Chapter 294 - 273: Elaborate Scheming

Chapter 294: Chapter 273: Elaborate Scheming

The Jingbei Mountain Range.

Located northwest of Jingmen and bordering East Lake, it was a mountain range stretching for hundreds of miles.

In the past, these were deep, dense forests, rarely tread by humans.

But as the war that engulfed the Great Chu Cultivation Immortal World progressed, the Jingmen region became one of its core battlegrounds.

This vast stretch of the Jingbei mountains had now become a barren, scorched wasteland. Under the chaotic fluctuations of Spiritual Qi, barely a blade of grass could grow, and scorched earth was everywhere.

Although no major battles had erupted in this mountain range, prolonged and grueling combat had turned it into a tacitly agreed-upon war zone for both the Longevity Sect and the Righteous Alliance.

At nearly every moment, this mountain range was being stained with blood.

Low Tier Cultivators from both sides clashed here—sometimes in organized formations, sometimes in small groups of two or three, and sometimes as lone wanderers...

At an outpost near the Longevity Sect’s front-line camp, buildings stood in dense rows, all under the cover of a Grand Array. Cultivators came and went, creating a bustling scene.

Inside a large wooden hall at the center of the camp, several men dressed in the Magic Robes of the Longevity Sect stood silently. In a corner of the hall, a bloody body lay slumped on the ground.

"Zhao Hong, why have you suddenly summoned us?"

one man asked, then pointed to the bloody body on the ground. "Who is this kid?"

At his words, the other Cultivators present all turned to look.

Zhao Hong’s face was grim. "This person is that little bastard’s brother. He followed that little bastard from the mortal world into the Cultivation Immortal Realm. We happened to capture this kid during a raid on a Rebel Alliance Spirit Field camp."

"That little bastard who killed my son has already arrived at the Rebel Alliance’s main camp."

"I want to avenge my son, and I hope you all will help me!"

A man to the side spoke up. "The one you’re talking about... is he that Artifact Refining Master who’s been making a name for himself in the Rebel Alliance recently?"

Hearing this, the other Cultivators’ expressions shifted.

Zhao Hong shot the man a cold glance.

"Kill him, and I won’t take a single coin from the spoils. I’ll also give each of you two thousand Contribution Points."

"But he’s an Artifact Refining Master..."

another man said flatly. He left the sentence unfinished, but the meaning in his tone was crystal clear.

Zhao Hong gritted his teeth. "Three thousand Contribution Points for each of you!"

Someone else asked, "Since he’s an Artifact Refining Master, he must be highly valued within the Rebel Alliance. What’s your plan?"

"That little bastard is arrogant and still a Loose Cultivator. He hasn’t joined the Rebel Alliance."

"Besides, he only recently became famous, so he isn’t much of a threat."

"Now that I’ve captured this kid, given their relationship, as soon as I leak the news, that little bastard will definitely come looking for him."

"All we have to do is wait. When he arrives, I will personally extract this kid’s soul to light a lantern right in front of him! I’ll make that little bastard understand what true suffering is!"

Zhao Hong’s face was flushed, his expression both savage and excited.

A man asked uncertainly, "Will he really dare to come?"

"That little bastard is a master of disguise. Back in Jade Emperor Valley, he disguised his identity multiple times. Now he’s somehow inherited the skills of an Artifact Refining Master, so he’s bound to have some sort of disguise artifact."

"Also, I’ve heard he’s skilled in the art of Puppetry and has some impressive techniques."

"Skill breeds confidence. Given his relationship with this kid, no matter how much he fears death, he’ll at least come to investigate when he hears the news."

"We’ll catch a turtle in a jar!"

"Even if he brings one or two helpers, there are seven of us! What do we have to fear?"

"The entire fortune of an Artifact Refining Master... it’ll all be yours..."

...

Jingmen City, Qiuyue Tower.

In Jingmen City, on a frontline that was practically a bloodbath, countless Cultivators risked life and limb for all sorts of reasons.

After countless life-and-death struggles, entering the city from the front-line camp located in Jingmen City offered a rare moment of peace and leisure.

In a place like this, pleasure houses like Qiuyue Tower naturally enjoyed booming business.

Today, however, Qiuyue Tower was closed to guests, its main doors shut tight.

But inside, it was as lively as ever.

Dancers swayed with graceful, alluring postures.

Ordinarily, their charm would have been enough to make one’s blood boil with irrepressible desire.

But at this moment, in this pleasure house, the dancing was uncharacteristically reserved, even tense.

The patrons seated in the hall were not the usual lustful customers. They sat in silence, some sipping tea, some sipping wine, and others waiting with their eyes closed in meditation.

More than a dozen Cultivators were present, all of them at the Foundation Establishment stage.

As time passed, more Foundation Establishment Powerhouses would occasionally enter the hall and take a seat.

"Including myself, I’ve gathered eighteen Foundation Establishment Cultivators. All have sworn a Dao Heart Oath, and the news of this gathering has been kept secret, so it shouldn’t leak."

In a private room on the second floor, Xie Ming gave a detailed introduction. "That man at the front is a Loose Cultivator named Zhu Ming. He has a Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivation and specializes in the Poisonous Insect Skill. That one is a Cultivator from the Li Family, also at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment Cultivation..."

"As for Zhao Hong, we have confirmed his location. He’s currently at the Longevity Sect’s Huiming Valley outpost."

"That outpost is guarded by three Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Longevity Sect. Including Zhao Hong himself and a few Loose Cultivators, there are at most six or seven Foundation Establishment cultivators there. Not a major threat..."

"I’ve troubled you, Fellow Daoist."

Chu Mu forced a smile.

"You’re too kind, Fellow Daoist. With so many of us acting together, there’s almost no danger. Besides, with the generous reward you’re offering, a mission like this is a rare find in the Alliance."

Chu Mu asked, "The Alliance doesn’t have any objections to this, do they?"

"What objections could they possibly have!"

Xie Ming waved his hand dismissively. "You’re providing the reward yourself, gathering the Cultivators yourself, and you’re attacking the Longevity Sect. Why would the Alliance have any problem with that?"

Chu Mu nodded, his gaze deep as he scanned the hall below. Eighteen Foundation Establishment cultivators—eight at the Middle Stage of Foundation Establishment, ten at the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, plus himself...

A total of nineteen Foundation Establishment Powerhouses. With a lineup like this, Zhao Hong... would get the death he deserved.

He walked down from the second floor. The music and dancing immediately came to a halt, and the dancers and musicians all swiftly withdrew.

The gazes of every Foundation Establishment Cultivator present turned to him.

"I thank all of you, Fellow Daoists, for troubling yourselves with my matter."

"Once this is over, each of you can give me your request for a Spiritual Artifact directly."

Chu Mu spoke slowly, his voice as calm as ever.

"As for the Spiritual Artifact, I don’t need one. However, I have a Spiritual Artifact that I need your help refining, Fellow Daoist."

A bald man in a green robe spoke up.

"Done."

"We can discuss the details after this is over, Fellow Daoist."

The man nodded and said no more.

"I’ve heard you are also skilled in the art of Puppetry, Fellow Daoist. Instead of an Upper Grade Spiritual Artifact, would it be possible to get a Tier Two Early Stage Puppet? If there’s a difference in value, I can make up for it."

another man called out.

"Done."

Chu Mu nodded, then swept his gaze across the room and asked again, "Do any other Fellow Daoists have other requests?"

As his voice fell, the entire hall was silent.

Chu Mu took a deep breath. With a wave of his hand, a projection materialized in the middle of the hall.

"This is Huiming Valley, an outpost of the Longevity Sect. Zhao Hong is inside. Additionally, this person here is a good friend of mine," he said, pointing to a figure in the projection. "If any of you find him, I ask that you protect him to the best of your ability. I would be eternally grateful."

"The mission is to breach Huiming Valley and kill everyone associated with Zhao Hong!"

Chu Mu didn’t say much, setting the tone for the operation with just a few short sentences.

The sealed doors of Qiuyue Tower then slowly swung open.

The Cultivators on the street, who had been surprised by Qiuyue Tower’s abrupt closure, were now just as surprised by its abrupt reopening.

Just as the chatter was at its peak, one Cultivator after another began to walk out of Qiuyue Tower. The brilliant aura of their Foundation Establishment Cultivation immediately silenced the commotion.

In Jingmen City, Foundation Establishment Powerhouses were not rare. In fact, one could say they were quite common.

But... nearly twenty Foundation Establishment Powerhouses appearing at the same time? That was far from common.

Outside of a major operation by the Righteous Alliance, it was generally impossible to see such a massive gathering of force.

After the Foundation Establishment Powerhouses had departed, the once-silent street immediately erupted in a clamor.

Cultivators began to speculate about the reason behind such a large-scale mobilization. As the discussions continued, the news of dozens of Foundation Establishment Powerhouses gathering spread far and wide, growing more exaggerated with each telling, and sending shockwaves throughout all of Jingmen City.

As the uproar grew and discussions raged, the nineteen Foundation Establishment Powerhouses, including Chu Mu himself, had already left the city, their target set: the Longevity Sect outpost in the Northern Jing Mountains.

No one could have imagined that a newly famous Artifact Refining Master would, in a fit of rage, orchestrate something on such a grand scale.

And at the Longevity Sect outpost, Zhao Hong would never have guessed that the ant he once could have crushed with a flick of his hand now held such a deep-seated killing intent for him—an intent to eradicate him, root and stem—and had acted on it without a moment’s hesitation.

At that very moment, he was squatting in front of the blood-soaked Xu Yuan, forcing a Healing Elixir into his mouth, afraid that if Xu Yuan died now, it would lessen the satisfaction he would feel when his vengeance was complete.

"Don’t you worry. Your big brother will be joining you very soon."

"It’s useless even if you destroyed the Sound Transmission Order. I’ve already leaked the news. He’s already at your front-line camp. He’ll definitely come. He’ll absolutely come."

"*Sob*... You deserve to die, you monster..."

Xu Yuan struggled, cursing weakly.

"Hahahaha! I deserve to die? Why do I deserve to die?"

"Did my son deserve to die?"

"Why did you kill my son?"

"You’re just ants from the mortal world! Shouldn’t you have considered it the greatest blessing to be able to serve my son?"

"How dare you kill my son?"

"I know your big brother has a lot of tricks, right? Well, rest assured, I have even more!"

"Eight Foundation Establishment cultivators to kill one man! It’ll be a worthy death for him!"

"Hahahahaha..."

"My son, don’t you worry. Father will soon have vengeance for you."

"Father will extract that little bastard’s soul to light a lantern and grind his bones to dust!"

"Hahahaha..."

Zhao Hong’s face was twisted and savage, his expression bordering on madness.

Xu Yuan struggled with all his might, but under the heavy restraints, he couldn’t move an inch. He lay slumped on the ground, his face a mask of utter despair...

...