...
...
After leaving the Imasurable Sect, Xu Xing raced non-stop, arriving at the Imperial City of North Yue Country—Cloud Capital!
Xi Yunling is the weakest of the three targets, rely in the Returning Core Realm.
Kill her first, then plan for the other two True Monarchs.
This way, I won’t alert the others.
On his way, Xu Xing reviewed the intelligence on the three individuals. He put away the Jade Slips containing information on Wu Yue and Xue Chu, focusing solely on Xi Yunling’s.
Xi Yunling was gaining experience in the mortal world and had befriended Princess Chi Yang of North Yue Country....
According to the Imasurable Sect’s intelligence, Xi Yunling was currently staying at Princess Chi Yang’s Residence.
Without protection from Silver Ring Zhai, and with her only in a princess’s residence, Xu Xing mused. Assassinating Xi Yunling would be as easy as reaching into his pocket to retrieve sothing.
「Half a day later.」
Xu Xing arrived at Zhaozhou, the central province among the seventeen provinces of North Yue Country.
Cloud Capital was located within Zhaozhou. Shengzhou, where the Imasurable Sect was based, lay in the northwestern part of North Yue Country.
He didn’t enter the city rashly.
Although the Royal Family of North Yue Country held a low status, acting as puppets for the Six Major Sects, Cloud Capital was different. It wasn’t just a large city in the mortal world; it was also the largest Market in North Yue Country. Cultivators from the Six Major Sects were stationed inside Cloud Capital, with each sect having at least one True Monarch overseeing the city.
Entering Cloud Capital rashly ant he would very likely be discovered by the True Monarchs of the Six Major Sects. If other sects noticed his movents in advance, it would inevitably cause so inconvenience.
He arrived at a small town outside Cloud Capital and entered an Inn. After ordering a table of dishes and a cup of wine on the second floor, he took out a Token from his sleeve and sent a strand of Divine Sense into it.
「Half an hour later.」
A female cultivator in red robes ca upstairs, sat opposite him, and bowed respectfully. "Sir, are you the sect’s newly promoted True Monarch? Lord Chang?"
After her question, she introduced herself, "My surna is Yan, of the Golden Rainbow Valley Branch. My na is Yan Qingyan. Uncle Qi sent ."
"Golden Rainbow Valley Branch?"
Xu Xing looked up at Yan Qingyan, sowhat surprised.
Golden Rainbow Valley was a major branch of the Imasurable Sect, and a quarter of the sect’s female cultivators ca from there. Even so, he was still a little surprised to encounter another female cultivator from the Yan Family here.
Xu Xing probed, "Did True Monarch Qi give you any instructions when he sent you?"
True Monarch Qi, nad Qi Hua, was the Imasurable Sect’s True Monarch stationed in Cloud Capital. The Token he had taken out earlier contained a Communication Array, the other end of which corresponded to True Monarch Qi.
It was a Voice Transmission Token, a ans of contact among the True Monarchs within the Imasurable Sect. Over twenty years ago, when he was promoted to True Monarch, Gu Chengbin had given him the Voice Transmission Tokens for the dozen or so True Monarchs in the sect. However, this Voice Transmission Token also had its limitations: it could only transmit ssages within a hundred-mile radius. Beyond that distance, it would be ineffective.
"Uncle Qi instructed to..." Yan Qingyan began to explain.
Xu Xing nodded as he listened. Her account matched what Qi Hua had conveyed via the Voice Transmission Token, confirming Yan Qingyan’s identity.
"Please, sit," Xu Xing said, gesturing to the chair. "We can discuss matters after we’ve eaten." He indicated the Spiritual Feast on the table, inviting Yan Qingyan to join him.
Once Yan Qingyan was seated and they were making small talk, Xu Xing casually asked, "I recall Sister Yan ntioning that the Yan Family has only three female cultivators at the Returning Core Realm. May I ask when did you reach the Returning Core Realm, Junior?"
He rembered that before he had advanced to the Dao Pill Realm, the Yan Family had expressed interest in a marriage alliance. Yan Xiling had told him at the ti that the Yan Family only had three female cultivators at the Returning Core Realm. Of those three, Xu Xing had only t Yan Wenyuan. He hadn’t t the other two, though he knew their nas, and Yan Qingyan was not one of them.
"I successfully condensed my pill twelve years ago," Yan Qingyan replied after a mont’s hesitation. She seed puzzled by the sudden question but answered respectfully.
Hearing this, Xu Xing’s doubts vanished.
After their al, Xu Xing instructed Yan Qingyan, "If there’s any sign of unusual activity in Cloud Capital or at Princess Chi Yang’s Residence, send word to imdiately. I’ll be staying at this Inn for the ti being."
"Yes, Lord Chang." Hearing it was a minor task, Yan Qingyan readily agreed with a slight nod.
...
...
The challenge in eliminating Xi Yunling wasn’t the fight itself, but locating her.
Xu Xing planned to lure the snake from its hole.
Soon, in less than two months, an opportunity arose from the intelligence Yan Qingyan provided. A rchant caravan belonging to Princess Chi Yang’s Residence had been ambushed and robbed by bandits from Black Wind Mountain on its way back to the capital. The caravan’s Manager was being held captive in their Mountain Stronghold.
"Smoke Cloud Stone..."
Xu Xing disguised himself as a middle-aged cultivator and stord the Black Wind Mountain Stronghold. He directly killed the bandit leader and then, in front of everyone, interrogated the captive rchant Team Manager: "Princess Chi Yang ordered you to secretly transport Smoke Cloud Stone? I’ve inspected the caravan’s goods, and there’s no Smoke Cloud Stone. Where did you hide it?"
Recently, the biggest news in North Yue Country and neighboring nations concerned a treasure that had surfaced in South Yue Nation, leading to incessant conflict among its various sects and factions. Rumors spread like wildfire among cultivators; so claid it was Heavenly Divine Iron, while others insisted it was a rare Sea Treasure.
However, according to the Imasurable Sect’s investigation, the most credible intelligence suggested that the various sects in South Yue Nation were fighting over the mining rights to a Smoke Cloud Stone vein.
Smoke Cloud Stone was one of the primary materials for refining Nascent Soul Condensing Pills. This was why the various factions were fighting to the death over it, disregarding all consequences. Only the allure of reaching Nascent Formation could drive the various sects to fight so desperately, heedless of the repercussions.
"Smoke Cloud Stone..."
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