Five, are those guys still arguing at yesterday's sect meeting?"

The middle-aged man with a thick beard spoke with a hint of weariness.

The Old Five glanced at his old friend beside him:

"I was just about to ask you, but you didn't go either?"

"."

Upon hearing this, the two fell silent. After a long while, the bearded man sighed deeply.

"They're arguing and blaming each other all day long, and they can't make any progress. Going there is the same as not going at all. How's it going on the side you're in charge of?"

Upon hearing this question, the Old Five slowly turned his head and glanced into the distance.

The scenery here is beautiful, offering a panoramic view of the entire waterfall.

After a few breaths of observation, the Old Five slowly spoke:

"That idiot Second Elder keeps telling me to send people over to investigate, but how can I investigate? How dare I investigate? Ji Wencheng and the other two haven't sent any news back for so long, something must have happened to them. If we send people over now, we'll be caught red-handed. Isn't that just like protesting too much?"

The man with the thick beard cracked his knuckles, making a "click-clack" sound.

"Three Grandmaster, vanished without a trace. Was it Origin Beginning?"

The Old Five shook his head:

"That's not the issue right now. We need to find a solution quickly. Half a month ago, our spies in the surrounding counties sent back news that troops were being mobilized and heading towards Shengshan County. But after all this discussion, we haven't made any progress."

The bearded man nodded:

That's true.

He paused, then suddenly remembered something and asked in a low voice, "I remember that when it happened, Xiao He and that simpleton surnamed Li were in Shengshan County. What happened to them?"

Upon hearing this, the Old Five shook his head:

"Xiao He is alright, but she was quite shocked and should be under house arrest by the sect leader. However, she should be able to come to her senses. As for that simpleton surnamed Li, he should be dead by now."

"Dead?"

The man with the thick beard frowned.

If Li Erzhu of Body Fusion, were to attain enlightenment within two years, the sect leader would most likely groom him as a son-in-law.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have let Xiao He hang out with him all the time.

The Old Five narrowed his eyes and said in a low voice:

"On the way back to the sect, he told me he was going back to Shengshan County to kill demons."

The bearded man raised an eyebrow and said somewhat strangely:

"Slaying demons in a beast tide?"

He paused for a moment,

The Old Five's eyes flashed with a complex emotion as he recalled Li Erzhu's words when he knelt before him:

"Fifth Elder, I can never repay the sect's kindness in this lifetime, but could you let me go back there to kill demons? Or could you just kill me with a single sword strike, Elder?"

"My conscience is truly troubled."

The Old Five narrowed his eyes meaningfully and said in a low voice:

"You watched him grow up, so you know his personality."

"."

The bearded man was taken aback, then, recalling the boy's temperament, he let out a soft snort.

"He asked you to kill him?"

"Um."

"Utterly foolish."

"So I sent him to kill the demon." The Old Five smiled.

Upon hearing this, the bearded man frowned.

Aren't you afraid he'll leak the information?

The Old Five smiled, but it was a cold smile:

"The sect has been incredibly kind to him; he'll never forget it."

"The sect leader's direct descendant died in battle in Shengshan County, which can clear some of our suspicions. That's far more valuable than me killing him with one sword."

The bearded man rubbed his temples.

"What a pity, such a person could have been a valuable tool if used properly."

The Old Five glanced at the bearded man, lowered his eyes, and said meaningfully:

"Maybe, maybe it doesn't matter anymore."

"..." The bearded man looked puzzled.

Without saying another word, the two walked to the end of the corridor, where the door to the council chamber came into view.

Pushing open the door and entering,

Unlike the solemn atmosphere last time, the entire hall was somewhat noisy at this moment.

The various voices of a dozen or so people mingled together, making this place seem more like a small-scale farmers' market than an important high-level meeting.

One of the old men pointed at the nose of a young man in a brocade robe opposite him and cursed:

"He Jigu! You're just eyeing your Fenghai Chamber of Commerce! The entire sect's plan is so big, does the Shengshan County's assets even amount to 50,000 taels? You had to withdraw it prematurely. There was no target to investigate before, but now, thanks to your actions, we have a target!"

The young man in the brocade robe gripped a folding fan and slammed it hard on the table:

"You Drunken Madman, stop yelling! Aren't you the most responsible for this failure?! You were in charge of coordinating and verifying the formation. If the formation hadn't malfunctioned, how could we have failed?!"

"Damn it!! There's absolutely no way the formation could have malfunctioned!"

"Then tell me how this thing was broken? The Illusion Mist Array is the work of Xu Xinyao, a master of array formations. But speaking of which, Old Man Jiu, the array research you're in charge of is truly disappointing. The sect invests so much every year, and forget the Illusion Mist Array, in the end we even have to buy the Ghost-Capturing Array from someone else!! Do you know how much silver that costs?!"

"The core of the Ghost-Capturing Array was personally researched by me. Some of the peripheral patterns I bought have been turned into the whole thing in the mouth of you, you little brat."

"."

"."

Hearing the chaotic arguments inside the hall, the Old Five and the bearded man who stepped inside exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

Upon seeing the two enter, the Wanxiang Sect Master, who had been sitting in the main seat with his eyes closed in meditation, suddenly opened his eyes and said loudly:

"Old Five and Youngest are here, let's stop for a moment."

"."

The voice was powerful and resonant, reaching directly into the minds of everyone in the hall.

Upon seeing this, the arguing executives stopped, though they continued to glare at each other angrily.

You can disobey the sect leader's orders, but you still have to give him face.

The Wanxiang Sect Master exhaled and asked in a calm voice:

"What progress have you two made?"

The two are responsible for information and intelligence-related matters, and at this stage, they are arguably the two most important people in the Myriad Wanxiang Sect.

The mobilization of local county troops, the movements of troops from other prefectures, and even the contents of memorials submitted to the imperial court all depended on the two of them to find out.

The current disputes at the top level largely stem from the fear of insufficient information.

They didn't know the current situation of the three people in charge of the formation, whether everyone in Shengshan County had died, how much of their plan had been exposed, or even the current attitude of the imperial court.

Now, all they know is that the imperial court is sending troops to Shengshan County again.

Other than that, I know nothing.

Ants on a hot pan.

The Old Five bowed respectfully and brought a useful, but ultimately devastating, message:

"Sect Master, I sent spies to accompany the reinforcements to Shengshan County. News just came today that the Demon Beast tide has been contained. The reinforcements have cleared out more than 90% of the Demon Beast, but more than 200,000 people have died in the city."

The Wanxiang Sect Master asked the most crucial question:

"Have you found out who helped Shengshan County within the city?"

This matter is crucial to their next course of action.

"."

Upon hearing this question, the Old Five walked to a chair and sat down, whispering:

"We only know that two people went there. The captain of Shengshan County named Wang Jiadian personally received them. One of them was Grandmaster, and the cultivation level of the other was unknown, but the Grandmaster seemed to be his attendant."

The Wanxiang Sect Master narrowed his eyes;

"Can we continue the investigation?"

The Old Five shook his head, somewhat helplessly:

"The highest-ranking of our undercover agents is only a commander of a thousand men, and the lead has gone cold."

Shengshan County, County Office.

A man with a cold face stood inside the somewhat dirty and messy County Office, smiling as he looked at Adjutant Li sitting in the hall.

After Colonel Wang left, Adjutant Li took his place, looking somewhat hesitant.

"Mr. Yi, do you mean we shouldn't build a shrine for Young Master Zhou? Or even erase the fact that he ever came here?"

Yi Tian cupped his hands in greeting:

"I hope Adjutant Li understands that those of us in the intelligence business generally cannot be too well-known."

After a moment's thought, Adjutant Li said:

"But many commoners have seen them."

Yi Tian smiled, narrowed his eyes, and answered softly:

"We will take responsibility for these people."

"You just need to erase Zhou Chen from your report to the prefectural government, is that alright?"

The Council Hall was completely silent.

"The trail has gone cold?" The Wanxiang Sect Master frowned.

The Old Five's voice was very firm:

"Someone is interfering with our investigation."

He paused for a moment,

The Old Five brother looked around and said slowly, "However, the area can be narrowed down."

As he spoke,

He raised three fingers, then lowered one after each sentence he spoke:

"Breaking through the formation, killing three Grandmaster, and being able to directly contact important officials in the imperial court—I believe everyone knows who in the state can do all three."

These words immediately caused a commotion in the hall.

Is it Tianyin Temple? Or Fengqing Sect?

"That's unlikely. Those two sects have always maintained good relations with us, and their interests are basically aligned with ours in the surrounding area."

Who could it be?

"Too many."

"."

Amidst the clamor of discussion, the young man in brocade robes, holding a folding fan, suddenly spoke:

"I think it's the Qin Family from the prefecture or the Nangong Clan from Anxi Prefecture. These two Aristocratic Clan families have always had conflicts with us over market share in this area. When my disciples went traveling before, they lost quite a few men. If it weren't for the prefecture's intervention, we would have become mortal enemies with them."

Upon hearing this, the Drunken Madman opposite suddenly spoke up:

"Shareholding conflict? Deadly enmity? He Jigu, don't try to put it nicely. They originally registered their businesses under our names to evade taxes from the imperial court, but you're trying to directly annex and seize their assets. If it really is them, then this whole thing started because of you."

Upon hearing this, the young man in the brocade robe bulged veins on his forehead, his inner Source Qi surged, and his fan creaked as he squeezed out the words through clenched teeth:

"Old man, watch your mouth. This is the sect's decision."

"Shut up, all of you!"

The Wanxiang Sect Master suddenly spoke in a low voice.

He felt a little tired, and if he didn't speak up soon, the people below would start making noise again.

He silenced the crowd and looked at the Old Five, who was sitting in his seat with a furrowed brow:

"Old Five, what do you think of this matter?"

The Old Five raised his eyes, his tone somewhat complicated:

"Sect Master, Elders, what you say makes sense, but if they really did it, we still have room to maneuver."

"."silence.

Those present pondered the meaning of these words, and some quick-witted individuals soon revealed a look of surprise and uncertainty in their eyes.

But the Old Five continued speaking:

"But you missed two of the forces you just discussed."

Speaking of this,

The Old Five pointed to the dome, leaving it at that.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, everyone present knew what the Old Five was referring to.

Prime Minister's Estate, Great Yan Royal Family.

In the dead silence,

The Old Five sighed, stood up, looked at the Wanxiang Sect Master, and solemnly bowed in greeting:

"Sect Master, Wen Lin implores that we immediately begin implementing the worst-case scenario plan."

"Bang!"

Before he could finish speaking, a muffled thud was heard, dust billowed up, and a large crack appeared in the palace floor, which was made of a special material.

Then,

The elderly man sitting at the head of the left-hand seat stood up:

"Xia Wenlin, we have no leaks, no substantial evidence, and even the current emperor wouldn't dare to touch us."

The sects are loosely organized, but if someone were to massacre an entire sect on a fabricated charge, it would provoke collective resistance.

Because if they don't resist, they might be next.

The sect understands this better than anyone else.

Speaking of this,

The old man stared intently at Xia Wenlin, who was bowing deeply in greeting.

"Lift your head up. Do you know what the worst-case scenario means?"

The Old Five slowly raised his eyes, his expression unchanged:

"Of course I know."

The worst-case scenario is to instigate a rebellion.

But everyone knows that the result of a rebellion is death, after all, the example of the Xuanqing Sect is still there.

No one thinks they can do better than the Xuanqing Sect.

They had no choice but to abandon everything within the Great Yan territory, using the lives of their outer disciples to buy time while trying to move their core disciples into the Wanxing Mountain Range.

However, the preparations for such an event would involve a great deal of activity, including the gathering of supplies, the mobilization of personnel, and the sale of assets. Such a large-scale operation could not be kept secret from those who were interested.

In other words,

Once this begins, there is no turning back.

After a pause, the Old Five's voice was calm:

"Furthermore, Great Elder, we have a point of vulnerability."

"What?" The Great Elder frowned.

"We haven't received any news from Ji Wencheng and the other two so far."

"If things don't work out, they'll take their own lives."

"What if I can't kill myself?"

"."

The Great Elder was surrounded by surging Source Qi, which subtly distorted the surrounding air.

"The three of them each have a weakness that the other two have. If one of them decides to commit suicide, the other two could do so. Even a second-grade Origin Beginning expert wouldn't be confident of subduing them all at the same time. Are you suggesting that a Mortal Shedding expert just happened to be near Shengshan County?"

The Old Five was unaffected and continued:

"There are too many methods in this world: bewitching techniques, poisons, illusions, and special Daoist techniques can all achieve this goal."

The Great Elder sighed, his tone softening slightly:

"Xiao Wu, the chances of these things happening are so small as to be countless. We can't gamble on something like this."

The Old Five clenched his fists slightly, looking at the Great Elder with an extremely complicated expression:

"Great Elder, it's not a gamble, it's just too quiet."

"What?" The Great Elder's eyes showed some doubt.

At this point, the Old Five's body trembled slightly from tension:

"Great Elder, have you ever fallen into the sea?"

The Great Elder frowned.

The Old Five smiled and sighed:

"When I was a child, I once fell into the sea from a boat while sailing. It was very dark around me, and I couldn't breathe. All I could hear was the gurgling sound of the water."

At this point, the Old Five sighed, looking quite helpless:

"Now the Sect Guard I'm in charge of are like I was back then, fallen into the sea, unable to hear a single useful sound."

"Only, there was a gurgling noise."

"I really hope this sea is truly the sea, and not some pool that someone else built for us."

"But it's too quiet."

"No one went to Shengshan County to investigate, no one came to Wanxiang City to investigate, and not even a single person came to pay a visit to Wanxiang Sect, the most suspected Wanxiang Sect."

Silence.

In silence,

The Wanxiang Sect Master Manifestations asked in a low voice:

Why wasn't this reported sooner?

The Old Five tilted his head slightly, looked at the dark dome, and let out a long breath:

"Sect Master, transmitting intelligence takes time, personnel need time to travel, and confirming and compiling information takes even more time."

As he spoke, the Old Five raised a finger:

"However, after realizing this, I sent many more Eagle Cavalry to scout around Wanxiang City. Do you know what the results I received today are?"

Some people came back, and some didn't.

"Sect Master, the eastern part of Wanxiang City is now a restricted area."

The Old Five withdrew his finger and chuckled softly, his voice trembling:

"It's really, really quiet."

After saying that,

The drifting clouds and mist obscured the sunlight, and the interior of the hall instantly became as silent and dark as the seabed.

No one voiced their agreement, but no one objected to Xia Wenlin's proposal either.

I don't know how much time passed,

The darkness remained, but the silence was shattered by the cry of an eagle, and then, a resounding voice echoed throughout the entire sect:

"Wanxiang Sect Master, please come out for a chat."

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