Lin Hao’s decision seemed random, but its significance was anything but ordinary.

On a grander scale, the most beloved youngest disciple of the Misty Palace’s Palace Master celebrating her birthday at the Danling Sect could further strengthen the relationship between the two sects. For him, this was also of great importance.

On a smaller scale, Lin Hao wasn’t just pleasing the birthday girl.

’It’s also an indirect way to apologize to Su Molixi.’

A woman holding a grudge was a terrifying thing.

Especially a powerful one.

Although he had never seen Su Molixi in action, the fact that she had become the Sect Leader of one of the five great divine sects said it all.

Lin Hao had no desire to be estranged from her over an unintentional offense.

After Meng Qing left, Lin Hao decided to head out as well.

He was going to find Sect Leader Mo to discuss their plans.

However, when he found Sect Leader Mo, he walked into a tense standoff.

On one side were Sect Leader Mo and the elders of the Danling Sect.

On the other were the middle-aged man from the Zhengyang Sect and the Danling Sect’s own Third Master Hao.

Countless members from various sects were looking on from the sidelines.

"Sect Leader, what’s all this?" Lin Hao asked, confused.

Upon seeing Lin Hao, one of the elders beamed and replied, "Young Master Lin, thank you for the warning! If not for you, they would have escaped."

Hearing this, both Ruan Jinhong and Third Master Hao fixed their venomous gazes on Lin Hao.

They had been caught just as they were about to flee. Now, hearing that Lin Hao was the one who had orchestrated it all, how could they not hate him?

The elder realized he had misspoken. His face fell, and he looked anxiously toward Lin Hao.

He wanted to slap himself.

’The Zhengyang Sect is one of the four great sects of the Southern Border Prefecture. Won’t my words just make them a powerful enemy for Young Master Lin?’

Lin Hao, however, just waved his hand dismissively. He had already offended the Zhengyang Sect beyond all hope of reconciliation.

"Ruan Jinhong, hand over the Harmonization Pills, or you won’t be leaving the Danling Sect’s mountain today!" the same elder shouted. He was trying to repay Lin Hao for overlooking his blunder.

"Hmph! This has nothing to do with me," Ruan Jinhong said without a hint of panic, shifting all the blame onto Third Master Hao. "He wanted to defect to my Zhengyang Sect and offered the Harmonization Pills as a show of loyalty. But I refused to accept."

"You!" Third Master Hao’s expression changed dramatically.

"You’ve been caught. There’s no escaping death now. Take all the blame, and I will offer Lin Hao’s head in tribute to you," Ruan Jinhong secretly transmitted to Third Master Hao.

Third Master Hao’s face was deathly pale. Ruan Jinhong was right. He had stolen the Harmonization Pills; that was a fact. No matter what, he couldn’t escape death. If he went along with Ruan Jinhong’s plan, his greatest enemy’s head would be placed before his grave.

But if he defied Ruan Jinhong, he would die without ever getting his revenge.

"After I die, bury me with my two brothers. Then, bring Lin Hao to my grave and use his blood as an offering for us," Third Master Hao said to Ruan Jinhong, gritting his teeth.

Ruan Jinhong nodded readily.

"That’s right, I did this alone! Lin Hao killed my brothers. Our feud is irreconcilable! Yet my own sect wants to form an alliance with him. Even my most respected master turned into a spineless weakling before him! I had no choice but to turn to the Zhengyang Sect."

Since he was going to die anyway, Third Master Hao decided to go all out.

Cao Xiong stepped forward, killing intent flaring in his eyes. "Tell us where the other twelve Harmonization Pills are, and I’ll grant you a whole corpse!"

"Hahaha, I’ll never tell! Without the Harmonization Pills, the Danling Sect’s reputation will be dragged through the mud. A single Harmonization Pill is worth seventeen million in Gold. To have over a hundred million in Gold buried with me... it’s worth it!" As Third Master Hao finished speaking, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and he collapsed, dead.

He had taken his own life by shattering his heart meridian.

This sudden turn of events caught everyone by surprise.

"I came to get my Harmonization Pills at noon, and you kept giving me the runaround. So they were stolen all along," Jin Bufan said coldly. "Sect Leader Mo, I want my pills now. Please fetch them for me immediately."

He had won the pills at the auction only to be played for a fool by Lin Hao, and the Danling Sect had defended Lin Hao at every turn. Now, he was more than happy to watch the Danling Sect’s scandal unfold.

And if the Danling Sect no longer had the Harmonization Pills, he could justifiably demand compensation.

His scheme was perfectly calculated, but a single sentence from Sect Leader Mo shattered his fantasy.

"No problem. Hall Master Jin, I can present your pills to you at once. In fact, I can even give you that final, heaven-defying pill. But let me offer a word of friendly advice: send a message back to your Divine Sect immediately and have them send an escort. Otherwise, once you leave the Danling Sect’s mountain, you won’t even know how you died."

The words were a threat, but they were also the absolute truth.

Jin Bufan’s expression flickered through several shades before he fell silent. In truth, he had already sent a message to his sect.

"Sect Leader Mo, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be taking my leave," Ruan Jinhong said.

Now that Third Master Hao was dead, there was no one to testify against him. The Zhengyang Sect could acquire twelve Harmonization Pills for free.

’As the one who made this happen, I’ll definitely get a share of those pills.’ He wished he could sprout wings and fly away from this place that very instant.

"Actually, there is something. Please wait," Lin Hao chimed in with a smile before Sect Leader Mo could even speak.

"Elder Ruan, please wait a moment." The moment Lin Hao spoke, Sect Leader Mo immediately echoed him.

Lin Hao had just played every powerful faction like a fiddle. Sect Leader Mo no longer dared to underestimate him in the slightest.

With the Sect Leader having spoken, all the Danling Sect elders stared daggers at Ruan Jinhong, afraid he might try to flee.

Ruan Jinhong’s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of unease crept over him.

’Whenever Lin Hao speaks, it’s never good news.’

Whether he admitted it or not, anyone from the Zhengyang Sect now snapped to full alert at the very mention of Lin Hao’s name.

Lin Hao pulled Sect Leader Mo aside and whispered a few words in his ear. A moment later, Sect Leader Mo turned back around, a wide smile on his face.

"Hall Master Jin, I have a very profitable deal for you. Are you interested?" Sect Leader Mo asked Jin Bufan.

"Speak!" Jin Bufan said, looking up at the sky with an air of arrogance.

He had been left speechless by Sect Leader Mo’s words, bringing great shame to the Proud Moon Divine Sect. Now, he needed to reclaim his lost prestige.

Sect Leader Mo paid him no mind, still smiling. "Regarding the Harmonization Pills, there are two options. With the first, you won’t gain any special advantage; the price will be the same as what you bid at the auction. The second option, however, will be greatly to your advantage."

"Tell me about the second one!"

"The truth is, we were aware of Third Master Hao’s every move. We even knew that to curry favor with the Zhengyang Sect, he allowed their people to leave with eighteen Harmonization Pills."

Ruan Jinhong’s expression changed. He knew what Sect Leader Mo was planning.

His Zhengyang Sect couldn’t afford to offend one of the five great divine sects.

"Nonsense! He clearly only gave me twelve—" In his panic, the words slipped out of Ruan Jinhong’s mouth. By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late.

Sect Leader Mo’s face lit up in mock realization. "Oh, right, right, it was twelve! Look at my memory. The Harmonization Pills belong to my Danling Sect; no one disagrees with that. Hall Master Jin, if I only charge you for ten pills, but you get to walk away with twelve, is that a deal you’d take?"

"I’m not an idiot. Of course, I’ll take it," Jin Bufan blurted out.

Two Harmonization Pills were worth thirty-four million in Gold. With savings like that, of course Jin Bufan would agree.

"Elder Ruan, you heard him. Those twelve pills you sent back to the Zhengyang Sect now belong to the Proud Moon Divine Sect," Sect Leader Mo said, shrugging at Ruan Jinhong, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

Jin Bufan also turned to look at Ruan Jinhong, making no effort to conceal his killing intent.

In the eyes of the five great divine sects, a mere Zhengyang Sect could be crushed with a single hand.

Ruan Jinhong’s expression was unbelievably grim as he stared daggers at Lin Hao.

The Danling Sect had managed to reclaim the pills that were practically already in their hands, and they hadn’t had to lift a finger.

What a vicious plan!

He wasn’t an idiot; he knew this scheme had to have come from Lin Hao.

’How despicable!’

’Dammit, what’s with the Netherworld Hall’s incompetence? Why haven’t they taken this kid out yet?!’

Ruan Jinhong cursed inwardly.

But he had no choice but to say to Jin Bufan, "Hall Master Jin, we were unaware that these items were needed by your esteemed sect. Rest assured, I will inform my sect immediately and have them returned."

Before one of the five great divine sects, Ruan Jinhong had no choice but to swallow his anger.

Normally, he might have invoked the name of the Jinglian Saint Institute. But with the recent loss of their Spiritual Artifact, his entire sect was in a state of panic, scrambling to deal with the impending crisis. This was no time to be making new waves.

Jin Bufan nodded, then turned his gaze to Lin Hao, remaining silent for a long time.

Finally, he spoke. "I was biased before and underestimated you. I see now that your cunning is truly terrifying. When I return, I will instruct my fellow Sect Disciples to never provoke you if they see you."

As the saying goes, the player is lost while the spectator sees all. During the auction, Jin Bufan was a player, led around by the nose by Lin Hao.

But now, observing the entire affair as a bystander, he finally understood just how terrifying Lin Hao was.

"Since you are all staying for a couple of days, there’s something I’d like to announce." Having recovered the lost Harmonization Pills so effortlessly, Sect Leader Mo was in an excellent mood. He smiled and continued.

"Young Master Lin just happened to learn that in two days, it will be the birthday of the most treasured youngest disciple of Palace Master Su from the Misty Palace. For various reasons, they will be staying with our sect for a few days. If you attend her birthday celebration, the Danling Sect will offer you a twenty percent discount on all future pill purchases."

This whole affair had erupted right after the auction, so none of the visiting powers had left. Hearing this sudden news, they were all incredibly excited.

Although attending the birthday celebration meant preparing a gift, this was a golden opportunity.

The Misty Palace was one of the five great divine sects. Ordinarily, they wouldn’t even have the chance to offer them a gift.

The five great divine sects were lofty and unapproachable. Even if these smaller sects traveled a thousand miles to visit, they would likely be turned away at the gates.

What’s more, attending would also grant them a discount on the Danling Sect’s pills.

An opportunity like this was something they couldn’t have even dreamed of asking for.

"Sect Leader Mo, I’m the Sect Leader of the Three-leaf Sect! Please, can I attend the birthday celebration in two days? I’m strong, I can help build the stage!"

"Sect Leader Mo, me too! I’m the Sect Leader of the Qixi Sect! Our sect specializes in ingenious contraptions and dazzling tricks! I can design all sorts of surprises for you!"

The moment Sect Leader Mo finished speaking, he was mobbed by people, all clamoring with questions.

The area instantly turned into a chaotic marketplace...