100: Chapter 100 Conspiracy

Night deepened, and moonlight spilled over the spirit fields, turning everything silver-white.

The Spirit Tea Tree had grown another section taller, its foliage lush and shimmering with a faint silver light under the moon.

The Jade Dew Ginseng seedlings were also growing well.

Looking at these spiritual plants he had planted with his own hands, he silently calculated the time in his heart.

One year.

Li Changsheng guessed that in a year at most, people from the Blood Fiend Sect would likely come looking for him.

Perhaps even sooner.

He had to become stronger before then.

Meanwhile, in a certain courtyard on the outskirts of the Qinglan Sword Sect.

Zhao Guangyuan sat in a grand armchair, his expression terrifyingly dark.

A grey-clothed Disciple stood before him, cautiously reporting the news gathered over the past few days.

"...I've asked everyone. The people from the Jinyang Sect said they didn't see anything, and the people from the Qingyun Sect also said they didn't know."

"As for the Loose Cultivators, some are dead, some have scattered, and the few who survived all said they didn't notice anything."

"What about the people from the Blood Fiend Sect?"

Zhao Guangyuan asked.

The grey-clothed Disciple hesitated for a moment.

"The people from the Blood Fiend Sect... haven't been found yet."

"Not many of them returned. After leaving the Secret Realm, they vanished, and no one knows where they are hiding."

Zhao Guangyuan was silent for a moment before waving his hand.

The grey-clothed Disciple felt as if he had been granted a grand pardon and retreated.

Zhao Guangyuan was left alone in the room.

He stood up, walked to the window, and gazed at the night outside.

Zhao Yan was his biological nephew, the only Bloodline left by his elder brother.

He had watched Zhao Yan grow up from childhood, teaching him to Cultivate, providing him with resources, protecting him, and spoiling him.

Although Zhao Yan had been somewhat arrogant and caused a lot of trouble over the years, he was his only relative.

Now, Zhao Yan was dead.

Dead inside the Secret Realm.

How could he face his elder brother in the afterlife?

His hands clenched tightly into fists.

Just then, faint footsteps came from outside the door.

"Who is it?"

A cold voice drifted in from outside.

"Great Master Zhao, there is a piece of news you will certainly be interested in."

Zhao Guangyuan's eyes narrowed, and his hand pressed against the hilt of his sword.

The door was pushed open.

A young man in black clothes walked in, his face sinister and the wound on his shoulder not yet fully healed.

Xu Sen.

Zhao Guangyuan stared at him and said coldly.

"What is someone from the Blood Fiend Sect doing at my Qinglan Sword Sect?"

Xu Sen smiled, a cold and sinister grin.

"Don't misunderstand, Great Master Zhao. I'm here to bring you news."

"What news?"

"News about your nephew, Zhao Yan."

Zhao Guangyuan's pupils constricted slightly.

"What do you know?"

Xu Sen took a few steps closer and lowered his voice.

"Your nephew, Zhao Yan, was murdered."

Zhao Guangyuan's face instantly turned ashen.

"Who did it?"

"Li Changsheng."

Li Changsheng.

Zhao Guangyuan had heard this name before.

The farming Disciple from the Hundred Herb Garden, originally from Qinghe Town; he had heard the boy had some skill.

But he had never taken this person seriously.

How much could a trash with a mixed Spiritual Root amount to?

"What evidence do you have?"

Xu Sen pulled something from his robes and handed it to Zhao Guangyuan.

It was a blood-stained corner of a garment.

Zhao Guangyuan took it and looked down.

The texture of the cloth was indeed that of the Qinglan Sword Sect's Outer Sect Disciple uniform.

The bloodstains on it had already dried and turned black.

"I saw it with my own eyes."

Xu Sen paused for a moment and then continued.

"Your nephew led my men to surround and kill Li Changsheng. In the end... Li Changsheng killed him."

Zhao Guangyuan gripped the scrap of cloth tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Why would people from your Blood Fiend Sect go with him to kill Li Changsheng?"

Xu Sen smiled.

"Because we wanted to kill him too."

"He killed six of my men in the Secret Realm. I have a score to settle as well."

Zhao Guangyuan was silent for a moment, judging how much of the man's words were credible, then suddenly asked.

"What do you want in exchange for telling me this?"

Xu Sen looked at him and said word for word.

"I want Li Changsheng dead."

"Great Master Zhao, I imagine your thoughts are the same."

"We have a common goal; why can't we cooperate?"

Zhao Guangyuan stared at him, a dangerous light flashing in his eyes.

"Me, cooperate with the Blood Fiend Sect? Have you lost your mind?"

Xu Sen smiled.

"Great Master Zhao, I know you look down on our Blood Fiend Sect."

"But right now, we are the only ones who can help you get revenge."

"You probably don't know about Li Changsheng's performance in the Secret Realm."

"He killed six of our men at Qi Refining Levels 4 and 5, and even killed Senior Brother Xu, who was at Qi Refining Level 8."

"Can you kill him alone? Besides, the Qinglan Sword Sect wouldn't allow you to kill someone like him."

Zhao Guangyuan's expression changed.

Qi Refining Level 8, killed by Li Changsheng?

Just how strong was that kid?

He was silent for a long time before finally speaking.

"How do you want to cooperate?"

Xu Sen smiled, a very satisfied grin.

"It's simple."

"You provide us with internal information from the Qinglan Sword Sect and tell us Li Changsheng's whereabouts."

"We will handle the rest."

Zhao Guangyuan stared at him and said word for word.

"I don't care what you want. I only want Li Changsheng dead."

Xu Sen nodded: "Deal."

The two looked at each other, both harboring their own hidden agendas.

In the darkness of the night, a dangerous Alliance was quietly formed.

Li Changsheng was unaware of all this.

But he knew that a storm would come sooner or later.

In the following days, he began to Cultivate frantically.

In the spirit fields, he used the Evergreen Plant Truth Scripture to nourish the spiritual plants while simultaneously absorbing the vitality they fed back to him.

At the same time, he took Medicinal Pills and refined the power within the nine-turn azure profound bead, increasing his cultivation level bit by bit.

One month later, Qi Refining Level 8 Middle Stage.

Three months later, Qi Refining Level 8 Late Stage.

Half a year later, Qi Refining Level 8 Peak.

A Bottleneck appeared.

He knew he needed to settle, accumulate, and wait for an opportunity.

In the following spare time, Li Changsheng focused on studying the Introduction to Alchemy he had brought out from the Secret Realm.

Learning the art of Alchemy.

Meanwhile, changes were also occurring within the Qinglan Sword Sect.

Although twenty-four people were lost during the trip to the Secret Realm, the fifty-two who returned had each gained a great deal.

Those Spirit Medicines, Cultivation Techniques, and Magical Artifacts greatly enhanced their strength.

Li Changqing had already achieved a Breakthrough to Qi Refining Level 6 and was currently pushing for the Middle Stage of Level 6.

Her Thirteen Swords of the Clear Wind grew increasingly proficient; during the Sword Guard Hall's Minor Competition, she fought her way into the top ten, catching Uncle Master Jiang's attention.

Shi Tiezhu had also achieved a Breakthrough to Qi Refining Level 4.

He wielded that black iron staff with formidable power; combined with Houtu Peak's Body Refining Cultivation Technique and earth-element Spells, his combat strength had more than doubled.

Li Xiaocao made the fastest progress.

She was naturally close to plants and trees, and under Manager Qin's guidance, her talent for Alchemy gradually began to show.

In just three months, she was already able to independently refine the most basic qi gathering pills; although her success rate wasn't high, it was enough to make Manager Qin look at her in a new light.

As for Li Changsheng, besides Cultivating, he was also doing something else.

He was investigating.

Investigating the movements of the Blood Fiend Sect.

Investigating Xu Sen's whereabouts.

Investigating Zhao Guangyuan's attitude.

He knew those two must be plotting something in the shadows.

He had to know in advance so he could prepare.

One day three months ago, he received a piece of news.

People from the Blood Fiend Sect had been active frequently in the Qinglan Mountains area recently, as if they were looking for something.

What thing?

He didn't know.

But he remembered what Li Xiaocao had overheard in the Secret Realm—they were looking for something even more important than Spirit Medicine.

Could that thing be related to the nine-turn azure profound bead?

He felt the bead in his robes, his brow furrowed.