Chapter 773 - 302: Encountering Spring (3)

Lei Hong took a deep breath of the cold air, suppressing the tempest in his heart.

’If we can really subdue this beast, and with Qi Yu’s strength and planning... perhaps this isn’t a crisis, but a heaven-sent opportunity!’

He immediately cast aside all his doubts, cupped his fists, and bowed. "Miss, you are far-sighted and your strategies are unparalleled. You have my deepest admiration! I was the one who was short-sighted."

Satisfied, Qi Yu withdrew her gaze and looked once more at the Profound Nether Black Ox in the ghostly fire. Its aura seemed to have weakened even further. "Now," she said faintly, "we wait."

....

「The next day, at the first light of dawn.」

Chen Qing was cultivating in his room, the Primordial True Essence around his body surging like a great river. His aura was several degrees more powerful and condensed than it had been the day before.

Suddenly, a knock on the door interrupted his cultivation. Ruan Lingxiu’s voice came from outside. "Brother Chen, Junior Brother Shi Xuan has arrived. He says he has urgent news about the Demon Sect."

Hearing this, Chen Qing immediately retracted his aura.

He rose to his feet, pushed open the door of the Quiet Chamber, and saw Ruan Lingxiu standing outside.

Ruan Lingxiu said, "Junior Brother Shi Xuan is waiting in the guest hall. Elder Gong has also arrived."

Chen Qing nodded. "Let’s go hear the news."

The two quickly made their way to the guest hall. Gong Nansong was already seated, his aura much more stable than the day before. Clearly, his injuries had mostly healed after a night of recuperation.

After all, for a True Essence Realm expert, minor injuries healed quickly.

Shi Xuan stood in the middle of the hall, his expression grave.

As Chen Qing entered, they all nodded in greeting.

Shi Xuan wasted no time and got straight to the point, his tone urgent. "Elder Gong, Brother Chen, Senior Sister Ruan, based on the in-depth investigation our Lingfeng Peak disciples conducted overnight, and intelligence from our informants near the Cloud Water Sect’s stronghold, we can be almost certain that the members of the Demon Sect have not left Longze Lake. Instead, they’ve infiltrated its core region—Smoke Wave Marsh!"

"Smoke Wave Marsh!?"

Chen Qing and Ruan Lingxiu exclaimed softly in unison, and even Gong Nansong’s brow furrowed deeply.

Smoke Wave Marsh was the most mysterious and dangerous area of Longze Lake. It was shrouded in thick fog year-round, which was difficult for Divine Sense to penetrate, and the underwater currents were turbulent, hiding countless unknown dangers.

For the Demon Sect members to risk staying here, their objective had to be significant.

Chen Qing said in a solemn tone, "They must have a compelling reason to stay. Perhaps they’ve discovered some kind of incredible opportunity."

Gong Nansong looked at Shi Xuan, his tone serious. "Can the specific location be determined? The Smoke Wave Marsh covers a large area."

Shi Xuan looked troubled and shook his head. "Elder Gong, as you well know, the conditions within Smoke Wave Marsh are unique. Our disciples didn’t dare venture too deep. Based on some lingering traces of aura and abnormal Primordial Qi fluctuations in the water, they could only determine a general area—somewhere to the southeast of the marsh’s center. The exact location... is impossible to pinpoint."

Gong Nansong said pensively, "We must find them as quickly as possible and stall them until the experts from the Sect arrive."

Chen Qing’s mind raced, calculating.

’With our current combat power, going up against an expert like Qi Yu, who has undergone the Six Times of Tempering... Charging headfirst into Smoke Wave Marsh to search for them would be extremely risky.’

’The slightest misstep, and not only would we fail to stall them, but they could use the terrain to their advantage, turn the tables, and kill us.’

An idea struck him, and he looked up at Shi Xuan. "What about the people from the Cloud Water Upper Sect? Where are they now? What are their movements?"

Shi Xuan immediately replied, "According to our informant, the three of them are currently on an island about a hundred li to the southwest of Black Water Giant City. It’s an important stronghold the Cloud Water Upper Sect established in Longze Lake. They seem to have gotten wind of the situation, as there’s been frequent personnel movement within the stronghold, but there are no signs yet of them entering Smoke Wave Marsh directly."

Chen Qing said slowly, "The Cloud Water Upper Sect considers Longze Lake their private domain. They will never stand by and watch the Demon Sect claim a treasure here and leave unscathed. Since we are outmatched and can’t search for them directly, let’s let those who are more desperate take the vanguard."

A glint appeared in Ruan Lingxiu’s lovely eyes. "Brother Chen, you mean... we should divert the disaster? Or, ’kill with a borrowed knife’?"

Gong Nansong also understood Chen Qing’s plan and nodded slightly in agreement.

"It’s setting a tiger to devour a wolf, and it’s also adding fuel to the fire," Chen Qing said, his tone calm. "We can secretly spread a rumor. We’ll say the Demon Sect has discovered an earth-shattering treasure deep within Smoke Wave Marsh—perhaps one of the Treasures of Heaven and Earth that can help someone break through the Grandmaster bottleneck, or a long-lost ancient artifact. We’ll say the Demon Sect’s experts are currently trying to refine and claim it with all their might, and that as soon as they succeed, they’ll flee a thousand miles away."

He paused, then continued, "The rumor has to sound urgent. We must emphasize that if the Cloud Water Upper Sect is too slow to act, the Demon Sect will escape with the treasure. When that happens, the Upper Sect will lose all face—not only will they have lost a priceless treasure in their own territory, they’ll also have been played for fools by the Demon Sect. Given the arrogance of Zhou Qianjun and his two companions, and how much importance the Cloud Water Sect places on this area, they’ll never tolerate it. They’ll either move to intercept immediately or request powerful reinforcements from their Sect at once. No matter what they choose, it will tie down the Demon Sect for us, perhaps even forcing them to reveal their position prematurely."

Ruan Lingxiu nodded repeatedly. "Those three are proud and arrogant, and we’ve already taken them down a peg. They’re still fuming. When they hear this news, they’ll definitely be eager to save face and prove that the Cloud Water Upper Sect are the true masters of this place!"

After a moment’s thought, Gong Nansong said decisively, "We’ll do as Chen Qing suggests. Shi Xuan, I’m putting you in charge of this. Make sure it’s done covertly and seems natural. Also, dispatch more people to closely monitor the Cloud Water Sect’s stronghold and the periphery of Smoke Wave Marsh. Report any unusual activity immediately!"

"I understand! I will not fail you!" Shi Xuan cupped his fists, accepting the order with a solemn expression, then turned and strode quickly away.

Gong Nansong looked at Chen Qing and Ruan Lingxiu. "It will take time for the news to spread, and for the Cloud Water Sect to react," he said. "We can’t just sit around and wait, either. As soon as we confirm the Cloud Water Sect is on the move, we must head to the outskirts of Smoke Wave Marsh and lie in wait for an opportunity. We absolutely cannot let Qi Yu and her people get away easily."

Chen Qing and Ruan Lingxiu nodded in unison.

Soon, the news spread like ripples from a boulder tossed into a still lake, quickly expanding across Black Water Giant City and its surrounding regions.

....