novelraw Chapter 397: Qing Yan, It’s You Again Ruining My Plans
Chapter 397: Qing Yan, It’s You Again Ruining My Plans
As Master Jie Tan had predicted, events unfolded exactly as anticipated.
With Master Qing Yan present, the sect leaders and masters of other factions naturally showed some deference. Even though Qing Yan didn’t utter a single word and merely stood there like an imposing figure, his presence alone was enough to instill fear.
After distributing four more classic wooden alms bowls, Yu Zhao and Master Jie Tan sat down to review the collected number of spirit cores. Their expressions darkened with worry.
Having made the rounds of all seven great sects and exhausted every possible avenue—even forcing Sect Leader Chong Yang of the Heavenly Sword Sect to personally seek out spirit veins—they had only managed to gather forty-one spirit cores. Eight short of their goal.
Yu Zhao sighed, her small eyes darting toward Master Jie Tan, who rubbed his smooth bald head.
“Don’t look at me. I’m out of ideas too.”
Meanwhile, Qing Yan, standing on the sidelines and excluded from their shared woes, raised his brows. His commanding voice rang out with arrogance, “A few spirit cores? I’ll get them.”
In the cultivation world, countless sects existed, and the seven great sects weren’t the only ones controlling spirit veins. Qing Yan himself could name seven or eight smaller sects off the top of his head. If he made a trip, gathering the remaining spirit cores wouldn’t be a problem.
“Absolutely not!” Master Jie Tan interjected urgently.
“Master Qing Yan, you can’t measure others’ hearts by your own standards. What you propose is reckless!”To Qing Yan, spirit cores might be trivial items, but to smaller sects dependent on them for survival, the situation was entirely different. Take Lin Shuang and her sect as an example—their demise was caused by a severed spirit vein. Without spirit cores, sects lose the resources needed for cultivation, effectively cutting off their path to immortality. Even if they didn’t openly resist, they’d undoubtedly harbor deep hatred toward Qing Yan in secret.
Master Jie Tan couldn’t allow Qing Yan to push other sects to the brink, creating unnecessary karma.
Yu Zhao frowned as well, clearly agreeing that Qing Yan’s plan was flawed. If it were that simple, she and Jie Tan wouldn’t have been so troubled.
Qing Yan took Master Jie Tan’s cautionary words into consideration, but his face grew colder. Yu Zhao glanced at his sullen expression and thought to herself, no wonder this man was despised everywhere he went, even by demonic beasts.
Wait… demonic beasts?
Yu Zhao’s eyes lit up. That’s it! How could she have forgotten about the Nine-Tailed Fox and White Ling?
Demonic beasts had sharper senses than cultivators and were far more adept at locating spirit veins. Moreover, ancient demon clans like the White Peacock Clan and Nine-Tailed Fox Clan likely controlled several spirit veins themselves. And wasn’t Qing Yan already at odds with the Heaven-Devouring Rat and Moon Shadow Rabbit? Taking this opportunity to demand some resources seemed entirely reasonable.
Yu Zhao’s eyes gleamed as she pondered her next move. Should she return to Chaozong Gorge first or confront the Heaven-Devouring Rat and Moon Shadow Rabbit?
…
Deep underground, within a spacious cavern.
A plain-looking man sat cross-legged, surrounded by several dull, unremarkable stones. If Yu Zhao were present, she’d instantly recognize these as spirit cores, albeit ones drained of their spiritual energy and rendered useless.
Suddenly, the stone wall in front of the man began to ripple unnaturally. Two identical-looking men emerged from the wall and sat down not far from him. From their palms, globes of spiritual light floated upward and, as if guided, merged into the man’s head.
After a moment, he opened his eyes, a violent glint flashing within them.
“Qing Yan, it’s you again ruining my plans!”
His voice carried a storm of fury. Two centuries of preparation to ambush the Five Elements Dao Sect, ruined at the last moment by Qing Yan, had forced him to retreat into the shadows. And now, Qing Yan was meddling in his affairs once more!
Lei Nuo’s chest heaved with murderous intent, the cavern echoing with thunderous reverberations. Gradually, the sound subsided, and the chaotic energy around him calmed. Clenching his fists tightly, he muttered, “Not yet. The time isn’t ripe. Once I consume more spirit cores, the entire cultivation world will become my hunting ground. Soon… very soon!”
…
“System, did you hear that strange noise just now?”
In another underground cavern thousands of miles away, Ye Cong Xin nervously scanned her surroundings, clutching a Swift Escape Talisman in her hand, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. Only after the system reported no abnormalities did she exhale in relief.
But her expression quickly twisted into one of anger. She pounded the ground in frustration, her eyes filled with resentment.
“How much longer must I endure this life of hiding and running?” she cried. “So a few people died. Does that really justify issuing a highest-level bounty across the cultivation world?”
The bounty hunters ranged from Nascent Soul cultivators to Divine Transformation masters. Without the system’s assistance, she would have been torn to pieces long ago.
She was terrified, unable to show her face, while the system relentlessly pushed her to collect goodwill and steal fortune points.
“Do you think I don’t want to?” she muttered bitterly. “I can’t even leave this place!”
[Beep! Host’s fortune value is critically low. Please commence the strategy phase immediately!]
The system’s emotionless voice sounded, faster than usual, as though impatient. Ye Cong Xin clenched her teeth.
“It’s not that I don’t want to act, but everyone’s on guard now! I’m like a rat in the streets, with everyone out to get me. How am I supposed to proceed?”
After Old Man Ji Mie died, the Five Elements Dao Sect exposed her past deeds under Qing Yan’s name. Now, the entire cultivation world was wary of strangers, leaving her without even a chance to strike up a conversation, let alone execute a strategy.
The system ignored her excuses, repeating its directive in her sea of consciousness. She clapped her hands over her ears, pretending not to hear. Now that she was one step away from reaching Nascent Soul, she decided to focus on cultivating in seclusion. If she couldn’t gain fortune points, she’d achieve her breakthrough with her own strength.
A faint chuckle echoed through the cavern.
Ye Cong Xin’s eyes darkened as she forced a puzzled expression. “System, was that you laughing?”
The system remained silent, neither confirming nor denying it.
Ye Cong Xin bit her lip, a stubborn determination flashing across her face. She could do this. She was no longer the weak girl she once was. If Yu Zhao could become a Nascent Soul cultivator, then so could she!
Taking a deep breath, she steadied her mind and prepared to cultivate. But just as she began to meditate, the system’s voice echoed once more in her consciousness. Unlike its usual monotone, this time she detected unmistakable malice.
[Beep! Host’s fortune value is critically low. Automatically removing Host’s Affinity Aura, 5 points of Stamina, and 5 points of Comprehension… to sustain system operations. Please commence the strategy phase immediately!]
Ye Cong Xin’s expression twisted with rage. “How dare you steal my comprehension points! Those were mine! I earned them!” Her voice broke into a sob, filled with despair. “Mine… they were mine…”