36: Conspiracy emerges

Qingyun Immortal Sect.

Inside the main hall, the atmosphere was so heavy it was almost suffocating.

Xuesha sat high on the main seat, his claws gently tapping the armrest, producing a low "thump, thump" sound.

He looked at the Human Race Martial Artists below with a detached air, his heart devoid of any ripples.

Wolf Shadow dutifully guarded Xuesha, ready to be dispatched at any moment.

Standing at the bottom was the Grand Elder of Qingyun Immortal Sect, with white hair and beard. The Grand Elder, who usually exuded an immortal aura, now had fine beads of sweat on his forehead.

Behind him was a group of Elders and Disciples with equally solemn expressions, their eyes filled with fear and despair.

"Lord Xuesha, our Qingyun Immortal Sect has less than a thousand Martial Artists in total. For you to demand 100 Second-Grade Martial Artists and 50 Third-Grade Martial Artists as tribute each year is truly… it would destroy the Foundation of our Qingyun Immortal Sect!"

"What Foundation are you talking about?"

Xuesha sneered, "Old man, don't say so much useless stuff. This Lord doesn't have time for your nonsense. Either agree, or… this Lord will eat your face and bones right now."

"Ah… this…"

The Grand Elder swayed, almost fainting. He forced himself to stay conscious and pleaded again.

"Lord Xuesha, could you… could you grant us a bit more time? Our Qingyun Immortal Sect is willing to compensate in other ways… Medicinal Pills, treasures, medicinal plants?"

The Grand Elder subtly tried to substitute the concept with the word "compensate" in an attempt to salvage the already shattered dignity of Qingyun Immortal Sect.

But before he could finish speaking, Xuesha no longer wished to listen.

"Old man, do you think this Lord is bargaining with you? Either agree, or die!"

The Grand Elder's heart sank. He turned to look at the Sect Disciples behind him, gritted his teeth, and said, "Lord Xuesha, I have a crucial piece of information here, its value immeasurable. I beg you to listen."

Xuesha's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he had become interested.

"Speak!"

The Grand Elder took a deep breath, steadied his mind, and said,

"Lord, our Qingyun Immortal Sect once discovered a Formation diagram for a 'Spirit-奪取 Array' in an ancient ruin. This Formation is extremely profound and can forcibly seize the Qi and blood of others for its own use."

As soon as the Grand Elder finished speaking, the main hall immediately erupted in an uproar.

The faces of several Elders from Qingyun Immortal Sect turned ashen.

They were all aware of the Spirit-奪取 Array set up by Qingyun Immortal Sect in the Prefecture City, and the mountain peaks where these Elders resided were also the most concentrated areas of Spiritual Qi.

It's just that what they did before could still be covered by a fig leaf, but now, giving this Formation to Xuesha was entirely different.

"Grand Elder, please reconsider!"

"Grand Elder, you cannot do this!"

"Grand Elder!"

Voices rose and fell. They were like a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered, and the Grand Elder was the lead sheep already pushed forward. Although they knew that once the Grand Elder spoke those words, their pleas would be useless, they had worn the fig leaf for too long and still had to come out and make a show of bluster.

The unaware Disciples below looked at each other, greatly shocked.

"Grand Elder! Stop talking, please stop!"

An Elder who usually oversaw discipline was also secretly blending into the crowd when he suddenly felt the atmosphere was wrong.

Why had it suddenly gone silent around him?

The Elder of the Disciplinary Hall looked around and realized that he had unknowingly moved to the front of the Grand Elder. At this distance, he could clearly count every nose hair on Xuesha's body.

No, he definitely didn't rush out himself, he was pushed out.

"Which old bastard harmed me!"

"Xue, Lord Xuesha…"

But before he could finish speaking, his body directly exploded.

A flicker of interest crossed Xuesha's eyes. His claws stopped tapping the seat, and he leaned slightly forward, staring at the Grand Elder and asking,

"Oh? Spirit-奪取 Array? Interesting, tell me more in detail."

The Grand Elder nodded repeatedly, his tone tinged with urgency.

"Absolutely true! This Formation diagram has been lost, but the Formation itself is not located in the Prefecture City. It draws the Qi and blood of an entire city of Mortals to nourish the Spiritual Qi of Qingyun Mountain. But with Lord Xuesha's strength, if aided by this Formation, you will certainly be able to advance further!"

Xuesha sneered, a hint of greed flashing in his eyes.

"Old man, you certainly know how to talk. However, why should this Lord believe you? If you deliberately set a trap to harm this Lord, that would not be good."

The Grand Elder quickly waved his hand, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Lord Xuesha, please see clearly! The lives of everyone in our Qingyun Immortal Sect are in your hands; how dare we deceive you in the slightest?"

Xuesha pondered for a moment, then waved his claw.

"Good, this Lord will give you a chance. If this Formation truly has the effects you describe, this Lord will spare the lives of your Qingyun Immortal Sect. If you dare to play tricks… hmph, you should be clear about the consequences."

The Grand Elder nodded repeatedly, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

"Wolf Shadow, you go with him to retrieve the Formation Plate," Xuesha coldly ordered.

Wolf Shadow nodded in assent, then walked to the Grand Elder's side, staring at him with cold eyes: "Lead the way."

The Grand Elder dared not delay and led Wolf Shadow out of the main hall.

A moment later, the Grand Elder and Wolf Shadow returned to the main hall.

The Grand Elder held a circular plate in his hand, with a blue pointer on it.

"Lord Xuesha, this is the Formation Plate that controls the Spirit-奪取 Array."

The Grand Elder respectfully presented the circular plate.

"Pull the pointer to its limit, and you can most quickly seize vitality and convert it into the Spiritual Qi of Qingyun Mountain."

Xuesha took the Formation Plate, examined it carefully for a moment, and was very satisfied.

Although he was not proficient in Formations, he could still sense the subtlety of this item.

"I have to say, you Human Race are truly wicked; this method, even this Lord greatly admires."

"Not bad, not bad, very useful."

Xuesha nodded, then looked at the Grand Elder, his tone carrying a hint of playfulness.

"Old fellow, you are quite sensible. However, this Lord still has one question—why would you suddenly offer this Formation? Could it be… you have other motives?"

The Grand Elder's heart tightened, and he quickly explained.

"Lord, our Qingyun Immortal Sect is now at its wit's end. We offer this Formation only to seek a glimmer of hope. If Lord can Break through a Bottleneck with the help of this Formation, our Qingyun Immortal Sect might also receive protection and avoid utter destruction."

Upon hearing this, Xuesha burst into laughter: "What a sly old fox! However, this Lord likes your honesty. Since that is the case, this Lord will temporarily spare the lives of your Qingyun Immortal Sect."

"You go, release a message saying that this Lord has decided to spare the Prefecture City, and let all those Mortals return. If any other people are willing to come, this Lord also greatly welcomes them."

"Also, this Qingyun Mountain will be this Lord's territory from now on. You, take all your Human Race and live in the Prefecture City."

"Grand Elder, do you understand this Lord's meaning?"

"Understand, understand."

The Grand Elder cursed in his heart. How dark, this Xuesha was too damn dark-hearted.

Xuesha's intention was already very clear—he not only wanted to control Qingyun Mountain but also to drive the Disciples of Qingyun Immortal Sect to the Prefecture City, making them "nourishment" for his long-term extraction of Qi and blood.

This method of slow torture was even more cruel than direct extermination.

Before, they extracted the vitality of Mortals; now, they too had finally become meat on the chopping block.

Truly, what goes around comes around; who can escape the heavens' judgment!

*

Chang Sheng Village.

After everyone left, Lin Chuping looked at his information panel.

Host: Lin Chuping

Jurisdiction: Chang Sheng Village, Nan Shu Village

Divine Power: 40

Divine Arts: Enter Dream, Blessing +, Thunder Punishment +, Rain Summoning Technique +

Incense Value: 107010 (Can be converted to Divine Power, used to purchase Divine Arts)

System Mall: Lv1

After a few days, a considerable amount of Incense Value had accumulated.

Although the Incense Value contributed by the new believers today was not much, its potential was huge. Once these people's Faith increased, earning a hundred thousand daily would not be a dream.

Lin Chuping floated above the temple, his gaze sweeping over his information panel, secretly pondering his next plan.

"Xuesha, the Wolf King, has already taken control of Qingyun Immortal Sect. It's uncertain if he will target Chang Sheng Village next."

He had been in this world for so long, but Lin Chuping had never seen a truly high-grade Martial Artist. He didn't know which was more powerful, this Xuesha or his Heavenly Thunder.

"Little Snake, come out!"

"Hiss, hiss!" Divine Lord?

"Among the people who came today, who is the most powerful Martial Artist?"

"Hiss, hiss!"

Reporting to Divine Lord, it's an Elder from Wanbao Merchant Guild, the old man surnamed Shi. His aura is the deepest. However, he seems to have suffered some injury, and his aura is unstable.

"How come I didn't sense it?"

Lin Chuping had looked at everyone who came today, one by one, and hadn't noticed any difference.

"Hiss, hiss!"

Divine Lord, of course you wouldn't be able to tell. You are a god. To you, we are all equally weak, just like a Mortal seeing a group of ants, he also cannot distinguish which one is the strongest.

"Well said. Tomorrow, I'll have Liu Chunsheng introduce you in the village. You'll be my eyes in the village from now on, understand?"

"Hiss, hiss!"

This subordinate understands. I will ensure your satisfaction.

Lin Chuping fed Little Green Snake a bit of Incense Value, then waved his hand, letting it leave.

What Little Green Snake said just now made sense, but Lin Chuping inexplicably felt that it wasn't quite right.

Everything he possessed now came entirely from the System.

These things came too easily, one could say without any effort.

To him, these were all external things.

If one day the System was gone, he would probably be no different from an ordinary Mortal.

If it wasn't Lin Chuping who was bound by the System, but a cat or a dog, placed in his position, they could probably achieve what he had.

So, why did it have to be Lin Chuping?

As he pondered, Lin Chuping thought of the Faith Cultivation Art that always appeared in the System Mall.

Almost every time he opened the System Mall, it lay there quietly, silently tempting him.

Before, he always felt that the abilities obtained through the System were sufficient, but now he suddenly realized the importance of his own strength.

He was Lin Chuping, not a Puppet of the System.

Realizing this, Lin Chuping's Divine Soul felt a wave of relief. Fortunately, he was sober enough not to get lost in these illusory Divine Arts.

*

At the entrance of Chang Sheng Village at this moment.

Qian Shi was about to go to Nan Shu Village to find Village Chief Fang when he suddenly spotted a figure by the river.

Lian Ruyue was fetching water by the small river. After escaping to Chang Sheng Village, the master and madam had gone to work for the main family, and household matters were left to a few concubines and their servants.

Ever since she knew the destination was Chang Sheng Village, Lian Ruyue's mood had slowly improved.

For no other reason, this place was closest to Da Li Village.

Life after marrying into the Wang family was not as good as the villagers imagined, especially for someone like her, a concubine, who was even more lowly.

Ever since she lost favor, she had endless chores during the day and had to deal with Steward Wang's various whims at night, truly suffering beyond words.

Lian Ruyue rubbed her aching shoulders, took out a dipper, and prepared to scoop water.

"Lian Ruyue!"

Qian Shi quickly walked up to Lian Ruyue. Lian Ruyue was startled to see him at first, then her face lit up with pleasant surprise.

"Brother Qian Shi, it's you!"

"Yes, I saw you at the village entrance earlier, but it was crowded, so I didn't want to greet you. I didn't expect to meet you here."

"Are you getting used to things here? If you have any difficulties, just tell me."

Lian Ruyue nodded gratefully: "Thank you, Brother Qian Shi. I'm doing well here, and being close to Da Li Village also puts my mind at ease."

Qian Shi looked at her, and a strange feeling suddenly welled up in his heart.

Just then, a servant's voice calling Lian Ruyue came from a distance. Lian Ruyue said apologetically, "I have to go back, or they'll get worried."

Qian Shi nodded: "Then you go back first. I'll come see you another day."

Lian Ruyue carried her water bucket, looking back three times as she left.

Qian Shi watched her retreating figure, suppressing the strange feeling in his heart.