NOVPUBHowever, Shen Fu’s face, which was originally expressionless, suddenly revealed ’joy’, ’excitement’, and ’anticipation’, so overjoyed that he was even a bit beside himself:
"Master!"
Liang Qiuyu nodded slightly but firmly said:
"Here, there are no master and disciple, only the Ninth Holy Child and Liang Qiuyu. I have heard that you went out with three other Holy Children and that, unfortunately, the three Holy Children perished in battle, but you were unharmed. This inevitably raises suspicions. Tell the truth, and if there is any concealment, I will ask Elder Qin to witness and personally execute you!"
Shen Fu was startled and then looked astonished and aggrieved:
"Master, everything I said is true!"
Meanwhile, the cultivators of Yan State and some of the cultivators from the original Demonic Sect also looked at Liang Qiuyu in amazement.
It seemed they did not expect Elder Liang Qiu, the great elder, to treat his own disciple so harshly.
Elder Qin quickly said:
"Great elder, my nephew has already told me about this, the matter is unrelated to him. Moreover, the subsequent attack by those Evil gods from the Kingdom of Immortals on me also proved my nephew’s words were true. This is a premeditated plot from the Kingdom of Immortals against us!"
Liang Qiuyu, however, shook his head slightly:
"I think there is more to the story. Perhaps it was Jin that tampered with things, misleading both the Kingdom of Immortals and us."
Shen Fu was taken aback.
"Jin?"
Elder Qin’s expression changed as well, and soon a thought struck him, and he perceived the hidden meaning in Liang Qiuyu’s tone. His reaction was very swift:
"That is also possible. Great elder, let us return first, and after we welcome you and clean off the road dust, I will report to you."
Liang Qiuyu, however, gestured with his hand:
"There is no need for a welcome ceremony; the Evil gods of the Kingdom of Immortals are waiting at the border between Lao Country and Yan State. Let us immediately return to discuss."
Elder Qin nodded in agreement right away.
Soon, a group of people escorted Elder Liang Qiu and Qin Ya into the residence.
But the real decision-makers here were only Liang Qiu and Qin Ya.
So it was that very soon, only the two of them, along with Shen Fu—the Holy Child—were alone in the main hall of the residence.
Liang Qiuyu looked at Qin Ya and got straight to the point:
"This time, whether the Kingdom of Immortals intends to take action against us or not, we must blame it all on Jin!"
Shen Fu, by his side, couldn’t hide his surprise.
And hearing this, although Elder Qin had already guessed as much during their earlier exchange, his face still involuntarily revealed a look of astonishment and reluctance:
"So we’re not going to fight the Kingdom of Immortals?"
Liang Qiuyu shook his head firmly and then explained:
"Our strategy towards the Kingdom of Immortals was decided from the start: allow them to swallow Wu, Qi, Chu, until... Jin!"
"Once they encounter us now, it would only disrupt Elder Han’s plans."
"But..."
Elder Qin was somewhat frustrated: "We’re just going to let it slide that they ambushed us?"
"Let it slide!"
Liang Qiuyu appeared like a seasoned scholar, but his speech was decisive, he said sternly:
"The thoughts of these Evil gods are sometimes different from ours, so there is no need to care about face. Dismiss them as soon as possible, let them digest and assimilate Qi’s gains quickly, and then move on to take down Chu."
After thinking, he softened his tone a bit:
"I know you feel aggrieved for being ambushed by them, but the signs of the degeneration of this world are becoming more and more evident, and we can’t afford the delay. Elder Han’s awakening is imminent, and his plan is crucial to whether our Sect can be preserved, so why should we care about some minor humiliations?"
Elder Qin hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded: "I understand, great elder. I will follow your lead."
Liang Qiuyu nodded:
"Good, that’s settled then. How many from the Kingdom of Immortals have come this time?"
Elder Qin hastily replied: "Three first level direct gods and twelve second level Subordinate Gods."
Liang Qiuyu frowned slightly:
"Their Divine Master hasn’t come?"
"He didn’t come; he probably didn’t dare to, given the lesson learned from those before him,"
Elder Qin shook his head.
"Okay, I will trouble Elder Qin to make some preparations. I will go and meet them in person shortly!"
"Yes!"
Elder Qin didn’t delay and quickly left the great hall.
At that time, Liang Qiuyu turned his head to look at Shen Fu, a trace of apology on his face:
"Shen Fu, just now, in order to divert everyone’s attention, I purposely blamed you. You’re not angry with me, are you?"
Shen Fu’s face showed a slight astonishment, but soon a ’surprised’ joy appeared, and he eagerly stepped forward, saying:
"Master, so you never suspected me!"
"You are my disciple; I would suspect anyone but you."
Liang Qiuyu said with a light chuckle, shaking his head.
For a moment, the atmosphere between master and disciple was warm and harmonious.
"You have been away for a while, let me see if your cultivation has regressed. If it has, your master will need to punish you well,"
Liang Qiuyu said with a smile.
Shen Fu revealed a pleased expression and immediately called upon his mana, displaying his cultivation base.
Seeing the steady aura rising from Shen Fu, a flash of light crossed Liang Qiuyu’s eyes, and his smile became even more brilliant:
"Late-stage Golden Core... Not bad, you have progressed quickly, but don’t become complacent. Our Holy Sect’s cultivation method may be fast, but one still needs to be steady and sure, without any negligence."
"Yes, Master, I understand!"
Shen Fu responded loudly, like a simple young cultivator.
"Good, you continue your cultivation, I’m off to meet those Evil Gods from the Kingdom of Immortals,"
Liang Qiuyu nodded in satisfaction, then left the great hall.
...
Thousands of miles to the south of the capital of Qi State.
Yao Wudi was holding the Black Bear God by the neck while staring at the dense crowd stepping into the Teleportation Array, frowning, he said:
"You don’t think I’m a fool, do you? If I set foot in Yujiang City, would I still have a life to come back with?"
"I think you don’t want to live anymore!"
The Black Bear God’s face was instantly filled with panic:
"No!"
"This Teleportation Array leads to the ’Human Sacrifice Roulette’. All the people recently captured will be concentrated there before being sent off to various divine temples... That place is still far from Yujiang City!"
"Really?"
Yao Wudi was somewhat incredulous.
"Really! Really!"
The Black Bear God said loudly.
Yao Wudi thought for a moment, patted the Black Bear God’s head, and threateningly said:
"Rest assured, even if I do fall into a trap, I have the confidence to utterly destroy you! You can try and see!"
The more panicked Black Bear God, although appearing somewhat dull-witted, still showed a resolute expression on his face.
Seeing this, Yao Wudi said no more and suddenly stretched out his hand toward those below.
He directly grabbed everyone in front of the Teleportation Array, and immediately a Divine Pattern transformed into a cage, trapping them all.
The Incense-burning Dao Cultivators were all knocked unconscious in the process.
Then, under the guidance of the Black Bear God, he activated the Teleportation Array. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
The next moment.
Yao Wudi’s figure appeared in an unfamiliar Teleportation Array.
But when he saw the scene before him, he was momentarily stupefied.
