Chapter 314: Ambush

Chapter 314 -312: Ambush

As a Loose Cultivator from Qing Province, Qu Yuanfeng had done his utmost to get closer to Shangguan Moyuan inside the Heaven-Reaching Tower, clearly intending to pledge his allegiance to the Shangguan Family.

His Lightweight Skill was unparalleled and his concealment techniques had reached a level of Mastery, but his combat prowess was somewhat lacking.

After struggling in the Jianghu for so long, he needed to find a stable place and seek resources to break through to the Primordial Pill Realm.

That was why he was so diligently scouting for information for Shangguan Moyuan.

Seeing Shangguan Moyuan fall silent, he felt a little uneasy, unsure if the information he had brought was useful or not.

Just then, Su Changhe saw Shangguan Moyuan lost in thought. He raised an eyebrow slightly and asked, “Brother Shangguan, are you planning to intercept what that Chen Jiutian is after?”

A cold glint flashed in Shangguan Moyuan’s eyes. “Intercept? That’s nothing. If the opportunity arises, we must eliminate this man!

Outside, Chen Jiutian is protected by powerful experts like Wang Xuangan of the Sun-Swapping Alliance. But inside this Heaven-Reaching Tower, who can protect him?

Brother Su, don’t tell me you don’t want to kill him. Setting aside the feud between him and your Blazing Sect, can you really swallow this insult?”

Su Changhe said coldly, “Of course not!

Junior Brother Zhu Chengzong was as close as a blood brother to me. He was practically my brother from another mother.

How could I possibly stomach it after Chen Jiutian so cruelly murdered him?”

Shangguan Moyuan sneered inwardly. ‘You were as close as blood brothers, so why are you only now seeking revenge on Chen Jiutian?’

However, Shangguan Moyuan didn’t call him out on it.

They both came from top Sects and Families, unlike someone from the Demon Dao like Han Chang. They needed a just cause for their actions.

Therefore, he couldn’t publicly admit that he was targeting Chen Jiutian to weaken Zhenwu Hall.

“Brother Shangguan, do you have a plan to kill Chen Jiutian?

That bastard is detestable, but his strength is extraordinary.

His true combat power can probably rival those few monsters in the top five of the Hidden Dragon Rankings.”

Although Su Changhe deeply hated Chen Jiutian, he had to admit his opponent’s strength.

At the very least, Su Changhe couldn’t defeat him in a one-on-one fight.

Shangguan Moyuan said gravely, “Brother Su, you and I are both proud individuals. How many in the younger generation of the Jianghu can compare to us?

But this Chen Jiutian is truly unorthodox. He may come from a power like Zhenwu Hall with no deep heritage, but his cultivation of Daoist, Buddhist, and Demon arts gives him astonishing combat prowess.

Even if we join forces, our chances of success aren’t a hundred percent. To guarantee we can kill Chen Jiutian in one fell swoop, there’s only one thing we can rely on.

Otherwise, if our ambush fails, he’ll be on his guard, and that will lead to endless trouble down the line.”

Su Changhe fell silent. He knew what Shangguan Moyuan was implying.

To kill Chen Jiutian, they had a chance if they worked together, but it wasn’t a sure thing.

But if they wanted to guarantee his death, they would probably have to use a Divine Artifact Incarnation.

The only question was, if they joined forces, whose Divine Artifact Incarnation would they use?

This was an absolute trump card for them, something to be used only at critical moments when competing for opportunities and treasures.

To use a Divine Artifact Incarnation just to deal with Chen Jiutian… Su Changhe was definitely reluctant.

Seeing his reaction, Shangguan Moyuan said gravely, “Brother Su, it’s not that I’m being stingy and unwilling to use my own Divine Artifact Incarnation. It’s just that using your Blazing Sect’s is the most suitable option this time.

My Shangguan Family’s Celestial Ice Treasure Mirror is balanced between offense and defense. Its pure offensive power can’t match your Blazing Sect’s Blazing Extremity Godslaying Arrow.

Besides, when it comes to grudges, yours with Chen Jiutian is deeper. He killed your brother-in-arms and severely wounded you in the outside world.

And, to put it bluntly, Brother Su, you’re not in your peak condition right now. If we reach the upper levels of the Heaven-Reaching Tower and find some ultimate treasure, are you sure you can compete with those monsters in the top five of the Hidden Dragon Rankings with just a Divine Artifact Incarnation?

Qingchen of Yellow Court Temple might just shock everyone. Ji Man of Celestial Bright City has a profound background; he likely has trump cards no less powerful than a Divine Artifact Incarnation.

Then there’s Zhong Li of True Martial Temple and Tan Wujie of Longshu Zen Temple. Those two embody the essence of both Daoist and Buddhist Lineages.

Not to mention the Heir of the Divine King, Jiang Mu, and the Saint Heir, Si Bai. Those two are simply unfathomable.

In your current state, Brother Su, even if you save your Divine Artifact Incarnation, what will you use to compete with them?

Forget them, you probably couldn’t even win against Han Chang from the Original Demon Palace or Ming Chong from the Vajra Prajna Temple.”

Su Changhe’s expression turned grim, but he had to admit that Shangguan Moyuan had a point.

If he were at his peak, he’d have a small chance of competing with them.

But now that he was injured by Chen Jiutian, he didn’t even have that small chance anymore.

Seeing that Su Changhe wasn’t angry, Shangguan Moyuan knew he had him.

“Brother Su, if we work together, I won’t let you get the short end of the stick.

We’ll use your Blazing Extremity Godslaying Arrow to deal with Chen Jiutian, but afterward, the Sect ruins he was looking for will be yours to explore.

Say what you will about Chen Jiutian, his luck is pretty good.

He’s only in the Condensing Truth Realm, yet he already possesses two Celestial Soldiers: the Blood Sea Listening Tide and the Demon-Drinking Saber.

And in Qin Province, he even seized a Divine Artifact Seven Kills Stele Fragment.

So, the Sect ruins he’s searching for this time are bound to be extraordinary. There might be some rare treasures inside.

We kill Chen Jiutian, the ruins are yours, and we can negotiate how to split the Celestial Soldiers and the Divine Artifact Fragment on his body. How about it?”

Su Changhe mulled it over for a long moment, then stared intently at Shangguan Moyuan. “Brother Shangguan, I hope you’re not deceiving me!”

‘If I don’t use the Blazing Extremity Godslaying Arrow to kill Chen Jiutian, the benefits I can gain in the Heaven-Reaching Tower will be limited.

Killing Chen Jiutian, splitting his treasures with Shangguan Moyuan, and getting a whole set of ruins for myself… even though I’m not thrilled about it, it doesn’t seem like a bad deal.’

“Rest assured, Brother Su. With the reputation of my Shangguan Family and myself, Shangguan Moyuan, on the line, how could I deceive you?”

Su Changhe nodded. The Shangguan Family’s reputation wasn’t the best, but at least it wasn’t terrible. In any case, it was far better than the Murong Family, who were a running joke in the Jianghu.

Shangguan Moyuan turned to Qu Yuanfeng and said, “First, take us to the location of that Blood Dragon Tree. Then, we’ll follow the trail to find the Blood Shadow Nether Kill Sect ruins. We’ll set up an ambush around there.

Afterward, sell this information to the people from Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower. Have them lure Chen Jiutian over here so we can try to kill him in a single, decisive strike!”

Qu Yuanfeng nodded repeatedly and immediately led them in the direction where he had previously seen the Blood Dragon Tree.

After finding the remains of the Blood Dragon Tree, the group followed the trail of debris and indeed found a dilapidated Sect’s ruins.

On the surface, the ruins looked severely damaged, with very few intact structures remaining.

Shangguan Moyuan and Su Changhe explored it briefly and discovered a large, undamaged space beneath the ruins. It was sure to contain plenty of valuable items.

An idea struck Su Changhe. “Brother Shangguan, Chen Jiutian isn’t here yet. Why don’t we go in and explore a bit first?”

Shangguan Moyuan gave Su Changhe a knowing smile. “Brother Su, don’t be so anxious. What’s yours will be yours sooner or later.

What if we go in now and Chen Jiutian arrives while we’re halfway through exploring?

Besides, what if there are dangers inside and we expend too much of our strength? What if we can’t kill Chen Jiutian then?

So, to be safe, it’s more prudent to set up the ambush first and wait for him to arrive.”

Su Changhe was worried that Shangguan Moyuan would go back on his word after they killed Chen Jiutian, which was why he wanted to secure the benefits beforehand.

But now that Shangguan Moyuan had seen through him, he couldn’t insist and had no choice but to nod in agreement.

Meanwhile, Qu Yuanfeng acted quickly. He immediately ‘inadvertently’ sold the information to other Wind Media Spies from the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower.

Qu Yuanfeng was actually quite familiar with the people of Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower, as he often sold them intelligence.

His specialty was Lightweight Concealment, making him a natural at gathering information. Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower had tried to recruit him, but he had refused.

The reason was simple: Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower had too many rules—’don’t say this, don’t offend that person’.

Moreover, as a Wind Media Spy, you had to be polite to everyone, which wasn’t prestigious at all.

That was why Qu Yuanfeng had refused to join them. Becoming a Guest Minister Chief for the Shangguan Family and throwing his weight around using their name—how much more impressive was that?

After receiving the information, the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower used a Secret Technique to contact Wen Rou and pass it on to her.

As soon as Wen Rou received the message, she rushed to find Chen Yuan without delay.

Chen Yuan was taken aback to see Wen Rou arrive so quickly with the information.

He hadn’t expected the Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower to be so efficient. Only a few hours had passed, and they had already delivered a clue.

“Master Chen, how about we make a deal? When you explore the ruins, I’ll tag along and gather some intelligence for my Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower.

Our Celestial Wind Listening Rain Tower’s spies rarely enter ruins themselves. They usually just gather information from the periphery, so our knowledge of what’s inside is mostly hearsay and might be distorted.”

Chen Yuan nodded. “That’s fine. But, Tower Master Wen, you must omit any information about what I obtain from inside.”

‘Actually, it wouldn’t be a big deal if Wen Rou found out I got another Seven Kills Stele Fragment.

Everyone in the Jianghu already knows I have one piece, so they wouldn’t be too surprised if I got a second.

But the Seven Kills Stele is a trump card for me. It’s best not to reveal it if I can help it.’

“But of course. My lips are sealed.”

Wen Rou pointed to her full, moist, red lips, swearing to guarantee it.

Chen Yuan believed her on this point. After all, they had cooperated more than once, and she was one of the few people who knew about his dual identities.

After confirming the location, Chen Yuan took Wen Rou and headed straight for the site of the Blood Dragon Tree.

Shangguan Moyuan was clever. He hadn’t directly mentioned the Blood Shadow Nether Kill Sect. Instead, he had Qu Yuanfeng only release the location of the Blood Dragon Tree, forcing Chen Yuan to find the Sect ruins himself. This made the whole thing seem more authentic.