Chapter 178: Change of Plans

Two Martial Extermination Realm experts in the same clan!

That was what Liu Jitang was scheming to achieve. He wanted to replace the Ji Clan as the number one clan in the Tongyou City. Taking the chance, he would wipe out the evil remnants and leave his name in history!

Too bad for him, anything that could go wrong, would go wrong… His son managed to step into the Martial Extermination Realm, but he died in the hands of the rank five undead corpse.

Luckily he made arrangements for Liu Zhiyuan to refine a strand of extermination origin and enter the Martial Extermination Realm. With Ji Wenlong and Shang Bo’s assistance, the Liu Clan would at least be able to keep their status as one of the four great clans!

“Grandpa, are you really planning on giving up your position as the head of the family?” The moment Liu Zhiyuan left, Shang Xia appeared.

A smile appeared on Shang Bo’s face and his gaze swept across Chu Jia and Bai Luming who were maintaining the formation. “That’s right. Actually, your fifth grandpa and your aunt have been taking care of the family for the past few years. My position as the patriarch doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“Is that it? Is there no other reason?” Shang Xia pressed.

“All these years, the support of the institution and Patriarch Kou allowed our Shang Clan to rise up in the Tongyou City. It’s time for me to make my contributions too. Moreover, I’m considered to be one of the creators of the institution. It’s good for the institution to grow stronger. Your fifth grandpa entered the Martial Extermination Realm, and he’s qualified to lead the family.” Shang Bo explained.

His explanation had been more than clear. Since he didn’t stop Chu Jia or Bai Luming from listening in, Shang Xia pretty much could confirm Shang Bo’s intentions.

Also, Ma Mingfeng had already arrived in the Bluestone Hidden Space. He followed Ji Wenlong back when they cleared out the Willow Forest, and he went to group up with Chu Jia to look through the formation.

Shang Bo not blocking them from hearing his explanation to Shang Xia was also part of his plan. He wanted them to help spread the news around.

Turning to stare directly at Chu Jia and Ma Mingfeng, Shang Bo chuckled, “Well, the three of you are more than enough to keep this place running. Now that I can bring the Coral Command around, I’ll start wandering around the place. Please let me know if anything comes up.”

Even though Chu Jia was the most talented of the three, talent couldn’t replace experience and Ma Mingfeng was appointed as their leader.

Hearing what Shang Bo said, Ma Mingfeng smiled in response, “Deputy Patriarch can rest assured and go. The three of us will definitely look through every nook and cranny to uncover the workings behind the grand formation.

Seeing his grandfather nodding his head, Shang Xia knew that Shang Bo was about to leave. He quickly asked, “Grandpa, I wish to look for someone. Can you send me to where the lower leveled members of the Rose Party are most concentrated? He should be there.”

“What a coincidence. Do you know why I sent Liu Zhiyuan to stall Ran Biluo and Yan Su’er?” Shang Bo grinned.

Shang Xia heard their previous conversation and knew that Ji Wenlong’s primary targets were Yuwen Shengjie and Sima Zhanxing. They wanted Yan Su’er and Ran Biluo to assist Lang Xiaoyun and Dongfang Daying in fighting the rank five undead corpse, hopefully injuring themselves in the process. When that happened, the Tongyou Institution would swoop in and reap all the benefits.

However, Shang Bo clearly changed the plan when he sent Liu Zhiyuan after Ran Biluo and Yan Su’er.

Shang Bo laughed softly when he saw Shang Xia shaking his head. “We miscalculated. The members of the Rose Party had already agreed to work with the Four Spiritual Peak. They knew what was going on. Ran Biluo and Yan Su’er have no intentions of helping Lang Xiaoyun or Dongfang Daying! They plan to escape from the Coral Forest like Yuwen Shengjie and Sima Zhanxing!”

“What?!” Shang Xia gasped. “They gave up on Lang Xiaoyun and Dongfang Daying?! Why would they do that?!”

“At this point, Lang Xiaoyun and Dongfang Daying are as good as dead. Yuwen Shengjie planned to work with Yan Su’er to bring the members of the Rose Party out. The two of them came to an understanding pretty quickly… This old man truly admires the two of them…” Shang Bo sighed.

“Grandpa, your plan is to…”

“We’re not letting a single one of them leave!” Shang Bo interrupted Shang Xia. “This is the best chance we’ll get to weaken both the Rose Party and the Four Spiritual Peak! I’ll deal with Yan Su’er, and you can work together with the rest of the members in the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World to kill as many members of the Rose Party as possible. You can look for your target while you’re at it!”

…

Things were exactly as Shang Bo had described. After the rank five undead corpse started running around, Lang Xiaoyun and Dongfang Daying wasted no time in notifying the others. Without hesitation, Yan Su’er and Yuwen Shengjie chose to give up on any rescue attempt. They immediately gathered the members of the Rose Party to break out of the Coral Forest.

Naturally, the two of them made the decision after realizing that those from the Tongyou Institution had already gotten their hands on the Coral Command!

After some simple communication with each other, the two sides decided to work together. They started to gather towards the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World to find a way to break out of the place.

Since Lang Xiaoyun and Dongfang Daying were kicking up a storm in the Willow Forest, the other region controlled by the Tongyou Institution was the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World. As such, Yan Su’er and the rest decided to break out from three!

Moreover, the lower leveled cultivators of the Tongyou Institution were all gathered there. When the four Martial Extermination Realm experts of the Four Spiritual Peak and the Rose Party gathered there, they would be able to create a sort of pincer attack on the weaker disciples of the Tongyou Institution, forcing Shang Bo and Ji Wenlong to take a step back!

Their plans were intricate, but they didn’t take into account that Shang Bo would be able to stabilize his foundations and truly enter the fourth layer of the Martial Extermination Realm. His control over the Coral Forest became absolute!

That was also how he managed to discover their movements at the very last second.

Well, the problem with Martial Extermination Realm experts would be solved by Martial Extermination Realm experts. None of that was a problem for Shang Xia as he stepped through the spatial door created by Shang Bo to bring him to the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World.

Even though he hadn’t left the place for long, a sense of nostalgia filled his mind when he entered.

However, it didn’t last for long as his state of mind was immediately destroyed by the sound of fighting nearby.

After completing his comprehension of the Yin Yang Sword Formation, Shang Xia was extremely confident even if he had to face experts at the Martial Intent Realm.

Since the Martial Extermination Realm experts were restraining each other, there was not much left for Shang Xia to be wary of.

Turning his attention to the battle, Shang Xia unleashed his movement art and moved towards the location.

Yang Zigong was one of the deacons of the Protection Division too, and his authority was second only to Tang Yuan. His strength was impressive and his reputation in the Protection Division was huge. Close to half the elite patrol squads were under his command.

If not for Ji Wenlong standing behind Tang Yuan, Yang Zigong would have long since taken over as the head of the Patrol Division.

That was also the reason behind the two of them never seeing eye to eye.

With Liu Jitang fanning the flames behind the scenes, Yang Zigong moved a huge part of the patrol squads away from the Tongyou Peak and brought them to the Coral Forest, leading to the war on the Tongyou Peak. He was partly responsible for everything that happened after, and the moment the Tongyou Institution gained control of the Coral Command, Yang Zigong was stuck in a dilemma. He heaved a sigh of relief, knowing that he was safe, but he also knew that he would be in deep shit the moment they returned to the institution. That was also the reason he chose to volunteer to hold the fort in the Mountain and Sea Fantasy Spiritual World with Peng Lanqing, hoping that it would lessen his crimes.