Chapter 644 361: Exposed

Star Ridge.

This area was still part of Yuzhou, albeit an extremely remote region. Between the endless mountain ranges lay fertile plains rich with Spiritual Qi, dotted with numerous cities and towns.

In a mid-sized city on a plain near the main mountain peak, the streets were teeming with pedestrians and bustling with traffic.

Cultivators could also be seen here, and in considerable numbers, but there were no public Marketplaces. Certain secret, underground trading posts could only be entered with an insider as a guide.

At the city's center, in a dark cavern a thousand feet underground, layers of Array Restrictions provided Shielding so formidable that even experts at the Void Refinement Realm would find it difficult to infiltrate.

Over ten figures, each exuding a powerful aura, sat in silence, waiting patiently.

The Shadow Demon Hall, the Secret Guard Camp, and the Hidden Assassins Sect. These were the three major intelligence and assassination organizations in Yuzhou's underworld.

Ostensibly, Yuzhou had been dominated by the Nine Great Cultivation Families, along with the low-profile Lu Hua Palace, Xianyin Pavilion, and the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty. There were also the three major merchant guilds: Xingyun sun, Illusory Treasure Pavilion, and Gathering Sea Pavilion.

Thus, these eighteen factions had carved up the vast territory of Yuzhou. In the past, they had schemed against one another, forming and breaking alliances, all while maintaining a delicate balance of power.

However, starting two hundred years ago, this stable structure, which had lasted for ten thousand years, began to fall out of balance.

Now, the Ling Family—pushed to the forefront by the Three Major Female Cultivation Forces—had astonishingly devoured the Mu Family, the Cui Family, and the Saint Yu Immortal Dynasty in a short period. They had even swallowed up the numerous vassal forces affiliated with these three great powers.

The upper echelons of the three great underground intelligence organizations were deeply unsettled by this, which led to this secret high-level meeting to discuss how to deal with the external threat.

After a short while, a figure with white hair and a white beard, draped in a Feather Cloak, walked in with slow, deliberate steps and took the main seat.

"Is everyone here? Then let us begin!"

He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse and grating, like a handful of sand scraping against metal.

This old man was an ancient figure from the Shadow Demon Hall: Murong Tianque. His current Cultivation had reached the Middle Stage of Void Refining. He was a veteran assassin, and the number of Cultivators who had lost their lives at his hands was beyond counting.

The scar-faced man in a grey robe seated first to his left was Xiang Canghai, the Sect Leader of the Secret Guard Camp. He also possessed a Cultivation at the Middle Stage of Void Refining.

The Sect Leader of the Hidden Assassins Sect, however, was a stunningly beautiful and regal woman with skin as smooth as ice and bones like jade. Her name was Jin Yanxi, and her Cultivation had reached the Late Stage of Void Refining.

According to rumors, most of the assassins from the Hidden Assassins Sect were Female Cultivators. This was especially true for the higher-ranked assassins, where the proportion of women was even greater. In a way, this was also a faction led and controlled by Female Cultivators.

"...Everyone, you are all aware of the current situation,"

Xiang Canghai said in a low voice. "We must now properly discuss what to do next."

A moment of silence fell before a cold, deep voice spoke up:

"What else can we do? Our three organizations have always just focused on business—taking money to solve people's problems. Those women can scheme all they want; how does it affect our interests?"

"That's not necessarily true,"

Jin Yanxi said unhurriedly, her cherry-red lips parting slightly. "In the past, Yuzhou was a fragmented mess. Every faction had a use for us, so our business was endless.

But if Yuzhou is truly unified by them, more than half of our old clients will disappear. Will we still be able to get enough business in the future to support everyone in our organizations?"

The powerful figures present frowned and remained silent.

Without business, there would be no profit. Without profit, there would be no Cultivation Resources. Forget about growth and expansion; even the continued survival of their organizations would become a major problem.

For organizations that dealt in intelligence and assassination, a completely unified Yuzhou Cultivation Realm was indeed not in their best interests.

As for expanding their business to other major prefectures, it was basically out of the question. Those places had their own local powers, leaving little room for outsiders to compete.

"So, in other words, Yuzhou cannot be unified. We must find a way to stop them. Is that correct?"

A loathsome-looking old crone with white hair and wrinkled skin tapped her cane on the ground and said sinisterly.

Murong Tianque nodded. "Indeed. A few days ago, factions including the Yu Family, the Yin Family, and the Feng Family approached me, wanting to form an alliance to resist the Ling Family.

I was hesitant about wading into these muddy waters, but now it seems we must give it serious consideration."

Xiang Canghai coughed, his tone grave. "Fellow Daoist Murong is right. If we stand by and do nothing now, once Yuzhou is truly under the control of a single power, will they tolerate our existence? It's hard to say!"

Although every power needs intelligence services and requires help handling matters they cannot attend to personally, that was no guarantee of their continued existence.

Jin Yanxi snorted coldly. "If we're lucky, our three organizations will be absorbed by them, and we'll become their vassal enforcers.

If we're unlucky, our organizations will be completely uprooted. All our Disciples will be killed, and no legacy will remain!"

Xiang Canghai sighed. "Since that's the case, what should we do now?"

Everyone present was a ruthless and decisive individual. Now that they had reached a consensus, it was time to discuss the specifics of execution.

"First, we accept the alliance proposals from those other families,"

Jin Yanxi said through gritted teeth. "We can share all of our intelligence resources, but of course, those families must also contribute a portion of their own.

Then, we will dispatch our most elite forces to assassinate the High Level Female Cultivators of Lu Hua Palace, Xianyin Pavilion, and the Liu Ying Clan indefinitely. And the Ling Family, as well.

Their control over their new territories is limited right now, and they haven't stationed many Cultivators to guard those places. This is the perfect opportunity to defeat them one by one!

As long as their losses of Female Cultivators reach a certain point, they will no longer be able to maintain the situation and will have no choice but to shrink their territory to protect themselves."

Of course, the Ling Family would certainly try to counterattack. However, with the Yu, Feng, and Tang Families openly tying them down, thwarting a joint siege by the three intelligence organizations would be incredibly difficult.

Murong Tianque said slowly, "Those female-led factions are no pushovers. To crush them, the price we must pay will undoubtedly be unprecedentedly high.

But it will all be worth it. Only if Yuzhou maintains the status quo can we have a future. Otherwise, all of you, my Fellow Daoists, can start preparing for your own funerals."

Xiang Canghai slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair and declared in a low voice, "It's settled then! We shall now—"

Before he could finish, a clear, calm, yet mysterious and profound voice echoed from the depths of the void:

"You can start preparing for your funerals right now! Why go through so much trouble?"

"Who is it?"

Murong Tianque was shocked. This was one of the Shadow Demon Hall's most secret core strongholds, with first-rate defenses and Shielding from a Celestial Secret Technique. How could an outsider have possibly detected it?

No one answered him. The void trembled, and all the Array Restrictions shattered like paper.

Numerous peerlessly beautiful Female Cultivators appeared, each with an enchanting figure and a unique, captivating aura. In their midst, they surrounded a handsome youth in purple robes with eyes like black lacquer and a grace as refined as a jade tree.

"So they really were hiding here. Husband's Secret Method of Celestial Secret Calculation is no empty boast!"

Yun Qingxue glanced around, gaining an even deeper understanding of Ling Changqing's abilities.

'With him around,' she thought, 'no Celestial Secret Technique will ever be able to plot against him, much less threaten the Ling Family.'

"Take them all. Any who dare to resist are to be killed without mercy!"

Ling Changqing said nonchalantly after a casual glance.

"Fellow Daoist, wait! I have something to say!"

Murong Tianque leaped to his feet, his face flushed as he shouted, "The Shadow Demon Hall can surrender to the Ling Family unconditionally, as long as you…"

As he spoke, layers of light burst from his body as he desperately threw out all his last-resort, life-saving techniques.

"You talk too much!"

Bai Qingyi snorted coldly, and the surrounding space was instantly locked down as tight as an iron drum, so much so that not even a mosquito could fly through.

A quarter of an hour later, all the high-ranking members of the Shadow Demon Hall, the Secret Guard Camp, and the Hidden Assassins Sect had been captured, their Divine Souls sealed.