121: Otherworldly cultivators

At this moment, underground near Coastal City, several Cultivators were gathered in a cave. The men were handsome, the women beautiful, and their attire was very fashionable—modern clothes that were completely mismatched with the Qingyun Realm. Their expressions were currently very grim.

The leading man, a middle-aged man named Zhang Huai, said, “Everyone, we have been in the Qingyun Realm for several days now. We have gathered almost enough information, and it is time to act. If we find that Snake Demon, sacrifice him, and expand the coordinates for the teleportation, we will be great heroes of the Canglan Realm. Our rewards will be enough for all of us to become Third-tier Cultivators.”

The Snake Demon they were looking for was Gu Yuchuan. When the space originally shattered, Gu Yuchuan was the only living being nearby, so the information and aura of the coordinates were imprinted on him. By using a special Secret Technique to sacrifice him, they could obtain and expand these coordinates, potentially allowing Golden Core Stage or Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators to enter. This was clearly an extremely important matter for both worlds.

A beautiful woman stood up. Her name was Song Miao. “Alright, let me share the information I’ve gathered recently. I’ve set up surveillance around Coastal City and indeed found news of the Snake Demon. The Snake Demon used to be part of the army, but now he has returned to the Yao Race territory to work as an Artifact Refiner. If we want to kill him, we must lure him out. After all, we detected that the Yao Race territory has Fifth-tier Cultivators, and if we enter, our Different Realm aura will be immediately discovered.”

The other three Cultivators were all focused on combat and remained silent, watching Zhang Huai and Song Miao communicate. Their team usually operated this way, with the three of them following the lead of the other two.

However, this time, one of the young men, Wang Anming, spoke up: “Everyone, if I’m not mistaken, the Qingyun Realm is a Minor Thousand Worlds, right? Our Canglan Realm has only successfully invaded a Minor Thousand Worlds once. What if we successfully establish the coordinates, but the Big Shots are afraid to attack? Wouldn't we just be stuck here to die?”

Zhang Huai’s gaze turned slightly malicious. Having an official background, he naturally couldn't tolerate hearing such words: “Wang Anming, that is not your concern. Since our team accepted this mission, we must complete it. Otherwise, if we return to the Canglan Realm, there will be no place for us.”

His voice was icy, causing Wang Anming to fall silent. The other two women, a pair of sisters named Yun Meng and Yun Hai, immediately restrained Wang Anming and signaled him to step down.

Only then did they continue their discussion: “Song Miao, have you found anything that could lure him out?”

Song Miao nodded: “I do have some ideas. This Snake Demon is a Monster who values loyalty greatly. If something were to happen to his friends or subordinates, there is a high probability he would come out to rescue them.”

Zhang Huai also thought this idea was good and nodded: “Good. But how do we find his friends or subordinates? Do you have any leads?”

Song Miao nodded again: “Don’t rush me. Can you let me finish before you voice your opinion?”

There was a slight ambiguity between Song Miao and Wang Anming, so Zhang Huai threatening Wang Anming naturally displeased her. However, she dared not go too far, as Zhang Huai was the leader among them. Without Zhang Huai, their team's priority in the Canglan Realm would drop significantly.

Zhang Huai said nothing, signaling her to continue.

“Regarding candidates, I have three. The first is the Black Tortoise Demon General, the second is the Ink Scale Demon General, and the third is a Monster named Pei Yu. The first two are his sworn brothers, and the third is his most capable subordinate. Capturing any one of them should be enough to lure him out.”

After she finished, she looked at Zhang Huai. Zhang Huai slowly began to speak.

“Now it’s my turn to speak, right? Let me state my position. The first two are Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators, and the last one is at the Qi Refinement Stage. We need to consider how to capture them, and whether capturing them will cause further complications. Analyze them one by one.”

Song Miao continued her explanation.

“First, regarding the Black Tortoise Demon General: he is a Managing Demon General in the Azure Dragon Army, with the strength of the Foundation Establishment Sixth Layer. It’s not that we couldn’t defeat him, but his identity is a major factor. If we capture him, the entire Azure Dragon Army will be mobilized. It would be difficult for us to survive, let alone carry out the subsequent tasks. Therefore, this candidate is unsuitable.”

She sighed and continued with the second candidate: “The second is the Ink Scale Demon General. He has a cultivation base at the Foundation Establishment Third Layer, and his Bloodline is said to be very powerful, making him highly valued among the Yao Race. He would actually be a good candidate, but now that the war situation is stable, he has been cultivating at home and rarely goes out. Thus, he can only be a backup option.”

She paused briefly after saying this, allowing everyone time to think, before speaking again: “The third candidate is the most suitable one in my mind. His name is Pei Yu, and his true form is a Five-Colored Clam. He is reportedly highly valued by the Snake Demon and is one of his most capable subordinates. Crucially, his cultivation is low, he is not highly regarded in the army, and he frequently goes out on missions. We can easily capture him.”

After she finished speaking, the cave fell silent. A moment later, Zhang Huai spoke: “Alright, let’s start the vote.”

In the end, everyone chose Pei Yu. This was expected; choosing either the Black Tortoise Demon General or the Ink Scale Demon General carried significant risks. Only by choosing Pei Yu would the risk be minimized, so naturally, he was the choice.

“Then let’s find an opportunity to act. Song Miao, monitor Pei Yu with all the surveillance. We will look for a chance to capture him. Be extremely careful; this is a Minor Thousand Worlds, and if we are exposed, it will be difficult to survive.”

What they didn't know, however, was that they had already been exposed. Both the high echelons of the Yao Race—the Demon Venerable and the Six-Tailed Fox Immortal—and the low-level Gu Yuchuan were already setting traps for them.

Gu Yuchuan was too low-level to know about the high-level plans, but his own trap was complete. They had placed a Formation on Pei Yu. As long as the distance wasn't too far, once activated, the three Demon Generals would immediately appear at Pei Yu's side, creating a counter-encirclement.

Now, both sides had completed their preparations and were just waiting for the actual confrontation. It remained to be seen whose methods would prevail. It was believed that the day of the great battle was not far off, as neither side wanted to delay any longer.

Finally, that day slowly approached: Pei Yu went out on a mission.