CHAPTER 407: STIRRING THE POT

Word spread like wildfire from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect. Thanks to its vast intelligence network, the news reached all corners of the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star in no time.

In less than a day, most regions had already caught wind of it.

At a tavern in Golden Cirrus City, cultivators filled the room with chatter. They were trading rumors—some about demons sneaking onto the star, others about a brewing fight inside the Purple Crest Immortal Sect.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a breathless cultivator stumbled in, shouting, "Big news! Huge news!"

Everyone turned.

"I just got word straight from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect! The one who killed those two Nirvana Peering realm experts from the Sun Clan—it’s someone named Jiang Chen! A Nirvana Cleansing realm human cultivator!"

Gasps rippled through the room, but the man wasn’t done.

"And get this—he’s got no shame! He might be a top-level human cultivator, but he’s working with demons! Back on the Immortal Martial Continent, he tricked his own people and wiped out a human army. Sun Tianlin saw through him, but Jiang Chen forced him to bring him here. And what happened when they landed? Jiang Chen killed Sun Tianlin and the whole group!"

As the man paused for breath, another jumped in.

"I heard something else—Lu Tingyun from the Lu Clan didn’t die because of some feud with the Sun Clan. It was Jiang Chen! That so-called demon spy was behind it all!"

The tavern fell quiet.

People looked at each other, stunned. A human cultivator at Jiang Chen’s level turning into a demon spy? It sounded insane.

And yet... the story came from the Purple Crest Immortal Sect. It seemed too solid to doubt.

So, most of them believed it. Or at least, they didn’t dare say otherwise.

...

Meanwhile, as the cultivators in Golden Cirrus City buzzed with gossip and wild speculation, Jiang Chen was watching.

So, now I’m a demon spy, huh? He smirked to himself. They’re really pulling out all the stops. Trying to turn the crowd against me and keep the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace from taking me in.

Do they honestly think I need their protection? What a joke.

And the Sun Clan... Instead of chasing me down, they’re wasting time playing games? He glanced at his left arm. Maybe that tracking mark really did stop working.

The slander didn’t bother him much. In fact, he found it almost amusing. But underneath it all, he could see what was really going on—the Purple Crest Immortal Sect was panicking.

...

At the same time, in the heart of the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace, a high-level meeting was underway.

Eight Nirvana Cleansing realm experts sat around the chamber, joined by a few dozen cultivators in the Nirvana Peering realm.

One of the Nirvana Cleansing realm elders looked around the room, then began, calm and measured.

"We just got word from our intelligence network. Dozens of soldiers returning from the Immortal Martial Continent have been questioned."

He paused to let that sink in, then continued.

"According to them, Jiang Chen is fully human—and for years, he was the one holding the line on the Immortal Martial Continent. He wiped out an entire demon army, millions strong, with just two sword strikes."

A few brows raised at that, but no one interrupted.

"He’s not native to that continent either. Based on what we’ve gathered, he likely comes from a major power somewhere else."

He leaned forward slightly.

"With his growing feud against the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, now’s our chance. If we bring him in, we might also open a path to the force backing him. That could give us a real edge."

He looked around the room. "So—what do you all think?"

"That plan could work," said an elderly cultivator, frowning. "The real problem is finding Jiang Chen."

"We don’t have to," another Nirvana Cleansing realm expert said, a confident look on his face. "All we need to do is quietly put out the right information. Once Jiang Chen hears about it, he’ll come to us. He can’t take on the entire Purple Crest Immortal Sect by himself. If he wants to stop hiding, teaming up with our Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace is his best bet."

"Good. Let’s make it happen. We’ll bring him in."

The rest of the council nodded in agreement—the decision was made.

But just as the room settled, a wave of urgent messages landed in their hands.

"What? The Purple Crest Immortal Sect is calling Jiang Chen a demon spy?"

"They’re trying to sabotage us. They must’ve figured out we’re trying to recruit him."

"They’re smart about it too. Their story has just enough detail to sound real. With the kind of influence they have, most people across the Prosperous Stone Immortal Star are probably already convinced."

"Honestly, the chances that Jiang Chen’s some powerhouse sent by the demons seem way higher than him just being from some other faction who accidentally ended up on the Immortal Martial Continent."

"Yeah. That place is basically a dead zone drifting through the void. No one goes there unless they’re desperate."

"Looks like we’ll have to put our plan to recruit him on hold for now."

After some back-and-forth, the higher-ups of the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace agreed—it wasn’t the right time to make a move on Jiang Chen. For now, they’d just wait and watch.

With that decision made, the meeting shifted gears to the current state of the Purple Crest Immortal Sect.

The Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace had been keeping close tabs on things and knew full well just how bad the in-fighting and corruption had gotten. It was clear to them that the Sun and Lu Clans wouldn’t be able to hold it together for much longer.

"The Sun and Lu Clans are both hungry for power. And now that the Lu Clan’s lost one of their top cultivators, you can bet the Sun Clan won’t let this chance slip by," one of the Nirvana Cleansing realm elders said.

Another let out a booming laugh. "An internal collapse in the Purple Crest Immortal Sect? That’s a once-in-a-thousand-year gift! Since Jiang Chen’s off the table, let’s stir things up even more—make sure that fire really catches!"

"Agreed!"

"Count me in!"

"I say we keep pushing from the shadows. The Purple Crest Immortal Sect won’t know what hit them."

"This star belongs to us. Time we reminded them."

The rest of the council nodded.

And just like that, the Compassionate Sword Immortal Palace quietly set their next move into motion.

...

Meanwhile, in the main hall of the Purple Crest Immortal Sect, now that Jiang Chen had officially been branded a demon spy, attention quickly shifted back to the issue of Lu Tingyun.

The tension in the room returned in full force.

"Sun Xiangyuan," Lu Tingguang said, eyes fixed on him, "you’re partly to blame for Lu Tingyun’s death. I want a proper explanation before sunrise."

"Like I’ve said before, we still don’t know exactly how she died," Sun Xiangyuan replied, his expression flat. "I won’t take full responsibility until the truth comes out. Here’s part of the compensation we’re offering. If that’s not good enough for you, then fine. We can keep wasting time here while Jiang Chen runs free."

He tossed a storage artifact onto the table.

"You—!" Lu Tingguang’s fists clenched. He looked like he was about to attack on the spot.

Lu Tingze picked up the artifact and scanned it with his divine sense. His face darkened.

"Sun Xiangyuan, this is what you call compensation?" He threw a sharp glare across the table. "This wouldn’t even be enough to train one Nirvana Peering realm cultivator!"

Sun Ancheng let out a short laugh. "You beg for payment and then complain it’s not enough? Please. We’ve already said it—Lu Tingyun brought this on herself. You demanding anything at all is already pushing it. Don’t act like you’re owed the world."

Historically, the Sun and Lu Clans had always been evenly matched within the Purple Crest Immortal Sect. If that balance shifted now, it could mark the beginning of a once-in-an-era power shift.

And Sect Master You Shaojun, being no fool, would naturally side with the stronger clan—meaning the Sun Clan. If things went that way, it was only a matter of time before he stepped down and handed power to one of their own.

That thought alone made Sun Ancheng even more smug.