Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit - Chapter 449
Chapter 449 – Lu Ping’s Plan
After Lu Ping left Evenite Palace, he headed straight back to Huang Li Island and sent out a few messages. He reckoned that the tragic news of Li Xuan-Yin would spread quickly and everyone in the North Ocean would eventually learn about it. With that in mind, he summoned Chen Lian and then quicly sent the heavy-hearted Chen Lian away.
He then summoned Hu Lili. When he was arranging certain affairs with her, Jiang Tian-Lin’s voice sounded in his ears, demanding his presence.
Lu Ping realized that Jiang Tian-Lin had learned about Li Xuan-Yin’s death.
Jiang Tian-Lin wore a grim expression, and said, “I’ve already learned about Xuan-Yin’s death. Junior Aunt Tian-Xue sent word that the Xuan Ling Sect’s Dao-Shi returned heavily injured from an expedition, accusing Xuan-Yin and Ao Yu, a monster cultivator, of teaming up against him. He also said that Ao Yu stabbed Xuan-Yin in the back, which gave him a chance to escape. He doesn’t know what happened after that, but it seems like Ao Yu was the one that killed Xuan Yin.”
Lu Ping was stunned because he recognized Ao Yu’s name. Da Gui had mentioned this monster cultivator when he was doing some reconnaissance in the monster territories. Da Gui mentioned that the East Ocean Monsters delivered some important resources to the North Ocean Monsters, which were then handed over to Ao Yu. Lu Ping recalled reporting this matter to the sect.
A moment of realization suddenly struck Lu Ping, making him even more confused. He thought, “The man that I saw back in Qing Jian’s Residence! That mysterious middle-aged cultivator! Is he Ao Yu? If that’s the case, Xuan-Yin’s wife is a monster cultivator, which makes Yin Xuan-Chu a child birthed by a human and a monster?”
Lu Ping sensitively pieced the puzzle together from the evidence and information he had.
Back then, Ao Yu referred to Xuan-Yin as his brother-in-law, suggesting that his sister was Xuan-Yin’s wife. It also appeared that Xuan-Yin’s monster wife had passed away due to a scheme, according to Ao Yu. With Dao-Shi being heavily injured by the duo, it was evident that Dao-Shi was the murderer.
“Perhaps Xuan-Yin keeping a low profile all these years was not so simple. He avoided drawing attention to himself because his wife was a Monster!”
Humans and monsters were eternal enemies, making their relationship an absolute taboo. If the relationship surfaced, not even the Zhen Ling Sect would be able to protect Xuan-Yin.
The information was strung together, allowing Lu Ping to glance at the truth. However, he wondered, “Why did Ao Yu turn against Xuan-Yin? What was the motive behind his betrayal? Is Dao-Shi lying, or did something else happen?”
The fact that Xuan-Yin teamed up with a Monster cultivator against a Great Ancestor from the Xuan Ling Sect was a very serious problem. This would result in great turmoil in the North Ocean. “Would the Xuan Ling Sect exploit this event to persuade the cultivators of the North Ocean to side against the Zhen Ling Sect?” Lu Ping thought. “What about Yin Xuan-Chu? How will this impact him?”
Lu Ping was worried. He feared that Yin Xuan-Chu would allow his emotions to get the better of him, leading him down a path of revenge. Lu Ping hurriedly sent messages to their mutual friends, asking them to take good care of Yin Xuan-Chu and requesting Chen Lian to keep Yin Xuan-Chu company personally. He was well aware that if Yin Xuan-Chu’s identity as the descendant of a human and a monster was found out, he would become a public enemy. The Zhen Ling Sect could even be forced to give up Yin Xuan-Chu due to immense pressure.
If Lu Ping’s worries came true, then his request for Yin Xuan-Chu to be taken care of would turn out to be a horrible move!
Lu Ping panicked. The negative emotions haunting him appeared on his face.
“What’s going on in that head of yours, Lu Ping?” Tian-Lin suddenly asked.
Lu Ping returned to his senses. He hurriedly suppressed his worries, and replied, “Is Dao-Shi speaking the truth? Or is this just a lie from the Xuan Ling Sect to sabotage our reputation? For now, we can’t tell.”
Tian-Lin was pleased with Lu Ping’s reply, but he still wore a stern expression. “As a Law Avatar Realm cultivator, I don’t think Dao-Shi would spin a lie like that. The Xuan Ling Sect is going to question us about this incident sooner or later. However, they aren’t strong enough to topple us. Apart from the ones stationed in the sect, our other late-Core Forging Realm cultivators have been dispatched to the scene to search for Xuan-Yin’s body while also tracking down Ao Yu. We will definitely not let this matter slip away easily. We will avenge Xuan-Yin no matter the cost. Whatever the truth may be, we will make them pay if they dare to plot against our sect!”
Tian-Lin’s unreasonable, charismatic and one-sided words affected Lu Ping. He felt that this was exactly how a powerful and united sect should act in times like this.
He forced himself to calm down, and asked, “What do you think of Ao Yu and Junior Uncle Xuan-Yin, Senior Grandfather?”
After leaving the compound, Lu Ping hurriedly summoned Hu Lili and Zheng Jie, explaining the situation to them. Ignoring their exclamations of surprise, he continued, “I didn’t think too much about it back then, but it seems like his identity is going to be revealed soon! It will be much better if the sect decides to support him, but if the sect doesn’t, and someone decides to target him, things will be very bad. As Yin Xuan-Chu’s friends, we can’t stand to the side and watch him die!”
“Don’t worry. I know what to do.” Zheng Jie assured Lu Ping and patted his shoulder.
After becoming stronger, Lu Ping slowly climbed the ranks in the sect, instilling respect and fear in his peers. As a result, even his good friends like the carefree Zheng Jie stopped acting as freely around him as they once did. When Zheng Jie acted carefree and friendly, Lu Ping enjoyed it, preferring to be treated more like a good friend than a superior.
Lu Ping nodded. “I’ll leave the island’s affairs to you, Senior Sister Hu. Senior Sister Zheng please keep Yin Xuan-Chu company. I’ve already sent a message to the others as well. Remember, if anything happens, we must keep him alive at all costs!”
After walking Zheng Jie out, Lu Ping still felt uneasy. He left the Golden House to Hu Lili, and said, “This incident is bound to cause a massive uproar. Senior Grandfather Tian-Lin is definitely going to leave the island to deal with the monster Great Ancestor, weakening the security of the island. Luan Yu and Lu Qin-er are inside here. Should anything happen, these two will be your strongest supporters. Make sure the island’s formations are activated at all times!”
Understanding that the situation was dire, Hu Li-Li replied seriously, “Don’t worry. I know what this island means to you, so I will keep it safe, even if it costs me my life! Besides, there are now six spirit veins on the island. Their presence means that there will be enough spiritual energy to keep the formations running. Luan Yu and Lu Qin’er are both stronger than me. With them by my side, I’ll be able to keep the island safe even without Chen Lian and Zheng Jie.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not that serious. The island is no way near as important as your life. Promise me that you’ll keep yourself away from harm’s way. Even if we lose the island, there will be a second, a third, or even a fourth island out there for me to claim. Make sure you stay safe!”
After bidding Hu Lili farewell, Lu Ping headed to the place where Dao-Shi was attacked. He suddenly thought of something and traveled to Qing Jian’s Residence.
Deep in the water region where Qing Jian’s Residence was located, Lu Ping swiftly traversed through the water with a pearl floating above his head. The Water Repelling Pearl allowed Lu Ping to surpass the speed of the snake trio, especially with the addition of the North Ocean Wave Listening Scripture.
After arriving, Lu Ping headed straight to the place where he saw Xuan-Yin and Ao Yu meet. He scanned around with his divine revelation, and after finding nothing abnormal, he headed to a place with many bushes.
Using a spell, Lu Ping froze the water and bushes around him before lifting them, revealing a mini teleportation formation hidden underneath. This Was the formation that the middle-aged cultivator had used.
Lu Ping wore the stone armor and released the snake trio as well as Da Gui.
Realizing that Lu Ping was going on a dangerous trip, the snake trio shunned their usual naughty and cheeky attitude. They silently followed behind Lu Ping and watched as he activated the formation with a few high-level spirit stones. With a stomp, the formation was activated. After a bright white light flashed across their eyes, the young man and his four pets were no longer in sight. All that was left were floating bushes and dirt that eventually landed back onto the ground, covering the formation once more.
