Chapter 90: How Is It Possible for the Immortal Sect to Have an Undercover Agent from the Righteous Path

A wave of murmuring swept through the crowd. Transformation spells, though difficult to master, were common and held no auction value. Only a few individuals, such as Lu Yang and Chi Xulong, remained silent.

The auctioneer continued, "This is no ordinary transformation spell. It allows the user to attack while transforming. I believe using this spell in combat would yield unexpected results."

People's interest was piqued slightly, but not significantly. After all, who would use a transformation spell during a fight?

The auctioneer then reminded them, "It's important to note that this spell is extremely difficult to cultivate. Even Master Yang Xuanling remarked that this book, despite its seemingly ordinary appearance, is far more complex than it seems!"

Lu Yang continued to murmur to himself, just loud enough for Chi Xulong to hear, "Indeed, this book's description is remarkably similar to the legendary one."

Sitting beside him, Meng Jingzhou heard Lu Yang's muttering and whispered urgently, "Shut up! Is that something you can say out loud? When will you get rid of this habit of talking to yourself?"

Startled, Lu Yang quickly fell silent, his eyes fixed on the transformation spell on the stage.

Chi Xulong covertly observed Lu Yang's reaction, confirming his suspicions.

"Starting bid, one hundred spirit stones!"

This price was far below that of a normal transformation spell, suggesting the guild was unsure of the true value of the Mimicry Fist.

"One hundred ten!" Someone quickly bid. Such a small amount of spirit stones was negligible, perhaps worth it for a curiosity.

"One hundred twenty!" Chi Xulong called out casually, as if making an offhand remark.

"One hundred forty!"

"One hundred eighty!"

"Two hundred!"

The price of the Mimicry Fist soared rapidly.

"Eight hundred!" Lu Yang called out.

Meng Jingzhou quickly pressed down on Lu Yang's hand. "Why are you bidding so high? Do you want to draw more attention?"

"I... I was just afraid someone else would get it."

Eight hundred spirit stones wasn't a large sum, but that was for cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage. Qi Cultivation stage cultivators couldn't casually produce such an amount.

"One thousand!"

A voice rang out from beside Lu Yang. Lu Yang looked at Chi Xulong in astonishment, unable to understand why he would compete for this transformation spell. It seemed like just a unique-looking spell! Could Chi Xulong also have seen through it? But how?

Lu Yang cursed inwardly, wondering if his earlier mumbling had been overheard.

Lu Yang leaned towards Chi Xulong and whispered, "Fellow Daoist, this spell resembles a long-lost technique from my family. Would you be willing to let me have it? I'll be sure to offer a generous reward after the auction."

Chi Xulong sneered. Long-lost? Only a fool would believe him. There must be an ancient secret hidden within this spell!

Shen Jinzhi, who was seated nearby, considered interjecting but saw Chi Xulong's resolute expression and remained silent.

Seeing that polite persuasion wouldn't work, Lu Yang bid, "One thousand two hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Two thousand." Chi Xulong didn't even lift an eyelid. Seeing Lu Yang bid so timidly, he surmised that the other party was certainly not in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Lu Yang staked his entire fortune: "Two thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Three thousand." Chi Xulong maintained his nonchalant expression.

Lu Yang turned to Meng Jingzhou to borrow money. "Lend me a thousand spirit stones, I'll definitely repay you next year!"

"Alright," Meng Jingzhou readily agreed.

"Three thousand three hundred low-grade spirit stones!"

"Four thousand!"

Lu Yang continued to borrow money, but he simply couldn't compete with the wealthy Chi Xulong.

In the end, Chi Xulong acquired the transformation spell for a staggering eight thousand spirit stones. Lu Yang tearfully walked away with a net profit of eight thousand spirit stones, achieving a win-win situation and much happiness for all.

After the auction, the four of them were preparing to leave. As soon as they exited the market and reached the deserted foot of a mountain, they were blocked by Chi Xulong and Shen Jinzhi.

"What... what do you want?"

A cruel smile played on Chi Xulong's lips. "What do I want? Kid, don't pretend you don't know. No one has ever managed to fool me!"

Chi Xulong pulled out the Lu Clan's Transformation Spell and released his Foundation Establishment stage aura. "Tell me, what ancient secret is hidden in this book? Speak, and I might spare your lives. If you dare lie, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Chi Xulong had no intention of letting the four of them go. The fewer people who knew the ancient secret, the better. And Lan Ting was exceptionally beautiful; he intended to toy with her before killing her.

In Chi Xulong's eyes, these four couldn't even produce a few thousand spirit stones, so they must all be in the Qi Cultivation stage. There was no way Qi Cultivation stage cultivators could resist him!

Lu Yang sighed, remembering how Steward Chu had subtly hinted at him to stir up trouble during the Spring Festival. Could Steward Chu have foreseen today's situation and subtly suggested he kill Chi Xulong and Shen Jinzhi? Steward Chu was truly brilliant!

Lu Yang removed his mask, revealing his true face. "Chi Xulong, there's no need for us to be so hostile." As he spoke, he secretly pulled out a recording orb.

"Lu Yang! You despicable wretch!" Chi Xulong was enraged, immediately realizing Lu Yang had played a trick on him. The auction was a performance staged just for him!

"There must be a misunderstanding between us, likely instigated by some villain. How about this: let's go to Steward Chu and clear things up. Even if you don't trust me, you must trust Steward Chu, right?"

Mentioning Steward Chu only fueled Chi Xulong's fury. "You dare mention Steward Chu? What gall! Steward Chu must have been deceived by you to make you a steward. And what villain? You are the villain!"

"How can I be a villain? Don't spread nonsense!" Lu Yang vehemently retorted.

Chi Xulong sneered, "Don't think I don't know the 'good deeds' you've done!" "You pretend to be a good person in front of Steward Chu, but everything you've done since joining the sect has been to harm us. I think you're an undercover agent sent by the orthodox sects!"

Of course, Chi Xulong's words were spoken in anger. If he truly believed Lu Yang was an orthodox spy, he would have secretly monitored Lu Yang for evidence long ago.

Lu Yang sighed deeply, put away the recording orb, and drew his three-foot Azure Edge Sword. He said with a hint of reluctance, "Since it has come to this, it seems only combat remains between us."

Chi Xulong and Shen Jinzhi exchanged disdainful smiles, drawing their weapons to face them. Meng Jingzhou, Man Gu, and Lan Ting did the same.

The battle began.

Lu Yang delivered the news of Chi Xulong and Shen Jinzhi's deaths to Steward Chu.

No matter how strong Chi Xulong and Shen Jinzhi were, they could not have survived against four immortal sect disciples. It was a one-sided crushing defeat. Both men died gruesome deaths; Lan Ting didn't even want to eat after seeing them.

Lu Yang took out the recording orb and explained to Steward Chu, "You know Chi Xulong's temper; he kills at the slightest disagreement. I was worried something like this would happen, so I recorded it beforehand, just in case he ran to you to complain and say I bullied him. Now it seems he won't be able to reach you."

"I'm not sure what went wrong with the recording orb; the footage is choppy, but fortunately, it generally reflects the situation at the time. Please, have a look."

Steward Chu, seated on his jade chair, took the recording orb and watched the scene unfold.

"Chi Xulong, there's no need for us to be so hostile," Lu Yang tried to de-escalate the situation with Chi Xulong.

"Lu Yang! You despicable wretch!" Clearly, Chi Xulong was not receptive.

"There must be a misunderstanding between us, likely instigated by some villain. How about this: let's go to Steward Chu and clear things up. Even if you don't trust me, you must trust Steward Chu, right?"

"Steward Chu... what gall!"

"Steward Chu... making you a steward... is the villain!"

"...How can I be a villain? Don't spread nonsense!" Lu Yang argued forcefully.

"Don't think I don't know... his... good deeds!"

"...Steward Chu... pretends to be a good person... everything since joining the sect has been to harm us... I think... he's an undercover agent sent by the orthodox sects!"

The recording ended there, leaving Steward Chu gritting his teeth.

Lu Yang stood by, righteously indignant. "Steward, you have treated me well. We of the demonic path also have our pride, our moments of fury, and we know how to repay kindness. When I saw Chi Xulong slandering and framing you, and Shen Jinzhi standing by without stopping him, anger flared within me. In a fit of rage, I led Meng Jingzhou and the others to kill them!"

"It wasn't appropriate to record during the battle, so I put the recording orb away." Lu Yang naturally wouldn't let Steward Chu know their fighting style.

Steward Chu praised him loudly, his voice still tinged with anger towards Chi Xulong. "Well killed! Those two beasts deserved to die!" Steward Chu knew Chi Xulong was dissatisfied with him. He had called Chi Xulong in and given him some advice, valuing him as a talent. At the time, Chi Xulong had even sworn loyalty to him, claiming he would do better than Lu Yang. Now, it seemed Chi Xulong still harbored resentment, even uttering such nonsense as him being an orthodox spy. How could the Immortal Cultivation Sect have an orthodox spy!

"Lu Yang, you've eliminated two major threats for this branch. Well done! When the Inspector arrives, I will certainly speak highly of you to him!"