Chapter 151: Tracking

In a private chamber, three men and one woman were enjoying tea and chatting. They were Sun Junyan of the Heavenly Weapon Sect, Tong Tianwen of the Spirit Control Sect, Li Haifeng of the Yellow Saint Palace, and Feng Yue of the Heavenly Star Sect. All four were Core Formation cultivators, with Li Haifeng having the highest cultivation at the ninth layer of Core Formation.

"The auction is finally over. I wonder if Li Yang and his group will fall for our trap."

Tong Tianwen smiled and said, "Our chances of success are very high. The Azure Jade Pills have indeed been stored for too long, but all five were soaked in Beauty's Tears. Beauty's Tears is a fourth-tier poison, concocted using the Thousand-Year Beauty Flower as the main ingredient along with various five-hundred-year-old spirit herbs. It's colorless and odorless. Most importantly, it's a chronic poison; there will be no issues for several years after consumption. Even if Chen Hongtian, the Valley Master of Medicine King Valley, personally inspects them, he won't discover anything. Li Shixian cultivates wood-attribute techniques and is already at the seventh layer of Core Formation. The Azure Jade Pills can enhance his cultivation, so he definitely won't let them go. In the neighboring countries, there are fewer than twenty cultivators at or above the seventh layer of Core Formation, and fewer than three cultivate wood-attribute techniques. We've already given them a heads-up that none of the five finale auction items are wood-attribute. And of course, the most crucial part is that the Azure Jade Pills were presented by Huang Fugui. Huang Fugui is from Chu State, so Li Shixian would never suspect that Huang Fugui would cooperate with us."

"Huang Fugui makes a living by plundering ancient cultivators' caves and has previously resold artifacts and pills left by predecessors. Li Shixian shouldn't suspect him. Huang Fugui is merely a rogue cultivator who suddenly advanced to the Core Formation stage, leading many to speculate that he discovered an abandoned cave of a high-tier cultivator. It's entirely reasonable for Huang Fugui to present the Azure Jade Pills. However, Huang Mazi overacted. Scolding and driving away Foundation Establishment cultivators in public seemed quite foolish. Will Li Shixian become suspicious because of that?"

"Probably not. Huang Fugui is notoriously a bully who preys on the weak and fears the strong. His actions are consistent with his character; he was just being himself. Furthermore, he cultivates earth-attribute techniques, so it's not surprising he reacted somewhat fiercely when he saw a prototype earth-attribute artifact. Even if he discovered a high-tier cultivator's abandoned cave, who can guarantee there would be an earth-attribute artifact inside? His reaction isn't strange. Speaking of which, if it weren't for Madam Feng's intervention, Huang Fugui wouldn't have cooperated with us. I don't know what kind of hypnotic drug Madam Feng gave him for him to obey so meekly."

Feng Yue smiled faintly and said, "I didn't give him any hypnotic drug. He gets a prototype artifact just for acting out a scene; it would be strange if Huang Mazi didn't agree. However, that guy is too timid; he immediately slipped away as soon as the auction ended."

"He wouldn't go and betray us to Li Shixian, would he? If so, everything we've done would be in vain. To trick Li Shixian, we set up two traps. He didn't fall for the third-tier fire-attribute demonic core, but he did bid on the Azure Jade Pills. This is the only way to kill Li Shixian without shedding blood."

"He wouldn't dare. I already told him that if this matter is exposed, our five sects of Wei State will jointly hunt him down. He also fears we'll silence him, which is why he fled. This person is timid as a mouse, always preying on the weak and fearing the strong. He has no particular friendship with Li Shixian and wouldn't offend us for his sake. Most importantly, Huang Fugui left as soon as the auction ended. He has no idea that Li Shixian was the one who bought the Azure Jade Pills."

Li Haifeng showed a satisfied expression and said, "That's good then. As long as Li Shixian consumes the Azure Jade Pills, he will surely die from the poison within five years. Let's discuss when and where to attack Song State."

Half a year quickly passed.

In a quiet courtyard, the three brothers, Wang Changsheng, Wang Changfeng, and Wang Changxing, were drinking and chatting.

"Big brother, third brother, I'm preparing to go back. You two be extra careful."

Wang Changsheng solemnly exhorted them.

He had helped Wang Changfeng refine a mid-grade artifact, the Blazing Fire Pearl. The materials Wang Changfeng provided could have originally been refined into a high-grade artifact, but Wang Changsheng's refining skill wasn't sufficient, so he only managed to create a mid-grade one.

Wang Changsheng felt a bit guilty, but Wang Changfeng didn't blame him. Instead, he comforted Wang Changsheng and praised his advanced refining skill.

Moved by this, Wang Changsheng patted his chest and guaranteed that he would definitely refine a high-grade artifact for Wang Changfeng in the future.

"We will, ninth brother. After you return, you must deliver our second sister's letter to our second grand-uncle. Tell the clan to make more preparations. It would be best to relocate some clan members to Chu State. This way, even if something happens to all of us, some of our bloodline can be preserved, preventing the clan from being wiped out."

Wang Changfeng suggested, his tone somewhat heavy.

Wang Changsheng nodded. "Chu State? I had that intention too. I'll still send the True Earth Fiend back first and strive to have another Foundation Establishment cultivator in the clan."

After having their fill of food and wine, Wang Changsheng bid farewell to Wang Changfeng and Wang Changxing and left White Dragon Valley.

After leaving White Dragon Valley, Wang Changsheng flicked his sleeve, and two blue lights flew out. They were two blue circular wheels, the size of watermelons, carved with crescent moon patterns.

Wang Changsheng had refined a mid-grade flying artifact, the Blue Moon Wheel, using Blue Mist Jade and various water-attribute materials.

He jumped onto it, and with a quick incantation, the Blue Moon Wheel carried him high into the sky, disappearing into the horizon shortly after.

The Hundred Spirits Mountain Range is located in the northeastern part of Wei State.

The Black Wind Mountain Range is located at the border between Wei State and Song State, extending for thousands of miles. Its mountains are steep, its vegetation dense, and the main gate of the Hundred Spirits Sect is located here.

On a verdant mountain peak, buildings of various sizes dotted its slopes.

At the peak, in a quiet courtyard, a fair-faced woman in a yellow dress stood in a stone pavilion, gazing into the distance with a worried expression.

Besides the woman in the yellow dress, there was also a simple-looking middle-aged man. On the table were two plates of pastries and a pot of spirit tea.

The woman in the yellow dress was naturally Wang Changxue; she had already reached the ninth layer of Qi Refinement.

"Senior Brother Ye, are my brothers doing alright? Junior Uncle Zhao didn't do anything to them, did he?"

The middle-aged man grinned and said, "Don't worry, Junior Sister Wang. Junior Uncle Zhao didn't harm your brothers or other clan members. As long as you stay honestly in the courtyard, they will be fine."

"Senior Brother Ye, I truly don't know why Junior Uncle Zhao wants me to write letters to the clan. I hope the clan won't suffer misfortune because of me!"

Wang Changxue let out a bitter laugh, her mouth filled with bitterness.

"Junior Sister Wang, you're worrying too much. Junior Uncle Zhao and the others have no other intentions. If they wanted to harm you, they wouldn't have let you join the sect." The middle-aged man comforted her. Seeing Wang Changxue's worried expression, he hesitated slightly before continuing, "Junior Sister Wang, it won't be long, just a few years, and you'll be able to go home. You don't need to worry too much."

Wang Changxue's eyes lit up, and she pressed, "Senior Brother Ye, do you mean that a war will break out in a few years?"

"I didn't say anything, Junior Sister Wang. Don't make things difficult for me. What I can tell you is that it won't be long, just a few years, and you'll be able to go home. You should just focus on cultivating. There's no need to add worries to yourself."

Wang Changxue exhaled softly and said gratefully, "Thank you, Senior Brother Ye, I know what to do."

The Black Wind Mountain Range is not rich in demonic beast resources. Its spiritual energy is thin, and it's sparsely populated. Occasionally, cultivators pass through, but they don't linger.

One day, a blue light appeared in the sky, descending from afar to the summit of a mountain peak on the outskirts of the Black Wind Mountain Range.

It was Wang Changsheng.

After leaving White Dragon Valley, Wang Changsheng headed straight for Song State, and the journey was safe and uneventful.

However, two days ago, he suddenly discovered someone was following him. If his spiritual sense hadn't been particularly strong, he wouldn't have noticed the other party's presence.

There was only one person, whose cultivation was higher than Wang Changsheng's.

After careful consideration, Wang Changsheng decided to get rid of this tail. If he led them back to the clan, the troubles would be endless.

He could now control seven puppet beasts simultaneously. He carried five low-grade second-tier puppet beasts and one mid-grade second-tier puppet beast, and he felt his chances of victory were still very high.

"You've followed me for so long; how much longer do you intend to follow? Do you really think I don't know you're there?"

Wang Changsheng looked in a certain direction and said coldly.

"Heh heh, you think too highly of yourself. It was I, Fang, who allowed you to discover my presence, not you who discovered I was following you."

A confident voice suddenly rang out.

As soon as the voice fell, a black light flew out from the distant ground. After a few flashes, it landed not far in front of Wang Changsheng.

"Fang Mu, it's you!"

A flicker of surprise flashed in Wang Changsheng's eyes, and his expression turned solemn.

The person who arrived was indeed Fang Mu. He was also carrying a black coffin on his back, and the boots on his feet gleamed with black light, clearly a flying artifact.

"Indeed, it is I, Fang. Let's speak plainly: Friend, obediently hand over the yin-attribute materials you possess, and I, Fang, can leave you with a complete corpse."