Chapter 75

Xiaoming stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

In the midst of cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

The result of the sect leader's outing:

Two hours after the sect leader secretly went out... In a fairly spacious secret room, several figures gathered around a large table, whispering to each other. All of them exuded a thick aura of darkness... Their expressions were extremely serious. The one sitting at the head of the table spoke.

"I called you all here today because there are a few things to discuss."

"Zhang Wushang, the elder, has not arrived yet."

"He is busy and cannot attend. Now that the plan is almost complete, we must start acting and cannot keep delaying."

"But we are not fully prepared yet. The branches have suddenly started moving independently, and communication has been cut off. This suggests that the sect leader is planning something. If we act rashly, we might..."

"Kukukuk, don't worry about that. According to the reports from the spies we planted in some branches, the sect leader has isolated the branches from the main temple to prepare for a severe bloodbath in this power struggle. It seems there is no other meaning. However, the problem is that the sect leader has noticed our movements to some extent."

"How much has he noticed?"

"Of course, the simple-minded sect leader has just realized that expelling Mo Xiang was a mistake. Fortunately, Mo Xiang even killed Ling Bi Jie, one of the sect leader's close confidants. Now the sect leader has almost no one to trust. And in a state where it is still unclear who the enemy is, he has started his final gamble."

"What?"

The figure at the head of the table deliberately paused for a moment before speaking.

"To form an alliance with Mo Xiang again."

The figures sitting around the table began to murmur. Mo Xiang, after all, was the strongest expert ever produced by the sect. If he supported the sect leader, a rebellion would be impossible to discuss.

"How can this be... We must do whatever it takes to prevent such a situation. If he returns to the sect, a rebellion will be impossible. He is a simple fool who has no interest in anything other than martial arts. When he was loyal to the sect leader despite his outstanding martial arts, how much trouble did we have expelling him?"

Then another voice interrupted.

"But it will be difficult for Mo Xiang and the sect leader to reunite. If he comes back blindly on the sect leader's word, he might suffer. He has already tasted the bitter pill once, so it will be difficult."

Then the figure at the head of the table smiled sinisterly and said.

"According to our investigation, the sect leader has offered the branches to Mo Xiang as a gesture of reconciliation. That's why communication with the branches has been cut off... And he even offered Xuehua Palace and Wan'e Palace as gifts. I only found out about this fact late, so I couldn't stop it."

But the figure showed a skeptical reaction to the idea of Mo Xiang and the sect leader reuniting.

"But those forces are not the main strength of our sect. Even if we combine all their forces, they are not even one-twentieth of the main temple's strength. It would be hard for him to trust the sect leader with just that. If we mobilize the Zizheng Man Da alone, we can sweep through all the branches in the Central Plains in half a year. If Mo Xiang thinks at all, he won't accept such conditions."

The figure at the head of the table burst into laughter.

"Kukukuk, as expected, Elder Zhuge Tian has keen insight. Of course, Mo Xiang is not a fool to fall for such a bait."

Then Elder Zhuge Tian, known for his Mie Jue Shen Zhang, asked curiously.

"Then what other bait was there?"

Then the figure at the head of the table smiled and took something out of his pocket, throwing it to the center of the table where everyone could see it.

"The sect leader's final bait is this."

The paper thrown by the figure at the head of the table, thanks to his skillful control of inner strength, unfolded and slowly landed precisely in the center of the table. Elder Zhuge Tian, who was staring at the content with a serious expression, exclaimed in shock.

"Then, is the sect leader offering the Tianma Xuejian Team to Mo Xiang? If that's the case, their reunion will succeed. Deputy Sect Leader! We must absolutely prevent the Tianma Xuejian Team from falling into Mo Xiang's hands."

Then Zhang Renjie burst into laughter.

"Kukukuk! Of course, we have already prevented it. That's why this paper is here. Elder Ouyang Yun, who did not tell you, has already been recruited by me. He will go near the Shanxi branch but will return here soon. Of course, his movement is to deceive the sect leader's spies."

"But the sect leader will soon realize that Elder Ouyang Yun has betrayed him. With such a gift, Mo Xiang will certainly reconcile with the sect leader. If the Tianma Xuejian Team falls into Mo Xiang's hands, his forces will far surpass the sect leader's, and Mo Xiang will trust the sect leader. We must act before the sect leader realizes this."

"Elder He Wu Shang has already taken action. Now, all that remains is to eliminate the sect leader. You must seize all the power within the sect in exactly five days. Elder He Wu Shang will command you. And by then, the sect leader will be put to eternal rest."

Elder Zhuge Tian smiled sinisterly and said.

"But we should be cautious about eliminating the sect leader."

"Why?"

"We need to use him as a hostage."

"A hostage?"

"To prevent the intervention of the Poison Hand Demon Emperor. While the Poison Hand Demon Emperor himself is not to be feared, if the Council of Elders moves, it will be a serious matter. First, we must use the hostages to threaten the Poison Hand Demon Emperor and prevent his intervention. Then, we must isolate the Poison Hand Demon Emperor and ensure the thorough protection of the hostages' lives. But once we remove the Poison Hand Demon Emperor's Poison Hand, the hostages will no longer be necessary, kukukuk..."

It was a truly ruthless plan. The Poison Hand Demon Emperor was the retired father of the sect leader. If the sect leader and his family's lives were used to threaten the Poison Hand Demon Emperor, he would have no choice but to tacitly accept Zhang Renjie's usurpation of the sect leader's position. After gradually eliminating the Poison Hand Demon Emperor's influence in the Council of Elders and secretly eliminating him, the sect leader and his family could be eliminated, and everyone could live in peace from then on.

"Kukukuk, it's a good idea. I hadn't thought that far. Well, for now, we must leave the sect leader as a cripple. Elder Zhuge Tian, secure the sect leader's family until I return."

"Understood!"

Five days later... The sect leader's entourage arrived at a small and cozy mansion. This outing, which the sect leader should not have done as the leader of the sect, involved only a few of his subordinates. He brought only the Ten Blood Dragons, a group of ten supreme experts who served as his personal guards, and thirty out of a hundred Blood Demon Team experts, who were specially selected to protect him from a distance.

The first thing the sect leader's entourage did upon arriving at the mansion was to subdue all the mansion's residents and tie them up in a room. After the surroundings were secured, the sect leader slowly entered the mansion, admiring the scenery, with the Ten Blood Dragons guarding him from behind. When the sect leader entered a small room, a martial artist quickly brought a small bottle of wine and a few simple dishes. The sect leader slowly drank while waiting for his guest.

After about an hour, the guest he was waiting for arrived. A well-mannered young man in his mid-30s with a gentle gaze... He was the current leader of the martial arts alliance.

He also entered the mansion with only a few guards, and as the two giants of this era whispered in the small room, the supreme experts of the martial arts alliance and the sect, who could never meet in one place, began to guard the periphery and watch each other.

"It's been a while. It seems things are going well for you. Your complexion is very good."

"Hehehe, the same goes for you... It's been a while. Actually, I wanted to meet you. I have a few things to ask."

"What is it?"

"Because of the discovery of the tomb of Great Hero Gu Hui, the entire martial arts world is in turmoil. Why is only the sect so quiet?"

"Hehehe, our sect has the Northern Ming Skill, so why would we covet it? And we have internal matters to deal with, so we can't be distracted by such skills or treasures."

"Oh, I had a hunch when I saw Mo Xiang, but it seems your sect does have the Northern Ming Skill. Have you also mastered it?"

"I haven't. I tried a few times, but it felt a bit strange. It seems to have been intentionally altered... Anyway, after almost falling into madness during a previous attempt, I haven't touched it since. But strangely, Mo Xiang has mastered it."

"If your sect hasn't been playing tricks, then the tomb is real? Anyway, I've been extremely busy with that tomb lately. Everyone is so obsessed with the treasure that there have been several near-bloodbaths between the righteous and the sect, and between different sects. It's fortunate that your sect hasn't been involved... By the way, it's not time to meet yet, so why did you call me here?"

Then the sect leader, with a puzzled expression, asked in return.

"What do you mean? I thought you called me... Didn't you?"

"Then what's going on?"

"Oh, I've fallen into a trap."

At this moment, the outside began to get noisy. The sounds of weapons clashing, screams, and battle cries... The sect leader and the alliance leader quickly leaped out to see what was happening.

What they saw outside was truly shocking. The sect leader and the alliance leader were protected by extremely skilled subordinates. Yet, they were being overwhelmed. The opponents were a group of over 300 people dressed in red... They didn't seem human at all. They used various weapons, and even when their limbs were severed or their bellies torn open, spilling their entrails, they continued to attack with terrifying ferocity.

The sect leader groaned.

"Thousand Ling Corpses, who could have...?"

At this moment, over a hundred martial artists with bows and over a thousand with various weapons descended around them, completely surrounding them. One of them spoke. A man in his early 30s with a handsome face, but a sinister smile, began to taunt the sect leader.

"Kukukuk, it's been a while, sect leader. I bet you never thought we'd meet in such a place, kukukuk!"

"Zhang Renjie... You bastard! You, you..."

"The Thousand Ling Corpses that the sect leader spent a long time creating... They are truly powerful beyond imagination, aren't they? Since I taught the sect leader the method to create corpses, it was natural to think that the corpses he created would be under my control. And the person responsible for creating the corpses is my confidant, so there's no need to say more. I admit that the skill of the guards to cut down the Thousand Ling Corpses, which cannot be injured by ordinary weapons, is unexpectedly excellent, but nothing will change, kukukuk..."

As the sect leader, filled with rage, slowly drew his inner strength, his skin began to turn a bright purple, and his appearance became even more bizarre. The alliance leader, standing beside him, also