When Bu Haoyan was inspired by Ye Yu’s words and filled with ambition, elsewhere...
Grand Elder Zu Xuzhong slamd his palm against the jade table in front of him, shattering it into powder. His eyes burned with rage, nearly erupting into flas.
Just monts before, Demon Lord Bai Xichu had visited him and issued a new directive: to fully support Ye Yu.
Support!
That word was like a blade stabbing into Zu Xuzhong’s pride.
Over 3,700 years ago, Zu Xuzhong, the son of a guard, had caught Bai Xichu’s attention due to his exceptional talent. She sent him to the Shading Hall to train. Those who erged from the Shading Hall were known as Shaders, covert agents placed by Bai Xichu in various locations as spies, activated only at critical monts.
Zu Xuzhong was one of these Shaders. After ten years in the Shading Hall, he was assigned to infiltrate Heavenly Dragon Cliff and assist in the sect's growth, awaiting the right mont to overthrow Bu Haoyan’s father, Bu Shanggen, the previous sect master, and take his place.
With his talent and cunning, Zu Xuzhong quickly beca Bu Shanggen’s trusted confidant and rose to the position of Grand Elder. During this ti, he worked to gather influence and waited for the perfect opportunity to eliminate Bu Shanggen and complete his mission.
However, fate had other plans. Before Zu Xuzhong could act, Bu Shanggen died in a mutual defeat against a challenger.
When Zu Xuzhong witnessed this scene, he was not sad but overjoyed. Finally, his chance had arrived. He eagerly prepared to take over Heavenly Dragon Cliff, but Bai Xichu intervened, stopping him. Her reasoning was that so of the elders in the sect were still loyal to the Bu family, and Bu Haoyan, a direct descendant, was still alive. If Zu Xuzhong seized power at that mont, it could fracture the sect. Bai Xichu wanted a unified Heavenly Dragon Cliff, so she ordered Zu Xuzhong to continue supporting Bu Haoyan for the ti being.
From that mont on, Zu Xuzhong grew to despise the word "support."
Over ti, Bu Haoyan’s straightforward nature and eagerness to prove himself often led to impulsive decisions, gradually causing him to lose the support of the sect mbers. Most of them began to align themselves with Zu Xuzhong, a situation that delighted him. He devised a century-long plan to make everyone detest Bu Haoyan so that when he finally assud the position of sect master, there would be no resistance.
But all of this changed drastically with Ye Yu’s arrival. Under Ye Yu’s guidance, Bu Haoyan beca bold and decisive, distributing valuable resources like demon crystals, which significantly strengthened Heavenly Dragon Cliff and united its mbers.
Even so, Zu Xuzhong wasn’t overly concerned. He believed that once Heavenly Dragon Cliff beca the strongest sect, it would finally be ti for him to take over as sect master. Bai Xichu’s long-standing goal of strengthening Heavenly Dragon Cliff was to attract more cultivators to her cause, and she would undoubtedly entrust the sect to one of her own—him.
But Bai Xichu’s visit today was a thunderclap on a clear day. She ordered him to maintain the status quo and fully support Ye Yu!
Support. Again, support.
Zu Xuzhong, who had spent over 3,000 years supporting others, was utterly repulsed. How could Ye Yu, an outsider who had been at Heavenly Dragon Cliff for re days, deserve his support? Was Bai Xichu’s previous promises nothing but empty words? Or had she never valued his abilities?
Gritting his teeth, Zu Xuzhong swore to himself: one day, he would make Bai Xichu regret her decision and ensure that Ye Yu and Bu Haoyan would et a grisly end.
Seven days later.
At the border between the territories of Demon Lords Bai Xichu and Bai Yongzhe, a group of a dozen Heavenly Dragon Cliff disciples, led by an elder, was traveling.
During the journey, the elder excused himself to search for sothing, leaving the disciples behind. While waiting, they "coincidentally" discovered a rare treasure: a spiritual herb known as Soul-Attracting Grass.
Just as they were about to collect it, two n in black Daoist robes appeared—Elders Yu Wen and Xu Juefang from the Blackstone Monastery. This sect was an old and powerful faction under Demon Lord Bai Yongzhe’s influence, with deep foundations.
Yu Wen and Xu Juefang had been passing through the area when they saw the disciples attempting to collect the herb. Noticing that the disciples had yet to reach the Golden Core stage and that no one else was around, greed overtook them. They attacked, killing several disciples and seizing the Soul-Attracting Grass.
Yu Wen suggested eliminating the remaining disciples to leave no witnesses. Xu Juefang agreed. Just as they were about to strike, the Heavenly Dragon Cliff elder returned. Displaying formidable strength, he fought against them.
Realizing they were no match for him, Yu Wen and Xu Juefang fled, taking the Soul-Attracting Grass with them. The elder did not pursue them but instead gathered the remaining disciples and returned to the sect.
Upon his return, the elder imdiately went to Ye Yu’s quarters. There, he removed his disguise—it was none other than Bu Haoyan, the sect master, in disguise.
Excitedly, he reported to Ye Yu, "Sir, mission accomplished!" He then handed over a recording stone containing evidence of the Blackstone Monastery elders killing Heavenly Dragon Cliff disciples and stealing the Soul-Attracting Grass.
After reviewing the footage, Ye Yu was pleased. "Whether we can successfully expand into Bai Yongzhe’s territory will depend on your performance," he said softly.
Bu Haoyan thumped his chest confidently. "There’s no doubt about it!"
Indeed, this entire incident was a trap set by Heavenly Dragon Cliff to create a justifiable reason to enter Bai Yongzhe’s territory without arousing suspicion.
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