Intelligence
When Feng Jin heard Mo Wen say this, he could not keep his face from tightening.
This old bastard really is inhuman!
What Lineage wasn't drooling over the spiritual land of Jingxiu Mountain? Everyone had been working at this for so long precisely to get their hands on it!
Now Mo Wen thought he could claim Jingxiu Mountain for himself just by flapping his lips? He must be dreaming!
Of course, Feng Jin would not say what he was thinking. As the young master of the Feng Household, he led an exceedingly comfortable life, and he had no desire to anger the old Foundation Establishment monster before him! If the man slapped him dead, where would he go to seek justice?
"Senior, this junior's status is too lowly to have any say in such a major matter. But even if the Feng Clan agreed, it would be useless! Relying on their strength, the Liu Clan of Venomous Dragon Valley has long regarded Jingxiu Mountain as theirs for the taking. They won't allow anyone else to covet it!"
"Our Feng Clan lacks the strength to stand alone, so we had no choice but to coordinate with the Zhang and Hu Households from afar. Only then did we manage to curb the Liu Household's arrogance. If Senior wishes to occupy Jingxiu Mountain, I'm afraid it will be impossible without first getting past the Liu Household!"
Feng Jin spoke fluently, diverting the trouble that was Mo Wen toward the Liu Household. Though he had his own schemes, there was some truth to what he said. He was indeed a rising talent of the Feng Household.
"Hmph! A mere Liu Household isn't worth mentioning!" Mo Wen boasted shamelessly. The identity he was now creating for himself was that of a Foundation Establishment cultivator of mysterious origins. The more exaggerated his behavior, the greater the pressure he could put on Feng Jin.
"When are your households planning to attack Jingxiu Mountain?" Mo Wen finally asked the question that concerned him most.
"Well..." Feng Jin stumbled, then gritted his teeth. "Senior, allow me to explain. To break through the Golden Wind and Raging Fire Grand Formation sooner, our households decided to pool our funds and buy a second-tier, mid-grade Restriction-Breaking Talisman. Three days ago, someone was sent to Azure Luan Immortal City to purchase one. If everything goes smoothly, he should return in another four or five days. That's when we'll make our move and attack the mountain."
With that, he had essentially laid out the whole truth. But it was hardly a major secret. Even if someone found out, it would have little effect on the overall situation to come. In any case, Jingxiu Mountain would fall to the four great Lineages sooner or later!
Hearing this, Mo Wen thought to himself, It seems Jingxiu Mountain can't be saved! Even if I could enter Jingxiu Mountain now and take charge of the mountain-guarding formation, I couldn't stop a second-tier, mid-grade Restriction-Breaking Talisman. I'm still too weak to influence the overall situation at all! From here on, I should focus on saving people.
Mo Wen remained silent, putting Feng Jin under immense pressure. Feng Jin was terrified that one careless mistake might anger the old bastard. All he wanted now was to send the old thing away as quickly as possible. Having no control over his own life and death was simply unbearable!
"Tell me everything you know, whether it concerns the four great cultivation Lineages or the Rogue Cultivators," Mo Wen finally said.
Feng Jin let out a small sigh of relief. As long as the old bastard deigned to speak, he had room to maneuver. So he told Mo Wen everything he knew, leaving nothing out, including some information about the Feng Household. Of course, none of this counted as secret within the circle of cultivation Lineages. Even if his elders learned what he had done, it would hardly be a grave offense.
After receiving Feng Jin's information, Mo Wen finally gained some understanding of the current situation.
Ever since the Mo Clan sealed off the mountain, the Liu, Feng, Zhang, and Hu Households, the four cultivation Lineages closest to Jingxiu Mountain, had begun stirring up trouble. They sent their elite descendants to investigate the precise situation on Jingxiu Mountain while spreading all manner of rumors among Rogue Cultivators, drawing more of them into their camps in preparation for the attack.
By now, more than five hundred Qi Refining cultivators had gathered at the foot of Jingxiu Mountain. More than two hundred were Lineage descendants concealing their identities; the rest were all Rogue Cultivators hoping to profit from the opportunity.
With the four great Lineages recruiting them, more than half the Rogue Cultivators had each joined one of their camps. The rest, distrustful of cultivation Lineages, remained independent.
At present, roughly fifty of the Qi Refining cultivators at Jingxiu Mountain had reached the Qi Refinement Ninth Layer, thirteen of whom had attained Qi Refining Great Perfection.
Among these Qi Refinement Ninth Layer cultivators were elites from the cultivation Lineages and outstanding Rogue Cultivators. None could be underestimated. The thirteen at Qi Refining Great Perfection in particular were renowned and possessed astonishing combat strength.
Furthermore, on the day of the actual assault, each of the four great cultivation Lineages would send a Foundation Establishment Early Stage cultivator to lead its subordinates in the fight for Jingxiu Mountain.
The ultimate victor would claim Jingxiu Mountain's spiritual land, while the other three households would divide all the Mo Household's resources among themselves, including the cultivators of the Mo Clan.
To keep the conflict from escalating, the four households' Foundation Establishment cultivators would not personally take action again after breaking through Jingxiu Mountain's mountain-guarding formation. Instead, they would have their Qi Refining subordinates surround and wipe out the Mo Clan, until a new master of Jingxiu Mountain was finally decided.
These old scheming bastards really have thought things through! Mo Wen grumbled inwardly, unable to keep from worrying.
If he wanted to save the Mo Clan, he had to deal with those four Foundation Establishment cultivators. But with his current strength, he could not handle even one, let alone four!
This is way too difficult! If it really can't be done, I'll just give up. The original owner of this body cut ties with the Mo Household long ago anyway, so my conscience is clear. Mo Wen was beginning to have second thoughts.
"Senior, that's everything I know. Do you have any further instructions?" Feng Jin asked respectfully.
"Very well. You've been reasonably honest, so I'll spare your life!" Mo Wen glanced at Feng Jin, rose, and left the stone house, heading out of the camp.
As Mo Wen's gaze swept over Feng Jin, Feng Jin suddenly felt his body grow heavy, as though a giant mountain were pressing down on his head. He could not move at all.
The power of Divine Sense! The old bastard really is a Foundation Establishment cultivator! A wave of belated fear rose in Feng Jin's heart, and before he knew it, he was drenched in sweat.
After leaving the Feng Household's camp, Mo Wen made another circuit around Jingxiu Mountain, finding the other households' camps one by one. He did not alert them, merely taking a few glances from afar before quickly leaving.
Of course, while doing this, he had already changed his appearance and become another person. In such a dangerous place, he had to be as cautious as possible, for fear of attracting the attention of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.
After finishing his investigation, Mo Wen carved out a cave abode in a small valley not far from Jingxiu Mountain and settled there for the time being.
Over the next few days, he considered ways to break the deadlock while keeping an eye on the activity at Jingxiu Mountain.
After careful consideration, Mo Wen decided to adapt to circumstances. One question had been on his mind all along: if a sufficiently valuable fortuitous opportunity or treasure appeared, could those Foundation Establishment cultivators really resist making a move?