Ch. 259
Chapter 259: The Reckoning of a Conspiracy
“Strike with thunderous force to suppress them.”
Senior Sister raised two fingers like a sword, and a searing crimson light flashed at her fingertips.
Then she looked up at True Person Zhu, her expression solemn.
“Ji Shaoyuan is a late-stage Golden Core cultivator and an elder of the Heavy Gold Sect’s militant Metal Fiend lineage. If we execute him within the Biyuan Mountain Range and display his severed head at our mountain gate for a hundred days, it will instill fear in the cultivators of the Earth Proliferation Territory, making them dread our sect’s name and not dare trespass again.”
Upon hearing this, True Person Zhu’s face showed no surprise.
His daughter was excellent in every way—except for her excessive bloodthirst. She preferred solving everything through slaughter, earning her the title of “Killer Protector” within the sect.
Even male True Inheritors of the sect didn’t dare approach Zhu Qiong lightly, lest they anger her and receive a sword strike for their troubles.
‘Didn’t expect this girl’s bloodlust to remain unchanged even after forging her Furnace Golden Core,’ True Person Zhu silently shook his head and turned his gaze to Yun Yishu.
“Senior Sister's thinking isn’t wrong, but Ji Shaoyuan didn’t become a Metal Fiend Elder of the Heavy Gold Sect on strength alone—he also relies on strategy.”
Senior Sister Yun furrowed her brows and mused aloud, “Now that the information has leaked, an empty Hollow Gold Marrow vein is indeed significant to the Heavy Gold Sect, but not so important that a late-stage Golden Core cultivator would risk his life to stay.”
She looked up at her master and voiced her suspicion, “Unless Ji Shaoyuan isn’t the only Golden Core True Person stationed at the Biyuan Mountain Range.”
True Person Zhu nodded slightly in agreement with his disciple’s assessment.
The Heavy Gold Sect had a heritage spanning tens of thousands of years. In its heyday, Divine Transformation True Venerables were commonplace. Even in its current decline, it remained one of the top powers in the Earth Proliferation Territory despite lacking Divine Transformation cultivators.
Such a force, once mobilized, would prepare thoroughly.
Even in a head-on clash, Zhu Shaoyuan was confident he could take Ji Shaoyuan’s life within a hundred moves—but he didn’t believe that this conflict between the two sects would truly lead to the death of a late-stage Golden Core cultivator.
“To maintain order on the surface in the Earth Proliferation Territory, the Blazing Flame Sect likely won’t intervene in this battle,” Zhu Shaoyuan speculated.
A glint of frost flickered in Yun Yishu’s eyes. “In that case, Master can use the Hollow Gold Marrow vein and Ji Shaoyuan as bait, cooperate with Elder Yu to set up the Four Aspects Suppression Formation, seal off the Mountain Submergence Realm, avoid the Biyuan Mountain Range, and target incoming reinforcements. We’ll isolate and eliminate support troops from the Heavy Gold Sect—kill until they’re terrified.”
At this, True Person Zhu’s gaze softened with approval.
Yun Yishu’s suggestion was not far from the Grand Elder’s directive—just slightly more aggressive.
With that thought, his eyes turned to Chen Beiwu.
Sensing three gazes upon him, Chen Beiwu smiled calmly. “Master, this disciple knows only one thing—whoever offends the Mirror Moon Sect, no matter how far, must be punished!”
“To kill one man and seize one mine doesn’t count as a full victory. Since the Heavy Gold Sect dared to invade our sect’s territory, then we can just as well launch a surprise attack on the Flowing Sand Realm under their control—slaughter their affiliated cultivation clans and occupy their realm.”
At these words, Zhu Shaoyuan’s eyelids twitched.
Good heavens, his disciples were all more aggressive than the last.
Killing a late-stage Golden Core cultivator would certainly wound the Heavy Gold Sect, but not enough to escalate the war and draw out Nascent Soul True Monarchs from the Five Great Sects.
But if they forcibly seized the Flowing Sand Realm, that would be cutting off the Heavy Gold Sect’s roots. One of the two sects would collapse entirely as a result.
“Junior Brother’s idea is brilliant.” Zhu Qiong’s eyes lit up, her gaze toward Chen Beiwu growing more appreciative.
Compared to her Junior Brother, her own idea seemed far too conservative.
“……”
Yun Yishu was speechless, her gaze flitting between Senior Sister and Chen Beiwu.
Conquering an entire realm from the Heavy Gold Sect?
That sounded exhilarating, sure—but it was better left as fantasy.
Yun Yishu understood well that such a monumental decision wasn’t something Golden Core elders could make.
Even a sect Patriarch would have to weigh such a move with extreme caution.
“Ahem.” Zhu Shaoyuan coughed twice and changed the subject, beginning to discuss the upcoming expedition.
Through their prior interactions, he had come to understand his fourth disciple a bit more.
As Yun Yishu had described, Chen Ziang was indeed a cultivator with a strong sense of sect honor—just with a rather overbearing personality.
…
In the depths of a mine within the Biyuan Mountain Range.
Over a hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Heavy Gold Sect were scattered throughout the vein, wielding Gold-Cracking Picks.
Each time they struck with spiritual power, bright sparks would fly from the rock walls.
“Clang! Clang! Clang…!”
The clanging of metal echoed throughout the mine, mingling with heavy breaths.
Ji Shaoyuan stood with his hands behind his back, silently watching the rock wall split open, revealing a thumb-thick strand of liquid Hollow Gold Marrow that gleamed like gold.
“Move faster. Speed up.”
With that, Ji Shaoyuan produced a jade box and collected the hard-earned trace of Hollow Gold Marrow extracted by the Foundation cultivators.
‘Still too slow.’
His gaze turned toward a group of ragged Qi Refining mortals in the core of the mine.
The Hollow Gold Marrow vein contained piercing Metal Qi that corroded flesh constantly—far beyond what Qi Refining cultivators could endure.
From the moment these mortals entered the mine, their fate had been sealed. Yet Ji Shaoyuan felt no pity.
To die contributing to the Heavy Gold Sect was an honor for these Qi Refining ants.
“How are preparations?” Ji Shaoyuan asked a shadow to his right.
“The Earth-Aligned Gold-Cracking Treasure Formation has been successfully laid. It can be triggered at any time.”
“Good.” A faint smile curved Ji Shaoyuan’s lips.
While the Hollow Gold Marrow vein was important to the Heavy Gold Sect, if it couldn’t be mined and ended up in Mirror Moon Sect’s hands, it would become a worthless burden.
So when Hua Buqi defected to their side, the sect leadership had already made preparations—mining the marrow while secretly deploying formation cultivators to set up the Earth-Aligned Gold-Cracking Treasure Formation.
Once enough marrow had been excavated to replenish their reserves, even if Hua Buqi hadn’t been exposed, the sect would intentionally leak the intel.
Letting Mirror Moon Sect discover the situation at the Biyuan Mountain Range, then using the formation for an ambush—to weaken Mirror Moon Sect’s forces.
Though the leak came a bit earlier than expected, Ji Shaoyuan could accept it.
‘I wonder how many Golden Core elders Mirror Moon Sect will send?’ Ji Shaoyuan’s eyes darkened.
Ordinary Golden Core True Persons were no match for him.
To reclaim the Hollow Gold Marrow vein, Mirror Moon Sect would have to send elders of the Six Lineages tier.
If one such expert fell, even Mirror Moon Sect would feel the sting.
And Ji Shaoyuan could use the merit of killing such an elder to rise higher in the sect.
However, if Mirror Moon Sect detected the trap and responded accordingly, he, as the bait, might fall as well.
“A hidden agent reports that Mirror Moon Sect is sending Daozi Chen Ziang in the expedition,” the shadow suddenly said.
“What, you want to ambush the Mirror Moon Daozi?” Ji Shaoyuan’s eyes flickered as he asked.
The shadow hesitated, then replied, “Is that not an option?”
“You should know how important the Daozi is to Mirror Moon Sect.”
Ji Shaoyuan chuckled, “We might get away with killing a Golden Core elder. There’s precedent. But a Daozi? That would spark a full-scale war among the Five Great Sects.”
“That’s a price we cannot afford. Understand?”
“But a Flawless Foundation cultivator possesses terrifying potential to break through to Divine Transformation. If we let the Mirror Moon Daozi continue to grow, I fear…”
The shadow didn’t finish—saying more would verge on disrespecting the sect.
“The Earth Proliferation Territory is no longer what it used to be. Breaking through to Divine Transformation is not as easy as you think.”
Ji Shaoyuan laughed. “Even with a Flawless Dao Foundation, the Daozi might still fall during the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stages—let alone Divine Transformation.”
“In any case, until the Daozi reaches the Nascent Soul True Monarch stage, our sect won’t go all-in to provoke Mirror Moon Sect’s bottom line. Do you understand?” Ji Shaoyuan warned.
The shadow flickered and vanished, but left behind one last crucial piece of intel: “By the way, the Golden Core leading Mirror Moon Sect’s expedition this time is True Person of Myriad Treasures, Zhu Shaoyuan.”
Ji Shaoyuan’s expression changed.
He had once fought this fearsome top Golden Core cultivator—and suffered a crushing defeat.
If Zhu Shaoyuan was the opponent, even with the Earth-Aligned Gold-Cracking Treasure Formation prepared in advance, victory was far from certain.
He would need to prepare more thoroughly.
…
At Biyuan Market.
In the skies above, clouds churned, and a muffled thunder rolled through.
Cultivators walking through the market all looked up, only to see a massive black shadow, thirty zhang long, tear through the clouds and descend slowly. Their expressions shifted.
Meanwhile, the Yunhai Shen Clan, which controlled Biyuan Market, had already assembled their cultivators in formation, ready to receive the visitors.
“Patriarch of the Shen Clan of Yunhai, Shen Tianhong, is present to respectfully welcome the True Person of the Upper Sect!”
At the front stood a male cultivator tall and straight as a pine, with fine lines at the corners of his eyes. He led two Foundation Establishment elders and three hundred Qi Refining disciples, bowing in unison.
“Buzz—”
As the warship’s hatch opened, four figures—two men and two women—descended slowly amidst a rainbow glow.
Leading them was none other than the True Person of Myriad Treasures, commanding the sect’s cultivators on this expedition.
“The Shen Clan of Yunhai failed in their supervision, resulting in the sect’s third-tier ore vein being seized and four Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Punishment Hall slain.”
Zhu Shaoyuan swept his gaze across the crowd, his voice calm, yet it pierced the hearts of the Shen Clan cultivators present like freezing blades. “According to sect law, your entire clan should be executed, and your descendants across three generations stripped of the right to enter the sect. Do you have any objections?”
At these words, Shen Tianhong’s face turned utterly pale.
Unlike mortal empires, the clause “execute the entire clan” in sect law referred specifically to the direct bloodline of a cultivation family—father, son, and grandson.
It did not extend to collateral branches, maternal kin, masters, or marital ties, but even so, it was enough to bathe the Shen Clan of Yunhai in blood.
Shen Tianhong immediately dropped to his knees and kowtowed, throwing away all dignity of a clan patriarch. “May True Person judge justly. My Shen Clan merely manages the normal operations of Biyuan Market. We were completely unaware of the Heavy Gold Sect’s seizure of the vein.”
“You mean a mere Qi Refining cultivator could discover a hidden vein in the Biyuan Mountain Range, and yet your Shen Clan of Yunhai knew nothing?” Zhu Shaoyuan sneered, losing all interest in continuing the conversation.
Even with death upon them, the Shen Clan of Yunhai still clung to lies.
“Ziang, I leave the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Shen Clan of Yunhai to your judgment.”
Zhu Shaoyuan gave the Shen Clan’s Foundation cultivators a glance and said calmly, “If you can escape from my disciple’s hands, I will show mercy and spare your lives.”
Seeing is believing.
The Foundation cultivators of the Shen Clan of Yunhai would serve as a touchstone—to let him personally witness the Daozi’s strength.
At those words, Shen Tianhong trembled inwardly. He understood that the Shen Clan had no path left. They could only obey the sect’s decree, or more would die.
“Many thanks to True Person for your mercy.”
Shen Tianhong stood and, alongside the two mid-stage Foundation cultivators behind him, looked toward Chen Beiwu.
Under everyone’s watchful gaze, Chen Beiwu had no intention of acting personally. The Spirit Beast Pouch at his waist trembled slightly, and two streaks of light—one gold and one red—darted out.
The former was Golden Egg, exuding the aura of a Flood Dragon. The latter was Iron Egg, wreathed entirely in blazing flames.
As soon as Golden Egg and Iron Egg appeared, their gazes instinctively shifted toward Zhu Shaoyuan, pupils constricting.
‘Your opponents aren’t Teacher, but the three Foundation Establishment cultivators opposite you,’ Chen Beiwu communicated via intent.
“Grrok.”
“Woof.”
Golden Egg and Iron Egg immediately relaxed.
“Please forgive us, envoy.” Shen Tianhong led the Shen Clan’s Foundation cultivators in a respectful bow—then struck first.
He flipped his palm, formed a hand seal, and unleashed thousands of golden threads that shot out like a heavenly net, enveloping Chen Beiwu.
This was the Shen Clan of Yunhai’s signature second-tier spiritual art—Golden-Silk Spirit-Binding Technique.
The art required metallic spiritual power to activate, using thousands of second-tier high-grade golden threads, refined over years, to form a web. It could entangle and lock down a target’s dantian, qi sea, and meridians—sealing their spiritual power.
Moreover, the Golden-Silk Spirit-Binding Technique had a “Spirit-Binding” property—the stronger the resistance, the tighter it bound.
The more one struggled, the more constricting the threads became.
Yet seeing Chen Beiwu remain motionless, completely disregarding the technique, Shen Tianhong couldn’t help but feel unsettled.
Still, the two Foundation cultivators behind him didn’t hesitate. They seized the opening, forming seals and simultaneously releasing two needle-type spiritual artifacts.
Golden Thunder Convergence: Thunder‑Punishing Spirit Needles! they chanted silently.
In an instant, spiritual energy surged.
The two flying needle artifacts ripped through the air, emitting blinding arcs of lightning that illuminated the golden web. Even the air was scorched where they passed.
One entangles, two kill!
The combined technique executed by the three Foundation Establishment cultivators exploded with a force nearly equivalent to a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator’s full strike.
To take this attack head-on—even a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator could die on the spot.
Just as the golden silk and thunder needles were about to bind and pierce Chen Beiwu like a sieve, Golden Egg soared amidst clouds and mist, a deep dragon growl resonating in its throat as it activated the All Rivers Embraced treasure art.
“Roar!”
With the dragon’s roar, a pitch-black vortex, three zhang in diameter, suddenly appeared before Golden Egg, devouring all incoming golden silk and thunder needles.
Even the explosions of lightning arcs within the vortex failed to stir any ripples.
“Burp.”
Golden Egg belched, puffing out a cloud of black smoke, tongue tingling from the numbing sensation. It actually tasted pretty good.
Seeing this, Shen Tianhong’s eyes widened.
He had known this battle was a near-certain death—but he hadn’t imagined a second-realm Foundation Beast could devour a joint technique unleashed by three Foundation cultivators—and swallow three high-grade second-tier spiritual artifacts whole.
This was something only a third-tier Golden Core beast should be capable of.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
Seizing the moment, Iron Egg’s eyes narrowed. Flames surged as it dashed forward repeatedly, front claw smashing through the defensive barriers of one Foundation cultivator—crushing his skull directly.
Damn it!
Shen Tianhong immediately abandoned the frontal fight. While retreating via escape art, he tore a high-grade second-tier talisman—Rainbow Transformation Talisman, preparing to flee alone—only to find the talisman didn’t activate at all.
Was it a fake?
His face twisted as he tore several more Rainbow Transformation Talismans.
No... this is illusion art!
By the time he realized it, a wave of searing pain surged through his chest.
He looked down in disbelief at the ferocious flame serpent that had pierced through him, while beside him lay the charred corpses of the two Shen Clan Foundation cultivators.
When did this happen?
That was Shen Tianhong’s final thought before death.