That night, the moon was obscured and the wind howled high. It was an excellent opportunity for stealthy movement.
Chen Ping quietly left the Myriad Beasts Sect without alerting anyone. Even the little fire qilin, close to him, was left behind.
His body turned into a faint cyan shadow barely perceptible, as if merging into the night wind. He pushed his spatial escape technique to the limit, speeding towards the Myriad Swords Mountain Range that stood in a tripod formation with the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range and the Crimson Blood Plain.
His speed far exceeded the imagination of ordinary Heavenly Immortal realm cultivators. Space seemed shortened beneath his feet, with mountains and rivers retreating rapidly.
Several days later, the outline of a grand and majestic mountain range, sharp and piercing the skies, appeared on the horizon.
In stark contrast to the vast ancient feel of the Myriad Beasts Mountain Range and the bloody, sinister atmosphere of the Crimson Blood Plain, the first impression of the Myriad Swords Mountain Range was one of extreme sharpness and aloof pride.
Peak after peak rose abruptly from the ground, steep and sheer as if cut by blades, shaped like countless giant swords thrust upside down into the earth, reaching straight into the clouds. Lingering sword qi seemed unable to dissipate, cutting the clouds above the range into thin, silken strands by invisible force.
Even before approaching, one could feel the faint yet pervasive sharpness in the air. Ordinary cultivators here would likely find even breathing somewhat painful.
Chen Ping did not rashly enter the core area of the Profound Heaven Sword Sect. Instead, he stopped at a sizeable cultivator gathering market town on its periphery.
This market town, called Qingfeng Town, was the most important place for cultivator transactions and information gathering under the Profound Heaven Sword Sect’s jurisdiction.
The buildings in the town were mostly constructed from cyan stone, with sharp edges and corners, exuding the simplicity and cold hardness characteristic of sword cultivators.
Crowds flowed busily. More than half were sword cultivators carrying long swords, walking with steady steps and sharp eyes. When they spoke, their voices were not loud, yet every word was clear, carrying a decisive tone.
Chen Ping circulated a secret method, suppressing his vital blood fluctuations to the lowest level, only revealing an ordinary aura around the seventh grade of Human Immortal realm.
Like the most common loose cultivator, he silently blended into the crowd.
He first wandered the market seemingly casually, eyes scanning the shops and stalls on both sides, while his ears acted like the most precise radar, fully capturing sound fragments from all directions and filtering for useful information.
“Did you hear? A few days ago, at Black Wind Canyon, that newly discovered small spirit stone vein was harassed again by those Myriad Souls Demonic Sect scum! This time it was worse. They directly destroyed several of our main mining caves and injured quite a few junior brothers on guard!”
“Humph! Those skulking rats are getting more and more brazen! They must see our attention elsewhere lately and are pulling small tricks again!”
“Exactly! Word is they’ve been very active recently on the edges of the Crimson Blood Plain, gathering large numbers of people and supplies, with baleful qi soaring. Who knows what sinister plot they’re brewing.”
“What plot could it be? Definitely planning something big again! I reckon their target is eight or nine times out of ten our Myriad Swords Mountain Range! We need to remind the sect to heighten defences!”
Hearing these discussions filled with indignation and vigilance, Chen Ping nodded slightly in his heart.
Very good. The hostility and suspicion among the lower disciples were already this deep. This provided extremely fertile soil and a fine foundational atmosphere for his next plan.
Next came the core of the plan: fabricating ironclad evidence of sufficient weight to make the Profound Heaven Sword Sect higher-ups fully believe it and decisively take action.
Chen Ping took out from his storage ring some blank, high-quality jade slips, a rather peculiar Thousand Illusion Spiritual Clay capable of simulating various energy auras.
And several damaged artefacts clearly bearing the distinctive yin cold, corrosive aura unique to Myriad Souls Demonic Sect techniques.
The jade slips and Thousand Illusion Spiritual Clay had been given by Hu Mazi previously.
As for the Myriad Souls Demonic Sect artefacts, Chen Ping had plenty on him. All stolen from the Myriad Souls Demonic Sect, every one genuine.
