Chapter 263: Chapter 238: Fang Yun’s Bounty (2)

"His Alchemy Talent is on par with his Artifact Refining Talent. Among Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners, Fang Yun of the Celestial Cloud Sect must be the highest priority target, right?"

"That’s right. The rankings have been updated. The bounty on Celestial Cloud Sect’s Fang Yun is now three drops of blood essence from a Tier Three Demon Beast, the Golden-Horned Thunder Dragon Horse."

"The reward changed that much? This Spirit Refiner’s head is mine."

"Elder Yuan, stop dreaming. As long as Fang Yun doesn’t leave the Celestial Cloud Sect, what can you do to him?"

"Exactly. He can perform both Artifact Refining and Alchemy, so why would he leave the Celestial Cloud Sect? He’ll be just like Elder Ren, who has almost never left the sect."

The Foundation Establishment Demons of the Celestial Demon Sect didn’t discuss Fang Yun for long.

No matter how high the reward, they still needed an opportunity to kill Fang Yun.

As they saw it, their only chance to kill Fang Yun would be to fight their way to the Celestial Cloud Sect’s headquarters and successfully break through its defenses.

It wouldn’t be too late to worry about that then.

"Elder Mo, have you found anything in your investigation into the deaths of the four Foundation Establishment members from the Stone Demon Sect?"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yuanhai simply replied with two words.

"I haven’t."

The Celestial Demon Sect Elder asking the question was his rival within the Soul Destruction Hall, a man named Di Shanhai.

"Still no results after all this time? You’re incredibly inefficient." Di Shanhai looked at Mo Yuanhai, his expression immediately turning smug.

This grand meeting of the Soul Destruction Hall was the perfect opportunity for him to raise the issue.

Mo Yuanhai had embarrassed him before, so it was only natural that he would want to retaliate.

"Talk is cheap. If the investigation into the deaths of the four Stone Demon Sect Foundation Establishment members was given to you, Elder Di, do you think you’d have results by now?"

To this day, Mo Yuanhai was still completely clueless about the investigation.

The biggest problem was the lack of information.

If the Sect Leader and Vice Sect Leader of the Stone Demon Sect had managed to send back some information, it wouldn’t have become so troublesome.

"I’m not like you, Elder Mo. I have my ways. If you’re willing to beg me, I might consider helping you, depending on my mood."

The other Foundation Establishment Demons remained silent, most of them looking on as if watching a play unfold.

Situations like this were all too common in their Soul Destruction Hall.

"You think you can just pull valuable information out of thin air?" Mo Yuanhai shot back before refusing. "I’d sooner beg anyone else than you."

The tension between the two thickened.

As elders of the Celestial Demon Sect, they had fought before and were evenly matched.

Seeing that they were both ready to fight, the Spirit Destruction Hall Master spoke up again.

"Perfect. Our operation against the Celestial Cloud Sect is about to begin. If you’re interested, Elder Di, you can compete with Elder Mo. Let’s see who can find the answer first."

"Yes, Hall Master," Di Shanhai replied. "I’m very interested."

"Mm."

After this interlude with Di Shanhai and Mo Yuanhai’s confrontation, all the Foundation Establishment Demons of the Soul Destruction Hall began discussing the matter of dealing with the Celestial Cloud Sect.

Annihilating the Celestial Cloud Sect wasn’t something they could accomplish. That task would fall to the Core Formation experts of the Celestial Demon Sect.

The Soul Destruction Hall’s job was to pave the way for the sect’s Core Formation cultivators.

Once the groundwork was laid, the sect’s Core Formation experts would surely strike.

"The Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners from the Celestial Cloud Sect rarely show up in our Earth Realm. Such cowards. An influence of Spirit Refiners like that will be annihilated by us sooner or later."

"The Celestial Cloud Sect is weak to begin with. If they were any braver, they wouldn’t have scraped by for this long."

"Hahaha, you’re absolutely right, Elder Zhou."

"We don’t need to rush to deal with cowards like them. We’ll just chip away at them, bit by bit, then deliver the final, crushing blow."

"I agree."

"I agree as well."

"The Celestial Cloud Sect should be wiped out on our watch."

At the grand meeting of the Soul Destruction Hall, they first established the general strategy for dealing with the Celestial Cloud Sect. Once they received approval from the sect’s Core Formation experts, the details could be ironed out later.

「One month later.」

「Iron Tiger Manor.」

An elder from the Celestial Demon Sect arrived at the manor.

"Ah, Elder Di. Please forgive my delayed welcome." The Manor Master of Iron Tiger Manor immediately came out to greet him upon learning his identity.

"Manor Master Hu, I trust you’ve been well. How are you getting along with that fellow, Mo?"

At these words, the Manor Master of Iron Tiger Manor answered at once.

"It’s... adequate."

He didn’t want to offend any of the Celestial Demon Sect’s elders.

He was somewhat aware of the situation between Mo Yuanhai and Di Shanhai.

At this moment, he couldn’t be sure why Di Shanhai had appeared at Iron Tiger Manor.

"From now on, you will listen to me. As for that Mo fellow, you can just ignore him."

"This... Understood. No problem at all!"

The Manor Master of Iron Tiger Manor hesitated, but when he saw Di Shanhai produce a Token, he knew this was an order from the Celestial Demon Sect.

"First, tell me about the ambush. Don’t leave out a single detail."

"Yes, sir."

As they walked, the Manor Master of Iron Tiger Manor recounted the entire situation to Di Shanhai.

Those who had lain in ambush didn’t know much themselves; they had simply returned to the Stone Demon Sect immediately after receiving Mo Yuanhai’s message.

Di Shanhai took out a map and studied it carefully.

"Based on your ambush positions, you should have noticed at least seventy percent of any Spirit Refiners coming from the Celestial Cloud Sect as reinforcements."

"The Celestial Cloud Sect reinforcements arrived very quickly," the Manor Master of Iron Tiger Manor added.

"In that case, the probability is at least ninety percent. Strange..."

Di Shanhai had a file with general information on the elders of the Celestial Cloud Sect.

Based on this information and what had happened near the Shen Family’s ancestral land, it was impossible to determine which Celestial Cloud Sect elder, or elders, had been responsible.

The information on the Celestial Cloud Sect’s elders was only an overview, after all.

Di Shanhai could accept not being able to reach a definitive conclusion.

"Let’s put this matter aside for now. The sect sent me here for a more important reason—the upcoming operation."

Hearing this, the Manor Master of Iron Tiger Manor immediately understood what the Celestial Demon Sect was planning.

When he was still young, over a hundred years ago, an elder from the Celestial Demon Sect had come to Iron Tiger Manor for a special purpose.

It was to demand their full cooperation in striking at the influences within the Celestial Cloud Sect’s Earth Realm.

The chaos of war was beginning once again.

’He wondered how much benefit Iron Tiger Manor could gain from all this.’

...

「Celestial Cloud Sect’s Earth Realm, Celestial Gift Mountain.」

This was the territory of the Zeng Family, a Qi Refining Cultivation Clan.

"Patriarch, we were ambushed by Demons!"

"What were the circumstances? Quickly, tell me."

"Yes, sir."

Two of their Zeng Family clansmen, both at the middle stage of Qi Refining, had been attacked by three Demons.

These Demons were also at the middle stage of Qi Refining: one at the Sixth Layer, and two at the Fifth.

The ambush had left one Zeng Family member dead and another injured.

If there had been a late-stage Qi Refining Demon among the attackers, it’s likely neither of them would have made it back.

"It seems the ones who ambushed you weren’t Demons from the Stone Demon Sect."

"Their claws were dark red during the fight... These Demons must be from the Tong Family." Patriarch Zeng quickly came to a conclusion based on the information he possessed.

"The Tong Family of Demons, a subordinate Qi Refining Influence of Iron Tiger Manor."

"That’s right."

"The Tong Family of Demons has no dealings with us, yet they appeared in our territory to ambush our people... Patriarch, in that case, there’s only one likely explanation."

"Mm, I understand. I’ll inform the Shen Family immediately."

The Zeng Family had been established less than one hundred and thirty years ago.

They had not experienced the last great war between the Celestial Cloud Sect and the Celestial Demon Sect.

However, they had learned about the wars between Core Formation Sects from the Shen Family.

At the outset of a great war, all the influences in the Celestial Demon Sect’s Earth Realm, large and small, would mobilize.

Under these circumstances, it was normal to encounter Demons from influences they would otherwise never cross paths with.

...

「Shen Family Ancestral Land.」

Patriarch Shen, who was in the middle of his cultivation, looked at the Sound Transmission Talisman before him.

He immediately received the message.

’It’s starting.’

Patriarch Shen was not particularly surprised by the message.

Four Foundation Establishment Demons from the Stone Demon Sect had died on their Shen Family’s ancestral land; the Stone Demon Sect, a Foundation Establishment Influence, now existed in name only.

Even if the Celestial Demon Sect didn’t move against the Celestial Cloud Sect, they would certainly move against the Shen Family.

They had long since prepared for this.

Now, all that was left was to relay the news from the Zeng Family to the Celestial Cloud Sect.