Chapter 273: Clearing Time, Targeting Sanmao City

Wang Yu felt a chill for this person upon hearing the news. A Nascent Soul cultivator from the same faction had unexpectedly chosen to hit them while they were down. The Saint Sect hadn't killed them precisely to avoid igniting a full-scale war, yet the other side had simply disowned them.

Had they known this earlier, the Saint Sect wouldn't have forced this person to extract spirit stones by hand. They might even have turned an enemy into a friend, as the Yellow Springs Temple had abandoned them first.

Thinking it over now, Wang Yu suddenly spoke. "Do you think the Yellow Springs Temple received news that this person's cultivation had already fallen to the first layer of Nascent Soul, with no potential whatsoever, which is why they gave up?"

Zuoqiu Ming pondered, "That's possible, but it wouldn't be the only reason. More likely, it's a bitter consequence of the power struggles within the Yellow Springs Temple."

"How tragic…"

"Indeed."

Saying this, the two exchanged a glance and simultaneously raised their cups, drinking heartily.

"What do you plan to do next? Will you participate in the struggle for Zhuyue Prefecture?"

"No, that has nothing to do with Guiling." Wang Yu immediately shook his head in refusal, stating his new plan. "I'm going to lead an attack on Sanmao City. Do you want to join?"

"Sanmao City… Young Talisman Lord Luochen's territory?" As Zuoqiu Ming pondered, he looked at him with a strange expression. "He and Old Man Zhuo are from the same lineage. Why are you going after him?"

"You don't know?"

"What do you mean?"

True, Guiling is quite far from the Saint Sect's main gate. Wang Yu's previous conflict with Jinmanlou only spread within Yunling Prefecture, let alone a minor incident like the destruction of the Fragrance Gathering. Zuoqiu Ming didn't have the time to constantly keep up with his news. Thinking of this, Wang Yu explained.

"I previously hosted a Fragrance Gathering, which was actually a treasure exchange event. By the second event, the situation was very promising, with third-tier spiritual items frequently appearing. But that brat Luochen ruined everything. He not only engaged in illicit dealings but also incited people to fight fiercely within my Guiling City. After the incident, he ran back to Sanmao City and couldn't even be bothered to see me."

"Such a thing happened…" Zuoqiu Ming scratched the stubble on his chin and said hesitantly, "Did you tell Old Man Zhuo about this? Are you confident you can take down Luochen? He has the Heavenly Yin Spirit Root, his strength has reached the third stage of Core Formation, and he even has a Nascent Soul master. His background is formidable."

Wang Yu shook his head. "I'm not planning to kill him, but I've planted a seed of the Demonic Embryo Profound Origin Secret Spell in him."

"You—" Zuoqiu Ming's eyes widened, truly not expecting Wang Yu to be so bold. He hissed a few times. "If you devour him, I can't predict the reaction of the Black Heaven Talisman Lord. It's likely not going to be good. Only Old Man Zhuo can protect you."

"I said, I'm not killing him for now, but I definitely need to teach him a lesson."

A reckoning! A thorough reckoning! He endured it when he was at Foundation Establishment, but now that he's at Core Formation, he can't tolerate it at all. If he doesn't give him a few good slaps, he won't feel right. He planned to make a fortune in Sanmao City, then return to the sect's main gate for promotion and a raise, which would also serve as a summary of his affairs in Yunling. As for when he would return to Guiling, that would depend on future arrangements. This place was already on the right track and could operate normally even without him there. The spirit stones from three hundred years of ownership were no small sum. It must be controlled by someone trustworthy, otherwise, it would inevitably lead to usurpation.

Speaking of which… Zuoqiu Ming was quite free!

Meeting Wang Yu's gaze, the Third Brother thought for a while before saying, "I won't go. Since you've come out of seclusion, Guiling City should be returned to you."

"Don't be in such a hurry, let's chat more."

The other party was a little suspicious. "What else is there?"

"A small matter, just a trifle. Once the Sanmao City matter is settled, I plan to return to the sect for a visit."

"Go back? Oh, I almost forgot you can be promoted to inner elder. Divine ability inheritances and magic treasure blueprints are urgently needed items." Patting his forehead, Zuoqiu Ming said, "Then I'll continue to watch over it for you for a few more years. Once you go, come back as soon as possible. I don't have the time to keep looking after Guiling City for you indefinitely."

"Definitely… definitely!" Wang Yu gave an awkward laugh and quickly personally poured wine for him. Only then did the other party smack his lips contentedly, with a satisfied expression.

"Fourth Brother, you're still such a good person."

"Hahaha~ Come, bring the dancing girls! Today, my Third Brother and I will drink until we drop!"

The next day.

After misleading Zuoqiu Ming, Wang Yu didn't tell him the whole truth because he wasn't sure if other matters might delay his return, so he simply didn't clarify. If the other party absolutely had to leave, he would find a way to inform him. Things would take care of themselves when the time came; he would deal with it then!

At this moment, he was discussing the attack on Sanmao City with Qingyang. They had the Blood Blade Gang and Yun Niang as inside contacts, so breaking into Sanmao City wouldn't be a big problem. The real difficulty lay in the city lord's mansion's formation. Possessing a third-tier spiritual vein, the formations set up would naturally also be third-tier. Wang Yu was well aware of just how powerful formations of this level could be. He had to proceed with caution.

Qingyang then said, "City Lord, since we're moving on Sanmao City, Young Talisman Lord Luochen is of utmost importance. You haven't been in Guiling for a while. Blood Blade has sent a lot of information; I think you should take a look."

"True." In recent years, while the Heavenly Demon Bone Forest was fighting and Zhuyue Prefecture was fighting, Luochen didn't concern himself with these petty squabbles but instead focused on the Sanmao City area. He successively lured and killed many small families and sects. As a result, in this area, a group of rogue cultivators known as the Black Blood Bandits gained increasing notoriety. Everyone feared them. These people were Luochen's henchmen.

Wang Yu's undercover agent, Blood Blade Cultivator, because he joined early, was considered a veteran. He gained many benefits by following Luochen. Over the years, his cultivation had broken through to the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. The frequency of his messages also became slower and slower. He had already become one of the leaders among the Black Blood Bandits and was heavily relied upon.

After Wang Yu read it, he understood Qingyang's meaning. "You're worried he'll betray us?"

"Yes."

"You guessed correctly; his heart has already turned. But because he once acted against Luochen, he dares not say anything and is currently swaying between two sides." Wang Yu took out Yun Niang's secret letter. Comparing the two, a very clear conclusion could be drawn. When Blood Blade Cultivator was brought under his command, Guiling was just starting out. The benefits he could get were only one or two tenths better than what his Blood Blade Gang offered. It was actually quite normal for him to develop a treacherous heart after receiving rewards from Luochen.

"Why don't we turn their scheme against them?" Qingyang pointed at the map and said, "We can disguise ourselves as a caravan and inform Blood Blade Cultivator to lure Luochen out. When he learns we're making a move, even if he doesn't fully side with Luochen, he will try to covertly inform him. Given the personality of this Young Talisman Lord, he will certainly inquire about the City Lord's whereabouts. He might find out that you've reached Core Formation, but out of pride as a Nascent Soul disciple, he should not fear a challenge. Even for his own reputation, he would very likely choose to bring people to counter-encircle us. At that point, we'll counter-counter-encircle him and catch him completely off guard!"

Wang Yu scratched his head as he listened. This kind of convoluted plan seemed a bit flimsy. Truly worthy of an ineffective strategist, he said helplessly, "Qingyang, I think you're overthinking it. We can just bring a cultivator army to his doorstep and provoke him. He won't refuse to fight me."

"Uh…" Qingyang, stunned for a moment, asked suspiciously, "Is it that simple?"

"It's not that simple, but he's extremely concerned about his reputation. He won't refuse a public challenge."

"All right then, I'll go prepare."

"Go ahead."

Wang Yu silently calculated their combat power, according to Yun Niang's intelligence. In Sanmao City, Luochen is at the third stage of Core Formation. There's also one Saint Sect disciple at the fifth stage of Core Formation and two at the second stage. All of them are from Evil Sword Peak. Except for Luochen, all of them have dual spirit roots. The two extra demonic seeds were planted on the two Core Formation (second stage) cultivators. This means that as long as they get within a certain distance, Wang Yu would be able to sense their presence. He only needed to be wary of the Core Formation (fifth stage) cultivator.

Of course, Wang Yu thought it was more likely that Luochen would want to fight him one-on-one. The Saint Sect did not prohibit city lords under its command from attacking each other; as long as they submitted their saint tributes on time, they could fight however they wanted.

However… Talk is cheap, but in a real fight, your backing is what counts. If some nobody beats my Nascent Soul disciple, they'll certainly face a reckoning.

Compared to Sanmao City, in Guiling, only he and Qingyang were Core Formation cultivators, and both were only at the early stage. Besides Xu Ruozhou, the Foundation Establishment cultivators were just a few rogue cultivators making up the numbers. He decided to recruit more forces and bring in some of the rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators he had met at the previous Fragrance Gathering to Guiling, such as the Dragon-Tiger Rogue Cultivator and Venerable Golden Stone. With a set of calamity-averting magic treasures and a third-tier dwelling as bait, he wasn't afraid of not finding suitable people. For these powerful rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators, an opportunity to increase their chances of Core Formation was worth risking their lives for!

While reorganizing his military preparations, more scouts were sent out to gather information from all aspects for reference. While preparing, Wang Yu was also cultivating with all his might. Perhaps he could break through to the second stage of Core Formation? That would also give him more confidence.

Two months later.

Inside the cultivation chamber, Wang Yu felt the Core Formation magic power within him, totaling 225 wisps. He was still one month away from breaking through. But the army was almost ready. He had recruited seven or eight powerful rogue Foundation Establishment cultivators, all of whom were "acquaintances" who had previously attended the Fragrance Gathering and had a basic understanding of him, Wang Yu. Moreover, Wang Yu's purchasing agents at the Yanluo Ghost Market had brought back three new Evasion Talismans and two Barrier-Breaking Talismans, all of them third-tier. If Luochen activated the city lord's mansion's formation, he would pile on Barrier-Breaking Talismans until it was shattered. He would loot everything, empty it out! He even planned to forcibly relocate the mortals, implementing a scorched earth policy; otherwise, there would have been no need to prepare for two months, especially the equipment and horses for escorting. Relocating hundreds of thousands of mortals was no small feat. It was impossible to transport them with magic, so he could only use this relatively crude method. The various districts of Guiling City also needed expansion; old buildings would be demolished and rebuilt taller to accommodate as many people as possible.

This day, Qingyang came to report. "City Lord, everything is ready."

"Hmm." Wang Yu habitually carried his entire fortune with him. He released his Three-tailed Snow Fox, mounted this beautiful and majestic large fox, and as icy mist rose, they headed towards the open ground outside the city.

At Jinmanlou.

Jin Miaoshan watched from a distance, rubbing the neck of the civet cat in her arms and saying, "Xiaoman, what is Wang Yu doing now? He just returned and is already making big moves. Is he supporting Zhuyue Prefecture?"

"Meow~ No, he's going to Sanmao City."