Chapter 230: Counterattack

Whether the acting was exaggerated or not did not matter. He just had to warn everyone present and claim the position of the "victim," giving their side the advantage.

As a bonus, Mu Wanxuan was now holding him tightly. Waves of pure yin-yang qi flowed around him and alternated between hot and cold, which was a rather pleasant sensation.

"

Mm?

"

Mu Wanxuan immediately realized that Wang Sheng was only pretending to be poisoned. When their eyes met, she quickly understood his intentions.

The two were in perfect sync. As his senior sister, she naturally knew that he would never cause trouble without reason. He had a purpose.

Hence, while still holding him tightly, the sharp-witted Mu Wanxuan raised her head and glared ahead. She unleashed the full power of her Golden Core Realm and surrounded them with yin-yang qi, preventing anyone from approaching.

In the first ten seconds after Wang Sheng had caused the disturbance, cultivators from both factions released their auras in full. The unleashed force of over ten Golden Core Realm cultivators nearly tore apart the large conference room.

"Please save Fei Yu!"

"By the infinite gods above! Hidden Earth Sect, are you trying to start something? Poisoning one of the most promising talents of the righteous path? You all must be tired of living!"

"Our sect would never commit such a despicable act, especially not against such a young man! There must be a misunderstanding!"

"That's enough! Quiet, all of you!"

Suddenly, a loud explosion rang out. The wall behind Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan shattered, revealing a massive handprint-shaped hole over two meters tall.

Standing before the hole, a middle-aged Daoist master in black robes slowly withdrew his left palm. His expression was as cold as ice, and the power of his late-stage Golden Core Realm had been fully unleashed.

The domineering Pure Yang Qi suppressed everyone in the room. Even an old woman at the same realm flinched before Qing Yanzi's overwhelming presence.

"If anything happens to my disciple today, I will not rest until one of us is destroyed, Hidden Earth Sect."

The members of the Hidden Earth Sect were all visibly furious, but at the moment, everyone was focused on Wang Sheng.

One of the Daoist elders placed his palm over his teacup, drawing out the tea within. A wisp of black mist quickly rose from it. Like a living creature, it took the shape of a thumb-sized head and let out a shrill scream at the white-haired Daoist elder before instantly disappearing.

"Spirit-Annihilating Powder! This is an ancient and rare poison!"

The Daoist elder immediately became enraged. He pointed at the elderly members of the Hidden Earth Sect. "How despicable! You planned to trap and kill all of us here!"

"This must be a misunderstanding, fellow Daoist masters!"

Shen Sui'an raised his voice and, imitating the elder, extracted the tea in front of him. It was the same black mist. The same deadly poison!

His expression changed drastically as he glared at several elders who had opposed cooperation with the authorities. "Second Uncle, Sixth Uncle, how could you!"

The elder whom Shen Sui'an was glaring at panicked. "Sect Master, how could you suspect us of poisoning the tea? I would never commit such a vile and shameless act. This must be—"

Another Hidden Earth Sect elder quickly shouted, "Everyone, check your tea now! The poison could be in all of them! Anyone who has drunk recently, start expelling the poison immediately!"

In an instant, the room of more than forty people sprang into action. Those who had not drunk the tea began inspecting their cups, while those who had consumed it immediately examined their internal states.

The danger of Spirit-Annihilating Powder lay in how difficult it was to detect. It would silently erode a cultivator's soul and Primordial Spirit.

However, early detection and intervention could eliminate the threat before it could reach one's soul. Even Foundation Establishment Stage cultivators would be unharmed if they expelled it in time, and the weakest present was already at the Illusory Core Realm. Special Investigation Unit staff and people like Shen Qianlin, who had no cultivation, were not permitted to attend the meeting.

Within just over ten seconds, everyone confirmed that all the tea had been poisoned. Though those who had drunk it were somewhat panicked, they quickly expelled the poison without much difficulty.

Although reluctant to leave his senior sister's embrace, Wang Sheng gently patted her arm and whispered, "Thank you for helping me expel the poison, Senior Sister. I'm fine now."

Mu Wanxuan glanced down at him. Although she had known from the start that he was faking it, she still sighed in relief. She stepped back and returned to her seat.

Seemingly coming to a realization, Liu Yunzhi whispered, "Brother Sheng, your acting was a bit over-the-top."

Wang Sheng gave the Mount Mao disciple a mildly exasperated look. Liu Yunzhi immediately shut his mouth and smiled apologetically.

After Mu Wanxuan stepped away, Qing Yanzi walked over from behind Wang Sheng and placed a hand on his shoulder to carefully inspect his internal condition. Even he was somewhat puzzled. "This poison is extremely vicious. Little Sheng, how did you discover it?"

Wang Sheng looked at the half-immortal fox still playing with her phone. "Senior Xi Lian."

With a solemn expression, Qing Yanzi bowed respectfully to Xi Lian. "Thank you for saving his life."

Xi Lian pursed her lips. She knew this was Mu Wanxuan's and Fei Yu's master, one of the most powerful figures in the cultivation world. Hence, she didn't hesitate to show him respect.

"No need to thank me. I couldn't bear to see anything happen to Little Xuanxuan."

Qing Yanzi nodded. Still with a grim expression, he stood up and gazed across the room.

Most of the Hidden Earth Sect members were either frowning, ashamed, or furious, eager to find the culprit. However, many had already realized what had really happened here today.

"Sect Master Shen, don't let anyone in this building leave," Qing Yanzi instructed. "Senior Zhuge, Senior Zitan, please guard the skies. If anyone attempts to leave the village, take them down immediately. It doesn't matter if they end up dead or alive."

"Understood!" the two Daoist elders responded.

One shattered a window behind him with a palm strike. He then drew a jade

ruyi

[1], while the other stood on a treasured sword. They soared out the window.

A Hidden Earth Sect elder stood and cupped his hands toward Qing Yanzi. In a deep voice, he asked, "Daoist Master Bu Yan, may we request some time to find the one responsible? If we cannot, I will end my own life to atone for the sect."

"Very well. You have twenty minutes," Qing Yanzi replied. He then turned to Shen Sui'an. Just as he was about to speak, his phone vibrated.

He removed the plug from his phone and answered it, switching on the speaker. Mou Yue's anxious voice filled the quiet room.

—The nearest reinforcements will arrive in two minutes. The surrounding area has been sealed off. Daoist Master Bu Yan, if you can break out of there, do it now. Do you need auxiliary firepower? We can bomb the perimeter in thirty seconds to put pressure on them!"

Qing Yanzi calmly replied, "No need for reinforcements or bombing; the situation is under control. A traitor within the Hidden Earth Sect spiked the tea with a rare poison capable of killing Golden Core Realm cultivators, but it was fortunately discovered before it could do any real harm.

"The enemy likely has experts hidden nearby, so keep the perimeter sealed and use drones to scan all areas within a fifty-kilometer radius. If you find anyone, delay them and notify us immediately."

—Copy!

The call remained connected. They could hear Mou Yue shouting orders on the other end. Just as Qing Yanzi was about to hang up, Mou Yue spoke to them again, her voice now slightly trembling.

—Is Daoist Master Fei Yu alright?

"Don't worry, he has expelled the poison before he could get into any real harm. Anyway, block all mobile and internet signals in the village," Qing Yanzi gently replied. He then ended the call and stood silently.

Within half a minute, the phone signals went from full bars to all empty.

"I'm detecting Five Golden Core Realm cultivators in a small town thirty

li

away to the southwest," Xi Lian suddenly reported. "They're in the Windcloud Internet Café. They look like the ones who escaped during the Ziyan Temple incident... the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect."

Qing Yanzi's eyes widened. More than ten Hidden Earth Sect elders abruptly stood up.

"You've already joined forces with the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect?" Qing Yanzi questioned coldly.

"How dare you accuse us of that, Daoist Master Bu Yan?" an old woman refuted. "The Hidden Earth Sect has always stayed out of the cultivation world. We have never had contact with them! The Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect did try to recruit us several times, but we always refused since we knew they were corrupted!"

She claimed no contact, yet she admitted they had been invited. The Hidden Earth Sect elders were clearly rattled now, their thoughts disordered and their logic unclear.

A Daoist elder sneered. "You may want to stay hidden, but some of your younger generation clearly cannot accept seclusion."

"This is not the time to argue," Shen Sui'an said firmly. Radiating authority, he ordered, "Third Uncle, investigate who handled the tea. Third Aunt, summon every young woman who married into our village in the past ten years! You two are to stay here and guard the place. Everyone else, come with me!

"The Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect dares to harm the Hidden Earth Sect? We may be pacifists, but we are not weak. We will not let them off the hook this easily!"

He then broadcast his voice across the village. "All members, check the phones and messages of those around you. Anyone who has had outside contact is a traitor! Capture them immediately and wait for us to return! All elders capable of flight, come with me!"

"I will go as well. The corrupt cultivators of the Yin-Yang All-Creation Sect will not be easy to deal with," Qing Yanzi calmly said.

With a grim expression, Shen Sui'an nodded. He flew out the window, and six Golden Core Realm cultivators of the Hidden Earth Sect followed right behind. Meanwhile, Qing Yanzi and two Daoist elders joined one of the two who had left earlier. The four trailed behind the Hidden Earth Sect's group.

With their auras concealed, the ten Golden Core Realm cultivators flew toward the county town thirty

li

away.

Qing Yanzi had already contacted Mou Yue, who was in charge of coordinating matters related to the Hidden Earth Sect. The Special Investigation Unit had already pinpointed the location of the internet café.

To his credit, Qing Yanzi's earlier order to block signals had worked. According to Xi Lian's divine perception, the five cultivators had not moved. They still seemed to be waiting for updates from this side since Spirit-Annihilating Powder took time to take effect, and the poisoner likely could not monitor the situation in real time.

Shen Qianlin, who had just removed her makeup and was about to sleep, rushed into the conference room. Seeing Wang Sheng unharmed, she sighed deeply in relief. Her face still pale, she found an empty seat and sat down quietly, lost in thought.

Wang Sheng and Mu Wanxuan exchanged a look. His senior sister seemed to be suggesting that he should comfort her, but he simply shook his head.

Despite Shen Sui'an's command to have everyone check the messages on nearby phones, they still failed to find the traitor. Several cases of extramarital affairs did come to light, though.

1. A Chinese ceremonial sceptre. ☜