blueteamnovel Chapter 312: Net of Schemes
Chapter 312: Net of Schemes
Chapter 312: Net of Schemes
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"Who dares trespass in Gutian Immortal City? Identify yourself, foul demoness!"
From within the immortal city, three True Dan cultivators flew out: one at the late-stage Core Formation and two at the mid-stage Core Formation.
Moments ago, the city's great formation detected an unusual disturbance caused by a fierce fight within the city. Just as they were preparing to dispatch people to investigate, an imposing Core Formation Great Cultivator suddenly descended upon them. To their surprise, it was an absolutely stunning and elegant female cultivator.
"I am the Peacock Saintess of Beast King Valley," the woman spoke with a serene but commanding tone. "Just now one of my men died within the immortal city. I hope that Your Excellency will cooperate with me to apprehend the true culprit."
The Peacock Saintess was adorned in a dazzling, multi-colored robe resembling a peacock’s plumage. Her snow-white lotus-like feet stepped on air as if she were an elegant, noble peacock surveying the cultivators of this desolate barren land.
Though lowering herself to such a place, her ethereal beauty and charm carried a mix of holiness and seduction. She directed her gaze toward the late-stage Core Formation puppeteer with a mechanical arm. With a faint, confident smile, she exuded a sense of majesty and disdain.
"Presumptuous!"
The puppeteer with the mechanical arm had a dull expression and an indifferent tone. He was the type of cultivator deeply absorbed in his craft, unaffected by beauty or charm—a true "iron-willed man."
"How dare you, a demonic cultivator, meddle in Gutian Immortal City's affairs? Whatever disturbances have occurred in the city, I will personally investigate. You will wait outside the city!"
His words were cold and unwelcoming, filled with suspicion and disdain for the Peacock Saintess.
The disturbance within the city might very well be a case of the "thief crying thief," with this demonic woman attempting to disrupt the current order of Gutian Immortal City.
As for Beast King Valley and the Six Demonic Sects, the cultivators of Fengyuan Kingdom barely paid them any attention.
This was a desert region that had remained uninvaded for tens of thousands of years. Such lands lacked fear or reverence for the Six Demonic Sects.
Moreover, the puppeteer city lord’s inheritance came from the Thousand Mechanism Sect, a high-tier faction located in the Two Teachings’ territory.
The Five Poisons Sect and the Thousand Mechanisms Sect were the top forces in the Great Qing Eastern Region, and even the demonic sects were unwilling to easily mess with them.
"You ignorant frog in the well! Don’t blame this saintess for being merciless when I raze your Gutian Immortal City to the ground!"
The puppeteer city lord’s scornful words infuriated the Peacock Saintess. Her eyes glimmered with a chilling light.
To think that she, a noble figure of such high status, would be disrespected and dismissed in this backward and ignorant cultivation region!
"Demonic witch, such arrogance!"
The puppeteer city lord and the two mid-stage Core Formation cultivators exchanged looks, finding the Saintess's claims laughable and absurd.
Gutian Immortal City was was a high-level immortal city that ranked in the top three of the Outer Sect Alliance, protected by a third-rank superior-grade formation. Even if several late-stage Core Formation cultivators came, they wouldn't be able to breach it head-on.@@@@
However, just as their mocking words fell, their faces changed drastically.
The Peacock Saintess's body radiated a tri-colored radiance. Her spiritual pressure surged, surpassing that of an ordinary late-stage Core Formation cultivator, sending waves of unease through the hearts of all present.
With a graceful movement of her lotus-like fingers, she began chanting an obscure incantation, summoning a long golden-bronze staff adorned with three magnificent wings. The spiritual fluctuations emanating from it clearly indicated that it was a superior-grade magical treasure.
Buzz!
In an instant, golden light burst forth, majestic and brilliant, resembling a peacock spreading its tail feathers. The display was both mystical and awe-inspiring.
This was none other than the Peacock Saintess's life-bound treasure—Peacock Plume!
"Unleash!"
The Saintess’s slender jade finger pointed forward, and three golden feathers, each stretching over twenty zhang, cut through the air. The distorted space around them shimmered with forbidden energy as the feathers streaked toward the three True Dan cultivators of Gutian Immortal City.
"This witch is terrifying!"
The three True Dan cultivators immediately activated their magical treasures and puppets, attempting to block the razor-sharp golden feathers unleashed by the Peacock Plume.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three blinding explosions of spiritual light shook the skies, shattering the clouds above. The chaotic storm of spiritual power rippled outward, colliding with the city’s defensive formation and causing visible ripples.
Crack! Crack!
Two third-rank puppets and one magical treasure were shredded and sent crashing down by the Peacock Plume.
The two mid-stage Core Formation cultivators were gravely injured, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths. One was sent flying backward, while the other collapsed into a deep crater.
Only the puppeteer city lord with the mechanical arm managed to withstand the attack. However, the two heavily-armored third-rank middle-grade puppets in front of him sustained considerable damage.
In a single strike, the Peacock Saintess overwhelmed the three True Dan cultivators of Gutian Immortal City, severely injuring two of them.
The cultivators within Gutian Immortal City were left in utter shock and disbelief.
The puppeteer city lord’s face darkened. With a wave of his hand, he slapped his storage pouch, summoning a howling blue wind that spread out tens of zhang around him. The spiritual pressure of his late-stage Core Formation cultivation filled the air.
Whoosh!
Amid the howling wind, a massive blue serpent puppet over ten zhang long emerged, stirring a freezing storm that spanned hundreds of zhang as it crashed toward the Peacock Plume in the sky.
"A third-rank superior-grade puppet?"
The Peacock Saintess's eyes narrowed slightly as she controlled her radiant Peacock Plume, which clashed head-on with the blue serpent puppet.
Amid the cries of a peacock, the golden-bronze magical treasure, radiating golden light, slashed downward like a peacock displaying its magnificent tail. The shimmering golden feathers cut deep grooves into the icy armor of the blue serpent puppet, leaving its scaled surface riddled with gashes.
The screeching sound of metal grinding against metal unsettled the cultivators nearby, leaving their hearts racing and their blood churning.
"This witch is no ordinary Core Formation Great Cultivator. Attack together!"
The puppeteer city lord directed two additional third-rank middle-grade puppets to join the assault.
Meanwhile, the two injured mid-stage Core Formation cultivators also re-entered the battle, activating their magical treasures and puppets to support the city lord.
On the side of Gutian Immortal City, their puppetry techniques and numbers gave them a significant advantage.
The Peacock Saintess’s lips curled into a mocking smile as she lightly patted her spiritual beast pouch, summoning two third-rank demonic beasts with earth-grade bloodlines to deal with the overwhelming number of puppets.
"Activate the great formation and kill this witch!"
Seeing the puppeteer city lord and his allies being suppressed, the formation master within the city immediately activated the offensive power of the great formation.
Zzzzt!
The formation glowed brilliantly, manifesting thick lightning bolts as wide as water barrels. Each bolt carried the destructive power of a mid-stage Core Formation cultivator and struck directly toward the Peacock Saintess.
The tide of battle began to turn.
The Peacock Saintess was forced to respond seriously, her figure transforming into a streak of radiant light as she dodged the relentless bolts of lightning. Despite her strength, she found herself gradually overwhelmed.
After all, she was only a Core Formation cultivator. No matter how powerful she was, it was difficult to contend against the might of an entire immortal city.
...
Inside Gutian Immortal City, at a luxurious teahouse.
On the third floor by the window, a wandering merchant wearing a conical hat leisurely sipped tea, observing the fierce battle unfolding outside.
"Heh, an evenly matched fight, huh? Trying to bait this Immortal into taking action?"
Through his puppet clone's shared senses, Lan Chang'an was well aware of what was happening in Gutian Immortal City.
The Peacock Saintess would never have imagined that Lan Chang'an’s true body was still in Xuan Yin Pavilion and had never even set foot in Gutian Immortal City.
Using just two puppet clones, Lan Chang'an had lured and killed Black Crow Immortal to avenge Zhao Siyao.
The sensory perception of his puppet clones was equivalent to that of a peak Core Formation cultivator.
Meanwhile, high above the city, hidden within the clouds, the faint aura of a Five-Colored Peacock flickered in and out of existence, also detected by Lan Chang'an’s puppet clone.
Based on Lan Chang'an’s usual style, he would take advantage of the Peacock Saintess being restrained to eliminate the Five-Colored Peacock first before turning his attention to the saintess herself, working with Gutian Immortal City to bring her down.
This approach was safe and reliable.
However, this time, Lan Chang'an had no intention of taking action.
The Five-Colored Peacock had risen to the late third rank, making it even harder to deal with than before. Furthermore, it was under its master’s orders and likely on high alert.
"With time, location, and strategy on my side, how will you fight me without the assistance of a divination master?"
As the battle outside raged on, Lan Chang'an casually enjoyed the Peacock Saintess’s performance.
Surrounded by Core Formation cultivators, puppets, and the city’s formation, the Peacock Saintess was visibly struggling. Sweat dotted her forehead as she gasped for breath, retreating as she fought.
Rip!
Her multi-colored robe was torn by an ambush from a magical treasure, revealing a glimpse of snow-white skin on her chest, stained with blood and scorch marks.
"Her acting is so over-the-top!"
"But, sacrifices for the sake of art... I can understand that!"
In truth, Lan Chang'an’s original plan had been to escape. He hadn’t planned to stick around to witness such a spectacle.
After all, the Peacock Saintess doesn’t play fair!
...
After the Peacock Saintess and her party stepped into the Fengyuan Kingdom, Lan Chang'an's divination finally produced an accurate result.
This sense of impending crisis far surpassed the time when the Peacock Saintess had pursued him in the past!
At Lan Chang'an's current level, the only means that could threaten him was at the Nascent Soul level.
As a mere Core Formation mid-stage cultivator—only someone whose brain is waterlogged would dare to go head-to-head with a near Nascent Soul-level combatant.
With his experience across multiple lifetimes, Lan Chang'an had long learned a core truth about the cultivation world: bullying the weak is the way to survive.
Unless someone was a "child of destiny" who could constantly defy the heavens and challenge opponents of higher realms, it was foolish to gamble with even the slightest risk.
Even if the risk was only ten percent, Lan Chang'an wouldn’t dare take it—unless there was an opportunity to advance to the Nascent Soul stage, only then would the benefits outweigh the risk.
When it came to fighting the Peacock Saintess head-on, however, the risk was far greater than ten percent, and his odds of victory at best were a coin flip.
The stakes were high, and the reward was pitifully low.
Ultimately, Lan Chang'an chose not to flee because he realized that "time and place" were on his side.
Several months ago, he had begun to feel as if he were guided by divine favor—his calculations were unnervingly accurate, and every step went smoothly.
Although his cultivation level was not superior to the Peacock Saintess, he could discern every detail of her plans and movements with near-perfect precision.
This newfound sharpness wasn’t due to any sudden burst of brilliance on his part.
At that time, Elder Shi had not yet perished.
Elder Shi, also a third-rank superior-grade divination master, was even more skilled than Lan Chang'an.
Through careful observation, Lan Chang'an faintly discerned that the invisible forces of fate in the Fengyuan Kingdom were somehow intertwined with his actions, empowering him and making his divinations almost effortless.
Whenever the matter involved the Peacock Saintess or Beast King Valley, his predictions were unfailingly smooth and accurate.
Eventually, Lan Chang'an realized the truth: an unseen hand was pushing events from the shadows.
After a moment's thought, he immediately understood the reason.
Lan Chang'an couldn't help but smile.
He didn’t even need to perform a divination to guess the probable cause:
First, lack of respect. The Peacock Saintess and her Nascent Soul-level grandfather elder had not shown the appropriate reverence for the supreme Heavenly Master of the Fengyuan Kingdom, a figure revered as untouchable within this region.
If Lan Chang'an were in their place, with his three lifetimes of experience, he would have visited the Ice and Snow Sacred Mountain and brought generous gifts in person.
By paying proper respects and observing the necessary courtesies, even if the Heavenly Master harbored dissatisfaction with Beast King Valley’s activities in his territory, he would have been less inclined to act against them in secret.
But the Beast King Valley was a top-tier demonic sect, notorious for its domineering and arrogant nature. It clearly didn’t regard the Fengyuan Kingdom as worthy of its attention.
The Heavenly Master didn’t directly target the Peacock Saintess. However, the heavenly fortune of the Fengyuan Kingdom was controlled by the Heavenly Master, and just a slight push from him could make things much smoother for her enemies.
Lan Chang'an, his expression calm, continued to smile as he added, “I also know that this Demon King is a gift from your grandfather, a Nascent Soul elder. It fought on the battlefield for decades and has been recovering for only two or three years, it has yet to return to its full strength.”
Lan Chang'an wore a faint smile, his expression inscrutable under the astonished gazes of the two women.
As she observed the composed young man in azure robes, Fairy Ni Yue’s heart remained calm.
She thought to herself: Mister Xu is a remarkable figure of this era. If he dares to let both the Peacock Saintess and a fourth-rank Demon King inside, he must have a countermeasure in place.
The Peacock Saintess remained silent for several breaths, her eyes flickering with indecision. She did not deny it.
This was her thought as well.
Lan Chang'an had predicted every move, even seeing through her trump card. Now, as he openly unsealed the gates to face her directly, it must mean he had something up his sleeve.
“I understand the knot in your heart, Saintess,” Lan Chang'an said with a light chuckle, stroking his chin as he gazed at her.
The Peacock Saintess, despite her stunning beauty and regal demeanor, bit her silver teeth tightly.
This knot in her heart... even such a private matter had been divined by Lan Chang'an.
Was there anything about her that he didn’t know?
Her aura fluctuated slightly as her thoughts raced.
“This so-called knot...” she said coldly, “is simply to kill you.”
The Peacock Saintess’s anger surged as she clenched her fists. Even something so personal and deeply rooted in her psyche had been laid bare before this man.
Seeing her agitated reaction, Lan Chang'an allowed himself a slight smirk. He’d successfully baited her.
Truthfully, Lan Chang'an was feeling somewhat uneasy deep down.
The fourth-rank Demon King, with its mountain-like physique and unmatched power, was an unstoppable force of destruction. Even at seventy to eighty percent of its full strength, it was not something Lan Chang'an could confront directly.
The only chance he had was to rely on hit-and-run tactics, creating enough distance between the Demon King and the Peacock Saintess to exploit their vulnerabilities.
A head-on confrontation? His odds were dismal.
Fortunately, the Demon King lacked the intelligence and mobility of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
However, the psychological advantage was entirely his.
The Saintess had been outmaneuvered at every step. Her movements, her tactics, even her hidden cards—all had been predicted and countered.
By this point, her confidence had been shaken.
No matter how much strength she had, what courage could she muster when her every move was laid bare?
Lan Chang'an quietly congratulated himself. At this rate, her resolve would crumble before any fighting even began.
...
"Unraveling your heart's knot doesn’t necessarily require killing me," Lan Chang'an said in a calm, measured tone. "You and I fighting to the death would only be a fifty-fifty gamble. Why not avoid unnecessary risks?"
As he spoke, he retrieved two items from his storage pouch: one was a silver ring, the other, a sealed peacock feather.
Shriek!
The Five-Colored Peacock hovering in the mist-filled sky let out a piercing, shrill cry the moment it saw the sealed feather.
“Turtle Lan, what are you trying to do?” the Peacock Saintess demanded coldly, her sharp gaze narrowing as she began to piece together the implications.
“These two items—Saintess, you can reclaim one of them," Lan Chang'an said, his voice laced with a subtle smile. "But only in exchange for something of equal value."
"Only one?"
The Saintess's mind raced. If she could recover both items, it would be a small concession from Lan Chang'an in this duel of wits.
First, it would help her resolve the knot in her heart and erase some of the humiliation she had suffered.
Second, regaining the peacock feather would restore part of the Five-Colored Peacock’s lost essence, potentially elevating its strength to the height of a heavenly-bloodline great demon.
The Five-Colored Peacock wasn’t merely her battle companion—it was tied to her core cultivation technique and represented her hope of further advancement.
“Unless the Saintess can produce an Infant Transformation Pill, only then could we negotiate for both items,” Lan Chang'an added with a light laugh.
Infant Transformation Pill?
The Peacock Holy Maiden sneered.
As someone of noble birth with outstanding talent and unparalleled achievements, she had indeed been promised one of Beast King Valley’s precious Infant Transformation Pills for her future breakthrough.
But to trade it now? Impossible.
“I want the peacock feather,” she finally declared, casting a glance at the Five-Colored Peacock still circling anxiously in the clouds. Her decision was swift and resolute.
“No problem,” Lan Chang'an replied, his smile widening. “In return, I only want the fourth-rank spirit wood branch that you carry.”
The Peacock Saintess’s expression darkened, a trace of anger flashing across her otherwise flawless face.
“Fourth-rank spirit wood branch? You have the gall to demand such a thing?” she said, her voice tinged with indignation.
“This crown feather is priceless to your heavenly-grade Five-Colored Peacock,” Lan Chang'an replied in a leisurely tone, as if discussing something trivial.
The fourth-rank spirit wood branch was valuable—it could help the Five-Colored Peacock recover, which served as both a sanctuary and a source of sustenance.
“Fine! You win this round!”
Reluctantly, the Peacock Saintess handed over the fourth-rank spirit wood branch. It radiated a potent spiritual pressure, with vibrant wood-element energy flowing from it.
In truth, this exchange was within her expectations. Her earlier anger was nothing more than an act for appearances.
The branch was valuable, but it wasn’t a rare Soul-Nurturing Wood, the kind renowned in the cultivation world for its extraordinary properties. It was simply a fourth-rank spirit material, typically used to craft magical treasures or inscribe high-grade talismans.
The trade was completed quickly, with both parties keeping their wariness in check.
The moment the Peacock Saintess retrieved the feather, she turned without hesitation and flew out of the oasis.
High above, the Five-Colored Peacock let out a joyful cry, its calls echoing through the sky. The Saintess’s mood lightened slightly, as though the knot in her heart had partially loosened.
Before leaving, she cast a lingering glance at the silver ring in Lan Chang'an’s hand, her expression unreadable.
“When the Five-Colored Peacock regains its full strength and my mastery of the Beast Harmony Technique reaches the next level, I’ll have the foundation to break into the Nascent Soul realm.”
“One day, this seat will use the Spirit-Taming Ring to leash that bastard and make him crawl at my feet!”
With that final thought, the Peacock Saintess leapt onto the back of the Five-Colored Peacock. The majestic demon bird spread its wings and carried her away, becoming a black dot on the horizon before vanishing entirely.
“Mister Xu,” Fairy Ni Yue said softly, watching as Lan Chang'an carefully stowed the silver ring. “Letting that woman go... isn’t that planting the seeds of future disaster?”
“The timing isn’t right. For now, we’ll let her off the hook,” Lan Chang'an replied, his expression as serene as ever.
Killing the Peacock Saintess wasn’t impossible, but the risks involved were too great.
Her identity was too special.
If she died, Beast King Valley would surely launch an investigation, leading to a large-scale manhunt.
The ideal scenario would be to plant a Gu restriction in conjunction with the Spirit-Taming Ring to subdue her completely.
However, with a fourth-rank Demon King by her side, killing her was already difficult—capturing her alive was nearly impossible.
...
On her way back, the Peacock Saintess paused briefly at the site where Elder Shi had fallen.
“Fifty-fifty odds,” she murmured, a faint frown creasing her brow.
Elder Shi had warned her before his death that the success rate of this venture wouldn’t exceed fifty percent.
Now, even Lan Chang'an had uttered a similar phrase.
Her opponent had seen through all her trump cards, while she remained clueless about the hidden depths of his abilities.
Faced with an uncertain confrontation, the Peacock Saintess had chosen to retreat while she still had something to gain.
At the very least, this journey hadn’t been a total failure.
Two months later.
The Peacock Saintess traversed the endless desert of the Fengyuan Kingdom, eventually reaching the border between the Liang Kingdom and the Jing Kingdom of the Righteous Dao Alliance.
Beyond this spiritual energy barren region lay the Chen Kingdom, a domain controlled by Beast King Valley.
Hmm?
Suddenly, the Peacock Saintess slowed her flight.
Atop a distant mountain peak stood a man with an aura of overwhelming menace, his long black hair flowing freely in the wind.
Clad in the robes of a demonic sect leader, his sharp eyebrows slanted like swords, and his deep black eyes resembled icy, bottomless pools.
“Liang Shaotian! The Righteous Dao Alliance’s number one Core Formation cultivator?”
The Peacock Saintess’s heart sank.
How could she coincidentally meet the Xuan Yin Sect Master here? This person was her arch-nemesis on the demonic invasion battlefield.
“Peacock Saintess, I’ve been waiting for you!”
Liang Shaotian’s voice was magnetic and chilling, his thin lips curving into a mocking smile.
“You think you alone can take me down?” the Peacock Saintess retorted, though unease had begun creeping into her heart.
“What if you add us?”
From all directions, streaks of light descended upon the barren borderlands.
Each light carried the unmistakable spiritual pressure of a Core Formation Great Cultivator.
And then, from a distance, a suffocating wave of power rippled through the area—this was the aura of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
“Old Ancestor Heavenly Net!”
The Peacock Saintess’s composure cracked as her gaze landed on a handsome, green-haired man surrounded by a cloud of spiritual energy. His appearance bore a striking resemblance to the infamous Xie Wuji whom Lan Chang'an had seen back then.
But it wasn’t over.
From the east, another overwhelming spiritual aura approached, this one even more domineering and fiery than that of Old Ancestor Heavenly Net.
“Six Sun True Monarch of the Golden Sun Sect!”
In an instant, the Peacock Saintess found herself surrounded by two Nascent Soul powerhouses and several late-stage Core Formation cultivators.
“Just her? Didn’t the intel say there was another Nascent Soul True Monarch with her?”
“Little girl, as the Saintess of Beast King Valley, what are you plotting by infiltrating so deeply into our Righteous Dao Alliance territory?”
“Could it be that Beast King Valley intends to break the truce? Capture her first and deal with the rest later!”
The two Nascent Soul cultivators spoke coldly, their expressions sharp and imposing.
“Lan... Lan Chang'an...”
The Peacock Saintess’s face turned pale, and a look of despair filled her eyes.
Only now did she finally understand Elder Shi’s dying words.
The true danger was not in her confrontation with Lan Chang'an—it was on the way back!
On the way back, she had fallen into the terrifying, inescapable net woven by Lan Chang'an’s calculations.