Chapter 70

“By the way, where’s Yun Que?” Ming Xuan suddenly remembered they had forgotten someone.

Right now, everyone was in a meeting. Apart from the missing Ye Qinghan and Song Hansheng, it seemed that Yun Que hadn’t been seen around much.

“Ah,” Miao Miao’s eyes widened slightly, unsure of what to say. “She’s gone missing again?”

Si Miaoyan spoke calmly, “I saw her close to a man earlier, whose cultivation was higher than mine.”

She was at the mid-Golden Core stage, so anyone above her would be at the late-Golden Core stage. Si Miaoyan would need to be cautious if she wanted to find Yun Que, as it could be dangerous.

Mu Chongxi couldn’t help but glance at Su Zhuo, feeling like his head had been turned into the vast grasslands of Hulunbuir, “Your junior sister has a lot of men around her.”

Su Zhuo’s face turned a bit green for a moment, stubbornly explaining, “The junior sister is just young.”

Ming Xuan almost rolled his eyes to the heavens, “Oh right, right. While we, the talisman cultivators, are working ourselves to the bone setting up formations, she’s off enjoying the flowers and the moon.”

“We deserved it, I suppose.”

If all their hard work ended up benefitting Yue Qing Sect, Ming Xuan felt he might just throw up.

But how the rewards were divided was up to the elders.

Ming Xuan felt that, barring any unexpected developments, the rewards would likely go to Yue Qing Sect. Aside from the missing Yun Que, the contribution of the talisman cultivators was indeed greater.

And when they thought about that Nascent Soul stage Saintess, the members of Changming Sect felt even more disheartened. Nobody wanted to put in any more effort; they all slumped over the table, sighing in despair.

How could they possibly win? There was no hope at all.

…

“I still think something’s off. The few direct disciples who fled haven’t made any noise. Don’t you find it too coincidental that the Saintess and her group appeared at such a perfect time?”

A Da shook his head, his expression serious. “I just sensed a fluctuation of spiritual energy.”

On the other side, Ye Qiao had just broken the illusion created by the River and Mountain Map. The moment she shattered it, she suddenly thought it would be good to solidify the trust of the demon clan. So, in the last second before it shattered, Ye Qiao deliberately leaked a bit of spiritual energy.

“Saintess, what happened just now?” A Da’s expression turned tense, and he quickly asked Ye Qiao.

Ye Qiao lifted her chin and replied with a blank expression, “Someone just tried to trap me with the River and Mountain Map.”

The River and Mountain Map?

Even though the demon clan wasn’t well-versed in magical artifacts, they had heard of the River and Mountain Map, ranked third on the list of spiritual artifacts.

It was said to be in the possession of Changming Sect now.

Such a tricky illusion tool, even a Nascent Soul stage expert could be momentarily lost in it, yet their Saintess had broken the illusion in such a short time?

Ye Qiao looked at the increasingly reverent expressions of the demon clan, feeling very satisfied with their reaction.

Yes, that’s right.

Repeatedly brainwashing them, making them believe their Saintess is all-powerful.

This makes it more convenient for her to take advantage of the situation during the fight.

“…” Ye Qinghan didn’t understand what the others were talking about but found Ye Qiao quite terrifying.

She was skilled at brainwashing and very persuasive.

Ye Qiao’s words were like those of a deceiver.

“The news from Yun Shui City says that a direct disciple from Bishui Sect has walked into a trap,” the demon continued to report, “Their city lord also wants to meet you.”

To meet or not to meet?

Ye Qinghan instinctively shook his head towards Ye Qiao.

The city lord had seen him and Song Hansheng before. Even though they were now wearing masks, it was hard to guarantee that their identities wouldn’t be recognized, given the time they spent at the city lord’s mansion.

Ye Qiao ignored his subtle hints and said, “Meet.”

Why not meet?

She waved at Song Hansheng and lowered her voice, “When you go in later, set up the formation. You know the soundproof formation, right? We can catch them unawares.”

Though Song Hansheng was displeased with her commanding tone, over the past few days, both of them had become accustomed to following Ye Qiao’s arrangements.

Habits are indeed formidable.

He had gradually gotten used to Ye Qiao’s ways.

When meeting with the city lord of Yun Shui City, Ye Qiao specifically drove all the demons out. She and those direct disciples were in separate locations, so she had never seen what the city lord of Yun Shui City looked like.

The visitor was a middle-aged man.

Ye Qiao squinted her eyes, observing him while signaling Song Hansheng to hurry up and set up the formation.

“You’ve captured a direct disciple of Bishui Sect?” The young woman with a mask covering her face, making her expression unclear, made the city lord swallow nervously and quickly bow, saying, “Yes, Saintess.”

“They must have realized something and are now secretly on guard against us.”

“My suggestion is to take advantage of their lack of external aid and hit them when they’re caught off guard.”

Ye Qinghan commented, “That’s a good suggestion.”

He nearly couldn’t hold himself back from slashing at this old man with his sword.

The city lord immediately looked at Ye Qinghan and then his expression changed slightly, “Have I seen you somewhere before?”

He had seen Ye Qinghan and the others before. Even with masks on, he could vaguely sense familiarity.

The voice sounded even more familiar.

It is well-known that the male protagonists in novels have distinctive, cold voices like shattered jade. As the Dragon Overlord protagonist, Ye Qinghan naturally had such a voice.

The city lord suddenly recalled where he had heard it before and raised his voice, “You’re the direct disciple of the Sword Asking Sect!”

Ye Qinghan’s reaction was faster than his, with his sword already across the city lord’s neck.

The city lord’s voice instantly became as if he were a chicken with its neck gripped, unable to say a word.

“You’re also a direct disciple of the Five Sects?” He looked at Ye Qiao, realizing it belatedly.

But he had never seen Ye Qiao. Could it be that they were splitting into two teams? One side using those foolish direct disciples to confuse them, while the other side’s direct disciples were acting as spies in the demon clan?

And had even become a Saintess?

Ye Qiao looked at his self-satisfied expression and didn’t deny it, just maintaining a deep and inscrutable smile. “Do you think the Five Sects are unaware of your plans?”

“Turning from darkness to light is still possible. What do you think?” She showed a gentle smile, as if she could embrace everyone, embodying the image of a savior and coaxing, “The only reason I could infiltrate here is because the Five Sects provided sufficient information. Therefore, all your plans are carried out right under our noses.”

“It’s not too late to regret now.”

It’s over.

…Another one who’s been deceived.

They don’t know a damn thing about the plans.

It was precisely because they didn’t know what was happening and couldn’t go into action themselves that they sent those foolish kids over.

Of course, they had considered the safety of these kids, and there were protective measures arranged secretly. However, no one expected a variable like Ye Qiao to mess up their plans.

In the end, the elders unanimously decided to stay put and see how Ye Qiao wanted to play.

He held his neck high, “The Demon Lord said that after the mission is accomplished, I will get what I want.”

“You five great sects and eight major families dominate the cultivation world, taking all the benefits. Of course, you don’t understand the plight of our small city.”

Ye Qiao snorted, “Who can’t boast? After the mission is accomplished, I could even make you a General of Cattle and Horses.”

“Release the direct disciple from Bishui Sect.” Ye Qiao’s voice was flat, “Then I’ll speak to the sect leader about showing leniency.”

Bishui Sect is made up of girls, and Ye Qiao still holds goodwill towards girls. If it were her own senior brothers captured, she wouldn’t care; they were tough and could handle being tied up for a few more days.

Song Hansheng was incredulous, “Why did you only come in the middle of the night when we were tied up?”

Ye Qiao, seeing his resentful look, raised an eyebrow and replied confidently, “You’re not a girl!”

“We have grudges, so don’t try to get close to me.”

Song Hansheng grew even more angry.

“……”

The city lord was silent, clearly wavering.

“The demons clearly don’t care about your lives and deaths,” Ye Qiao continued with a smile, “but if you listen to me and release the disciples of the Greenwater Sect, I will ensure that no innocent people get involved.”

Colluding with demons is considered a grave betrayal in the cultivation world. If the plan succeeds, that’s one thing, but if it fails, his entire family would definitely face the elders’ revenge.

Ye Qiao’s words were partly true, partly false. The Five Sects definitely knew something, but not much.

But that’s alright.

It didn’t hinder her from shaping the Five Sects into a seemingly all-knowing, omnipotent force.

This was enough to scare the city lord of Yunshui City out of his wits.

“Alright…” After struggling for a long time, he finally spoke with a trembling voice, “I agree to cooperate with you.”

In fact, if he had refused to cooperate and chose to side with the demons, Ye Qiao could have simply knocked him out and tied him up. To avoid any exposure, Ye Qiao had already set up a soundproof barrier in advance.

Even if the city lord shouted his throat raw, no one would hear him.

It must be said.

The current behavior of the three was very much like the demons—swaggering in, using both soft and hard tactics, and if that didn’t work, simply knocking out and binding the person.

The Sect Master of the Sword Seeking Sect was heartbroken, “I told you that staying with Ye Qiao for too long was a bad idea!!”

Everyone had changed!

“Let’s not talk about anything else,” Qin Fanfan scoffed, “Just tell me if it worked.”

The Wenjian Sect immediately stopped talking, clearly the effect was obvious and immediate.