At Tuoyun Valley, a valley bottom where even moonlight couldn't reach, several Nascent Soul Realm cultivators sat silently in a mountain cave.
They wore clothes of various colors, but at this moment, their expressions were uniformly unpleasant.
The evil cultivator sitting in the lead position opened with a somewhat hoarse voice:
"Old Wang... did you check? Is it the evil cultivators from the Evil Spirit Sect?"
Old Wang answered in a helpless tone: "The Evil Spirit Sect said it wasn't them. They even said if we encounter them, we should just kill them directly—no need to give them face."
"Damn it! Has that Evil Spirit Sect crowd become brain-dead from blood qi? Do they think we don't kill people out of courtesy?" Meng Jun finally couldn't hold back, shouting angrily:
"Then who knows which sect that damnable Golden Core evil cultivator with his heavenly eye belongs to? Why does he keep targeting us?! Why can't we catch him?"
"His mother, I kept thinking there was a mole, which was why that blood qi evil cultivator could precisely grasp our arrangements and find the weakest points to attack."
"As people get filtered out one by one, he still moves as if he has heavenly sight. Now only six of us remain here. You have all struggled with me until now, and I ask myself if I've wronged any of you."
"If that damnable evil cultivator can still find us... I really don't want to suspect any of you."
Facing this leader's questioning, the scene fell into silence.
At this moment, only the sound of insects echoed in everyone's ears.
After all, Meng Jun wasn't the only one on the verge of madness—everyone present had essentially collapsed emotionally.
The opponent always exploited weaknesses. That evil cultivator was extremely capable in combat, wielding a spiritual treasure of exceedingly high grade, no weaker than their own Nascent Soul cultivators.
Even if they couldn't defeat him, he escaped with complete ease.
Moreover, the opponent clearly knew their target direction, as if he could even predict what they planned to do.
Sometimes he was already waiting at their next destination before they arrived.
This had forced what was originally a relaxed operation into a constant retreat, with detailed plans repeatedly pushed back.
After all, the opponent seemed more familiar with their operation than they were. If this continued, the Dream Flower might be taken by that damnable evil cultivator before they could even open it.
In the heavy silence, Old Wang was the first to speak:
"I trust everyone here. Although rushed, the preliminary arrangements are basically complete. The opponent is just one Golden Core evil cultivator—at most somewhat fierce."
"Now that we're gathered together, a Golden Core is still just a Golden Core. No matter how fierce, can he stand against six of us at Nascent Soul?"
"That Golden Core evil cultivator has been pestering us all this time alone. What we need to do now is calm our minds—don't rush."
Perhaps because Old Wang had enough seniority, or perhaps because his words made sense, no one objected.
Meng Jun gently rubbed his fingertips, his gaze sweeping over the other five before him.
What Old Wang said made sense. Besides, having come this far, who would be willing to give up?
Among those who cultivated blood qi, the Evil Spirit Sect was the largest. If this wasn't their doing, the rest wouldn't amount to much.
That Golden Core evil cultivator probably couldn't call for reinforcements.
A evil cultivator couldn't possibly report them to the righteous sects, could he?
It was all the bad news lately that had made everyone lose their composure and rationality.
Meng Jun stood up: "Old Wang is right. What waves can a single Golden Core evil cultivator create? In the end, won't everything be settled in combat? The Dream Pearl is almost ready. When the Dream Kingdom descends, we can use this to..."
Before he could finish speaking.
A familiar aura drifted outside the cave again.
Meng Jun's expression shifted from surprise to malice. He swept his gaze viciously over everyone present—there must be a mole! How else could someone follow them wherever they go?!
There's a traitor among them!
Old Wang's expression also stiffened slightly, but everyone in this group shared life-and-death bonds with him.
He glanced at Meng Jun's expression. Knowing this wasn't the best time to speak, he still said:
"It's just a fool striking a stone. Gentlemen, bring out your best skills. How about we end this threat today?"
If there truly was a mole, even taking risks, now was the time to root them out.
As soon as the words fell, a sturdy man stood up and walked outward, responding:
"I'm tired of this too. I'll take the lead!"
Old Wang nodded lightly, looking at Meng Jun who still appeared suspicious. Strictly speaking, being suspicious wasn't a bad thing—especially when one was an evil cultivator.
After all, evil cultivators didn't trust other evil cultivators either.
Old Wang cupped his hands and spoke sincerely: "To prevent that thief from setting an ambush, you have the greatest strength and carry the Dream Pearl. You're the best choice to guard our rear. I must trouble you, Meng Jun."
At this point, this was the best solution to dispel everyone's suspicions.
With someone guarding the rear, even if there was a mole, there would still be room to maneuver.
Trust was fragile right now, especially for someone as naturally suspicious as Meng Jun. He certainly wouldn't want to go out and fight under these circumstances.
Rather than letting everyone become cold and suspicious, he'd rather be the bad guy, but at least keep the group from falling apart.
Meng Jun said nothing, only nodding silently. He quietly instructed Old Wang:
"Be careful with everything."
Old Wang's words resonated with him. Meng Jun knew Old Wang was trying to put him at ease.
Now it seemed, regardless of who had issues, this Old Wang should be considered a confidant. If there really was an ambush, he would definitely save Old Wang.
Old Wang heard this and nodded with genuine sincerity.
——
Above the valley.
Wang Lin's gaze was fixed intently below, watching Li Xingtian who had been thrown down by his Eldest Senior Sister as bait.
This mission, if nothing else, had thoroughly cured Wang Lin of his occasional tendency to judge by appearances.
Despite Li Xingtian's fierce appearance like a brute, his plans were extremely sound—giving off a sense that avoiding mistakes was the greatest victory.
At least Wang Lin found the plan very sound—it was the kind he liked to execute.
Steady progress, seeking no gaps, closing in step by step, catching everything in one net.
It felt like meeting a kindred spirit in planning.
But Li Yingling, with her beautiful face and seemingly composed demeanor, turned out to favor overwhelming brute force.
She had traces of Elder Bai's shadow—why bother with such complexity for mere thieves?
In Wang Lin's eyes, Li Yingling's plan was essentially—Junior Brother, you go to the front and shout insults to lure them into our ambush circle, then we attack from both sides, catching them off guard, and victory naturally falls into our hands.
Naturally, Li Yingling had also considered the possibility that they wouldn't fight but flee—if they were cowards, so be it. While they're focused on escaping, we attack from both sides, catching them off guard, and victory naturally falls into our hands.
Wang Lin thought about this plan for a moment and could only conclude it was crude, but... it seemed like it might work.
There was a strangely simple yet effective feeling to it.
The logic seemed sound, especially when their group was particularly capable in combat.
And compared to Li Xingtian's step-by-step plan, Li Yingling's was much faster.
But in his heart, although it was fast... facing such a hastily assembled plan, Wang Lin still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
In comparison, Wang Lin actually preferred Li Xingtian's plan.
Li Yingling's follower, Zhang Miaoyu, stated that this strategy, while simple, had been tested in actual combat.
But Li Xingtian purely felt that those rogue cultivators couldn't execute precise plans, so he had to arrange such loose plans.
Li Xingtian also argued against his Eldest Senior Sister's plan, but clearly didn't win—in summary, although Eldest Senior Sister's plan was crude, it would still be foolproof.
Perhaps it really was her plan's perfection.
Perhaps it was her status that carried such weight.
In any case, Li Xingtian was now below the valley, using his spiritual energy to continuously shout insults.
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