plotting to eliminate Chen Yuan

Lin Yang sat up and looked around, discovering that he was in a small, dilapidated wooden hut. The room's furnishings were simple, consisting only of a bed, a square table in the middle, and a few chairs.

However, judging by the steam still rising from the tea on the table, someone had clearly been sitting there just a moment ago.

Just then, a figure shrouded in black robes with a cold aura appeared silently before Lin Yang.

"Tsk tsk, isn't this the pride of the Pill God Sect, Fellow Daoist Lin? How did you end up in such a state?"

The black-robed person's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, carrying a hint of mockery.

Lin Yang looked at the other party vigilantly. Although he was in a wretched state, he still forced himself to maintain the arrogance of a Sect Direct Disciple: "You... who are you? What do you want?"

"Who I am is not important." The black-robed person stepped forward and leaned down. Devilish Qi overflowed from his surroundings, casting a shadow over Lin Yang. He did not answer the question but instead asked back, his voice filled with temptation: "Do you want revenge? Do you want to make that brat who humiliated you pay the price?"

Lin Yang's pupils constricted, and the flames of revenge burned in his eyes. However, he had not completely lost his reason. The person before him was exuding Devilish Qi and was clearly a Devil Cultivator. He snorted coldly: "Hmph! I am a Direct Disciple of the Pill God Sect; how could I collude with you skulking Devil Cultivators!"

"Collude?" The black-robed person sneered. "Fellow Daoist Lin, don't forget who beat you into this state, and who took away your beloved Junior Sister. The Sect? Rules? Can they help you get revenge? Can they let you obtain everything you desire?"

His words continued to carry a sense of temptation.

Seeing Lin Yang's eyes flicker and that he was wavering, the black-robed person upped the ante: "As long as you are willing to cooperate with us and provide some insignificant 'information', we can help you... quietly eliminate that brat named 'Yuan'. By then, who would even know it was you?"

Eliminate "Yuan"!

This temptation made Lin Yang's heart beat violently.

Chen Yuan's detestable face appeared in his mind, along with the image of Su Yuejin snuggled up beside him. Intense jealousy and hatred instantly overwhelmed his reason.

Kill Chen Yuan, and perhaps Su Yuejin would have a change of heart.

The black-robed person observed his expression, knowing the timing was right, and threw out the final, most lethal temptation: "Moreover, as long as you help us obtain the core Legacy of the Pill God Sect, when the time comes, our army of Devil Cultivators will descend, kill that old immortal Su Mubai, and on the day the entire Pill God Sect is left without a leader, with your status and talent, Fellow Daoist Lin, coupled with our secret support, wouldn't ascending to the position of Sect Master be a matter of course?"

The position of Sect Master!

Lin Yang's breathing suddenly became rapid; this was the position he had dreamed of!

"At that time..." The black-robed person's voice was like a viper flicking its tongue, "That blind, sycophantic Su Yuejin, wouldn't she be at your mercy, Sect Master Lin... to do with as you please? You can take revenge however you want."

Su Yuejin! That little bitch.

Just thinking about being able to trample that bitch who betrayed him under his feet and toy with her at will, a twisted sense of pleasure and violence surged into his heart, completely breaking down his last line of defense.

To hell with the Sect's righteousness! To hell with the rules of the Righteous Path! You were the ones who wronged me first!

The last shred of struggle disappeared from Lin Yang's eyes. He raised his head and looked at the black-robed person, his voice excited and hoarse: "Fine! I agree! I want that 'Yuan' to die! I want to become the Pill God Sect Master! I want that bitch Su Yuejin to kneel before me and beg for mercy!"

In reality, no one had betrayed Lin Yang; it was only his own paranoia and desire that drove him to embark on this path of no return.

Enduring the sharp pain on his face and the discomfort in his body, he struggled to sit on the chair by the table, and the black-robed person sat down as well.

The dim oil lamp reflected the shadow under his hood, appearing exceptionally eerie.

"Since our cooperation is established, let's discuss the specific course of action." The black-robed person's voice remained hoarse. "First, we must confirm one point: does that 'Yuan' have a powerful protector by his side who can easily slay someone at the Early Integration Stage?"

Recalling Elder Ge Hong's message, Lin Yang nodded affirmatively: "In all likelihood! Otherwise, there is no explanation for how he could save Yue... save Su Yuejin from an Integration Stage Devil Cultivator! This person's identity is no small matter; the protection behind him is likely beyond imagination. A direct approach probably won't work."

The shadow under the black-robed person's hood swayed slightly, as if he were thinking.

A moment later, he said sinisterly: "In that case, we cannot act personally, lest we alert the enemy and provoke his protector."

Lin Yang frowned, thinking rapidly: "Inside the Sect is definitely out; there are too many eyes and ears, and the protector might be nearby."

Suddenly, a glint of viciousness flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his voice: "There is one place: the Sect's Fentian Valley!"

"Fentian Valley?" The black-robed person seemed to have some knowledge of this place.

"That's right!" Lin Yang explained. "It is a Secret Realm controlled by my Pill God Sect. It is filled with earth vein fire baleful qi and is a place used by Sect Disciples to collect special fire-type spiritual materials and hone their fire control abilities."

The environment within the valley is extreme, the space is unstable, and there are frequent eruptions of earth fire, making it fraught with danger.

Even a Soul Transformation Cultivator must be extremely careful inside without the protection of an Elder. A single moment of carelessness could lead to being invaded by the fire baleful qi, or even trigger an eruption of earth fire that burns one to death!"

The more he spoke, the more he felt this plan was feasible, and his tone carried a hint of excitement: "As the Sect Master's Direct Disciple, I can enter and leave Fentian Valley at will and bring people in. You have your people hidden in the Sect come find me. I will arrange for them to enter in advance, and then trigger a large-scale eruption of earth fire to create an accident."

"Then we will act together and take him down in one fell swoop. His protector cannot enter Fentian Valley. Even if they notice something, they won't know who did it. After I come out, I will pretend not to know anything and blame everything on the earth fire."

The black-robed person listened, remained silent for a moment, seemingly assessing the feasibility of the plan, and then let out a low laugh: "Heh heh, good! Fentian Valley... it truly is a good place. The environment is perilous; dying from a natural disaster is indeed plausible. However, how can we make him go to that Fentian Valley?"

The swollen muscles on Lin Yang's face pulled into a hideous grin: "Leave that to me! Within Fentian Valley, there is an 'earth core fire lotus' that matures once every three thousand years. After refining it, one's attainments in Alchemy can be elevated by a major level."

This was the key item he had prepared for his Breakthrough to become a Sixth-Rank Alchemist, but to kill Chen Yuan, he would sacrifice it.

"I will use the name of an apology to go to Fentian Valley with him to gather herbs and gift him that 'earth core fire lotus'. He likely won't refuse such a good item. At that time, I will lead the way personally and guide him into a desperate situation!"

"earth core fire lotus..." the black-robed person mused, "However, if you lead the way personally, how will you escape afterward? Wouldn't that arouse suspicion?"

A glint of cunning flashed in Lin Yang's eyes: "I have my own way to escape. I can use the excuse of insufficient cultivation and inability to go deep as a reason, staying only in the safe area to rendezvous, letting him go to collect it alone. Or, I can prepare a secret treasure to resist the fire baleful qi in advance. As long as the plan is meticulous, my suspicion will naturally be minimal."

Under the dim light, the two began to plot every step in detail.