Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Earth-Shattering Conspiracy

「Several months later.」

A black Flying Ship streaked across the sky over the desolate desert, heading toward the Yan Kingdom.

Aboard the Flying Ship, Li Ping still hadn’t recovered from the news he’d gotten from interrogating Yan Liming’s Life Soul.

Several months prior, Yan Hengchuan had used a foundation-stealing Secret Technique to seize all of Yan Liming’s Cultivation, successfully advancing to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

The moment he succeeded, Li Ping had immediately used a Secret Technique of his own to extract Yan Liming’s Life Soul.

"Killing two birds with one stone," so to speak. Yan Liming’s value had been squeezed for all it was worth.

After the foundation-stealing was successful, Li Ping didn’t leave in a hurry.

Yan Hengchuan needed to stabilize his hard-won Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivation, while Li Ping went next door to try using a Soul Searching Secret Technique on Yan Liming.

However, it was just as he had expected.

Before his Possession, Yan Liming had been a Core Formation Cultivator. His Divine Soul was far stronger than Li Ping’s.

With Li Ping’s level of Cultivation, performing Soul Searching on him was simply impossible.

So, he had to resort to direct interrogation.

But Yan Liming was stubborn. Not only did he refuse to say anything, but he even threatened Li Ping.

He claimed that a Blood God Attraction had been planted in his Divine Soul. If he died at Li Ping’s hands, the Blood God Attraction would attach itself to Li Ping’s Divine Soul, drawing Cultivators from the Blood Shadow Sect to seek revenge.

Hearing his threat, Li Ping had a sudden realization. He finally understood what that Blood Shadow that had appeared before Hu Feng and Liu Wusheng’s deaths was.

’So that’s the so-called "Blood God Attraction." But that thing is completely countered by the Purple Qi Space in my sea of consciousness.’

At the very least, after he killed those two, the Blood God Attractions in their bodies were devoured by the Purple Qi Space, never getting a chance to attach to his Divine Soul.

’If Yan Liming knew about this, he probably wouldn’t be so stubborn.’

Despite a round of torture, Yan Liming refused to talk.

Finally, left with no other choice, Li Ping applied a drop of venom from a Tier Three poison flood dragon to his Divine Soul.

Li Ping himself didn’t dare touch the venom, so he had a puppet handle it.

After that single drop of venom, having experienced the heart-rending agony, Yan Liming finally started talking obediently.

He answered every one of Li Ping’s questions, including what he had been doing in the Grassland for so long.

It turned out he had been sent by the upper echelons of the four Demon Dao Sects to contact the Tuluo People. Thanks to his silver tongue, the four Demon Dao Sects had already reached an agreement with six of the Tuluo People’s super-tribes.

The four Demon Dao Sects would start another war, and the Tuluo People would provide support by migrating their entire people south.

Both sides would attack with their full strength, launching a pincer attack on the Daoist Guardian Alliance from the east and north. They swore to annihilate the Daoist Guardian Alliance in one fell swoop and divide the Western Wilderness between them!

Upon learning this news, Li Ping’s mind reeled, and he couldn’t calm down for a long time.

From what he understood, the Daoist Guardian Alliance’s overall strength surpassed that of either the Tuluo People or the four Demon Dao Sects individually.

But if the two joined forces, the Daoist Guardian Alliance would likely be at a disadvantage.

He was certain of one thing, at least.

If the Daoist Guardian Alliance’s main forces were tied up by the four Demon Dao Sects, the Yan and Liang Kingdoms alone would be absolutely powerless to stop the six Tuluo super-tribes from pushing south.

The Western Wilderness was about to be plunged into war again, and it would be even more brutal than the great war a few years ago!

Even Fenglan Immortal City, located in the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, would find it difficult to stay out of the conflict this time.

At this thought, Li Ping couldn’t help but sigh.

’All I want is to lie low and peacefully cultivate until I reach Core Formation. Why is that so difficult?’

’If only there was a Teleportation Array that could send me to another, more peaceful Cultivation Realm for a while,’ Li Ping thought to himself. Unfortunately, this was destined to be a vain hope.

No matter how reluctant he was, he had to start making plans for his own safety.

Coming back to his senses, Li Ping silently mulled over his options. ’I have to warn the Daoist Guardian Alliance about this! And the Yan and Liang Kingdoms, too. I need to tell them to prepare. If the war goes badly, they’ll need their Cultivators to lead the common people in an immediate retreat to other kingdoms.’

...

"Grand-master, are we returning to the Immortal City now?" Yan Hengchuan, seeing Li Ping’s silence, couldn’t help but ask.

The foundation-stealing technique didn’t just take Yan Liming’s Cultivation.

In fact, Yan Hengchuan had even managed to improve his own aptitude to some extent through this Secret Technique.

Not only had his Cultivation reached the Foundation Establishment Stage, but his aptitude had also improved enough to be comparable to that of a Cultivator with Four Spirit Roots.

The He Yunyi whom Yan Liming had possessed had Four Spirit Roots. Li Ping suspected that this "foundation-stealing technique" had actually replaced Yan Hengchuan’s Spiritual Root rather than improved it.

The effect was quite similar to a Cultivator’s Possession.

The only difference was probably that Possession involved abandoning one’s own body to have one’s Divine Soul inhabit another’s. Foundation-stealing, on the other hand, was plundering another’s Origin, Cultivation, and aptitude to supplement one’s own.

As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Yan Hengchuan had not only seen a huge increase in strength, but he could also enjoy a lifespan of two hundred and forty years. It was safe to say he was at the peak of his satisfaction.

Li Ping shook his head. "When we get to the Yan Kingdom, I’ll drop you off. You’ll return to Fenglan Immortal City on your own. I still have some business to take care of."

There was no point in Yan Hengchuan knowing about the four Demon Dao Sects joining forces with the Tuluo People to invade. It would only cause him unnecessary worry, so Li Ping didn’t tell him.

Hearing Li Ping’s words, Yan Hengchuan was a little confused, but this feeling was ultimately overshadowed by the joy of his own Foundation Establishment. He replied respectfully, "Yes, Grand-master!"

’Before I go back to Fenglan Immortal City, I’ll make a trip to the Jiang Kingdom first.’

’I’ve been out cultivating for over twenty years and haven’t been back to my hometown once. I miss my family.’

’Besides, what’s the point of achieving success if you don’t go home to show it off? It’s like wearing fine clothes in the dead of night.’

’I’m a lofty Foundation Establishment Cultivator now. It’s time to go home.’

...

Li Ping was feeling anxious and was naturally unaware of Yan Hengchuan’s complex thoughts.

Several days later, the Flying Ship arrived at Tianshang Immortal City.

Yan Hengchuan parted ways with Li Ping there and returned to the Jiang Kingdom alone.

Li Ping, on the other hand, changed his appearance to that of Xiong Dahai and entered Tianshang Immortal City.

Walking through the city, Li Ping pondered how to get the message to the person in charge of the Celestial Travel Sect.

He wouldn’t hide this earth-shattering news; he intended to tell the other party everything.

But in the process, he didn’t want to reveal his own identity.

First, if the news was revealed, the two kingdoms and the Daoist Guardian Alliance could prepare in advance. They might be able to thwart the plot of the four Demon Dao Sects and the Tuluo People, minimizing the damage. If they played their cards right, they might even have a chance to inflict massive casualties on the enemy.

By hiding his identity, he could avoid future retaliation from the four Demon Dao Sects and the Tuluo People.

Second, to verify the information, the Yan Kingdom would likely ask for his cooperation in an investigation. But Li Ping had no desire to stick around in a place where a large-scale war between Cultivators could break out at any moment just to help them confirm the news.

He just wanted to pass on the message and then quickly return to the Immortal City to lie low. Once the war started, Core Formation Cultivators would likely appear, and leaving then wouldn’t be so easy.

Third, he had obtained his intelligence after killing Yan Liming, and Yan Liming’s Life Soul was still in his Storage Bag.

’What if my identity is exposed and Yan Liming’s friends come for revenge...? Of course, everyone in the Demon Dao is selfish, so the chances of that happening are slim.’

’But as long as there’s a chance, I have to guard against it!’

Compared to the disadvantages of exposing his identity, benefits like a reward from the Daoist Guardian Alliance or fame throughout the Western Wilderness were completely insignificant.

In fact, with his wealth, he couldn’t care less about any reward.

As for being famous in the Western Wilderness... in Li Ping’s eyes, that wasn’t a benefit but a drawback.

He didn’t want to be in the spotlight like Xiao Yunzhi, who had even earned the title "Crimson Flame Fairy," only to end up being ganged up on by a group of late-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators from the Demon Dao and beaten half to death.

Lying low and making a fortune quietly—that was the best way.

...

After long deliberation, Li Ping made his decision.

That day, an earth-shattering rumor suddenly began to spread through Tianshang Immortal City. Because the content of the rumor was so explosive and directly concerned their own interests, nearly every Cultivator in the city was frantically trying to get more information.

Through word of mouth, the news spread at a frighteningly rapid pace.

Within just a few days, it had reached the ears of the Celestial Travel Sect’s upper echelons.

"What? The four Demon Dao Sects have allied with six of the great Tuluo tribes to launch a pincer attack on the Daoist Guardian Alliance?"

"Where did this news come from? It’s all over the city?"

"Who was the first to spread it? You don’t know?"

...

Just as the shocked upper echelons of the Celestial Travel Sect were dispatching Cultivators deep into the Grassland to verify the news, the one who started the rumor had already left Tianshang Immortal City and was speeding toward the Liang Kingdom.

「Several days later.」

In the Liang Kingdom’s Qiyang Immortal City, the same rumor began to spread: "The Tuluo People and the four Demon Dao Sects have formed an alliance and are about to launch a major invasion into the Daoist Guardian Alliance’s territory."

The upper echelons of the Qixia Sect soon heard the rumor as well.

Greatly shocked, they also sent Cultivators into the Grassland to investigate the news.

At the same time, they sent other Cultivators to inform the Celestial Travel Sect and the Daoist Guardian Alliance.

But when the Qixia Sect Cultivators arrived at Tianshang Immortal City, they discovered that the relevant rumor had already been circulating there for some time, and that the Celestial Travel Sect had also dispatched envoys to Qiyang Immortal City and Jixia.

In an instant, every Cultivator and mortal in the entire Northern Realm of the Western Wilderness grew tense.

The shadow of impending war loomed over the Yan and Liang Kingdoms.

...

「Jixia.」

After twenty-six years, Li Ping had once again returned to the number one Sect in the Western Wilderness.

This time, however, he wasn’t Yan Buping, but Xiong Dahai.

After spreading the news in Tianshang Immortal City and Qiyang Immortal City, it was now Jixia’s turn.

Speaking of which, he had quite a few acquaintances in Jixia.

His fifth brother, Qi Hanmo, had been developing his career in Jixia for a long time, and acquaintances of his like Song Yushu and Xiao Yunzhi held positions of power there as well.

However, to avoid exposing his identity, Li Ping didn’t seek them out this time. Instead, he planned to leave immediately after spreading the message.

...

But to his surprise, several days later, just as he was preparing to leave...

A figure blocked his path.

It was a young maiden in her early twenties, dressed in a long red skirt. On her shoulder perched a palm-sized Spirit Bird that resembled a fiery peacock, its head held high with an air of self-satisfaction.

This young maiden was none other than Xiao Yunzhi, whose injuries Li Ping had once treated.

Li Ping looked at Xiao Yunzhi and saw that her Cultivation had indeed reached the late-stage Foundation Establishment, and it was clear she had been at that stage for quite some time.

He couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. ’A Celestial Spiritual Root is truly something to be envied.’

Xiao Yunzhi looked at the burly, scar-faced man, her expression one of slight, pleasant surprise. "Fellow Daoist Yan, it’s been a long time."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.