93: Chapter 93 The Conspiracy Within Pingling Mansion

Elder Sun listened quietly, his face betraying no emotion, but a storm raged in his heart.

supreme-grade pills, needed for the Qi Refining realm!

He understood the significance of this. If it was truly as the other party said, this was indeed a major event capable of changing the entire Sect landscape.

However, he wasn't swayed by the news.

The two Prefectures were separated by tens of thousands of miles, and the journey was perilous. The fact that the Blazing Fire Sect chose his Qiankun Gate for cooperation first was suspicious in every way.

"Fellow Daoist, what you have said, this humble Daoist has already understood." Elder Sun mused for a moment, then slowly spoke, "This matter is of great importance, and cannot be decided by this humble Daoist alone. Please rest at the foot of the mountain for a few days while I report this to the Sect's higher-ups. After deliberation, I will give Fellow Daoist a reply."

After sending off the Blazing Fire Sect's Elder, Elder Sun dared not delay for a moment and immediately reported the matter to the Sect Leader.

The higher-ups of the Qiankun Gate immediately convened a meeting.

"What do you all think of this matter?" The Sect Master, a Cultivator at Foundation Establishment Peak, scanned the Elders present.

"Sect Master, I believe this is, in all likelihood, a conspiracy by the Sects of Qinghe Prefecture!" An impatient Elder immediately stood up. "They must be using this as bait to lure us into Qinghe Prefecture's territory, then set up an ambush to annihilate us in one fell swoop, thereby annexing our Pingling Prefecture!"

"What Senior Brother Zhang said makes sense." Another Elder echoed, "Those who are not of our School must have different intentions. The Cultivators of Qinghe Prefecture have always been cunning; we must guard against them."

But some Elders held different opinions.

"Senior Brother, your words are mistaken." A white-haired Elder shook his head, "If it were truly a conspiracy, why would they fabricate such a clumsy excuse? Wouldn't it be more appealing to directly say they discovered some ancient Secret Realm or a large Spiritual Vein? In this old man's opinion, that Blazing Fire Sect is probably truly pushed to a desperate situation to resort to such a risky move."

"Exactly." Elder Sun also spoke, "The Blazing Fire Sect envoy's demeanor did not seem feigned. In his words, he expressed complete dissatisfaction with the Zhenpin Pavilion and other Sects in Qinghe Prefecture. Such emotions are very difficult to fake."

Inside the main hall, the debate raged on.

Finally, the Sect Leader made the final decision.

"Whether this matter is true or false, we will know the outcome by sending people to investigate." He ordered, "Elder Sun, you will personally lead a team, select a few astute Disciples to disguise themselves as Loose Cultivators, and infiltrate Qinghe Prefecture. You must thoroughly investigate the details of that Zhenpin Pavilion and the predicament of the Blazing Fire Sect!"

"Yes, Sect Master!"

Another month passed.

The scouts dispatched by the Qiankun Gate finally sent back news.

The Jade Slip detailed everything they had seen and heard in Qinghe Prefecture.

The popularity of the Zhenpin Pavilion, the miraculous nature of the supreme-grade pills, and the Blazing Fire Sect's predicament of being ostracized by various forces and isolated were all confirmed.

"There really are supreme-grade pills!"

The higher-ups of the Qiankun Gate looked at the contents of the Jade Slip with various expressions, but mostly excitement.

This time, no one raised any further questions.

If they missed such a heaven-sent opportunity, they would regret it for the rest of their lives!

"This is a good thing, but our Qiankun Gate alone probably can't handle it." The Sect Master said, "The five great Sects of Qinghe Prefecture are not to be underestimated. Even with the Blazing Fire Sect as an inside informant, if we launch a large-scale invasion, the remaining four Sects will surely unite against us. At that time, we might end up losing more than we gain."

"The Sect Master means..."

"Unite with the other two Sects!" The Sect Master's eyes gleamed. "Qingfeng Valley and Spirit Talisman Sect, their demand for resources is no less than ours. Share this intelligence with them, and with the three Sects joining forces, we can flatten Qinghe Prefecture with overwhelming force!"

The plan was quickly put into action.

Qingfeng Valley and Spirit Talisman Sect, after receiving the news and verifying it themselves, agreed to the Alliance without hesitation.

The three great Righteous Path Sects came together for a common interest.

They secretly gathered their elite Disciples, preparing to launch a war against Qinghe Prefecture.

However, there are no impenetrable walls in the world.

Just as the three-Sect Alliance was busily preparing, this news, through some unknown channel, reached the ears of Black Rock Palace, the Demonic Path hegemon of Pingling Prefecture.

"Hehe, you want to exclude my Black Rock Palace and monopolize the benefits? How can there be such a cheap thing in this world!"

The Palace Master of Black Rock Palace, also a Demonic Path overlord at Foundation Establishment Peak, let out a sinister laugh upon receiving the news.

Soon, a letter personally written by the Palace Master of Black Rock Palace was delivered to the Sect Master of the Qiankun Sect.

The content of the letter was simple: either, bring my Black Rock Palace along, and the spoils of war will be divided equally among the four; or, my Black Rock Palace will inform the people of Qinghe Prefecture, ruining your plan.

"Shameless!"

The Sect Master of the Qiankun Sect angrily smashed the letter to pieces.

But, they had no choice.

Ultimately, after difficult negotiations and compromises, the four great Sects of Pingling Prefecture—three Righteous Path and one Demonic Path, normally mortal enemies who fought to the death—strangely reached an agreement.

They prepared to form a powerful allied army, tens of thousands of Cultivators from both the Righteous and Demonic Paths, to secretly advance towards Qinghe Prefecture in a few months.

And all of this, aside from the instigator, the Blazing Fire Sect, no one else in the entire Qinghe Prefecture knew.

Time rewinds to a month ago, Qingyang Town, the Su Family's backyard.

Su Cheng's room was enveloped by a thick Restriction Formation, isolating all auras from inside and out.

A month ago, he sent a special Spirit Medicine list to the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce and Lin Feng.

The list contained mostly obscure but potent second-tier spiritual herbs, such as dragon blood vine for refining bones, nine aperture exquisite grass for nourishing Meridians, and soul soothing wood heart for stabilizing the Divine Soul.

Each of these items was valuable and hard to find.

However, with the current channels of the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce and the Lin Family's influence in the Prefecture City, gathering them within a month was not difficult.

Just then, Su Chengyuan's voice came from outside the door.

"Chenger, the items have arrived."

Su Cheng removed the Restriction, and Su Chengyuan pushed the door open, handing him a Storage Pouch.

"Thank you for your trouble, Father."

"We're family, no need to talk about trouble." Su Chengyuan looked at his son, his eyes filled with relief and anticipation. "Everything is ready, do you have confidence?"

"Don't worry, Father." Su Cheng's face showed his usual confidence. "You just need to act as my Protector outside. In at most a month, I will succeed."

Su Chengyuan nodded, said no more, turned, and walked out the door, standing guard in the courtyard.

Su Cheng took out the Spirit Medicine from the Storage Pouch one by one and arranged them in front of him.

The dragon blood vine was crimson like blood, emitting a scorching aura; the nine aperture exquisite grass was entirely green, with nine orifices on its leaves, exhaling pure Yimu Spiritual Qi; the soul soothing wood heart was dark brown, giving off a unique fragrance that calmed the mind...

Dozens of rare Spirit Medicine illuminated the small room with flowing precious light and filled it with a fragrant medicinal aroma.

He did not rush to start, but first sat in meditation for three days, adjusting his essence, Qi, and spirit to their Peak state.

On the morning of the third day, sunlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating the dust motes in the room.

Su Cheng opened his eyes. He did not take out the qiankun creation furnace, because this time, his body was the Pill Furnace.

He picked up a dragon blood vine and, without hesitation, opened his mouth and swallowed it into his abdomen.

A violent fire-attribute energy exploded within his body, like magma, surging wildly through his Meridians.

The intense burning pain made every inch of his flesh and blood tremble.

Su Cheng let out a muffled groan and immediately activated the Qiankun Creation Art.

The Creation Vortex in his Dantian spun rapidly, and streams of gentle yet tenacious green Spiritual Qi emerged, beginning to guide and refine the violent medicinal power.

"With my body as the furnace, rise!"

Su Cheng whispered in his heart.