Chapter 263: Chapter 55: I Don’t Believe She Can Kill Me
After a long and arduous journey, everyone finally returned to the Eastern Emperor Divine Palace.
At this time, Divine Palace Square was eerily quiet, aside from a Qilin lying lazily in a corner, there were no other five-path cultivators in sight.
A stark contrast to the bustling scene upon their arrival.
After bidding farewell to the group, Wei Dongliu approached the Qilin alone, took out the golden little sword and the box containing the Jiahe, and opened it.
The Qilin lazily opened its mouth wide, inhaled through its nose, and sucked in both the golden little sword and the Jiahe, revealing a content expression.
“May I ask, senior, why is there nobody else on this plaza?” Wei Dongliu took the opportunity to strike up a conversation.
“Most of them are dead,” responded the Qilin, still in its lazy tone.
“Dead?” Wei Dongliu asked in shock.
Wasn’t it said that the disciples of the five paths were going to jointly ambush Shushan? To think they could suffer a devastating defeat… Wait, Sister and Ling Yunpo were also in there; they should be fine.
But that’s not right! This expedition to the Hundred Thousand Mountains involved Golden Core, and even Nascent Soul cultivators!
Even if Sister and Ling Yunpo were strong, it’s not like they could defeat so many high-rank cultivators from the five paths of the Demon Cult. Otherwise, what’s the point of the five paths? They might as well be wiped out by the Three Pure Orthodox Sect.
“Hmph,” the Qilin snorted with a scoff, “using low-rank disciples as bait, these descendants of the Intercepting Cult are getting more and more regressive.”
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“Before you left, that fox hinted and warned you; did you not understand? If you had refused my commission and insisted on heading north, you would have ended up dead like them.”
Having said that, the Qilin closed its eyes and rested its chin on its forelimbs, keeping silent.
A few words, but they sent a chill down Wei Dongliu’s spine:
What, there was a conspiracy this time?
He quickly rushed back to the Eastern Emperor Divine Palace and saw Wen Yang and others who had received the news from their sectmates gathered outside his room.
“Wei Fellow Daoist!” Seeing him finally return, Jiang the Witch hurried over and said anxiously, “This journey to the Hundred Thousand Mountains was a trap!”
“Using low-rank disciples as bait?” Wei Dongliu said leisurely.
“You knew?” The others were slightly stunned upon hearing this.
The Synchronization Value began to surge.
“A fine strategy of diversion!” Gu Lie was the first to break the silence, unable to help but exclaim, “First, they pretend to unite the five paths to set up an ambush for Shushan at the Hundred Thousand Mountains to lure Shushan into seeking reinforcements from the Kunlun Penglai factions.”
“Then, they gather all the high-rank cultivators, pretending to deploy them to the distant Eastern Emperor Boundary Gate, but in reality, they take a huge detour through the Southern Sea, East Sea, and launch a fierce attack on Penglai Jade Pure View! Our five paths have truly reasserted our dominance this time!”
Wei Dongliu: ………
So, it turns out to be a master of military strategy?
By now, he had realized: to the north of the Eastern Emperor Divine Palace, the area was originally expected to be the main battlefield between the five paths of the Demon Cult and Shushan, and the five paths had an absolute advantage, whether it was low-rank or high-rank cultivators.
Since Shushan had learned of this in advance, they certainly could not just wait to die.
Long before the expedition to the Hundred Thousand Mountains, Lin Duanshan, Brother Lin on Ling Yunpo’s line, had mentioned that Shushan was still hesitating whether to seek help from the other two factions.
Looking back now, it seems they finally made the decision to seek help, but unexpectedly fell right into this side’s trap.
The five paths abandoned the low-rank disciples as bait to be slaughtered while pulling away all the elite high-rank cultivators under the pretext of heading to the Eastern Emperor Boundary Gate, secretly switching course to the Southern Sea, East Sea to attack Penglai Jade Pure View.
“How were the results over there?” Wei Dongliu asked slowly.
“With the five paths united, even the sword barbarians of Shushan were no match, let alone those bookish folks of Jade Pure View,” Jiang the Witch sneered, “Even the Protective Sect Array was broken, high-rank cultivators led low-rank disciples to scatter and flee, suffering heavy casualties.”
“If it weren’t for Kunlun’s quick reinforcements, Jade Pure View would have been erased from existence.”
“Even so,” Wen Yang added, “it is said that this expedition team also plundered countless magic artifacts, Flying Swords, and Spiritual Medicines from Penglai, making a fortune indeed.”
At this point, everyone’s expressions were somewhat dejected and resentful.
The dejection stemmed from the recognition that their own strength was insufficient to join the siege on Penglai and make a profit.
The resentment, however, was because some fellow Sect members they knew, thanks to connections like clan elders, had been secretly called up to the expedition team and received an abundance of benefits until their hands were almost full.
In contrast, they, although also elite disciples within the Sect, lacked solid background support and thus ended up being used as bait in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.
If it hadn’t been for Wei Dongliu receiving the favor and attention of the Qilin, cleverly avoiding the deadly peril, they would have likely met their demise on the northern battlefield.
Wei Dongliu was speechless for a moment, then heard the Kunlun Mirror suddenly say:
“Guan Shui, stop asking any further.”
“What’s wrong?” Wei Dongliu frowned and asked; he still wanted to find out about the status of Yuqing View’s Heavenly Craft Workshop.
“Any news you hear will become a fixed, historical fact that has already taken place,” the Kunlun Mirror reminded, “To ensure the future still has room for change, you better stop here.”
“Right,” Wei Dongliu immediately understood. Schrödinger’s cat, right? Observation equals collapse; better to keep the mystery.
“Speaking of which,” Jiang Liyan suddenly said, “Fellow Daoist Wei, do you remember my senior sister Ai Zhenzhi?”
“I heard that before she left, she was called to join the expedition team and seems to have gotten a powerful Magic Artifact this time.”
“Do you have a grudge against that Ai Zhenzhi?” Wen Yang also spoke in surprise, “I’ve heard she’s extremely irritable and holds deep grudges. If she really did get a powerful Magic Artifact this time, Fellow Daoist, you’ll need to be careful from now on.”
“Sigh.” Jiang Liyan also heaved a sigh.
She had thought her senior sister would lie in ambush in the Hundred Thousand Mountains; she could have joined forces with Old Scoundrel Wei and others to counter-attack… but she hadn’t expected such an unforeseen event!
Everyone changed their course southward following the Qilin’s guidance, and my senior sister joined the expedition team at the last moment. As both sides skillfully missed each other, they also each gained considerable benefits.
Senior sister Ai got a powerful Magic Artifact from Yuqing View. Though it definitely can’t compare to my seventy years of Purple Mansion cultivation, her combat strength is likely to increase dramatically.
With her temperament, she will surely seek revenge once she’s back. I wonder if Old Scoundrel Wei can handle her.
If Old Scoundrel Wei is not her match, then my fate is sealed!
Maybe I should run away in advance?
For some reason, whenever she thought of “Old Scoundrel Wei,” Jiang the Witch’s thoughts would also drift to “Wei the Demon Lord.”
Given the inscrutable strength of Wei the Demon Lord, it seemed implausible that he could be defeated by my senior sister… Just imagining such a possibility seemed absurd.
No, that won’t do, I need to pull more people in before returning.
With that thought, she smiled and said to everyone:
“The journey to the Hundred Thousand Mountains has ended. How about fellow Daoists come together at Shiping Mountain?”
“It’s said that Fellow Daoist Wei’s Sect Residence is near Biyun Palace, isn’t it?” Wen Yang seemed interested as well, “I would like to visit Fellow Daoist’s Sect, but I wonder if it would be convenient?”
“It is of course no trouble at all,” Wei Dongliu said indifferently.
Looking at Gu Lie and Long Xiaoqi, they also had no objections—everyone had long decided to cling to Wei the Demon Lord’s coattails, so naturally, they would want to socialize and get familiar with each other.
Seeing things progress so smoothly, Jiang Liyan also secretly felt at ease.
Excellent! With the help of Wei the Demon Lord and the other three, even facing a Golden Core Cultivator, we might not be without a fighting chance.
I refuse to believe my senior sister can kill me!