However, these two were strangers with whom He Kao had never interacted, so why did they harbor such obvious malice? He Kao hadn’t stolen their vegetables.
Although he hadn’t interacted with them before, He Kao knew who these two people were; there was a record of them in the materials organized by the Ancestral Hall.
They had moved to Sesa Apartnt around New Year’s, claiming to be working in Qi Yuan but had yet to start. i Wenhua had specially noted in the materials that these two were suspected to have cultivation, at least Tier Three.
However, there was no record of them in the Magic Sect disciple roster, indicating that they were unidentified independent cultivators from the Jianghu.
Considering their inexplicable hostility towards He Kao that also carried a hint of caution, they must be aware of He Kao’s identity, suggesting they might be from the Xiao Alliance...
They concealed their emotions well, leaving almost no flaws. Yet, a subtle fluctuation was detected and traced by He Kao through the magical treasure’s exquisite use.
He Kao suddenly rembered that Elder Li Xiuyuan had also participated in the crafting of the pendant, bestowing it with the Spirit Awakening Skill. So, wouldn’t the divine power of a Tier Six Illusion Master be more useful than this magical pendant?
No wonder the Xiao Alliance’s primary goal was to assassinate Li Xiuyuan.
After all, Elder Li was a Tier Six Cultivator, so the Xiao Alliance deployed an Illusion Master, a Physician, and six Tier Five cultivators for array formation, thinking this formidable lineup would ensure success, yet...
The Xiao Alliance had already lost a Pill Master and an Illusion Master and, counting Geng Yanxin, Jiaobide, and that unknown disciple of Master Dan Qiu, along with a total of nine Tier Five Sorcerers, their primordial qi was severely injured.
Especially failing to murder Li Xiuyuan, the Xiao Alliance suffered the loss of an Illusion Master themselves, a significant setback to their "covert operations." To this, one can only say—they deserved it!
The Ancestral Hall had not acted, but once it did, it severely crippled the Xiao Alliance. He Kao even wondered whether this was another promotion ceremony designed by Old Man Jiang. If he were to level up, would he break through to Tier Eight?
Undoubtedly, He Kao’s inner world was always quite rich.
He Kao did not care about the hostility from the man and woman towards him. His primary concern now was whether i Guyu was safe.
The Xiao Alliance’s operation had already failed, corresponding to Magic Sect’s counter action, which had just begun. Anyone who was already being watched and registered by the Ancestral Hall would be scrutinized by Li Xiuyuan and i Wenhua.
The battle between Joy Valley and Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven had only ended a few hours ago; the Xiao Alliance only managed to flee one Fabre. It seed the man and woman were still unaware of what had happened, daring to loiter around here!
The next morning, business at the just-opened ishan Noodle Shop was excellent. Right, after i Wenhua took over the shop, he changed the sign to "ishan Noodle Shop."
The shop’s decoration hadn’t changed; it was still a noodle shop. Many people didn’t even rember what the original sign was.
Boss i wasn’t sitting in the shop today, and nobody knew where he was busy. When He Kao passed by, he saw Li Xiuyuan inside having noodles. Beside the table was an easel and across from him sat a young lady, yet another unfamiliar face.
How co this old man’s romantic encounters are so favorable? He Kao even suspected that Elder Li had another worldly identity, truly a lecherous artist.
Such an obvious "weakness" could easily be exploited by others; for instance, the Xiao Alliance might send so oblivious young ladies to approach Elder Li, seeking to spy on intelligence...
Thinking this, He Kao went about his normal work day.
The wind was calm in Qi Yuan that day, appearing uneventful, but beneath the surface, a constant undercurrent flowed unseen.
Elder Li made an open appearance in Qi Yuan early in the morning, a ssage that quickly reached Fabre’s ears. But Fabre wasn’t surprised, as they had just t the night before.
Fabre had constantly believed the person he t last night was Li Xiuyuan. The true surprise for him was i Guyu hadn’t lost her divine power.
So her coming to Qi Yuan and the related rumors should be a trap.
After urgent communication among the Xiao Alliance high ranks, they thought of another possibility: i Guyu might have successfully broken through and been promoted to Tier Seven Grand Alchemist.
Thus they urgently needed to inform their subordinates to retreat from Qi Yuan, at least not to provoke i Guyu anymore. Especially since the Xiao Alliance had just suffered such significant losses, they couldn’t afford to ss with ihua Immortal, not to ntion Li Xiuyuan in Qi Yuan.
Those recruited to work for the Xiao Alliance, even if just hired or bribed, should not be sent as cannon fodder aninglessly.
Adding to Fabre’s surprise, a crucial contact within Eastern Country, Jiaobide, was nowhere to be found. The person vanished on the night of the incident!
Fabre broke into a cold sweat, realizing his first thought wasn’t that Jiaobide had been captured by the Magic Sect, since he also didn’t believe Jiaobide would expose himself, but rather that this person had betrayed the Xiao Alliance and sided with the Magic Sect!
Jiaobide’s betrayal not only ant losing temporary contact with the "sub-line" he was responsible for but also indicated that the plan of ambushing Li Xiuyuan and i Guyu in Qi Yuan was prematurely leaked.
No wonder they fell into the Magic Sect’s trap and suffered heavy losses; it turned out Jiaobide was the traitor...
Fabre believed he found the truth, feeling a mix of outrage and relief. Thankfully, Jiaobide didn’t know about the Xiao Alliance’s plan to conquer the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven, information reserved for the highest council mbers.
At this mont, Fabre had already escaped overseas, desperately wanting to know the situation inside the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven. As long as the operation there was successful, the losses of the Xiao Alliance could be fully compensated.
From the feedback of the undercover personnel, everything seed to be going smoothly with the plan to infiltrate the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven. Events happening inside were unknown to the outside world; perhaps no news was the best news.
However, the Xiao Alliance’s operation in Qi Yuan failed. They couldn’t capture Li Xiuyuan and i Guyu as planned. This information needed to be quickly relayed to Master Dan Qiu so that he could imdiately gather all valuable items and leave the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven swiftly.
Otherwise, if the Magic Sect noticed sothing amiss, they would likely block the entrance, and Master Dan Qiu would lose this crucial bargaining chip.
Yet the only way to transmit a ssage to the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven now was by sending soone inside—going directly if the portal was open, or "knocking" if closed, requesting the caretaker of the Array Core to let them in.
But those qualified to knock must be high-tier sorcerers of the Alchemy Sect.
Fabre waited for a day and finally decided to deploy a Tier Four Gardener to knock and deliver the ssage. This gardener had been undercover in the Alchemy Sect for five or six years and had even settled in the Immortal Bottle Village.
This pawn was important, but the matter was more crucial... thus the Xiao Alliance sent another one.
This gardener was like a mud ox entering the sea, with no feedback returning, creating a very ominous feeling among the upper echelons of the Xiao Alliance, igniting a frantic desperation about the situation inside the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven.
Several elders remained calm, possibly delayed by the repair work on the Ancestral Hall. They stayed inside the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven for a full three days. Once everything outside was arranged, Elder Gu opened the portal and ca out.
Gu Chun publicly appeared, but as for Guo Qianhuai and Jiang Daozhen, they might have already left secretly or were still hiding inside the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven.
The Sect Grotto Heaven couldn’t remain without a guardian, and reportedly it was the Layman Xingrui, who had reinstated her steward status, taking over the Array Core.
Hadn’t she resigned already? Why was she back again? Even if Xingrui returned, what was the deal with Geng Yanxin? Why did it need her to take over the Grotto Heaven?
However, people’s curiosity was soon quelled as the Ancestral Hall released an announcent, causing a tsunami-like upheaval. The announcent was lengthy, briefly summarized as follows—
A sorcerer organization self-proclaid as the Carefree Wanderers Alliance exploited the legacy rules set by the ancestors, infiltrating the Magic Sect, with Geng Yanxin being one of them.
Geng Yanxin utilized her role as a steward, managing the Grotto Heaven on a rotating basis, quietly ushering Xiao Alliance experts carrying the Divine Artifact into the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven, attempting to usurp and loot the Grotto Heaven Blessed Land.
But the Ancestral Hall had already discerned the conspiracy. With the Earth Master’s assistance from Layman Xingrui, this operation was thwarted, not only purging the traitors but also retrieving the lost-for-millennium Sect’s Sacred Artifact Eight Trigrams Purple Gold Furnace of the Alchemy Sect.
Simultaneously, to divert the Ancestral Hall’s attention, the Xiao Alliance gathered another group of experts, launching a sneak attack against the Alchemy Sect Leader Elder i who was in seclusion.
Elder i was already alert, repelling the intruders with the Divine Sword in hand...
At this point, He Kao’s impression was one word—exquisite! Each sentence of the announcent was factual, clearly informing all Magic Sect disciples of what transpired, but the intel the Xiao Alliance most desired was not disclosed.
For instance, how the Ancestral Hall uncovered the conspiracy, what exactly occurred inside the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven, the whereabouts of Jiaobide—in these respects, nothing was ntioned.
Judging solely from the announcent, clearing up Geng Yanxin and Master Dan Qiu and his apprentice inside the Immortal Pot Grotto Heaven seemingly involved only Gu Chun and Xingrui, without a hint of the other three elders.
Did Xingrui participate? Indeed, she was considered to have provided assistance.
Another very important point in the announcent: four months ago, Elder i, the Alchemy Sect Leader, left Phoenix Tail Town, selecting a location for a secluded cultivation, with the Ancestral Hall issuing a gag order to ensure she wasn’t disturbed.
However, soone violated the gag order, leaked the information, and not only was it deliberately disseminated by the Xiao Alliance, but many Magic Sect disciples and Guests of Fate knew about it, prompting nurous individuals to seek out Elder i’s place of seclusion with various motives.
It’s not just Elder i; even an ordinary Magic Sect disciple should not disrupt another’s cultivation thus, leading the Ancestral Hall to decide on conducting a thorough investigation.
The Ancestral Hall commanded that anyone who heard or spread such information must imdiately report to the Direct Branch Master and the Ancestral Hall Information Office, detailing who they heard it from, the specifics, and whom they inford.
Since the gag order was only issued to level Magic Sect stewards, other Magic Sect disciples might be unaware of the particulars, thus their actions didn’t constitute a breach of the gag order. As long as no excessive actions were taken and they reported proactively, the Ancestral Hall would not enforce penalties.
Additionally, so who caught wind of the news, driven by various intents, traveled to the city where Elder i was secluded, with Elder Li having conducted thorough investigations and compiling a list.
But as long as their actions were not malicious and they willingly reported and confessed, the Ancestral Hall could lessen or even exempt punishnt, or rely subject them to admonishnt.
If those in-the-know were found out by the Ancestral Hall for not reporting, penalties would be intensified!
In He Kao’s view, the most intriguing aspect of the announcent was that the Ancestral Hall’s gag order was still effective and had expanded in scope from the steward level to encompass all Magic Sect disciples.
From the day the announcent was issued, all Magic Sect disciples were prohibited from further inquiring or disseminating information about Elder i’s location for secluded cultivation.
**
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