"Easy peasy, Senior Brother, I’ll head out first!"
"You’re cheating! Hmph, what’s a few breaths’ lead to me? Whoa, what kind of footwork is this? So fast! Old Fourth, wait for me—"
Lu Yaoyao was having breakfast with Immortal Xuan You.
Immortal Xuan You suddenly sighed and said, "I didn’t expect such a big incident to happen since we arrived. With Gu Tao dead, I am left in a dilemma of whether to stay or leave."
Lu Yaoyao smiled and said, "Don’t worry, Xuan You, they never suspected you in the first place. This, of course, has nothing to do with you."
Immortal Xuan You stood up, opened the window, and looked at the lake and rockery with an anxious expression in her eyes.
When she fell ill that night, who was spying on her?
The opponent must have had a cultivation at least in the Divinity Transformation Realm, otherwise, they couldn’t have disappeared from her Divine Sense so quickly.
Of course, no one would believe she was dying. Even if they saw her, they would mistake it for the cultivation of some Divine Technique.
First, the Cangyan Daoist Palace used the Cyan Feather Immortal Sect as bait, then the Hall Master of the Task Hall, Gu Tao, was tragically killed. The Taiqing Sect is indeed in troubled times.
Although the Five Sects have been fiercely competing secretly, a new kind of balance has been reached over the years.
What exactly does Sikong Yan want?
Is the other force the Golden Thunder Sect or the Phecda Sect?
If the Taiqing Sect falls into trouble, the Cyan Feather Immortal Sect might be next.
We must quickly gain the trust of the Taiqing Sect and form an alliance early, just in case.
"Time flies so fast. I remember back when we first met, you would call Zhou Qing to have breakfast with us every day. Why don’t we visit Little Spirit Peak today?"
Immortal Xuan You suddenly proposed.
Lu Yaoyao immediately raised both hands in agreement.
Whether it was Immortal Xuan You or the Ninth Princess, it was possible. After all, who could say for sure?
Of course, in this timeline, her clueless father had no idea about any of this.
"Yaoyao, can I ask you something?" Immortal Xuan You looked at Lu Yaoyao.
Lu Yaoyao quickly said, "Go ahead."
Immortal Xuan You thought for a moment and said, "In the Taiqing Sect’s younger generation, is Zhou Qing’s Senior Brother Ghost Mastiff the strongest in combat capability?"
Lu Yaoyao shook her head, "I really don’t know. We have had limited interaction. Since I joined the sect, he has been in closed-door training. I’ve only seen him once or twice. But he is the one most likely to comprehend the Realm and break through to Divinity Transformation amongst the younger generation."
Immortal Xuan You fell silent before quickly smiling, "Let’s go find Zhou Qing and have a chat."
"I’ll lead the way!" Lu Yaoyao looked very happy.
"In closed-door training?"
Lu Yaoyao was stunned to learn from Mo Xingjian that Zhou Qing had already gone into seclusion.
"Fellow Daoist Xuan You, how about coming to my place to sit for a while?" Mo Xingjian invited Immortal Xuan You.
Immortal Xuan You nodded and pulled the unhappy Lu Yaoyao toward the peak.
"It seems it’s time for me to go into seclusion as well!"
Lu Yaoyao murmured, feeling that everyone was moving forward while she seemed to be carefree every day. Thinking about it, she felt guilty for the Heavenly Dao Qi her master secretly gave her.
Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu were quietly lying in the bushes, their gazes fixed ahead.
Surrounded by mountains, flags fluttered in the wind.
Numerous mortals and low-cultivation miners, carrying bamboo baskets, looked exhausted as they moved in and out.
The clinking of tools echoed through the valley.
However, careful observation would reveal that this mine appeared to have been attacked not long ago. The surrounding defensive arrays were still in disrepair, dim, with fragments scattered everywhere.
Bloodstains were still visible in many places, and many of the previously high-flying flags were chopped down, resting broken on the ground.
"See that? When Senior Brother left, he asked Old Mo for a map of the Cangyan Daoist Palace’s mining areas. It seems Senior Brother did us a great favor!"
Yan Xiaohu was excited.
Zhou Qing’s eyes also shone, feeling a rush of satisfaction.
"This mine is quite far from the Cangyan Daoist Palace. It is guarded by a Nascent Soul early-stage expert named Peng Si, two in the Golden Core Realm, and several in the Foundation Establishment Realm. This place mainly produces Red Treasure Crystal, an excellent material for crafting weapons."
As he spoke, Yan Xiaohu licked his lips with a look of frenzy in his eyes.
Seeing this, Zhou Qing’s heart moved, seemingly understanding his intent.
"Third Senior Brother, you mean..."
Yan Xiaohu said, "These shameless people of the Cangyan Daoist Palace have repeatedly attempted to kill us. An eye for an eye – Senior Brother is Senior Brother, and we are we. It’s about settling the score. Are you in?"
Without much hesitation, Zhou Qing agreed.
"I’m in!" Zhou Qing said with a murderous look.
Yan Xiaohu was thrilled.
"As expected of my good Junior Brother. Let’s do it. You listen to my analysis – it’s been so long, and the defensive array hasn’t been repaired, which means Peng Si is either dead or severely injured and recovering. He has no mind to repair it."
"And look at the low morale of the people. I’m more inclined to think he’s dead, which makes things easier. I’ll release Nascent Fire and pretend to be in the Nascent Soul Realm. You go to their warehouse and collect all the Red Treasure Crystal. When we get to Lingyun Mansion, we can sell it for a good sum. How about it?"