Chapter 34: The Demonic Scheme

Deng Wenqing waited patiently for Deng Taiyan’s reply. After all, Deng Taiyan was not only the Second Elder of Spirit Sword Mountain but also the patriarch of the Deng family.

The Deng family reigned as the foremost family in the State of Wu. Besides Deng Taiyan, they boasted another Golden Core cultivator. Indeed, Deng Taiyan was the most influential elder within Spirit Sword Mountain.

The Deng family had long harbored ambitions of seizing control over Spirit Sword Mountain. Once Deng Wenqing formally joined the sect, they swiftly set their plan into motion.

This scheme was not particularly ingenious. It simply involved grooming Deng Wenqing to become the next Sect Master of Spirit Sword Mountain. From there, they would leverage his authority to expand the Deng family’s influence, eventually transforming Spirit Sword Mountain into their private domain within a few generations.

Initially, everything had proceeded smoothly. However, a few years prior, the emergence of Lin Shuang and Lin Xue shattered the Deng family’s grand illusions. Their appearance created an insurmountable obstacle on the path of their meticulously laid plans.

“Fine! Do as you wish,” Deng Taiyan finally conceded to Deng Wenqing. “But remember, if things go awry, you know what must be done.”

A cold, sharp smile immediately spread across Deng Wenqing’s face.

“Rest assured, Grand-Ancestor,” Deng Wenqing stated solemnly. “Should the matter be exposed, your grandson will not implicate the family or you. I will bear all consequences alone.”

Deng Taiyan said nothing more. Deng Wenqing, in turn, departed from the location, leaving Spirit Sword Mountain immediately afterward for an unknown destination.

****

Around dusk that afternoon, within a deserted mountain forest surrounding Spirit Sword Mountain, a faint *crack* echoed through the air. The next instant, a wild goose soaring two to three thousand meters above the ground was instantly pierced through its body by an unseen force.

Below, nestled in a hidden rocky area, a girl in red knelt on one knee, aiming a sniper rifle at the sky.

“Hmm, the effect is decent, even further than I’d imagined,” Su Yun remarked, lowering the sniper rifle with a smile.

With her current strength, the seemingly heavy sniper rifle felt almost weightless in her hands. She was, after all, a cultivator now.

Not long ago, Su Yun had crafted a suppressor. She then flew on her sword to the deserted mountain forest beside Spirit Sword Mountain for a test fire.

She needed to ascertain the gun’s maximum range, effective distance, and the range at which it inflicted maximum damage.

The destructive power of a firearm is intrinsically linked to both its speed and distance. If too close, the projectile’s speed might be insufficient; if too far, its velocity would inevitably decay.

Coupled with other variables, a sniper attempt could easily fail. A single failure would lead to significant trouble, so Su Yun intended to dedicate time to practice.

Her efforts extended beyond daylight hours. The scope Su Yun had crafted included a night vision function. Among the various refining materials, there was a substance known as Luminous Crystal, which could produce visual effects in darkness. It wasn’t a particularly rare material, primarily used for crafting ornaments.

Su Yun utilized this material to fashion her night vision scope, and the results were excellent. Even in the dead of night, she could clearly lock onto her targets.

****

The following day, at first light, Su Yun positioned herself not far from Blazing Flame Peak. She was staking out the area, evidently planning to eliminate Deng Wenqing ahead of schedule.

Of course, Su Yun was currently in the preparatory phase; she hadn’t yet decided to act. After all, one couldn’t simply make a move without understanding Deng Wenqing’s personal information and movements. It was crucial to gather intelligence first.

As for Deng Wenqing, he was currently in a secular city located at the border between the State of Wu and the Southern Wilderness.

Upon arriving, Deng Wenqing made his way to a restaurant and entered a private room on the upper floor.

He knocked lightly on the door. It soon opened, and a Young Man glanced at Deng Wenqing, then gestured for him to enter quickly.

“Third Uncle, I’m here,” Deng Wenqing greeted a Foundation Establishment realm middle-aged man inside the room.

The middle-aged man merely cast a sidelong glance at Deng Wenqing before speaking.

“Have a seat.”

Deng Wenqing immediately walked over and sat down before the man.

This individual was Deng Wenqing’s Third Uncle, Deng Ziyue.

“Third Uncle, Grand-Ancestor has agreed to my plan,” Deng Wenqing stated directly. “However, this matter is not convenient for me to handle personally, so I require the family’s assistance.”

Deng Ziyue had undoubtedly already deduced Deng Wenqing’s intentions.

“What do you expect the family to do?” Deng Ziyue asked, taking a sip of wine. “If those two girls remain within Spirit Sword Mountain, we can’t possibly send people in to deal with them. Moreover, for a matter like this, we absolutely cannot use our own Deng family members.”

Deng Wenqing chuckled.

“Third Uncle, I’ve already considered this,” Deng Wenqing explained. “We don’t need to act ourselves. We can let those demonic cultivators from the Southern Wilderness handle it. As for how to eliminate them, it certainly can’t be within Spirit Sword Mountain. We can find a reason to lure them outside.”

“Everyone understands that much,” Deng Ziyue said, setting down his wine cup. “Tell me your plan: how will you implement it, and what steps will you take?”

Deng Wenqing began to meticulously detail his plan. However, this scheme would undoubtedly require the Deng family to pay a significant price, for the demonic cultivators of the Southern Wilderness were not easily swayed by a mere word from the Deng family.

So-called demonic cultivators were those who disregarded the rules of the cultivation world, acting with wanton abandon. There was nothing these individuals wouldn’t dare to do. As long as there was profit to be made, they would kill even disciples of the Southern Wilderness’s Ten Great Sects without hesitation.

The Southern Wilderness’s Ten Great Sects were Moonfall Sect, Spirit Sword Mountain, Qixia Valley, Tianwu Gate, Daosheng Pavilion, Yin-Yang Sect, Spirit Mountain Temple, Miaoyin Convent, Vajra Hall, and the Heretic Spirit Palace.

Among them, Moonfall Sect, Spirit Sword Mountain, and Qixia Valley belonged to the Martial Dao.

Tianwu Gate, Daosheng Pavilion, and Yin-Yang Sect belonged to the Daoist Sects.

Spirit Mountain Temple, Miaoyin Convent, and Vajra Hall belonged to the Buddhist Sects.

The Heretic Spirit Palace belonged to the Demonic Sect. In truth, the term ‘Demonic Sect’ didn’t refer to a single faction; its cultivators encompassed disciples from Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. Any cultivator who violated the rules of these three alignments could be categorized under the Demonic Sect.

While the Demonic Sect seemingly consisted only of the Heretic Spirit Palace, its singular power was no weaker than any of the three great alignments of Martial, Daoist, or Buddhist sects. In fact, its overall strength might even slightly surpass any single one of them.

The Heretic Spirit Palace was also the common enemy of the Southern Wilderness’s three great alignments, as nearly all three alignments had traitors within the Heretic Spirit Palace.

For the three great alignments, the definition of a traitor was simple: anyone who violated their respective sect’s rules, refused to accept punishment, and subsequently fled the sect could be labeled a traitor.

These individuals, in order to survive, would naturally seek a power that could offer them refuge, and the Heretic Spirit Palace was the optimal choice.

****

Three days later, after completing all his tasks, Deng Wenqing returned to Spirit Sword Mountain.

What Deng Wenqing didn’t know, however, was that the moment he entered Blazing Flame Peak, a pair of eyes was watching him from a thousand meters away.

“So this is Deng Wenqing?” Su Yun murmured, peering through the sniper scope from a concealed spot about three thousand meters from Blazing Flame Peak’s entrance. “He looks respectable, but to think he’s such a scumbag. You really can’t tell.”

She watched him fly into Blazing Flame Peak.

In the preceding days, Su Yun had spent her time scouting locations and inquiring about Deng Wenqing’s whereabouts and appearance, as she had never met him before.

Gathering information on his identity wasn’t particularly difficult. After all, he had recently clashed with Lin Shuang, and disciples of Spirit Sword Mountain were still discussing the incident.

Furthermore, Deng Wenqing was quite renowned among the previous generation of disciples. Su Yun didn’t even need to ask others; a simple inquiry to her senior brothers on the Artifact Refining Peak would suffice to learn his identity.

Naturally, Su Yun didn’t overtly ask for information about Deng Wenqing. She used the pretext of discussing Lin Shuang’s defeat by him to subtly gather intelligence.

She then learned from a Blazing Flame Peak disciple that Deng Wenqing had left. Consequently, Su Yun had been waiting outside Blazing Flame Peak, knowing that Spirit Sword Mountain disciples couldn’t be away for too long. Under normal circumstances, without a valid reason, they could only be absent for a maximum of three days.

However, Su Yun had no way of knowing if he had been out on a mission.

Eliminating someone, though, required extensive preparation. If she lacked even this much patience, Su Yun might as well give up.

Yet, to her surprise, she had waited him out today. Still, she wouldn’t eliminate him here. Once he entered Blazing Flame Peak, Su Yun immediately glanced at a nearby mountain peak, roughly the same height as Blazing Flame Peak, and then flew towards it on her sword.

Upon reaching the summit, she produced another type of aiming device—one that clearly allowed for greater viewing distances, more akin to a telescope.

Su Yun’s current mountain peak was less than 2,000 meters from Blazing Flame Peak. Theoretically, this distance still fell within her effective sniping range.

“All right, then,” Su Yun declared in a low voice. “Now, I’ll just wait for you, young man, to leave Blazing Flame Peak and Spirit Sword Mountain once more.”