CHAPTER 127: CHAPTER 79: THE PLAN

Shangjing City.

In the house where Guan Chenbo lived, Guan Chenbo was practicing martial arts. Not far from him lay a young girl who appeared to have fainted. His hand was raised, with five fingers spread open in her direction, and something was being absorbed from her body into his.

The girl seemed extremely distressed, her brows tightly furrowed, and she had bitten her lower lip until it bled. Her body occasionally twitched, but she did not awaken.

A quarter of an hour later, Guan Chenbo retracted his hand and opened his eyes. The girl before him had aged significantly; her body’s fat and blood seemed drained, leaving her looking very frail. Yet, from the slight rise and fall of her chest, it was clear she was still alive.

Guan Chenbo snapped his fingers, and someone entered from outside and took the girl away. Immediately, a person dressed entirely in a cloak appeared before Guan Chenbo, kneeling on one knee with utmost respect.

"Sir, those sent to hunt Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi did not return and have already perished!" the cloaked person cautiously said.

"Bang!"

With a wave of his hand, Guan Chenbo sent the cloaked person flying against the wall. The person groaned, clutching his chest as he returned to kneel fearfully before Guan Chenbo.

"Useless!" Guan Chenbo’s eyes were dark red and filled with murderous intent. "I’ve sent two groups, and both have failed. Are Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi that formidable? You can’t even handle such a small matter!"

Guan Chenbo was truly angry. In Wanqing Sect over the years, he might not have a precise take on Jiang Shichang’s cultivation, but he was very well aware of Jiang Yingshi’s, especially since they had previously faced hardships together in the Secret Realm. He vividly knew Jiang Yingshi’s level. Either of the two groups he sent should have easily eliminated them, yet both failed!

His anger unconsciously unleashed the oppressive aura of someone beyond the seventh stage, but fortunately, he soon became aware and suppressed it.

Despite that, the cloaked person kneeling before him was already injured by his presence. Already wounded initially, the person’s condition worsened. Yet, facing Guan Chenbo’s towering rage, he dared not make a sound and could only endure silently.

"Where are they now?" Guan Chenbo glanced at the cloaked person and coldly asked.

"They have already approached Jianan City," the cloaked person promptly replied.

"How is Nalan Qing’s situation?" Guan Chenbo pondered for a moment and suddenly inquired.

"She has been taken back to Nanxing City by members of the Nalan Family. Our people have started coordinating with her. The task should be completed within a few days," the cloaked man responded quickly after a brief pause.

"Make arrangements. This time, I will personally lead the team to Jianan City!" Guan Chenbo stood up, flicked his sleeves, and spoke decisively.

"Yes, I will arrange it right away." The cloaked person immediately stood up, swayed slightly, but quickly steadied himself and left the room.

After the cloaked person left, Guan Chenbo walked to the window and gazed at the sky outside, expressionless, "Jiang Shichang, Jiang Yingshi... heh."

...

Gu Qingqing and the others had just arrived outside Jianan City, preparing to enter the city.

Jianan City is one of the border cities between the Great Tang Dynasty and the Great Qin Dynasty. Its prosperity doesn’t match Shangjing City, and it isn’t a large city, merely a medium one, even less compared to a city like Liuyue City.

The people in the city didn’t seem to be living particularly well; one could even see beggars on the street.

As soon as Gu Qingqing and the group entered the city, they were the subject of various gazes. Their appearance was so outstanding, attracting attention wherever they went.

Fortunately, they were habituated to such attention and didn’t pay it any heed.

After finding a place to stay and freshening up, the group gathered in Si Lin’s room.

"Senior Brother, what do we do next?" Mu Chen looked at Si Lin and asked first.

The others also looked at Si Lin, waiting for his instructions, including Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi.

"We have killed two groups sent by Guan Chenbo. This time, he will definitely come in person, and since we haven’t hidden our trail, it’s easy for him to find us. He should be here soon, so everyone be on your guard. If he comes, we’ll deal with him accordingly," Si Lin spoke calmly.

"I hope he hurries up. Once it’s resolved, we can return to Spirit Hidden Mountain," Rong Ye said gloomily.

Originally, if they returned to Spirit Hidden Mountain, Gu Qingqing could ascend to the Sub-immortal Realm there, and they could bring Gu Qingqing to explore the Sub-immortal Realm. But due to the Guan Chenbo affair, they were delayed and had to remain in Xuantian Continent!

It’s not that Xuantian Continent isn’t good, just that Rong Ye was more accustomed to being in the Sub-immortal Realm.

The others felt similarly; they all anticipated Guan Chenbo’s quick arrival.

Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi were no exceptions. Through their journey, they fully realized how formidable Si Lin and the others were. When Guan Chenbo comes, he would certainly have no return. Once Guan Chenbo was dealt with, they could return to Wanqing Sect sooner!

To ensure Guan Chenbo found them, they even deliberately stayed in Jianan City for two extra days!

Fortunately, Guan Chenbo did not let them down. On the third night, after the entire Jianan City fell into darkness, Gu Qingqing and the others returned to their rooms to rest. It was at this moment that Guan Chenbo arrived at their courtyard.

His subordinates didn’t know Gu Qingqing’s group and were unaware of their prowess. Those who knew were already dead. Guan Chenbo didn’t think much of it, assuming Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi had encountered disciples from other sects and thus escaped the assassination attempt.

Unaware of Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi’s rooms, upon entering the courtyard, he signaled his cloaked followers to break into the adjacent rooms, and he found one room to enter himself.

Si Lin and the others had sensed their arrival, waiting for them to fall into the trap.

Guan Chenbo’s luck wasn’t good; the room he barged into happened to be Si Lin’s. As soon as he opened the door, a Sword Qi greeted him.

Startled, he quickly dodged. Upon turning around, he saw the lights in the room illuminate, revealing Si Lin seated by the table, holding the Dragon Capturing Sword, watching him quietly.

In the Secret Realm, Guan Chenbo had witnessed Si Lin’s cultivation. His face changed immediately, realizing he had fallen into a trap, and he swiftly turned to leave.

Unfortunately, Si Lin had gone through so much effort to lure him over, how could he possibly let him leave? With a wave of his hand, a streak of Sword Qi shot straight towards Guan Chenbo’s back.

Feeling the chill from behind, Guan Chenbo lunged forward without thinking and immediately rolled to dodge Si Lin’s attack.

By the time he steadied himself, Si Lin had already reached him. The Dragon Capturing Sword grazed his cheek, causing a searing pain. Touching it with his hand, he saw blood on his fingertips, and his face instantly turned grim.

The dark red in his eyes increased instantly, and his aura grew stronger.

He drew a treasure sword to block Si Lin’s attack, and the two directly entered the courtyard to fight.

At this moment, both of their cultivation levels were the same, but Si Lin’s use of swordsmanship and step technique surpassed Guan Chenbo. Guan Chenbo could barely cope, unable to fight back.

As the two were battling, the others had also dealt with the cloaked figures that broke into their room and came to the courtyard to watch Si Lin and Guan Chenbo fight.

"This kid is quite lucky to have made the senior brother take action!" Rong Ye said with a smile, looking at Guan Chenbo.

"Indeed, he has become much stronger after transforming into the Demon Clan. Honestly, I’ve never studied the Demon Clan, and I wonder if, after the senior brother’s interrogation, he could be handed over to me. Some elixirs in the legacy I received seem effective on the Demon Clan. Let me study him thoroughly." Mu Chen stroked his chin, a glint in his eyes as he looked at Guan Chenbo, with eagerness growing.

Rong Ye quietly moved away from Mu Chen and squeezed beside Gu Qingqing, ignoring Jun Wu’s angry glare.

Jiang Yingshi, having seen Guan Chenbo’s transformation into the Demon Clan in the Secret Realm before, wasn’t surprised. She was only angry at Guan Chenbo’s intent to kill her, looking at him with a rather bad expression.

It was Jiang Shichang’s first time seeing Guan Chenbo like this. He was shocked, and his expression darkened, especially thinking about how such a person stayed in the Wanqing Sect for so long, he couldn’t help but want to kill Guan Chenbo.

Ultimately, Guan Chenbo was no match for Si Lin. Si Lin severed his tendons and muscles, pressing him to the ground, and Guan Chenbo looked at them with a face full of hatred.

"Gu Qingqing, you first." Si Lin glanced at Gu Qingqing and said.

Gu Qingqing followed Jun Wu to stand in front of Guan Chenbo, and under his puzzled gaze, she opened her mouth.

"During the following process, no matter what question you are asked, you must speak the truth!" A mysterious and ethereal voice flowed from Gu Qingqing’s mouth. After she finished speaking, she nodded at Si Lin and then stood aside with Jun Wu.

Guan Chenbo felt something fall onto him, but he couldn’t say exactly what it was until Si Lin asked him questions. Despite having different thoughts, he directly revealed the truth upon opening his mouth, instantly looking at Gu Qingqing in terror.

He hadn’t heard of the Word Spirit Technique, but it still scared him. Anyone in his shoes would be terrified of Gu Qingqing’s ability!

After questioning, Si Lin delivered a blow to Guan Chenbo’s neck, causing him to pass out directly.

"He’s all yours. Didn’t you just say you wanted to study him?" Si Lin threw Guan Chenbo in front of Mu Chen, speaking indifferently.

Mu Chen was taken aback, not expecting his earlier words to be overheard by Si Lin. But as his gaze fell on Guan Chenbo, his expression immediately became full of excitement.

"Alright, I’ll take him down first!" He said, grabbing Guan Chenbo with one hand and leaving.

The others followed Si Lin back to his room.

"You all heard it just now. They came with a purpose, planning to set up a Transmission Array in Nanxing City, allowing the Demon Clan army to teleport over and thus conquer the Xuantian Continent. What should we do next? Does anyone have any thoughts? Please speak up." Si Lin glanced at everyone, repeating what he had just learned from Guan Chenbo.

"Senior Brother, if the Demon Clan army comes over, won’t the Heavenly Dao stop them?" Rong Ye asked curiously.

"As some of you may have felt, the Heavenly Dao of the Xuantian Continent is currently very weak and could dissipate at any time. The Demon Clan is only one of the factions. They somehow got information, and they aim to be the first to occupy the Xuantian Continent, having laid plans for many years since Guan Chenbo entered the Wanqing Sect." Si Lin glanced at Rong Ye as he explained.

Hearing this, everyone’s face turned somewhat grim.

Although Gu Qingqing grew up on the Xuantian Continent, much of her development was at Spirit Hidden Mountain, so her attachment to the Xuantian Continent wasn’t deep. It was even less for the others. If not for the fact that Gu Qingqing grew up on the Xuantian Continent, they wouldn’t care about its survival!

Only Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi were native to the Xuantian Continent, with relatives, friends, and sects here. Hearing that the continent’s Heavenly Dao was about to dissipate and that their home might be conquered by the Demon Clan, both looked very worried.

"This place is where Gu Qingqing grew up, so it’s best not to let it fall into the Demon Clan’s hands. If the Xuantian Continent is captured, it will only strengthen the Demon Clan, which wouldn’t bode well for other realms!" Nan Hua fanned himself, his peach blossom eyes blinking as he spoke.

"Nan Hua is right. We cannot let the Demon Clan occupy this place. Their power must not grow any further." Yue Zhao looked at Nan Hua and said.

Si Lin glanced at Gu Qingqing, nodding in agreement.

"Alright, then we shall set out for Nanxing City to disrupt their Transmission Array and prevent the Demon Clan army from coming over!" Si Lin, not wanting the Xuantian Continent to fall into the Demon Clan’s hands, decisively made the call.

Jiang Shichang and Jiang Yingshi were initially thinking of persuading Si Lin and the others to help. Hearing their decision, they instantly broke into smiles of relief.

"Mr. Si, if we need to mobilize our forces, please just say so. The Xuantian Continent is our territory; we absolutely cannot allow the Demon Clan to seize it!" Jiang Shichang bowed to Si Lin, speaking with a trace of respect.

"Alright, if the need arises, we won’t hesitate to ask for your help." Si Lin didn’t refuse, acknowledging that their capabilities were limited, and entrusting some matters to the local forces of the Xuantian Continent wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Having decided, Si Lin let them return first, planning to set out the following day.

After returning to his room, Jiang Shichang relayed the current situation to the Sect Leader of Wanqing Sect. The Sect Leader was stunned by the news and confirmed with Jiang Shichang several times before believing it was true.

"The Heavenly Dao is so weakened? Is heaven plotting the demise of our Xuantian Continent?" the Sect Leader lamented pessimistically.

"Sect Leader, this isn’t the time for such thoughts. We are preparing to head to Nanxing City immediately. I hope you can lead people there quickly and notify other factions as well. We must hold Nanxing City and prevent the Transmission Array from being completed, or else we will truly face annihilation!" Jiang Shichang, much calmer, directly instructed the Sect Leader.

The Sect Leader awoke from his stupor, "You are right. I will gather everyone right away and send word to other factions. We absolutely cannot let the Demon Clan enter our Xuantian Continent!"