473 Sneaking In

People like them, who were outsiders, could only see a small fraction of the whole picture.

“That’s why we need to hasten Brother Fang’s coming-of-age ceremony,” Qin Huai told the others.

“From what I understand, while the five great sects superficially rule all of Qingzhou, in truth, the city has been carved up between the demons and the Sacred Heart Sect. Most of the disturbances in Qingzhou are likely due to the conflict between these two major factions,” he continued.

He had obtained plenty of valuable insights from the brothers. Even though they were not high-level cultivators, they had witnessed many incidents. Many of the significant cases in Qingzhou were secret conflicts between these two powers.

“So, the master of Wuji Mountain Master might also be a demon?” Hua Yanli wondered, his eyes dark and filled with despair.

“It’s hard to say, but it seems quite likely,” Qin Huai replied.

“I’ll contact Fang Huo right away,” Yun Qi said, standing up and rushing out of the boat.

That night, Fang Huo secretly joined them on the boat. “So, the demons and even the Sacred Heart Sect want to meddle…” After hearing Qin Huai’s report, Fang Huo’s eyes filled with a resolve to kill.

“Qingzhou shouldn’t belong to the demons, nor should it be ruled by the Sacred Heart Sect. It should be ours. Tomorrow, I will announce that we are going to challenge Wuji Mountain the day after,” he declared.

The next morning, word that Fang Huo was planning to ignore the minor sects and challenge the prodigies of the five great sects spread throughout the city. Many called him arrogant but others acknowledged his strength.

Sitting at a tea stall, Qin Huai remarked, “The power of the five great sects is indeed formidable. They were able to spread the news across the city overnight.”

…

At Wuji Mountain, the second elder, Shang Yinzhong, smirked at the news brought to him by an underling. “So, the disaster will come knocking on our door tomorrow?” he wondered aloud.

Behind him stood a group of powerful individuals, some of whom had never interacted with each other before. But at that moment, they were all respectfully standing behind Shang Yinzhong.

“Let’s seize this moment when all eyes are on the battle between the prodigies,” he suggested, to which the crowd unanimously agreed.

“Since the heavens have given me this opportunity, I must seize it.”

…

At the tea stall, a man wearing a bamboo hat suddenly sat opposite Qin Huai and said, “The dragon boat flies thirty thousand miles.”

Qin Huai answered, “Return to the nest in the water.”

Whoosh…

Without another word, the man handed him a piece of paper and quickly left. On the note was one sentence: “We’ll make a move tomorrow.”

Qin Huai was taken aback. He realized he wanted to use Fang Huo’s challenge to contact Xiang Mingfeng and She Wanshan to find the culprit, but had overlooked that this opportunity was also perfect for those planning a coup.

“How decisive,” he muttered, frowning.

This tea stall was the meeting place for the two brothers and the mastermind of Wuji Mountain. According to the sect’s instructions, he was supposed to secretly escort Wu Feng and the others to Wuji Mountain. But now, he decided not to pass on the news.

Qin Huai decided it would be best to delay any dealings with Wu Feng and his side until after the current situation had been resolved. After leaving a letter on the boat, he headed towards the inner city, planning to risk a covert entry into Wuji Mountain.

…

Late at night, the weather turned colder and the wind wailed like a mournful song. Against this wind, Qin Huai used the wind breath technique and silently made his way up the mountain.

Wuji Mountain was vast with sixteen mountains in total. Relying on the route Fang Huo had shown him, Qin Huai navigated carefully.

In the forest, there were many subtle auras intertwining, any of which could alert others to his presence if he wasn’t careful. As a result, he moved very cautiously, covering only five kilometers in two hours.

He spotted a run-down temple in the distance. That was the confinement area of Wuji Mountain where Xiang Mingfeng was held. Approaching slowly and carefully, he remained as inconspicuous as possible.

Just as he was about to vault over the temple’s high walls, a voice suddenly sounded behind him. Qin Huai spun around, a flash of white light in his eyes. Activating the bronze mountain and river diagram, he prepared for a confrontation.

Swoosh!

In an instant, the voice stopped, and even Qin Huai’s figure had vanished. Shortly after, more than ten figures appeared in the area where Qin Huai had been. Despite their thorough search around the dilapidated temple, they found no traces of anyone.

“Are we just imagining things?”

“Let’s continue patrolling. These two days are crucial!”

Deeming it an illusion due to their heightened nerves, the group finally dispersed.

…

Meanwhile, in the bronze realm, Qin Huai was looking down at the old man lying on the ground. The man was badly injured with blood pouring from a severed arm and a pair of torn-off gray wings.

“Are you Zhou Cunzhong?” the old man managed to ask, his face paling from blood loss. “Do you know who you are going against?”

“Demons and the Sacred Heart Sect.” Despite his threatening words, Qin Huai remained unfazed.

“Hahaha! You actually knew about it, yet you still dared to do this. You really don’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. Back then, I was the same—”

Bang!

But he was abruptly cut off as Qin Huai’s fist pierced his chest.

“You really talk a lot of nonsense,” Qin Hua said.

As the old man’s life faded, Qin Huai received notifications about his gains.

“Ding! You have collected a [Kun Peng Seed (Fragment) x3], [Kun Peng Seed (531/2,000)]!”

“Ding! You have collected a [Blood Heart Technique Essence], [Blood Heart Technique] has been upgraded!”

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