Chapter 44 Incitement

At this moment, in a dark spot not far from the cliff where Su Tan's immortal cave was located, a chilling, faint chuckle rang out. "Heh-heh-heh-heh..." Never would anyone have imagined that the Yin Fiend had actually appeared within the God-Resting Palace.

"What a truly interesting situation." Following this self-amused mutter, the surroundings fell back into silence.

As Shennongzi hurried all the way toward the Imperial Palace, he spotted quite a few members of the six major sects scouring the area, which caused his brow to furrow deeply. If it were merely the Tianchen Sect alone, Shennongzi would never have taken them seriously; however, that old fox from the Tianchen Sect, Sun Tianchang, had calculated that Tong Jin was very likely connected to other factions, and had deliberately brought out the Corpse-Sinking Poisonous Ants to serve as a pretext. Now, even if Bai Xuan were still present in the Holy Capital, he would be powerless to protect Tong Jin. Otherwise, doing so would mean making an enemy of the entire pugilistic world.

Shennongzi swiftly traversed the secret woodland array and entered the Imperial Palace. After sensing briefly, he pinpointed Tong Jin's approximate location and dashed toward it. Being merely a step away from breaking through to the Deity Transformation Realm, Shennongzi had already touched the final barrier of breakthrough. As for divine sense, he was already capable of utilizing it to a small extent; at the very least, sensing things within a radius of several miles was completely effortless for him.

At this moment, Tong Jin was sitting cross-legged by the river not far from the wooden cottage. He casually picked up a small stone and tossed it far into the river. With a *splash*, as the stone landed in the water, ripples spread outward in concentric circles.

"You are that stone dropped into the water." Suddenly, a voice spoke from right behind Tong Jin. Startled like a bird at the sound of a bowstring, Tong Jin sprang up. Upon seeing that the speaker was none other than Shennongzi, he stepped forward with a joyful expression and bowed, saying, "Senior Shennong."

Seeing that Tong Jin was safe and sound, Shennongzi felt a momentary burden lift from his heart. "Does the young friend realize that you have brought a great disaster upon yourself?"

Tong Jin replied respectfully, "This junior knows, but I believe I did nothing wrong."

Instead, a smile appeared on Shennongzi's face. "All things in this world cannot be judged simply by right and wrong. But rest assured, young friend, I harbor no intention of calling you to account."

Gratefully casting a glance at Shennongzi, Tong Jin bowed low in gratitude. "Senior's protective care, Tong Jin will keep firmly in mind."

Shennongzi nodded slightly and said, "The Holy Capital right now is just like the surface of the water where you dropped that stone." He raised his head to look at the sky. A gust of autumn wind swept by, stirring up rolling ripples once again on the water that had just grown calm. "Perhaps the stormy waves are yet to come..." Shennongzi murmured to himself. For some reason, such a thought had suddenly arisen in his heart—a mysterious and profound sensation that even he could not articulate accurately.

Tong Jin nodded, understanding only half of what was said.

...

Back in the Tianchen Sect, Sun Tianchang sat upright in the center of the spacious main hall, the sole occupant. One hand massaged his temple, while his eyes gleamed with a hint of chill and fury. "It has been this long, yet they cannot even find a wounded little bastard. They are truly a pack of trash."

Suddenly, a sense of danger arose in his heart. "Who goes there!" he roared angrily, flicking his sleeve to send a surge of fierce energy sweeping toward the empty air a few zhang away.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh... Is Sect Master Sun troubled over the matter of the Corpse-Sinking Poisonous Ants?" A chilling laugh rang out, and then, a figure draped in a black robe shifted from illusory to solid in the empty space.

Sun Tianchang glared fiercely. "Who are you? How dare you trespass into my Tianchen Sect!"

"Sect Master Sun, do you not wish to know by whom that boy was instigated? Heh-heh-heh-heh..."

"What! Who on earth are you, and why do you know about this?" Sun Tianchang asked, suppressing the shock and suspicion in his heart.

The black-robed figure replied, "Sect Master Sun need not know who I am. You need only know that the boy who came to kill people in your Tianchen Sect was dispatched by the Immortal-Guarding Pavilion. That is quite enough."

A fresh wave of shock rippled through Sun Tianchang's heart. "The Immortal-Guarding Pavilion? I have always had no grievances nor enmity with them; why would they dispatch people to pull such a stunt?"

The black-robed figure's form gradually grew faint right before his eyes, and the voice slowly faded away. "The Immortal-Guarding Pavilion is colluding in secret with the Imperial Palace. Using him as bait, their next step will be to instigate a civil war among the six major sects, allowing them to reap the profits of the fisherman... Heh-heh-heh-heh..."

The main hall fell silent once more, but Sun Tianchang's heart was like a roiling pan of oil. If what this black-robed person said was true, it would be utterly terrifying, and an unprecedented, monstrous storm was about to sweep through the Holy Capital!

After hesitating for a long while, Sun Tianchang finally gritted his teeth and issued an order: "Someone come! Immediately send a message to Zhenggyang Sect Master Jin Buzai and Longyou Sect Master Pan Tianlong. Ask them to come to our sect with all haste, saying I have matters of great importance to discuss!"

Meanwhile, within the Thunder-Suppressing Sect, Sect Master Shan Hu was gazing with a solemn expression at the black-robed woman before him. The woman wore a half-mask. She had suddenly appeared within the Thunder-Suppressing Sect, and Shan Hu, naturally hot-tempered, had lashed out at her without asking any questions. Yet during their brief clash just now, Shan Hu had discovered to his shock that he was simply no match for her at all.

"Who on earth are you, and why have you sneaked into my Thunder-Suppressing Sect?" Impatient though he was, Shan Hu was no fool. Since the woman before him possessed such formidable cultivation, she must harbor ulterior motives in coming to his sect.

"Heh-heh-heh-heh... They all say Sect Master Shan is a man of genuine temperament. Seeing it today, it is indeed true." This Yin Fiend, after seeing Sun Tianchang, had actually sneaked into the Thunder-Suppressing Sect once again.

"Cut the crap! State your purpose whatever it may be. Your cultivation may be decent, but my Thunder-Suppressing Sect is no pushover either."

Instead of anger, the Yin Fiend chuckled. "I say, Sect Master Shan, I now have a peerless treasure hoard I wish to share with you. I wonder if Sect Master Shan is willing? Heh-heh-heh..."

Shan Hu frowned. Such a pie falling from the sky was something he naturally found hard to believe; yet if such a thing were truly real, the one who missed out would be the true fool. "Why should I believe you!"

Instead, the Yin Fiend sat down uninvited. "If Sect Master Shan has no interest, I shall naturally go share it with someone else." With that, she immediately stood back up, acting as though she were about to leave.

"Hold on!" Shan Hu said. "Is the Thunder-Suppressing Sect a place you can come and go from as you please?"

The Yin Fiend remarked, "Since Sect Master Shan has no intention of cooperating, it is naturally inconvenient for this little lady to linger. Could it be that Sect Master Shan has taken an interest in this little lady's body and wishes to keep me for the night?" As she spoke, she actually leaned toward Shan Hu.

Clearly recognizing that this Yin Fiend was no ordinary person to be trifled with, Shan Hu pushed her away and asked coldly, "If there truly is such a wonderful thing, why would you need to share it with others? Could it be that there is still some hard-to-resolve complication in the midst of all this?"

Thinking to herself that this man had some wits, the Yin Fiend put on a seductive expression and said, "Does Sect Master Shan know why Sun Tianchang of the Tianchen Sect made such a massive fuss, dispatching all his forces to capture a teenager in his teens?"

"Of course I know about this! Because that fellow nurtured the pugilistic world's forbidden insect, the Corpse-Sinking Poisonous Ants, and now everyone wants him dead!" Shan Hu replied, then muttered an addendum in a lower voice, "And of course, also because that fellow killed Sun Tianchang's illegitimate son."

"Heh-heh-heh-heh... Even a smart man can have his moments of confusion. Just think, Sect Master Shan—why would a teenager require mobilizing the entire Tianchen Sect's forces? Furthermore, Sun Tianchang is now even resorting to the influence of the six major sects to capture that boy at all costs." The Yin Fiend paused slightly here, adding, "Most crucially, he demands that all of you sect masters hand him over to be dealt with by Sun Tianchang himself once captured!"

A thought stirred within Shan Hu's heart as he raised a hand to stroke his rough stubble. "By your account, that kid must possess some secret that caused that old fox Sun Tianchang to react this way. But how did that kid manage to break into the Tianchen Sect alone?"

"Heh-heh-heh... Aren't these just Sun Tianchang's one-sided words? I believe Sect Master Shan is a clever man," the Yin Fiend smiled.

"What do you need me to do?" At this point, Shan Hu clearly understood the Yin Fiend's intent. The youth must have grasped information regarding some treasure, and Sun Tianchang knew of this secret as well, yet something went awry during the boy's capture. However, it was unknown how the news leaked out for this woman before him to find out, prompting her to seek a powerful helper to snatch that batch of treasure before Sun Tianchang could.

"I will contact you again. During this period, I want you to keep a close eye on Sun Tianchang. If that kid is caught, you know what must be done..." As she spoke, the Yin Fiend's figure gradually vanished before Shan Hu's eyes.

Following her disappearance, Shan Hu sank into deep contemplation.