Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy

  On a barren hill at the Eastern Way Prefecture of Great Ming Country in Blue River Region, there was a secret high-level meeting of Seven Stars Sect.

  This kind of low-level trash sect, which couldn’t even meet the minimum requirements to join the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, was doomed to take an unusual road for their development and operation.

  First, because their main businesses were to swindle and operate a cult, thus, in the territory of Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, they were destined to lurk in the dark, even their altar was covered up by them, building it on a barren hill. Otherwise, among the low-level trash sects, the Seven Stars Sect could be regarded as a rising star, not down and out like they were right now.

  Second, because they did not amount to something, many proper things that were naturally arranged in a normal sect were not in theirs. For example, the Sect Leader and the other Elders lacked the necessary communication channel. Usually, for the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, there were Immortal method links between their higher ups, either with Water Mirror Fantasy Screen or dispatching communication talismans, flying sword messenger, and so on… For those top rank sects, their Absolute Summoning Talisman could even break countless of restriction arrays to arrive at the destination—each of it could buy the whole Seven Stars Sect.

  As for the Seven Stars Sect, they could only use mortal means, by arranging the time and place for their high-level meeting.

  Although the Seven Stars Sect was not a large scale sect, their business network was really complicated. The Elders usually have their own respective domain of operation and would usually be busy with their work. It was rare for them to have the time to come together. So, each time before the meeting, they would express their unity to the sect and greet each other. But today, the atmosphere on the altar, which was their main base, was somewhat odd.

  A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe rushed to the hill. His name was Xie Chi, the youngest of the Six Stars Elders of the Seven Stars Sect. He was a highly talented cultivator that the Sect Leader of the Seven Stars Sect personally recruited from one of the sects in the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals several years ago. Usually, he was regarded as very important by the Sect Leader, but this time, he had encountered some trouble in handling his affair. Because of this, he accidentally forgot their regular meeting. Thus, he rushed to their meeting place in a hurry, but he was still a bit late.

  When he entered their meeting place with a smile plastered on his face, ready to admit his mistake, he suddenly felt his breathing stagnated as if there was a heavy burden on his body.

  When he looked up, he realized that the Sect Leader was seething with anger.

  Thus, he no longer chit-chatted, quickly arrived at his own position, and then whispered to the Elder next to him, “What happened?”


  That Elder, likewise, transmitted his voice in secret, “Didn’t you notice that we are a person less?”


  Xie Chi was stunned. “Where’s old He?”


  “Heh, we also want to know his whereabouts… It is said that we have lost contact with him for quite a while. Didn’t he also absent on our previous meeting? Two times of unclear absence in two meetings in a row. Even if Sect Leader doesn’t say anything about it… you also know what it means, right?”


  Xie Chi somewhat couldn’t believe it. “Old He, he…is not someone who has the guts to betray the sect, is he tired of living? Although his cultivation is not bad, it still couldn’t be compared to Sect Leader…”


  “Who knows what’s going on with him? That’s why Sect Leader is so annoyed, and he still keeps such a big thing like this in the dark.”


  Xie Chi asked, “Is there anyone else besides old He?”


  “Except his partner Wu Feihua, the others are all third level or lower disciples who don’t have the qualifications to contact us.”


  Xie Chi asked again, “We always have the qualifications to contact them!?”


  “All the name of the disciples in the Marquis County is in the hands of Old He and Feihua, even Sect Leader doesn’t have the copy, so how are we going to contact them!?”


  Xie Chi gawked dumbfoundedly. “Why… is it that our Seven Stars Sect’s management system is so full of nonsense!?”


  “Hey, don’t compare it with your Ten Thousand Flowers House standard. Humph, perhaps after this incident, we all have to be careful a bit.”


  The two were happily chatting in secret, but all of a sudden, they heard a stuffy voice from the Sect Leader.

  “Humph, that’s enough. Be quiet.”


  The Elders immediately quieted down.

  A voice which contained a slight anger came from the air, “I have just figured this thing out. Luckily, I know a black market merchant who happens to know that, some time ago, someone had purchased a batch of materials and brought them to the Dog Ear Mountain. Heh, this time running to the Dog Ear Mountain, they must have planned to rebel!”


  His voice on the last few words was like claps of thunder, which frightened the Elders.

  Although the Sect Leader’s cultivation stage was just Xudan Stage, there was an insurmountable gap between him and cultivators of Foundation Establishment Stage. As such, they wouldn’t dare to be impudent.

  “Xie Chi, I want you to handle this matter. On the specific on how you are going to do it, I don’t need to spell it for you, understood?”


  Xie Chi’s heart turned cold. “Understood!”


  ——


  Three days later, Xie Chi had rushed to the Dog Ear Mountain at the Marquis County alone.

  Even after three days, Xie Chi still couldn’t forget that murderous intention that came from the air before he departed.

  The Sect Leader was truly angry this time… However, his anger was not without cause. Although the Seven Stars Sect was mostly suppressed by other sects in recent years, they never had a problem internally. This Old He usually would just wallow in lust and sex, so no one has ever thought he had the courage to rebel. Thus, this betrayal hurt the Sect Leader the most, because now he suddenly felt that no one else around him could be trusted!

  At the end of the day, the management system of the Seven Stars Sect was too weak. In order to conceal their development from big sects, the sect adopted a single line of command from top to bottom. As a result, when one point was broken, the whole line was paralyzed. Moreover, without the necessary supervision, Old He was actually able to escape! This really opened up the weakness in the Seven Stars Sect management system. It was only because the Sect Leader put more attention to the development in the Wang Family Village that when he turned to check, he found out that the person in charge of that place was gone!

  What the f*ck was happening here… No wonder the Sect Leader sent him, who came from the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, to deal with this. Without a professional like him to rectify this, sooner or later, the Seven Stars Sect would end on the Sect Leader’s watch! However, looking from another perspective, only with this event that his value would come forth. Wasn’t the reason he changed sects, from the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals hopping onto this small sect, because of the chance to climb the sect ladder was bigger here? If there were a chance to integrate the Seven Stars Sect, this low-level trash sect, into the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, then his future would be limitless. In the Ten Thousand Flower House Sect, he was just an ordinary cultivator, but if someday he became a real Elder of a sect in the Union of Ten Thousand Immortals, then his position would not be the same…


  However, he needed to put the sect reorganization into the back of his head first. The most important thing right now was to punish that sect’s rebel.

  “Old He, oh, Old He, what has gotten into you that you insist on becoming a rebel? Moreover, why did you choose such a place… If it’s a neglected countryside, perhaps the Sect Leader would be too lazy to care about you. You’re not qualified to occupy this rich-with-spiritual-energy place, a natural paradise.”


  While sneering, Xie Chi held his sole magical tool—Thorny Flower—this was a fifth rank magical tool from the Ten Thousand Flower House Sect’s refining workshop; if matched with the Ten Thousand Flower Method, it could unleash power close to that of a high-rank magical tool. The biggest reason why the Sect Leader was so confident to send him alone to deal with He Yun, Wu Feihua and other possible enemies were because of this fifth rank magical tool.

  Secondly, although he was much younger than He Yun, he was stronger than him. Both of them were low-level Foundation Establishment cultivators, but Ten Thousand Flower House Sect and Jade Forest Sect were decidedly different. Ten Thousand Flower House Sect was an eighth rank sect, while Jade Forest Sect was merely ninth rank. Although their cultivations were on the same stage, his overall strength was ten percent higher than him.

  Although ten percent seemed small, in practice, ten percent more combat strength meant that within ten strokes, he would be able to score a victory. Moreover, with the help of the magical tool Thorny Flower, even if he simultaneously faced off against He Yun and Wu Feihua, two people, Xie Chi still had the confidence to finish the fight in five strokes.

  “Old He, I’m sorry, but I have to do this.”


  As soon as his voice fell, Xie Chi froze. After taking half a step in midair, he no longer dared to move.

  Ten meters before him, He Yun, with a smile on his face, appeared in his line of sight.

  “Elder Xie Chi, how are you going to apologize to me?”


  Xie Chi still did not move; he was inwardly surprised, thinking that how could this old man know he was coming and catch him off guard here? He was only half-prepared!

  But then another thought came to him. This old man had been handling the affairs in the Dog Ear Mountain, which was rich with surrounding spiritual energy for two years, so it wasn’t strange if he had already placed some strange arrays here. After all, the old man came from the Jade Forest Sect, so he should be quite familiar with setting up arrays… However, what’s the use in intercepting him here? In addition to that Thorny Flower, he still had three cards up his sleeves, any one of them could easily crush this low-level Foundation Establishment cultivator!

  “Old He, are you alone? Where is Feihua?” Xie Chi was confident with himself, but he never let his guard off in front of the enemy. Seeing that only this old man appeared, then that Wu Feihua must be hiding somewhere, ready to ambush at moment’s notice.

  He felt it was amusing though. A Qi Cultivating Stage cultivator wanted to sneak attack him? He had a set of Nine Mysterious Armor, an indestructible defense…


  “So troublesome. What are you waiting for?”


  To his surprise, a girl's impatient voice sounded from behind him. However, the next thing he knew, his head was violently shocked, which immediately knocked him out.

  His last thought before he went unconscious: “Nine Mysterious Armor, you lied to me…”


  ——


  When Xie Chi opened his eyes once again, that lowly smile of He Yun was still in his line of sight.

  Seeing Xie Chi had woken up, He Yun turned his head. “Director, this guy has woke up.”


  “Oh, that’s fast. It looks like this is their first tier player.”


  “What?”


  “Nothing, you won’t understand a leader’s talk.”


  While He Yun and that stranger were talking, Xie Chi hurriedly swept his gaze around.

  This should be a long abandoned warehouse but one that was kept clean and dry. He was thrown in a pile of debris; though he wasn’t injured, his whole body’s magical power was dispersed. Although this was not a big deal for him because he still has his foundation, but his body was bound by an invisible thread, he could not move even the slightest bit… The body of a Foundation Establishment cultivator like him was far more tougher than that of a common Qi Cultivating Stage or martial art expert, however, bound by this thread, he didn’t even have the room to struggle.

  Inside the warehouse, besides He Yun, there was also a youth who He Yun spoke to. From how they talk, it was obvious that the youth has a significantly higher status than He Yun.

  In addition to them, there was also a pretty young girl, who stood beside the youth, with an impatient face. From her body language, it seemed like her status was a bit higher than the youth.

  Xie Chi was amazed, but his heart was already able to piece out the puzzle. There was indeed outsiders sect who were involved in this, otherwise, He Yun would’ve never had the gut to betray the sect.

  However, no big sects would care about this Wang Family Village of Dog Ear Mountain, so which sect in the Blue River Region would interfere with the Seven Stars Sect’s affair?

  When Xie Chi was racking his brain, trying to find clues, the youth swept over his pair of clear eyes toward him.

  “Hello. I, the Director of the Nine Regions Intelligence Revenue Service, the Sect Leader of the Wisdom Sect, welcome you to our newly-formed-but-soon-big family. Then, let us manage together our Nine Regions Intelligence Revenue Service and work hard!”