Chapter 747: All the Good Fighters Are Women

After hearing Chu Liang explain everything that had happened, Wang Xuanling's brows immediately furrowed as he grasped the gravity of the situation.

"Grand Ancestor Fuyou?" Wang Xuanling spoke at a measured pace. "The best course of action would be to get Ziyang and Lin Bei out of there first. Your clone should also leave as soon as an opportunity presents itself. Once that's done, we can inform Grand Ancestor Wuchao and launch a coordinated attack to destroy the Ruins of Return Cult and kill Grand Ancestor Fuyou. That would be the safest approach."

"Grand Peak Master, I have another idea," Chu Liang responded, voicing his objection. "Why don't we turn their plans to our advantage?"

"Oh?" Wang Xuanling asked with genuine curiosity. "What do you propose?"

Had it been any other young disciple, Wang Xuanling would not have shown such humility in seeking their opinion.

Despite Chu Liang's junior status, it would not be an exaggeration to call him the master of the Red Cotton Peak. Although he might only hold a ten-year lease of the Red Cotton Peak, there was no way that the Mount Shu Sect would reclaim the Red Cotton Peak by the end of the lease. At most, they might ask him to pay a small renewal fee to maintain the current arrangement.

After all, no one could generate as much benefit for Mount Shu with Red Cotton Peak as he could.

For the past six years, the sect’s higher-ups had already begun treating him differently from the other disciples. He was no longer seen as just a promising junior but as an equal. This was the respect he had earned through his achievements.

With gleaming eyes, Chu Liang said, "If the Sea Master intends to gather forces to overthrow Wuchao, he will need to recruit beings at least at the eighth realm—figures such as the Demon Kings of the Far West, the Celestial Master of the Celestial Charm Sect, or members of the Diabolical Forces of the West Sea."

He continued, "These eighth-realm existences rarely reveal themselves, and even when they do, they often show up as clones. But if it's for a full-scale battle, they might appear in person. Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop?"

Wang Xuanling fell into deep thought. "If we were to do that..."

The reason he hadn’t considered such an approach lay in the natural constraints of his mindset. For most cultivators, the idea of slaying an eighth-realm existence was simply an impossible feat not even worth contemplating.

Without a legendary artifact, it would be extremely difficult to kill a master of Heavenly Origin and this was an undisputed truth.

Di Nufeng had only managed to slay the Demon King of the Great Marshlands because the Chrono Wheel of the East Sea had been used to deal a devastating blow first. It was that devastating blow that had made it possible for Di Nufeng to make the grand feat of delivering the final strike and stealing that kill.

If Xuan Yinzi, who had previously fallen from the eighth realm, were to be counted as a master of Heavenly Origin, then Di Nufeng would have the achievement of killing two masters of Heavenly Origin while at the seventh realm. Having this kind of luck alone was enough for her to be recorded in history books.

However, the Mount Shu Sect did not have a legendary artifact and it would not be possible for the sects in the Divine Nine to travel all the way to the South Sea with their legendary artifacts again. After all, it had not been long since the tragedy at the Buddhist Cloud Monastery had occurred.

Chu Liang roughly figured out what Wang Xuanling was thinking. He said, "It is indeed difficult for us to obtain a legendary artifact, but with Esteemed Seniors Baize and Wuchao, two masters of the Heavenly Origin, we might still accomplish something. It is usually hard to track these evildoers down and this is a rare opportunity. Even if it is difficult, we should still try."

Wang Xuanling pondered briefly but did not object to this.

Just as Chu Liang said, they could only try to see if they could kill them. Luring those elusive and cunning evildoers out was not easy to do on a normal day.

Wang Xuanling was never one to shrink from a challenge. He nodded immediately. "Alright! Come with me to report this to our sect leader. He cannot act recklessly, but we still have Daoist Yan and Noble Baize on Mount Shu, and they are already a formidable force."

With that, the two of them headed straight for Boundless Palace.

Venerable Wen Yuan listened to the plan and smiled at Chu Liang. "You always manage to come up with something new."

Then, he smacked the table and announced, "It's decided! I will summon Baize and Yan Zi immediately. We will take this opportunity to weaken and eradicate the evildoers. I will personally write a letter to Grand Ancestor Wuchao, and additionally... I will send a letter to the Imperial Supervisory Commissioner to request for reinforcements."

As he thought about it, he had already figured out the forces that he could mobilize.

In order to save Chu Liang last time, they had incurred favors from several sects of immortality, which they had yet to repay. Now was not a good time to request for more reinforcements from other sects. Although slaying these monsters and defending the Dao was the duty of cultivators, whether others were willing to take part in this risky endeavor was another matter.

However, the imperial court held a different kind of power. When it came to eradicating evildoers, they held an even greater responsibility than the sects in the Divine Nine and Terrestrial Ten. Moreover, the Celestial Charm Sect had already stirred chaos in the imperial palace and what they did absolutely enraged the imperial family. If there was a chance to kill the Celestial Master of the Celestial Charm Sect outside of the nine provinces, the Imperial Supervisory Bureau would never let this chance slip away.

As Venerable Wen Yuan waved his brush through the air, golden characters imprinted themselves onto the jade slip. Just as he finished writing the two letters, Daoist Yan and Baize arrived.

Unexpectedly, they weren’t the only ones.

"Why did Venerable Wen Yuan call Yan Zi here in such a mysterious manner? What good things behold us?" Di Nufeng said as she pushed open the door dramatically. She was the first to enter and casually greeted everyone in the room one after the other. "Eh? My disciple is here too? And old man Wang—you are still alive?"

"..." Wang Xuanling’s expression darkened upon seeing her again. He wanted to retort, but ultimately couldn’t be bothered, settling instead for a roll of his eyes.

There was a time when he could overpower her with his position as the grand peak master. However, ever since Di Nufeng killed the Demon King of the Great Marshlands and circled Mount Shu forty-two and a half times, Wang Xuanling could no longer muster the confidence to act tough around her.

𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"Oh, Ah Feng, you're here too?" Wen Yuan chuckled. "This mission isn't suited for you. Why not stay and guard Mount Shu with me? It's just as important."

"Oh, come on. Isn't it just a fight? What's so unsuitable about it?" Di Nufeng pointed out bluntly. Even when facing Venerable Wen Yuan, she showed no courtesy.

"This isn't just a fight. We have to pretend to be villains. Can you handle that?" Wang Xuanling interjected from the side.

"Heh." Di Nufeng sneered. "If it were anything else, maybe not. But playing a villain?"

She turned to glance at Chu Liang, brimming with confidence. "Tell him, my dear disciple. Do I even need to act? Look around. Everyone, do I even need to pretend?"

"Not really, no..." Chu Liang nodded, though he didn't dare to finish the second half of his sentence.

But you don't have to be so proud of this, do you?

...

The next morning.

Inside the loft of the Ruins of Return Cult, the Sea Master led his subordinates in a grand welcome for "Xuan Yinzi" from Mount Shu.

Wang Xuanling, dressed in the same Aura-Concealing Robe as before, strode forward with an imposing presence. Behind him followed three tall and slender figures, also clad in Aura-Concealing Robes. Their hoods obscured their faces, leaving only deep shadows visible.

Thanks to Chu Liang's promotion, the people of Mount Shu had grown increasingly adept at using the Aura-Concealing Robes.

The Sea Master stepped forward with a broad smile and greeted Wang Xuanling with great enthusiasm, "Oh my, Sect Leader Xuan Yinzi! I haven't seen you for a long time and I’ve missed you dearly!"

Wang Xuanling couldn't help but feel puzzled. The last time he interacted with the Sea Master, they barely spoke so why was he acting so familiar now?

However, Wang Xuanling soon figured out why.

The Sea Master gestured to the people behind him and said, "Yesterday, I had a great time with these subordinates of yours. If we weren't generations apart, I would have sworn brotherhood with them. Since you are their guide, you must also be a kindred spirit of mine."

Wang Xuanling glanced over and saw Chu Liang and Lin Bei, both experts in cultivating connections, standing over there. In an instant, he understood why the Sea Master was behaving this way.

He smiled slightly and replied, "Naturally. If Sea Master has any requests, we will gladly comply."

The Sea Master turned his gaze to the people behind Wang Xuanling and asked, "And who might these be?"

Given the unusual circumstances and the looming threat of a Wuchao attack, the Sea Master maintained a certain level of vigilance toward strangers.

Wang Xuanling said with a wave of his hand, "I just recently recruited these subordiantes."

At his gesture, the three simultaneously lifted their veils.

Baize, Daoist Yan, and Di Nufeng revealed their faces—two cool and detached, while the other was radiant and striking.

Seeing this, the Sea Master couldn't help but chuckle.

"Heh." He turned his head and looked mischievously at Xuan Yinzi. "Why are they all women?"

Wang Xuanling sighed inwardly.

Yeah... I just brought along the strongest fighters from Mount Shu, excluding our sect leader.

Why are all of them women?