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Chapter 309 The Clown of the Lotus Cloud Sect

Are you doing well?

Song Wei glanced at the house. What was the difference between this and a dilapidated thatched hut in a mountain village?
If even a place like this can be used to entertain guests, it shows how shabby the Wanshan Wilderness is.

Just as the rumors said... She gave up her rightful place for a group of refugees, and ultimately became enemies with the King of Qi.

However, he was too lazy to expose her pretense. "Senior sister may think that she can get by now, but such days will soon disappear. I came here from afar, firstly to check on your condition, and secondly to warn you—Senior sister, you are in big trouble."

He observed Liu Shuyue's expression, but unfortunately, he couldn't discern any change in it.

"A great calamity?" Liu Shuyue asked calmly.

“The Qi Kingdom and the Luo Kingdom have joined forces, but this is not what the King of Qi and the King of Luo wanted.” Song Wei lowered her voice and leaned forward slightly. “In fact, the King of Luo has long been controlled by Senior Sister Lan Qin and has become her devoted follower. What’s worse, it seems that the King of Qi has also fallen into her hands. I’ve heard that there is now a very favored woman in the King of Qi’s harem. She is actually Lan Qin. The replacement of the immortal master must also be her order.”

In the past, Liu Shuyue would have been furious.

Each disciple who leaves the mountain is free to choose their path of assistance. Climbing onto the emperor's bed and controlling him both physically and mentally is also Lan Qin's personal choice, and she will not judge it. However, crossing the border of Luo Kingdom to influence Da Qi clearly violates the rule that each disciple of Lianyun Sect should assist one country.

She absolutely would not allow such an absurd thing to happen.

However, Liu Shuyue felt nothing at all, and even wanted to laugh a little.

She no longer saw the disciples who left the mountain as saviors of the world, but rather as clowns released by the Lotus Cloud Sect. The sect made them struggle in the mortal world, only to make them look foolish in the end.

Just like how the sect allowed the Immortal Master of Ning Kingdom to murder the Immortal Master of Qi Kingdom, and the Immortal Master of Qi Kingdom endured humiliation and survived, only to come back to murder them a hundred years later...

"How did you know? This should be top secret information from the palace, right?"

“Senior Sister…it seems you really haven’t spent much time in the palace.” Song Wei sighed. “Do you think the other disciples just stood by and watched while you were out there slaying demons and saving people? I won’t hide it from you. When I learned that you hadn’t returned to the capital for a long time, I selected a few promising rogue cultivators to go to the Qi Kingdom. They all successfully infiltrated the palace. Even the Xia Kingdom was able to do this, so it goes without saying that other kingdoms could do it too.”

Liu Shuyue was slightly taken aback.

Are these disciples really from the same sect as me?

She knew, of course, that the king was eager for cultivators who were willing to serve and who were capable. Therefore, it was natural for rogue cultivators who had been instructed by disciples of the Lotus Cloud Sect to be more likely to gain the favor of those in power. But what was the point of being so proactive in planting spies among her fellow disciples? Did it help save the world and the people?
The thought that the palace was full of spies sent by immortal masters from various countries made Liu Shuyue's scalp tingle.

“But now the palace in Daqi has a new master, and several of my people were dragged out and killed. Fortunately, they brought me some inside information before they died,” Song Wei continued. “The person who succeeded you is named Jiang Ning. I can’t tell his background, but he should be a master among the rogue cultivators. The key point is that he has an unusually close relationship with Senior Sister Lan Qin in private, so he is most likely also a pawn of Lan Qin. This means that the actual control of Luo Kingdom and Qi Kingdom has fallen into the hands of a single immortal master.”

"And now... Lan Qin is planning to kill you. Because only if you are dead will her plan be flawless."

"The Luo Kingdom's army has already crossed the border and is advancing towards the capital of the Great Qi Kingdom, and the Qi Kingdom's army has no intention of stopping them at all. As far as I know, this army numbers around 100,000, with more than 30% being rogue cultivators... This is definitely an abnormal number! Once they arrive here, you won't be able to escape even if you grow wings!"

So that's how it is... Are they finally ready?

After the battle of Jiufeng City, Liu Shuyue had long anticipated that this day would come.

Although the details of the matter differed greatly from her expectations, the overall direction was correct—regardless of whether the person who wanted to kill her was Prince Qi or Lan Qin, the battle between the immortal masters was ultimately unavoidable.

Liu Shuyue probably understood the purpose of the other party's visit to issue a warning.

Of course, it wasn't for any reason related to being classmates or fellow students.

Once the Great Qi and Great Luo merge, their combined power will completely overwhelm the remaining kingdoms. At that time, Lan Qin will only need to proceed steadily and surely to easily conquer the other four kingdoms and unify the entire continent. As for the immortal masters who can represent the Lotus Cloud Sect... naturally, the fewer the better.

"You want to cooperate with me?" she asked frankly. "It's not just you!" Song Wei clenched her fist. "Before coming here, I also met Li Yulong. She is now a Celestial Master of Yue Kingdom and is willing to support my plan! The three of us together already occupy half of the disciples who have left the mountain!"

"and then?"

"Of course, we should find an opportunity to kill Lan Qin! She returns to Luo Kingdom every now and then, so we can take the opportunity to ambush her on the way! Even if she has the protection of rogue cultivators and the army, she can't possibly escape from a joint attack by three Lianyun Sect disciples!"

This plan does indeed have a fighting chance... Liu Shuyue thought to herself. Rogue cultivators are no match for sect disciples. If Li Yulong really decides to fight to the death, then Lan Qin will really have a hard time dealing with it.

"I'm sorry, you should ask other immortal masters instead." She shook her head and refused.

"What?" Song Wei's expression changed, clearly not expecting her to refuse. "Senior sister, this is your only way to save yourself. Wake up! Even if you don't think about yourself, think about the refugees who follow you!"

“I wasn’t fully awake before, but now I’m at my most lucid.” Liu Shuyue said dismissively, “What have we been studying in the sect for so long? Schemes, murder, exchanging immortal techniques for power? Thank you for your warning, I’ll figure out a way to deal with Lan Qin myself.”

"..." Song Wei stared at Liu Shuyue without saying a word, as if trying to see through what she was thinking.

After a long pause, he spoke again, "You are really... too naive. This is no longer the Lotus Cloud Sect."

Liu Shuyue's body suddenly swayed twice.

She suddenly stood up. "Poison?"

"Since Senior Sister doesn't support my plan, then don't blame me for being ruthless. I am a Celestial Master of Xia Kingdom, and Xia Kingdom is a small country that must exert every effort to survive!" Song Wei pointed at Liu Shuyue and uttered the truth, "Freeze!"

This "Chonglan Dao" elixir emanated from his sachet... It took effect very quickly; once the thin strap was loosened, it could fill the room within five breaths. However, its effect on sect disciples was not obvious, only causing slight dizziness and drowsiness.

However, the difference between masters can be as thin as a hair's breadth.

The moment she was frozen in place, his next spell followed. Four crimson ribbons appeared out of thin air, pulling her hands and feet in four directions. These were Immortal Binding Ropes. If an ordinary person were pulled even slightly, their limbs would be severed. Even sect disciples protected by spiritual energy would fare no better; the excruciating pain alone could cause them to lose consciousness.

"Take this!" Song Wei's final Cloud-Swallowing Palm struck Liu Shuyue's abdomen. This move could penetrate spiritual energy defenses and was a trump card against cultivators of the same level!

With a deafening roar, a violent cloud of energy erupted from behind Liu Shuyue, smashing through the walls of the thatched hut! Along with it, the sound of her spine cracking echoed.

"Immortal Master!?" the horned deer outside asked in astonishment.

"Stop them!" Song Wei shouted to his men, simultaneously grabbing Liu Shuyue's throat—her dantian had been severely damaged, her internal organs were injured, and her qi circulation was impaired, rendering her incapable of effective resistance. He only needed to use the Soul Devouring Technique to absorb her spiritual energy to gain a significant power boost—

But at that moment, Liu Shuyue disappeared.

His hands were completely empty.

"You've even learned evil arts?" Liu Shuyue's voice came from behind, a hint of surprise finally appearing in her unchanging tone. "Devouring a cultivator's spiritual energy is the greatest taboo. Not only will it cause you to lose your mind, but it will also inevitably attract inner demons. Have you gone mad?"

Song Wei turned around abruptly and found the other person standing outside the house calmly, showing no signs of injury.

...Could I have fallen into the Eight Gates Formation of Life and Death?

The question is, how is that possible? He scanned the area several times with his mental cultivation technique, and there were no talismans set up nearby at all!

(End of this chapter)