Chapter 811: Destroy Zhao

Ever since Qiyun Sect rose to prominence and began taking part in the Tiandu Secret Realm gatherings, seven or eight times out of ten it had taken first place. For Taishu Shanyue, returning without first place would be somewhat embarrassing. But circumstances were stronger than men. With things already reduced to this state, it was still better than ending up low in the rankings and receiving nothing at all.

And his proposal truly did appeal to Han and Song.

Although both states wanted first place, neither had held much hope of actually taking it. Their attitude had been more along the lines of doing their best and letting matters take their natural course.

By the usual precedent, Misty Pavilion's rewards for the top three places were respectively three hundred million gold coins, one hundred million gold coins, and fifty million gold coins.

Together, the top three prizes totaled four hundred and fifty million. Split evenly among three parties, each would receive one hundred and fifty million.

That meant that although none of them would receive the three hundred million awarded for first place, every one of them would still get more than the one hundred million awarded for second.

For Han and Song, a reward of that size was already better than expected and more than enough to account for themselves when they returned.

For Taishu Shanyue, going back without first place would still be embarrassing, but receiving this much was better than simply taking second and would make it easier to account for himself as well.

What others did not know, but he did, was that Jin was poor and was secretly preparing for war. Jin needed to accumulate financial reserves and had already reduced its funding to Qiyun Sect. Qiyun Sect genuinely needed this money now. The entire sect was counting on him to bring back good news. Otherwise, why would Qiyun Sect's disciples have needed to fight so fiercely and risk their lives inside the Tiandu Secret Realm?

He too would have preferred to simply go through the motions like Myriad Beasts Sect, Tianxing Sect, and Ling Sect, but Qiyun Sect did not have that luxury. Those three sects were genuinely wealthy. They did not need to gamble their disciples' lives to earn this money. If he could not bring back a reward of real substance, he truly would find it difficult to face everyone in his sect.

And so the three parties reached an agreement: together they would seize first, second, and third place, then split the combined prize money evenly.

As for Zhao, the result of their secret deliberations was to exclude it entirely. The three had already prepared to join forces and eliminate Zhao.

For the time being, however, they did not act. They still needed Zhao's manpower to help deal with Yan, Wei, and Qi.

On the surface, four states had formed an alliance. In reality, three were deceiving Zhao together. Their reasoning was simple: three against three offered no advantage, while four against three gave them a great deal to work with.

Once the three states had made the decision together, Zhao had no room to refuse and did not dare refuse. It could only go along.

Afterward, all four states joined forces to search for Yan, Wei, and Qi. Yet the results of that search hardly repaid the effort they put into it.

...

"We shouldn't have fled in the first place. Once we ran, didn't it just make us look guilty?"

Deep in the vast mountain forest, Xuanbing Sect Elder Liu Xinggao heaved one sigh after another.

Sitting cross-legged beneath a tree, Zijin Cave Elder Yan Li snorted. "Would explanations have mattered under those circumstances? If we hadn't let them search us, would they have believed us? Could I have swallowed my pride and allowed someone to search my person? Could you? What sect could afford that humiliation? If we hadn't broken away in time, those four states would certainly have joined forces against us. You should be glad we escaped when we did!"

Recently, the forces of Yan, Wei, and Qi had all been brooding over that affair.

Because of it, the three states had now withdrawn completely into hiding. Afraid of being discovered, they no longer even dared scatter people out to search for Spirit Seeds. They had remained concealed here, unwilling to move about recklessly.

"I still can't understand it," Chu Fengping said, shaking his head. "We had that place surrounded. We searched above and below the water until there was nowhere left to search. How could a man simply disappear?"

He was not the only one who found it strange. Yan Li too found the matter baffling. The more he thought about how Niu Youdao had escaped, the more unbelievable it seemed.

Xiaoyao Palace Elder Shan Hai, equally unable to make sense of it, suddenly said, "According to the disciples below us, they saw a Misty Pavilion man leave at the time. Could Niu Youdao have disguised himself as someone from Misty Pavilion and escaped that way?"

The moment he said it, everyone turned to look at him.

That did give them a new line of thought. Yet no one dared be certain. Misty Pavilion did send people out to inspect conditions within the Tiandu Secret Realm, and cultivators had occasionally seen them before.

An Elder of Shouzheng Pavilion hesitated. "Impersonating someone from Misty Pavilion is courting death. Would Niu Youdao really have that kind of nerve? And in the space of a single turn, he changed clothes and became someone from Misty Pavilion? Is that even possible?"

The group fell silent. No one could say for certain.

Yan Li's heart had begun pounding at the suggestion. He gave a dry cough. "Impossible!"

Chu Fengping turned to him. "I think it's very possible. On what grounds do you say it's impossible?"

"You've let resentment muddle your head." Yan Li pointed at him, then tapped his own temple. "Think carefully. Before any of us entered the Tiandu Secret Realm, Misty Pavilion inspected us one by one at Tiangu and verified our identities. It wasn't only Niu Youdao. No one had any way to bring in something for an impersonation. And Niu Youdao was different from us. He caused trouble at Tiangu and was taken away by Misty Pavilion for another round of examination. There is no possibility he brought anything like that inside."

Those were his own words. Although he had only meant to defend Niu Youdao, once he said the reasoning aloud, even he felt it made perfect sense. He breathed easier, and the alarm pounding through his chest gradually subsided.

The others more or less nodded as well, finding the argument reasonable.

Chu Fengping hesitated. "If there was no opportunity outside, could he have obtained what he needed after entering the Tiandu Secret Realm?"

Yan Li said, "Have you gone mad? Misty Pavilion's clothing is specially made. Real and false can be distinguished at a glance. Where would Niu Youdao get a set? Don't tell me you think he could strip it off a Misty Pavilion man by force. If something like that had happened, Misty Pavilion would already have launched a major investigation. Even if it wasn't convenient to investigate inside the Secret Realm, the moment everyone leaves, we'll immediately notice unusual movement from Misty Pavilion. Until the matter is cleared up, no one will be leaving Tiandu Peak easily!"

Chu Fengping slowly nodded. "That makes sense. Once we get out, we'll know from their reaction. If there really is something wrong on Misty Pavilion's side, eight or nine times out of ten that bastard will be involved."

Yan Li did not want trouble stirred up on this front. He advised him earnestly, "Only a few disciples below us saw the man. No one else did. I didn't see him. None of you saw him. None of us has any confidence about what really happened. With no evidence, it's better not to make wild accusations. If you provoke Misty Pavilion into taking the matter seriously, and Niu Youdao turns around and accuses you of using Misty Pavilion to eliminate him over a personal grudge, then Misty Pavilion may investigate in earnest. If Niu Youdao can then prove how he escaped by some other means, you'll only have brought trouble on yourself. Plenty of people personally witnessed how determined you were to make trouble for Niu Youdao!"

"In any case, my position is simple: without evidence, say nothing recklessly. If Brother Chu insists on dragging Misty Pavilion into this and making the matter bigger, that's Brother Chu's affair. Let me state this in advance: I know nothing. Whatever happens, Brother Chu can deal with Misty Pavilion himself. Don't drag me into it. I heard nothing and know nothing."

The others exchanged glances. Whatever they thought, remaining silent was also a position.

Chu Fengping fell silent.

...

Days and months flew like a shuttle. More than four months passed inside the Secret Realm, equal to nine months in the outside world.

There were simply too few people inside. Heaven and earth were vast. If a group truly hid itself away, then without any clues, finding them was no different from searching for a needle in the sea.

Unable to find them and with no idea where Yan, Wei, and Qi were hiding, the forces of the other four states decided to return. They would guard the Secret Realm exit and wait for their quarry to deliver themselves to the door. Those factions could not hide inside the Secret Realm forever and refuse to go back.

The moment the decision to return was made, Zhao's disaster arrived.

Jin, Han, and Song launched a sudden joint assault on Zhao.

They had been getting along perfectly well all this time. Who could have expected the killing blow to descend without warning? Zhao's cultivators were caught completely unprepared.

Facing the combined attack of three states, Zhao's cultivators had no warning at all and could not even organize an effective resistance. They were almost completely annihilated. Only a handful managed to escape by luck, fleeing in grief without even knowing where they should go.

Not one of Xiaoyue Pavilion's agents planted among Zhao survived. Every last one was killed.

The Spirit Seeds Zhao had painstakingly collected fell into other hands and were divided among Jin, Han, and Song.

Once the three states succeeded, they immediately began the return journey. They had to leave early; they had traveled a great distance, and the trip back itself would take considerable time.

When they reached the ancient forest, the three states immediately joined forces to secure the area around the exit, waiting for their quarry to come to them.

But others had arrived before them.

The people from Myriad Beasts Sect, Ling Sect, and Tianxing Sect were already there, waiting only for the exit to open so they could leave.

Those three sects had never intended to earn money from this affair. They had no desire to offend anyone over it. They had entered merely to complete the required formality and go through the motions. As usual, they had also joined forces with one another.

None of the three groups was large. Each had entered with only a hundred people, giving them only three hundred altogether. At every gathering, they joined forces when it was time to return in order to guard against accidents.

Their numbers might have been small, but the three sects were extremely wealthy and carried many talismans. When their people were scattered, outsiders could ambush them and perhaps snatch a little profit. Once the three sects united, however, no one dared act rashly against them. Doing so would inevitably come at a terrible cost.

Jin, Han, and Song had no intention of provoking them either, nor did they dare openly do so. Although those three sects had not built vast secular power blocs outside, each possessed enough strength to influence wars between states. It was better for everyone if they remained neutral.

Among the Golden Core Ranking, most of the highly ranked cultivators who had entered the Tiandu Secret Realm had also returned early by now. Most attached themselves to the three allied neutral sects, borrowing their shelter so they could all leave safely together. The three neutral sects accepted them as well. It was only short-term cooperation, and having a few experts lend support reduced the risks somewhat. Both sides benefited.

Ximen Qingkong had returned as well, with a dispirited Wei Duo following beside him.

Yan Baoru had also returned, though she seemed to have lost the easy confidence she once carried in every movement. She had become exceptionally quiet.

In fact, she had been the first to return. When she arrived, no one else had yet come back.

Had Yan Li seen her there, he would certainly have found it strange, because Niu Youdao had sent word to him: if Yan Baoru returned to Yan's group, kill her without mercy.

In short, she could not be given any chance to speak. Yan's people were to frighten her away at all costs and force her to return here ahead of time.

This was merely a precaution Niu Youdao had prepared in case it became necessary. Under normal circumstances, after being separated from Yan's people for so long, the woman would probably have had difficulty finding them again anyway. Yan's group had left her no markers to follow.

And with no other eyes or ears to help her, finding another force alone in such a vast world was extremely difficult. Even if another faction saw her, they would not reveal themselves voluntarily. She had nothing worth robbing, her cultivation was high, and no one had any reason to invite that kind of trouble.

More importantly, this woman's perspective was limited. At the time, she had not known what he and the overseas cultivators were trying to accomplish together, which was why she had secretly followed him and exposed herself.

Given Niu Youdao's judgment, together with the incentive he had provided, he estimated that once she found herself alone, helpless, and unable to locate anyone else, returning here would be her only real choice.

[End of Chapter 811]