Villain Master, my disciples all want to backstab me

"Forget it, let's try the effect of the 300% increase first!"

"This trip has been delayed long enough. After two or three days of rest, it's about time I consider returning to the outside world. I have some old accounts that need to be settled."

At that moment, Bai Yuan sat cross-legged on the ice jade bed, closed his eyes, and began to practice his skills.

……

Yunhezhou.

This is the Shentu family’s temporary base here.

Inside the spacious hall, twelve bronze lamps cast a crimson glow on the walls. Shentu Hongku sat on the black iron throne, his knuckles tapping the armrests intermittently.

Wisps of green smoke rose from the gilded incense burner, but it could not suppress the bloody smell in the room - this was the "blood soul incense" refined with the blood of a large number of boys and girls. It was the best way to replenish the deficiency of qi and blood caused by the practice of blood evil skills, and it was also helpful to calm the restlessness caused by practicing blood evil skills. It was one of the commonly used supplies of the Shentu family.

suddenly.

There was a sound of footsteps coming from outside.

Shen Tuhong raised his eyelids slightly and saw a tall and thin man in black clothes walk in. He stopped not far away from Shen Tuhong and knelt down: "Elder."

"Ah."

Shentu Hong nodded slightly: "How is it?"

"Reporting to the elder, there is no news from Tianyuan Mountain yet."

The black-clad butler knelt at the bottom of the stairs, forehead pressed to the ground, and spoke rapidly, "They seem to have noticed the presence of those undercover agents. They've been strictly blocking Tianyuan Mountain for over half a month. We've tried several times but haven't been able to contact the spies inside, so we don't know Ling Xiuya's current situation..."

"I have failed to complete my mission and have performed my duties poorly. Elder, please punish me!"

"..."

The knocking on the throne suddenly stopped.

Shen Tu Hong didn't speak immediately, but simply lowered his head, staring at his withered palm. A deep sword scar, deep enough to see the bone, lay on the palm, and it looked quite fresh—the result of Ling Xiuya's "Ling Tian Sword Qi." Even after exhausting the Blood Pool's secret medicine, the wound continued to ooze golden-red blood.

"...It's okay. This is all for a reason. I can't blame you."

Shen Tu Hong said this indifferently, perhaps to appease the black-clad butler who had apologized, and then narrowed his eyes slightly. "Ling Xiuya and his group have been back at Tianyuan Mountain for nearly a month. Even with the Sect Leader seriously injured and his life in danger, the Tianyuan Sword Sect has remained so impregnable... Truly worthy of being the leader of the righteous path, a formidable rival to our Shentu family's ambitions."

"..."

The black-clad butler remained silent.

Shentu Hong paused, then asked another question: "What about those two demon guys? Have you found their whereabouts?"

“…Not yet.”

This time, the black-robed deacon still shook his head. "According to our tracking and investigation, their last appearance was on an unnamed mountain three hundred miles from the Cangwu Abyss, where a fierce battle broke out. Afterwards, the victorious party cleaned up the scene and left using some kind of spatial escape technique..."

"They cleaned up the traces left at the scene very thoroughly, so we can't determine their whereabouts. However, judging from all the signs, the winner is most likely Ji Tingxue and her group. The two demon cultivators were most likely killed and their bodies taken away, which is why they haven't reappeared in such a long time."

——This description is basically the same as the actual situation.

However, even the black-clad butler who was in charge of gathering intelligence could not figure out how "Ji Tingxue" and Ye Shuang'er were able to defeat the strong with their weak strength and defeat the demon cultivators in the Spirit Transformation Realm with their mere Nascent Soul Realm cultivation.

This is simply a miracle!

——Without knowing the existence of "Ji Lingyun", the result of this battle can only be described as a miracle.

After listening to the report from his subordinates, Shen Tu Hong maintained his previous posture, staring at the twisted smoke rising from the incense burner, as if trying to find some mystery from it.

Nearly a month had passed since the hunting operation near the entrance of Cangwu Abyss, but to him, it seemed like it happened just yesterday.

Chapter 162 The Four Sects Gather

The fighting situation in that battle was unprecedentedly fierce.

The Xueyuan Sect sent out its two most powerful hall masters; the Shentu family was led by Shentu Hong, with another powerful person in the Spirit Transformation Realm; and there was also the eagle-faced man from the Eastern Wilderness... a total of five people in the Spirit Transformation Realm, who set up a triple killing formation, just to catch Ling Xiuya and Jiang Rao in one fell swoop.

However, even with such careful planning, it still failed.

Although Ling Xiuya did suffer heavy damage, he finally managed to break through the siege by burning his essence and blood and self-destructing his own spiritual sword.

An injury like this wouldn't heal without several months of recuperation. Even if he recovered from the external injuries, the loss of his natal spirit sword and a large amount of his blood essence would cause his cultivation to plummet. Unless he encountered a truly extraordinary opportunity, it would be difficult for him to regain his status as the "Number One of the Righteous Path" for decades to come.

Even so, Yan Shu, the Ice Soul Sword Master who followed Ling Xiuya, and another Tianyuan Elder, were injured and killed. The former even became a prisoner of the Shentu family.

but……

The ultimate outcome of this battle was that they were unable to kill Ling Xiuya, nor prevent him from escaping with Jiang Rao and the [Dayan Five Elements Wheel]. Neither of these two most important strategic objectives was achieved, which meant that this operation, which had been planned for months in advance, ultimately ended in failure!

Simply eliminating two Nascent Soul Realm cultivators cannot make up for the time and energy previously invested by the various forces!

What's more, among the five of them who were in the Spirit Transformation Realm, three were seriously injured.

in case……

——If the shadow leopard monster had not chased the "Blood Kite", but had dealt with Ling Xiuya together as planned, would the six people in the Spirit Transformation Realm have been able to kill Ling Xiuya on the spot if they had joined forces?

This possibility has circled in Shentu Hong's mind several times.

pity.

No if.

Of course, although the original purpose was to kill Ling Xiuya, the Shentu family had also considered the possibility of the plan failing and had made corresponding plans in advance.

Therefore, despite the various unexpected changes that led to the somewhat unexpected development of the situation, it was generally within the control of the Shentu family. It simply required them to expend more effort and manpower to deal with it.

It’s just right, we can take this opportunity to make both the Blood Source Sect and the Demon Clan bleed.

After all, in the Shentu family's grand plan, everyone except himself was a potential enemy. If these two families could be destroyed along with the Tianyuan Sword Sect, Shentu Hong would be happy to see it happen.

but……

Shentu Hong never expected that the Shadow Leopard Demon would also be overturned!

Not only did they fail to bring back the "Poisonous Gu Spirit Body" and the Ji Family Saintess, but they also got themselves into trouble. One was at the Spiritualization stage, and the other was at the Ninth Stage of the Nascent Soul. They were killed silently by the other party...

How the hell did they do that?!

Could it be that the leopard demon's cultivation at the Divine Transformation Realm was transferred to a dog?!

"Snapped--!"

Shen Tu Hong grew increasingly irritated as he pondered this. He slammed his palm down on the throne's armrest, causing the beast's head, made of black iron, to shatter. "Waste! Whether it's the Blood Origin Sect or the Demon Clan... they're all shortsighted, capable of more harm than good! Do you really think you can rest easy just by wiping out the Jiang family? Letting Ling Xiuya go this time will only lead to endless harm!"

"..."

The butler in black lowered his head and said nothing.

He was just an errand boy, and the intrigues among the upper class were not something he should care about with a monthly salary of 300 spirit stones.

the other side.

After venting his anger, Shentu Hong finally calmed down and began to think carefully: What happened on the side of the Shadow Leopard Demon was a bit unreasonable.

After all, its strength is indeed at the Spirit Transformation Realm.

The comparison between the Spirit Transformation Realm and the Nascent Soul Realm is almost like an adult beating a child.

Even if he was careless, there was no reason for him to be killed by several Yuanying realm masters in a narrow encounter.

unless……

"Did the Ji family take action? Does that 'Ji Tingxue' have a special item that can summon the elders of the Ji family to come to the rescue?"

"Or……"

Is there a third party force other than intelligence involved in this dispute?

Who could that be?

Could it be that the "Blood Kite" lying in the coffin has come back to life?

Otherwise...

and many more.

Shentu Hong thought of a detail: although the Ji family claimed that Ji Tingxue was a third-generation descendant of their family, in reality, he was not a real flesh and blood person. Instead, he was a spirit of tea leaves from the Ji family's tea garden. Perhaps...

For a moment, Shentu Hong felt as if he had grasped some key points, but he was a little unsure.

So, he temporarily put this thought aside and gave instructions:

"...Pass on my instructions. Continue investigating the situation near that nameless mountain, but reduce the number of personnel appropriately. Focus your observations on the Ji family and keep an eye on their movements. If any unexpected situation occurs, report it to me immediately!"

"Yes."

After the black-robed butler nodded in agreement, he left the hall.

Shentu Hongcai shot out another blood talisman, which burned to ashes in the air. A blurry figure condensed from the ashes: "How is Yan Shu doing?"

"Reporting to the elder, he is still unconscious, but he has been examined by a doctor and his life is safe for the time being."

The figure responded with a hoarse voice, sounding like a middle-aged woman.

"Ah."

Shen Tuhong nodded slightly. "This Ice Soul Sword Master is Jiang Rao's mentor and an important bargaining chip in our future negotiations with Tianyuan Mountain. She must be properly settled and kept under strict supervision. If anyone wants to take her away, tell me immediately."

"Yes."

The figure responded.

Wait until everything here is explained.

Shentu Hongcai breathed a sigh of relief, opened his palm again, and looked at the sword scar that would never heal, with an inexplicable expression: "It's time to send a message to the Blood Source Sect and the Eagle-faced Venerable, and let them start the next step."

"Tianyuan Mountain... Xueyuan Sect... Humph, the leaders of the righteous path, the giants of the demonic path, are nothing but a bunch of self-righteous, pretentious fellows. On this chessboard of heaven and earth, only my Shentu family... no, the Shentu Saint Clan, is qualified to be the true chess player."

"Next... let me see how you dance."

……

The heart of Central China, thousands of miles away.

The main peak of Tianyuan Mountain.

Lingyun Palace.

The morning light penetrated the sea of ​​clouds, gilding the towering hall with a golden edge. In the square before the hall, seventy-two dragon-shaped pillars stood majestically. The stone dragons entwined on the pillars, illuminated by the rising sun, seemed to soar into the sky.

now.

Ling Xiuya was wearing a plain white robe and standing in front of the Wenjian Pavilion behind the palace, his sleeves fluttering in the wind.

His face looked pale, and his aura was noticeably subdued, but his star-like eyes had regained their brilliance. Beside him lay a tattered, three-foot-long sword, a faint, almost invisible starlight flowing through its blade. It was his natal spirit sword, "Wuxiang," which had been almost completely destroyed after the hunting battle.

"Master."

Yun Wuya's voice came from the side.

"The people from Qingxuan Sect, Haoran Sect, and Liguang Sword Sect have already arrived and are waiting in the hall. They are being looked after by Master Meng Feng."

"……Um."

Ling Xiuya nodded slightly, then glanced at Yun Wuya: "Are the investigation results ready?"

"Yes."

Yun Wuya nodded.

"Okay. Let's go then."

present.

Ling Xiuya and Yun Wuya walked towards the Lingyun Hall. When they entered the hall, they saw six or seven people already sitting inside.

The first one to raise his head was an old man with white hair and a youthful face. He was wearing a green Taoist robe and had a slightly anxious expression on his face. It was Qing Lingzi, the leader of the Qingxuan Sect.

"Master Ling, you are here!"

Qing Lingzi stood up and, along with Meng Yueshan beside him, made greeting gestures. "I've also heard the news from Cangwu Abyss. I never expected these people from the Blood Origin Sect to be so arrogant. Not only do they frequently harass our Qingxuan Sect, but now they're even openly ambushing Fellow Daoist Ling. They're simply clueless! They don't even take us seriously!"

"I'm sorry. Ling is late and has kept you waiting."

Ling Xiuya and Qing Lingzi nodded in greeting, then bowed towards the hall.

At this moment, the elegant middle-aged man sitting at the first table on the left also stood up. He wore a square scarf on his head, a plain long gown, and a piece of warm white jade dangling from his waist. He looked more like a Confucian scholar than a monk. He was Xun Shouzheng, the leader of the Haoran Sect, famous for his majestic "Haoran Sword Qi."

Beside him was the beautiful Fairy Feng Yi, dressed in a light gold long dress. The unique flowing cloud pattern of the Li Guang Sword Sect was faintly visible on her cuffs.

——This person is the only one present who is not the sect leader.