Chapter 664 - 268: Assassination

The summer sun blazed, its scorching rays pouring down, baking the dust on both sides of the official road until it was faintly hot.

The drone of cicadas added to the sweltering atmosphere.

After five straight days of travel, the party had left the Yellow Maple Path and officially entered the territory of the Qiu Long Path.

Beside the official road, a simple tea stall stood under a dense canopy of trees. Though its thatched roof was dilapidated, it cast a large and welcome patch of shade. Chen Qing ordered them to take a short rest here.

The tea stall wasn’t large, with only a few wooden tables and long benches.

The stall’s owner was an old man with swarthy skin and a deeply wrinkled face. Seeing so many distinguished-looking guests arrive at once, he eagerly wiped down the tables and chairs, serving them cool tea in large, coarse earthenware bowls.

The disciples found shady spots to sit, some gulping down the cool tea while others conversed in low voices.

He Shuang sat alone on a tree root some distance away, meditating with her eyes closed. Meanwhile, Luo Qianjue and the others gathered at a table.

Chen Qing sat alone at a table toward the back. He lifted a coarse earthenware bowl and took a sip of tea. He appeared to be resting with his eyes closed, but in reality, he was focused on a voice being transmitted directly into his ear.

The voice came from an inconspicuous corner nearby, where an old man in a gray robe sat. His aura was unremarkable—it was none other than Elder Deng Ziheng, disguised as a common Steward accompanying the group.

"Dongji City..."

Deng Ziheng’s voice was as fine as a silken thread, entering Chen Qing’s ear with perfect clarity. "The city is located in the far east of the Qiu Long Path, on the shores of the Boundless Sea. It’s the second-largest city within the Three Paths, second only to Celestial Treasure City. Trade is prosperous, and you’ll find all sorts of people there. Its power structure may seem complex, but on the surface, there is only one absolute hegemon."

He paused, his transmitted voice taking on a grave tone. "The Gu Family."

Chen Qing’s expression remained unchanged, though his eyes flickered. He lifted his bowl and took another sip, looking for all the world like he was simply enjoying a rest and a cup of tea.

’The Gu Family...’ Realization dawned on him. He sent a transmission in reply, "The Gu Family, as in one of the five millennium-old Noble Families?"

"That’s right," Deng Ziheng’s voice confirmed. "The very same Gu Family that stands alongside the Ruan, Wang, Huo, and Li Families. You could call this the Gu Family’s city. The vast majority of affairs, big or small, involve them in some way. They are the undisputed titans of Dongji City, having been rooted here for over a thousand years. Their influence runs deep."

Chen Qing was lost in thought.

He had already had dealings with the Ruan, Wang, and Huo Families. That meant he had now encountered three of the five great millennium-old Noble Families.

The only ones left were the Gu Family, who dominated Dongji, and the Li Family, whose ties to the Sect’s core ran deep.

Chen Qing transmitted his question. "The Gu Family is situated at the border between the spheres of influence of the two great Upper Sects, Celestial Treasure and Cloud Water, and they’re also under the covetous watch of the Seventy-Two Islands Overseas. To have stood strong for a thousand years and become a regional hegemon under those circumstances... their power and resources must be extraordinary, right?"

Deng Ziheng nodded slightly and explained via his transmission, "You’re right. The Gu Family is quite special. Their family members don’t exclusively serve the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect. Instead, they... diversify their investments."

"A good number of the Gu Family’s most talented core descendants are pursuing their Cultivation in the Cloud Water Upper Sect. This is a crucial bargaining chip that allows the family to maneuver between the two great Upper Sects and maintain their position."

Chen Qing nodded slightly. He understood.

For the Gu Family, situated between two great powers, the key to survival came down to a single word: balance.

Hedging their bets and staying on good terms with both sects was simply a way to maximize their own benefits.

’In that case, the Gu Family likely has significant influence and connections within both of the great Upper Sects.’

’The Infinite Demon Sect, the Cloud Water Upper Sect, the Gu Family, and the Celestial Treasure Upper Sect on top of it all...’

Chen Qing mentally organized the information. ’Even though Dongji City isn’t the main front in the war against the Demon Sect, with all these factions gathered here, the undercurrents are probably far more turbulent than I anticipated.’

’On this trip to Dongji, I’ll have to be careful not only of the Demon Sect’s threat, but also in how I deal with these deeply entrenched local factions.’

Just then, a scorching blast of air swept over them, kicking up dust from the road. Mixed in with the wind was a strange, sweet fragrance.

"That smells so good!" one of the female disciples exclaimed, unable to resist taking a deep whiff.

"It’s a little like the fragrance of some rare flower..." someone nearby chimed in, subconsciously taking a few more sniffs.

"Wait! Hold your breath!"

Elder Deng Ziheng’s brow twitched.

The moment Chen Qing smelled the fragrance, alarm bells screamed in his Spirit Platform. He immediately roared, "Watch out for the scent! It’s poison!"

It wasn’t just Chen Qing and Deng Ziheng. He Shuang, Luo Qianjue, and the others with higher Cultivation levels and sharper senses also detected the abnormality at almost the same instant. They immediately held their breath and circulated their True Astral to shield their bodies.

However, they were a step too late.

The faces of several disciples who had been slower to react or had weaker Cultivation levels instantly filled with terror. They felt a numbness in their Dantian, and the True Astral that normally coursed through their bodies suddenly froze, as if bound by invisible shackles. They couldn’t mobilize even a sliver of it!

"What’s happening?! My True Astral... I can’t circulate my True Astral at all!"

One of them tried to activate his Cultivation Technique, only to find his meridians empty and his body devoid of strength. A cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, his voice trembling with terror.

The Inner Martial Arts they practiced relied on circulating a stream of pure energy through their meridians to execute their Martial Arts. With their True Astral now stagnant, they were like Flood Dragons without water or tigers without claws. In an instant, their strength plummeted to less than a tenth of what it was!

"It’s Thousand Mechanism Rotting Poison!"

Deng Ziheng’s expression was grim. "This is a unique poison commonly used by a demoness from the Demon Sect named Hu Yuning," he explained. "This poison is incredibly potent. Its faint, sweet scent mixes with the wind, making it almost impossible to defend against. Cultivators at the Astral Force Realm will find their True Astral instantly frozen, leaving them helpless. Even if a master at the True Essence Realm is afflicted, their True Essence will become sluggish and slow, drastically reducing their power. It is a truly insidious and vicious toxin... They’re here!"