“There’s someone down!”
“What’s going on? What’s happening?”
Batu suddenly collapsed, startling the passersby on the road. Some hurried away to avoid trouble, some kindly approached to check on him, while others gathered around to watch what was happening.
“He’s dead!” a well-meaning person helping him exclaimed in shock.
They had never expected such a situation. Just moments ago, he was perfectly fine—how could he suddenly die?
Had he suffered a stroke or a heart attack?
At this moment, someone emerged from the crowd, claiming to be skilled in medicine, and began examining Batu under the expectant gazes of the onlookers.
“No illness, no injuries…” he muttered to himself, instinctively pressing on Batu’s chest and abdomen.
Suddenly, Batu’s chest and abdomen caved in and split open, as if they had been long dried out and could no longer withstand the pressure.
Inside the chest cavity was completely hollow, with no trace of internal organs—as if they had been devoured by wild dogs!
“It’s a ghost!”
“A demon!”
Such a bizarre scene immediately terrified the onlookers, sending them fleeing in panic. Batu lay silently on the ground, now completely alone.
Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged glances, a chill creeping up their spines. They had killed many people before, but this was the first time they had encountered something so strange.
Just moments ago, when Batu passed by them, he was still full of vitality and running powerfully. How could he suddenly lose all his internal organs and die on the spot?
At this moment, someone far away was so frightened that he screamed wildly:
“Witchcraft!”
“Shamanic sorcery!”
“The grassland people are attacking again!”
“Shamanic sorcery?” Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei immediately understood. Only witchcraft could create something so bizarre.
Jiang Zhiwei had previously read about shamanic sorcery within her sect, but this was her first time at the edge of the grasslands, so she momentarily lacked practical experience. Although Meng Qi had entered the grasslands before, he had only encountered shamans once and knew little about their sorcery.
Could it be that the Wolf-Killing Society did something that provoked the shamans? Meng Qi glanced at Batu’s corpse but didn’t dare approach, and together with Jiang Zhiwei, he bypassed the scene and returned to Peijing.
These matters had nothing to do with them—it was better not to invite unnecessary trouble!
Inside the inn, Chong He, wearing the mask of “Lingbao Tianzun,” was already waiting for the two of them.
“This matter has already been reported to Qingyuan. This old Daoist need not worry too much anymore,” he said calmly.
To be safe, he had been closely monitoring Meng Qi and the others’ conversation earlier. When it came time to act, he would do so under the identity of “Lingbao Tianzun,” not Chong He Daoist. As long as he didn’t use his full strength, he wouldn’t fear exposure. At worst, his reputation within the immortal realm might suffer, but given the previous myths, it wasn’t much better anyway.
However, he still had some concerns about taking action. As a leader of the righteous sects, he wanted to avoid killing members of the Cao family if possible.
“Unfortunately, the Cao family probably won’t agree, or they will ask for something very high in return,” Meng Qi sighed.
Because of this incident, the secret of the treasure vault had been leaked to the Cao family, leaving him with mixed emotions.
But Cao Xianzhi was a member of the Immortal Trace Society. If Lingbao Tianzun simply went to confront the Cao family without even a greeting, the society would eventually fall apart due to distrust. Although Meng Qi felt a bit annoyed, he honestly asked himself—if their positions were reversed and he discovered that his organization had been hiding things from him and secretly opposing his family, sect, or loved ones, he would definitely feel resentment and want revenge.
Moreover, if Cao Xianzhi prioritized his family over himself, things might go smoothly. Meng Qi knew that avoiding risks always came at a price.
Lingbao Tianzun nodded and said, “Once the Cao family learns that the forbidden area hides a treasure vault, they will definitely search for it themselves. Since they can afford to wait for decades, why let outsiders reap the benefits?”
They might even laugh at us for being foolish… Meng Qi thought to himself.
Jiang Zhiwei listened silently for a while before suddenly speaking up, “Knowing about the treasure vault isn’t entirely bad for the Cao family. At least it allows us to guide and mobilize them. Otherwise, in such an unclear situation as before, they would definitely choose to remain conservative and wait and see, blocking our path.”
She was trying to look at the positive side.
“The Cao family has divine weapons, formations, and the remains of a land immortal. If we want to break into the two main forbidden areas, unless I break through my current limits, it could take a long time with no guarantee of success,” Lingbao Tianzun pointed out the Cao family’s strength.
How could a top aristocratic family like the Cao family lack depth?
Meng Qi pursed his lips and furrowed his brow, thinking of a solution.
If Wang the Trickster or the cunning Gu Yaonv were facing this situation, what would they do?
Among their generation’s experts, these two were the most clever, repeatedly outwitting Meng Qi. Therefore, when planning, Meng Qi instinctively tried to mimic their styles.
Gu Yaonv was known for her far-sighted strategies, adept at seeing the big picture, mysterious and unpredictable. If Meng Qi could understand her thought process, he would have already taken control of the situation. As for Wang Siyuan, at least there was some discernible pattern—Wang had once said that the core of planning was concealing one’s true intentions.
Concealing one’s true intentions?
Just as Meng Qi started forming some ideas, Lingbao Tianzun spoke, “Breaking into the forbidden areas is difficult, but we can manipulate them. As Jiang Xiaoyou said, we can use the treasure vault as bait to guide them.”
Damn, the old fox really is sharp! Meng Qi suddenly had a flash of inspiration, connecting his scattered thoughts!
He chuckled, drawing the attention of Lingbao Tianzun and Jiang Zhiwei. Inwardly sighing that he didn’t have a feather fan to wave around, he slowly said, “If we say our goal is the treasure vault, will the Cao family really believe us? Qingyuan may not worry, but the Cao family head, who doesn’t know our true intentions, might suspect us of having other motives?”
“Disguise other motives?” Jiang Zhiwei was quick to catch on.
“Exactly!” Meng Qi smiled. “The Cao family has four forbidden areas. The two most important are the ancestral hall and the Immortal Lake. The other two have already had their most valuable items taken, leaving only minor treasures and training environments for family members, guarded at most by top experts.”
“Lingbao Tianzun doesn’t know that this old Daoist is also involved. With the defenses he’s set up, even you couldn’t infiltrate the weaker two forbidden areas. Therefore, the treasure vault might be in one of these two places. Using this as bait could slightly shift their defenses,” Lingbao Tianzun nodded, roughly guessing Meng Qi’s idea.
Meng Qi continued solemnly, “Then, I will ask Tianzun to grant a treasure to Jiang Zhiwei, allowing her to pretend to be discovered while infiltrating, then use the treasure to trap her here, giving them time to call for help.”
“Given the Cao family’s vigilance and suspicion, even if they don’t doubt our motives, they might suspect a feint or a distraction. The reinforcements they send won’t be few, but neither will they be many. At that time, I will ask Tianzun to intervene, trapping them while temporarily isolating Peijing from the outside world!”
“In this way, we use the treasure vault as bait to strike and severely damage the Cao family’s defenses,” Jiang Zhiwei’s eyes sparkled as she understood Meng Qi’s meaning.
Using the treasure vault as a decoy to “lure out” the Cao family’s countermeasures, while using this “real purpose” to cover our true infiltration of the treasure vault—truth and falsehood intertwined, reality and illusion indistinguishable. When falsehood is treated as truth, even truth becomes falsehood!
“Then you will go to the Immortal Lake for help?” Lingbao Tianzun smiled.
Meng Qi nodded with a smile, “At that time, I will ask Tianzun to make as much commotion as possible. I will transform into someone close to the Cao family head, desperately rushing to the Immortal Lake for help. Once I reach the island and deliver the message, I will suddenly ‘die’!”
“I may not be able to infiltrate by transforming, but if someone inside opens the door willingly, all their defenses will be useless!”
Lingbao Tianzun nodded slightly, “The situation is urgent, and the messenger ‘dies’ outside, making the commotion seem genuine. The Grandmaster inside will definitely activate the ‘remains of the land immortal’ at the ice eye to investigate. Even if the Immortal Lake is important, can it compare to the safety of the entire Cao family?”
“Once the door opens, this old Daoist will secretly use the ‘One Qi Manifests Three Purities’ technique to create a Daoist body to distract them, giving you the perfect opportunity to infiltrate in disguise. This plan truly strikes at the heart of human nature.”
“One Qi Manifests Three Purities…” Jiang Zhiwei’s pupils suddenly constricted.
“Even the most impenetrable defenses are useless if the heart falters. Once the heart falters, even the strongest defenses become as thin as paper,” Meng Qi said dramatically.
As long as we obtain the inheritance and treasures, with someone cooperating from the inside, how could we possibly fail to escape?
This plan wasn’t complicated—it was something he had learned in his previous life, called “social engineering.” It didn’t rely on “cultivation techniques” but on human nature!
As for tempting or controlling a Cao family member qualified to cultivate at the ice eye of the Immortal Lake, it would require selecting a target, observing their weaknesses, and slowly luring them in. It wasn’t something that could be done quickly, and delays could lead to unforeseen complications. Meng Qi had no choice but to abandon this idea.
The three slowly discussed the plan, filling in the details, making sure the false objective appeared as real as possible. Finally, Meng Qi exhaled deeply, “In the next two days, this junior must secretly observe several Cao family members trusted by the family head, learn their mannerisms, memorize their auras, and preferably discover the surface-level flow routes of their inner energy.”
Suddenly feeling lighter, he thought, if the Cao family refuses to cooperate, eliminating their share would be quite beneficial!
“This old Daoist will help you observe the Cao ancestral hall,” Lingbao Tianzun said.
At this moment, Jiang Zhiwei recalled the incident with Batu on the road and briefly described it: “…Tianzun, was it really shamanic sorcery?”
From their earlier conversation, she could roughly guess who the Heavenly Venerable Lingbao truly was. Along with this realization came inner shock, as she knew that Daoist Chonghe had long been involved with the grasslands and was deeply familiar with shamanic sorcery.
Lingbao Tianzun pondered for a moment and said, “It was indeed shamanic sorcery. However, shamans from the grasslands typically hold high status, serving as protectors of their tribes and rarely venture far. Why would one secretly appear in Peijing?”
Surely not for something as trivial as trade between the north and south!
Chong He Daoist was deeply troubled by the shaman’s peculiar actions, fearing that the grasslands might once again be plotting a southern invasion.
“Perhaps it’s internal strife within the steppe,” Meng Qi briefly mentioned the Wolf-Killing Society.
Chong He Daoist nodded slightly but said no more.
…
Late at night, with people quiet and the world still, Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei, with the help of Lingbao Tianzun, lay hidden near the Cao ancestral hall, secretly observing the comings and goings of the outer experts.
Suddenly, they heard Lingbao’s voice in their ears: “West gate—there’s a Cao outer expert approaching.”
Lingbao Tianzun’s perception abilities were hundreds of times stronger than those of Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei!
“West gate?” Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei quickly moved toward that location.
Just as they had hidden themselves again, Meng Qi saw a Cao outer expert come out, ordering the gate disciples and guards to leave, leaving only himself alone at the gate.
“A bit strange…” Meng Qi frowned as he transmitted his thoughts.
Jiang Zhiwei focused her gaze: “It’s Cao Tai, the eldest grandson of the Cao family head, a top-tier expert.”
This was a direct descendant of the family head, the most authoritative outer expert representing the family! Meng Qi, putting aside his confusion, focused intently on observing Cao Tai’s every move, preparing for his transformation later.
Just then, a flash of light appeared outside the gate, revealing two mysterious figures completely covered in black robes!
Their robes were quite special, capable of blocking observation.
Cao Tai glanced around cautiously, then stepped aside, helping the two mysterious figures pass through the formation opened at night by the Cao family. He then closed the gate and accompanied them deeper inside, moving beyond Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei’s perception range.
“Acting so mysteriously, truly suspicious…” Meng Qi muttered.
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