Chapter 1509
Unexpected Discovery
Yang Chen was hovering overhead east of the Flying Snow mountain range in the illusionary dimension.
His surroundings were utterly covered in snow.
Hesitation was evident on his face as he let the cold wind scrape against his face.
At that moment, he had changed into Xiao Chen’s appearance.
If he moved further east, he should arrive at the Luo fortress, but Yang Chen had yet to figure out a way to get in.
Left with no choice, he wanted to try his luck and see if anyone would come out of the Luo fortress, and then he could take the opportunity to approach them. Perhaps he could reuse the old trick and sneak into the Luo clan, just like how he did it in the Xiao clan last time.
However, Yang Chen had circled the Flying Snow mountain range for half a day, and he still could not find anyone passing through there.
Just when Yang Chen was considering whether or not he should take the initiative to show up at the Luo clan by himself, he finally felt the movement of True Yuan coming from afar.
Instantly, he used the Blinding Leaf to conceal his aura and True Yuan so that he could observe that person.
Unable to use his divine sense to investigate, he had to probe relying on his senses alone. To his surprise, Yang Chen realized that the familiar True Yuan belonged to Xiao Mohui.
Why is this guy going in the direction of the Luo clan? Could it be that the Xiao and Luo clans are going to have some kind of interaction?
Yang Chen felt this was a great opportunity and hurriedly sneaked up to him.
Xiao Mohui was heading there alone, and with Yang Chen’s cultivation level, the former couldn’t detect his presence.
After ten minutes, Xiao Mohui made a turn and flew towards the north of the Flying Snow mountain range instead of going straight in the direction of the Luo fortress.
That puzzled Yang Chen. Where is he going now? Could it be some base of the Xiao clan? But why would it be so close to the Luo fortress?
Moreover, as a prominent member of the Xiao clan, Xiao Mohui had actually come to the vicinity of the Luo clan alone without bringing his men along, which was really sneaky of him. It seemed like he was carrying out a private matter instead.
In a short while, Xiao Mohui had arrived over a dense snowy forest. Below him was a magnificent landscape of greeneries and snow, with no one in sight.
On one of the foothills of the Flying Snow mountain, near the edge of the illusionary dimension.
Xiao Mohui landed on a more spacious land, he seemed to be waiting for someone, as he stood with his hands behind his back looking far into the eastern sky.
Yang Chen narrowed his eyes and quietly came to a dense forest farther away, weaving his way through the trees and approaching Xiao Mohui, constantly staying out of the latter’s line by sight.
It was not until Yang Chen confirmed that the hidden place was safe enough, and he could hear the sounds coming from Xiao Mohui’s spot did he stop moving. He moved on exposed rocks so that he would not make a sound on the snow and startle Xiao Mohui.
With the Blinding Leaf as his protection, Yang Chen only needed to view Xiao Mohui as an ordinary person, and his divine sense could not perceive himself at all.
After waiting for about fifteen minutes, a few figures finally emerged in the sky. They moved from the direction of the Luo fortress in the east and came before Xiao Mohui in the blink of an eye.
Yang Chen hid behind a small snowy slope and looked through a gap in the trees while trying to perceive those figures.
Two men had rushed over with a few cultivators.
The man in the lead was a tall, middle-aged man in a purple robe. He wore a white jade crown and had a haughty expression on his face.
Beside him, there was also a man wearing a white silk robe with golden hems. That man’s hair was all snow-white, but his face looked like he was only in his early thirties, which was eerie.
The few cultivators who followed them were mostly at the Tribulation Passing stage with cultivation levels ranging from Samadhi True Fire to Kui Water.
As for those two men, the man in the purple robe was in the middle phase of the Ruo Water stage, and the other was in the early phase of the Ruo Water stage. Two elites in the Ruo Water stage!?
Yang Chen was surprised, for any of these two people could kill Xiao Moxian within ten moves. Even escaping was impossible. Why did he have the courage to face them alone!?
At that time, Xiao Mohui had greeted the two men with a smile on his face. “Brother Luo Feng, Brother Qianli, greetings.”
Luo Feng? Qianli!
Finally, the identities of those two men dawned on Yang Chen. So it’s the Luo clan’s Grand Elder, Luo Feng, and the second brother of the patriarch, Luo Qianli. No wonder one is in the middle phase, and the other is in the early phase of the Ruo Water stage. But why is Xiao Mohui meeting with them in private?
Yang Chen foresaw that he had stumbled upon some unknown conspiracy, and at once, he felt somewhat pleased and joyful. Thus, he listened to them quietly.
“Nothing much has changed. But Brother Xiao, considering that you’ve asked to meet us at an earlier time, I’m afraid that the recent incident with the Xiao clan has put you in hot water,” Luo Feng said with a strange smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
Xiao Mohui sighed. “You two must’ve known that my Xiao clan was infiltrated by someone, and not only were our men killed and injured, but we also lost a large batch of herbs, so it can be said that we have lost both wealth and personnel. My father is now furious and has begun to summon the Tai Shang elders outside one after another. He plans to activate a clan-wide state of alert and have the Tai Shang elders stationed in the main residence in case of unpredictable events, so to speak. That is nothing. However, my son, Qiufeng, has gone missing, and he’s likely dead… He’s my only son, and now that he is gone, it’s greatly detrimental to the chance of my lineage to inherit the Xiao clan.”
“Oh? That burglar who dared to fight against the Xiao clan has not been found yet?” Luo Qianli opened his mouth and asked in a low and hoarse voice.
Xiao Mohui shook his head and said, “I’ve searched all over the illusionary dimension and got nothing. I’m afraid he has left the illusionary dimension.”
“Since the Xiao clan is in such dire straits today, why did you still come to see the two of us at such a juncture? Aren’t you afraid of arousing suspicion within the clan?” Luo Feng asked.
Xiao Mohui’s face was grim as he said, “I don’t have a choice. Now that I’ve lost Qiufeng, the chances of finding a female cultivator to have another heir in a few years are also unlikely, but I can’t stand idly by. My brother has always resented the fact that he’s second to me. I’ve caught wind that he has an illegitimate son outside, but I don’t know exactly where. I fear that he will take advantage of this situation and have my father and the elders be the successor. If that happens, I’ll lose my power, and thus I will no longer be able to work with you. You should know that my brother is ambitious and definitely won’t be easy to deal with. You two are wise, so it shouldn’t be hard for you to realize this.”
Luo Feng and Luo Qianli exchanged glances, both seeming to have understood the stakes.
After a long time, Luo Feng said, ”Brother Xiao, you have been working with us for so many years, and our relationship has always been one of an equal and mutually beneficial one. We have always been on the same side, so we can’t possibly sit back and watch. Now that you’re in trouble, if there’s anything you need Qianli and me to help you with, you can speak up, and we’ll see if the two of us can lend a helping hand.”
Xiao Mohui’s face lit up, but he was sneering in his mind. Same side? Hah, we’re only working together because we hold each other’s dirty secrets. We’d be doomed if our clan members find out that we’re working together.
“The two of you are indeed my closest friends.” Xiao Mohui looked moved. “Actually, you don’t need to do much. Recently, many people within the Xiao clan think that I lack leadership and now that I no longer have an heir, they are dissatisfied with me. I would like you both to send some elites and cause conflicts within those people, but of course, I will go there in time to resolve them and would not cause many casualties. When the strife is over, please send some cultivation techniques and artifacts to my clan to make overtures, and bring up more about the fact that I have set up a marriage alliance between the two clans…”
Odd smiles crept up onto Luo Feng’s and Luo Qianli’s faces.
“You sure are full of schemes,” Luo Feng said, seemingly to be joking. “But it’s a bit risky for us to support you like this. After all, we can’t afford to lose face.”
As if he had predicted this, Xiao Mohui took out two large mahogany boxes from his space ring.
“Here are four upper-ranked pills, and twenty middle-ranked pills, all of the superior quality. I took them out of the Green Emperor Tower long ago. Take them, and no one will know where they came from…”
Greed flashed across Luo Feng’s and Luo Qianli’s eyes. Though they had little need for these pills, they could give them to their subordinates and improve their cultivation levels.
A lone man could not play the game of authority in clans. It was more effective to gather a group of loyal people or to entice a group of influential people to support them.
Luo Feng looked calm as he took the two boxes and nodded at Luo Qianli.
Luo Qianli laughed and patted Xiao Mohui’s shoulder. “You’re too courteous, Brother Xiao. It would be rude of us if we did not help you properly. Don’t worry. You becoming the patriarch of the Xiao clan will be beneficial to both of our clans, so we will most definitely not let that younger brother of yours, Xiao Mozheng, have even half a chance in succeeding the throne.”
“That’s right. A two-faced man like Xiao Mozheng is the most malicious person. He will definitely mess up the illusionary dimension if he takes the throne. We do not wish to see that happen either,” Luo Feng agreed with a look of approval.