At the foot of Jade Splendor Mount Hua, on the edge of a dense forest.
Zang Tu led more than thirty members of the Red Sickle Guard into the woods, where they concealed themselves without a sound.
Dark red true qi coiled around them, blending with the shadows among the trees.
Not far ahead stood the mountain gate of Jade Splendor Mount Hua, its white jade plaza reflecting a dazzling glare beneath the sun.
His deputy lowered his voice and leaned toward Zang Tu's ear. "Commander, Madam Ji Xian has already reached form union in the Seventh Realm. Her body and Dharma Form are one, and she can transform at will. Her Dharma Form is the mountain itself. The moment we enter, she'll certainly sense us. When that happens, I'm afraid..."
"I understand all that."
Zang Tu's voice was as calm as still water, his face utterly expressionless. "The best approach would naturally be to wait for Lu Changfeng to leave the mountain himself. You and I can wait, but the young master cannot. Besides, he's imprisoned inside a formation right now. Even if you attacked the Qingqiu clan, you might not force him out. Ji Xian might even welcome it. She could seize the opportunity to get rid of Bai Qianqian and keep her lover all to herself."
The deputy choked, his expression caught somewhere between envy and sour resentment. "Just what does that brat have going for him? He came from the Central Lands, a wretched place without so much as spiritual qi, yet he managed to bewitch Bai Qianqian into betraying the young master and make Ji Xian seal off her mountain for him. Every one of these women treats him like a treasure!"
"It is indeed a strange thing."
Zang Tu gazed through the dense forest