Each gets what they need

That night.

Inside an ancient and simple Immortal Cave in the Inner Sect.

Yin Qingyuan sat slumped on a cloud couch with a gloomy expression, his eyes filled with fury.

Not far in front of him, Yin Hong knelt trembling, his head lowered, not even daring to breathe loudly.

“Is what you just said true?”

Yin Qingyuan glanced indifferently at his son kneeling on the ground and asked in a calm tone.

Hearing this, Yin Hong hurriedly nodded and replied respectfully, “Father, these words are absolutely true. It was indeed I who told my cousin to use the Scarlet Flame Tiger’s hand to get rid of that Qi Da, but I didn't expect...”

Slap!

Before he could finish, a crisp sound rang out. Yin Hong's cheek immediately became red and swollen, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

Then, Yin Qingyuan let out a cold snort and said in a frigid voice:

“Do you know where you went wrong this time?”

Facing this slap, Yin Hong didn't even dare to wipe the blood from his mouth, answering cautiously:

“I shouldn't have instigated my cousin to harm a fellow disciple.”

Thud!

As soon as he said this, he took a heavy kick. He was sent flying, crashing into a wooden chair behind him, which instantly shattered into pieces.

After tumbling, Yin Hong scrambled up from the ground, enduring the pain in his shoulder, and knelt properly again.

“Stupid! Compared to what we are about to do, what does harming a fellow disciple matter?” Yin Qingyuan looked at his son with disdain, his tone grim. “There was nothing wrong with wanting to vent your cousin Wang Luchuan's anger; after all, he is Family.”

“But you absolutely should not have involved that beast, the Scarlet Flame Tiger, at a time like this. Although the Scarlet Flame Tiger itself is nothing, the Law Enforcement Pavilion Elder behind it, Xu Zhou, is not someone to be trifled with.”

“Now that the Wang Family's direct descendant Wang Luchuan is dead, whether it was that Qi Da's doing or the Scarlet Flame Tiger going back on its word to kill and steal pills from Wang Luchuan, it will cause me to face off against that old fogey Xu Zhou prematurely, making a powerful enemy for nothing.”

“In recent years, I have painstakingly built up my influence in the valley and made many allies. You, on the other hand, have caused such a huge mess for me. You are truly stupid to the core!”

Hearing these words, Yin Hong's face instantly turned pale, and he hurriedly kowtowed to beg for forgiveness.

“Father, please appease your anger. I know my mistake and will never dare to act on my own again!”

“Humph! It's good that you know the severity!”

Seeing that his son was indeed frightened, Yin Qingyuan finally composed himself and said in a deep voice:

“For a hundred years, I have worked tirelessly and diligently for Falling Cloud Valley. Even if there is no credit, there is hard work. I didn't expect the Law Enforcement Pavilion to humiliate me so much, not even giving me a shred of dignity.”

“It seems my previous choice was the right one. Only by siding with the Yin Sha Sect can our Yin Family reach the next level, without having to live at the mercy of others and endure endless humiliation.”

As he spoke, the hatred deep in Yin Qingyuan's eyes grew more intense, finally turning into determination.

“Your cousin possessed the Aptitude of a dual Spiritual Root. His future path was destined to be bright, and he was highly valued in the Wang Family, the apple of your aunt's eye. Now that he has died mysteriously in Falling Cloud Valley, if justice is not sought, how will I face the Wang Family in Puzhou City in the future?”

“Qi Da, the Scarlet Flame Tiger, Mo Zhengyang, and that old thing Xu Zhou who only knows how to protect his own—they all deserve to die. Since things have come to this, I might as well go all the way and eliminate everyone in my path.”

Hearing this, Yin Hong's heart trembled violently, and he asked in shock:

“You mean...?”

Yin Qingyuan narrowed his eyes, a cold light flashing through them:

“I am risking the destruction of our Family to work for the Yin Sha Sect. Now that I've encountered difficulties, the Yin Sha Sect cannot just sit idly by.”

“The Yin Sha Sect wants to use me to secretly control Falling Cloud Valley and plant a nail in the territory of the Righteous Path, while I want to use them to eliminate my rivals and take the position of Falling Cloud Valley Sect Head. This was always a transaction where each takes what they need.”

“Since it's a transaction, the other party naturally has to pay a price. That True Disciple of the Demonic Sect has been lying low in the herb garden for a long time. It is now time to show some sincerity in this deal.”

Besides the Seven Great Holy Lands, in the entire world, there is only one Sect that dares to call itself the Yin Sha Sect—the Baleful Yin Sect.

The Baleful Yin Sect is the strongest among the four evil Sects, also known by the world as the Demonic Sect!

At the mention of the words 'True Disciple of the Demonic Sect,' Yin Hong, who was kneeling on the ground, couldn't help but catch his breath, a flicker of desire crossing his eyes.

Although he was devoted to Bai Xirou, he had to admit that the beauty and grace displayed by that True Disciple of the Demonic Sect were enough to drive any male cultivator mad.

Of course, thinking of the various terrifying rumors about the Baleful Yin Sect, Yin Hong couldn't help but shiver. He quickly shook his head, throwing those unrealistic thoughts out of his mind.

The True Disciple of the Baleful Yin Sect was not someone a small character like him could touch... On the other side.

The Outer Sect.

The herb garden.

By this time, the sun had long since set behind the mountains, but Qi Yuan was in no hurry to return to his quarters. Instead, he scooped another bucket of water from the spiritual spring and came before the rows of green leaf grass planted in the field.

Because he knew someone was watching him in secret, he didn't show the slightest abnormality. Instead, he irrigated the spiritual plants along the ridges as if he were working overtime as usual, while concentrating on listening, not letting any sound escape him.

Not long ago, he had sensed a faint, strange rhythm.

That sound wave came from underground, like some kind of call, but it was very weak, and the specific content was completely indistinguishable. If it weren't for Qi Yuan's sharp spiritual senses, it would have been very easy to overlook.

The Outer Sect Grand Competition was approaching. Originally, according to Qi Yuan's intentions, he didn't want to cause any complications before completing his goal. Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned, and trouble still found its way to him.

As it stood, not only was a mysterious Spirit of Grass and Wood hidden in the spiritual field, but there was also a malicious observer. Since Qi Yuan's job was to 'take care' of the spiritual field, he couldn't even manage to play dumb and stay out of it.

If he didn't figure out the sequence of events, how could he feel at ease continuing his mission in Falling Cloud Valley? He might unexpectedly capsize in this small ditch one day without knowing why, and that would be truly stupid rather than just playing dumb.

After all, the prerequisite for playing dumb is having everything under control. He was currently in a state of complete confusion; what was the point of pretending?

However, even so, he didn't want to act rashly. He would first test the waters.

After a while, the familiar call rang in his ears again. Although it was still intermittent, it was much clearer than before:

“Big brother... please... save... save me...”

The voice was crisp and tender, seemingly coming from a young child.

Qi Yuan's expression changed slightly, and he instinctively wanted to search for the source of the sound. However, just as he was about to act, the eerie voice suddenly stopped, as if it had never appeared.

In the next moment, a familiar female voice suddenly came from behind him:

“Junior Brother Qi, it's so late, why haven't you gone back yet?”