Conspiracy

Jin Ping'er suddenly swayed, blocking their way like a ghost.

"Mr. Li, for old times' sake, let me give you a friendly warning."

Her expression suddenly turned serious.

"This gathering at Liubo Mountain is far more complicated than you imagine."

"The leaders of all three sects—the Ghost King Sect, the Ten Thousand Poisons Sect, and Longevity Hall—have come in person."

"What they're plotting isn't just to capture the ancient mythical beast, the Kui Ox, which is about to emerge."

"They want to use this opportunity to wipe out all the young elites of your three righteous sects!"

Jin Ping'er's words sent a chill through the hearts of Li Xiaoyu and the others.

The three Demon Sect leaders had gathered here!

Wan Renwang of the Ghost King Sect, Poison God, and Yu Yangzi, the master of Longevity Hall!

They had all come.

"Why are you telling us this?"

Li Xiaoyu studied Jin Ping'er.

He didn't believe this Demon Sect enchantress would be so kindhearted.

Jin Ping'er met his gaze, her smile turning complicated.

"I don't know either."

She shrugged.

"Perhaps I don't want to see an interesting fellow like you die here without even knowing why."

"Or perhaps my Joyous Union Sect doesn't want to see the Ghost King Sect become supreme and swallow up the entire Sacred Sect."

"Anyway, believe it or not, it's up to you."

After speaking, Jin Ping'er didn't linger. She turned and swept away into the distance in a streak of purple light.

"Mr. Li, until we meet again! Hehehe..."

Her silver-bell laughter echoed in the sea breeze.

Li Xiaoyu watched the direction in which she had disappeared, lost in thought.

"Let's go. First, we'll see Sect Leader and the others."

Suppressing his doubts, Li Xiaoyu led Lu Xueqi and Zhang Xiaofan into the central tent of the Green Cloud Sect.

The atmosphere inside the tent was tense.

Daoist Daoxuan sat in the seat of honor, with Shang Zhengliang, Master Shuiyue, Tian Buyi, and the other Six Meridians Chief Seats beside him.

Faxiang of the Heavenly Sound Temple and Li Xun, Yan Hong, and the others from Incense Burning Valley were also present.

Clearly, they had arrived some time ago and taken part in the earlier discussions.

When Li Xiaoyu and the others entered, everyone turned to look at them.

"Disciples Li Xiaoyu, Lu Xueqi, and Zhang Xiaofan pay their respects to Sect Leader and all the uncles and elders!"

The three bowed respectfully.

Daoist Daoxuan looked at them and smiled warmly.

"You're back. The journey must have been tiring."

Daoist Daoxuan paused, his gaze settling on Li Xiaoyu with a testing look.

"Xiaoyu, you've returned at just the right time. What are your thoughts on the situation before us?"

He had directly asked Li Xiaoyu for his opinion.

The unexpected move left everyone present momentarily stunned.

Daoist Cangsong of Dragon Head Peak and Tian Buyi of Big Bamboo Peak, in particular, showed displeasure in their eyes.

In their view, although Li Xiaoyu had won the Seven Meridians Martial Arts Tournament, he was still young, with shallow Cultivation. How could a junior like him presume to speak on such matters of war?

Yet Li Xiaoyu showed neither delight at being favored nor trepidation.

His expression remained calm, as if he had expected Sect Leader to ask him this.

Li Xiaoyu stepped forward and laid out, in detail, the intelligence he had just received from Jin Ping'er, along with his own analysis.

"Therefore, this disciple believes that although the Demon Sect claims to be here for the treasure, their true aim is to besiege one point and draw in reinforcements. They want to wipe out the young disciples of our three righteous sects and leave us without a new generation for decades."

"The Kui Ox, which is about to emerge, is nothing more than bait they've thrown out."

Li Xiaoyu's words were clear and logical, plunging all the Chief Seats present into thought.

They had sensed that the Demon Sect was coming in force, but they hadn't expected its plot to be so far-reaching and vicious.

"Utter nonsense!"

A discordant voice rang out.

It was Daoist Cangsong.

Daoist Cangsong snorted coldly as he looked at Li Xiaoyu, his eyes full of scorn.

"Everything you've said is hearsay, nothing but one-sided claims from a Demon Sect enchantress. How can you take it seriously?"

"I say you've been bewitched by that woman's beauty and lost your senses!"

His words were vicious, outright accusing Li Xiaoyu of colluding with the Demon Sect.

"Senior Brother Cangsong, you!"

Shang Zhengliang sprang to his feet in fury.

A frost settled over Master Shuiyue's face as well.

"Senior Brother Cangsong, you can eat whatever you like, but you can't go around saying whatever you please."

Master Shuiyue's cool voice rang out.

"Xiaoyu is a disciple of the Green Cloud Sect. We've all seen his character and temperament. How dare you slander him like this?"

Just as it seemed the Green Cloud Sect was about to turn against itself, Daoist Daoxuan gave a soft cough from the seat of honor.

"Enough."

Daoist Daoxuan spoke, and everyone fell silent.

His gaze returned to Li Xiaoyu.

"Xiaoyu, go on. How do you think we should respond?"

Daoist Daoxuan ignored Cangsong's accusations and instead invited Li Xiaoyu to continue.

That made his trust in Li Xiaoyu unmistakable.

Cangsong's expression darkened. He could only sit back down resentfully, but his sinister eyes remained fixed on Li Xiaoyu, as if he wanted to devour him alive.

Li Xiaoyu bowed to Daoist Daoxuan again, grateful in his heart.

He knew Sect Leader was giving him an opportunity—and testing him as well.

"Reporting to Sect Leader, this disciple believes that if the Demon Sect wants a fight, then we should give them one!"

Li Xiaoyu's voice rang out with force.

"But we can't let them lead us around by the nose and sit back on the defensive."

"We should strike first!"

"Turn their scheme against them!"

"They want to besiege one point and draw in reinforcements? Then we'll set an even bigger trap and see who ends up surrounding whom!"

Confidence glimmered in Li Xiaoyu's eyes.

His words lifted everyone's spirits.

Strike first. Turn their scheme against them.

The bold proposal made all the Chief Seats look at him in a new light.

They were used to the Green Cloud Sect's steady, cautious ways. It was rare to see a young disciple show such spirit and resolve.

"Oh? Tell us how you'd turn their scheme against them."

Daoist Daoxuan's eyes shone with keen interest.

Li Xiaoyu stepped forward to the sand table in the center of the tent.

The sand table clearly depicted the terrain of all Liubo Mountain, modeled with sand and stones.

He pointed to the main peak and said gravely, "The Demon Sect members are now entrenched on the main peak. Relying on the terrain, they've set up a barrier, making their position seem impregnable."

"But that is also their weakness."

"They've concentrated all their forces in one place. They may seem powerful, but they've lost their mobility and flexibility. They've become trapped beasts."

"Meanwhile, we're scattered throughout Liubo Mountain. We may seem spread out, but we can advance or retreat freely and attack them from any direction at any time."

Li Xiaoyu quickly tapped several spots on the sand table.

"This disciple proposes that we split into three routes."

"First, Senior Brother Li Xun and Senior Sister Yan Hong of Incense Burning Valley will lead the way. Their cultivation techniques are powerful and unyielding, and they excel at frontal assaults. They can launch a feint from the front and draw the Demon Sect's main force's attention."