Chapter 1699: Old Madam Sha

"That's not necessarily true. That spy might also be proficient in Soul-Bewitching Arts. Perhaps the people Bai sent out were not capable enough and definitely failed to see through the other party, letting them slip away." A person whose entire body was shrouded in grey light, as if they were merely a shadow, suddenly spoke up from the side without changing their expression.

"Hmph. If we were talking about other cultivation techniques, perhaps our clan wouldn't dare compete with the other clans. But when it comes to the study of the Soul-Bewitching Dao, our clan is absolutely second to none among the thirteen clans. If Fellow Daoist Cang Ying feels that the Yin Demon Clan is stronger than our Water Charm Clan in this regard, this matter can naturally be handed over to Brother Cang Ying to handle." The white-haired person retorted unceremoniously.

"I was only speaking out of caution. How could our Yin Demon Clan compare to your clan's innate talent when it comes to accomplishments in Soul-Bewitching Arts?" The grey shadow gave a hollow laugh, appearing indifferent.

The white-haired person's gaze turned cold, and just as they were about to say something more, the young man surnamed Weng's expression sank and he spoke abruptly:

"Enough, let's have no more idle talk. It is impossible for that Horned Chi Clan spy to have escaped. The moment I discovered the items had been stolen, I ordered all exits sealed. For these past few days, one could only enter and not leave; that person wouldn't be able to fly out of Cloud City even if they were a mosquito. And according to the only guard they wounded, that person only had the cultivation of the Void Refinement stage; it is unlikely they could have deceived the investigations of Fellow Daoist Bai's subordinates. If that is the case, it means that person most likely didn't infiltrate Cloud City recently, but has long held another identity in the city for many years. That is why the previous round of screening did not suspect the target."

Upon hearing the young man surnamed Weng say this, the white-haired person and the grey shadow showed respect and said yes, both falling silent.

"If it is truly as Senior Weng says, then it is somewhat troublesome. Once the scope of suspicious persons is extended to half a year ago, it is simply impossible to check them all. Moreover, if this causes panic among other foreign clans, I fear it will only be even more troublesome." Qian Jizi coughed lightly before speaking up at this moment.

"Hmm, Fellow Daoist Qian Jizi's words are highly probable, and this is also what I am most worried about. However, this person actually stole the diagrams for the newly deployed restriction grand array of our Cloud City. No matter what price must be paid, we absolutely cannot let them take a single step out of Cloud City. Otherwise, if the Horned Chi Clan army were to arrive at the city walls, the restrictions in our city would be rendered more than half useless for no reason." The young man surnamed Weng said indifferently.

"Senior Weng's words are absolutely correct. As long as that Horned Chi Clan spy is still in the city, we naturally cannot let them leave. But if we really have to make such a fuss every day, ten days or even a month or two is naturally no problem. But if that spy is determined and really has been lurking in the city for several years or even more than ten years, it seems impossible for us to maintain this state of martial law forever." An old man with a black beard several feet long also spoke up.

"Oh, since Fellow Daoist Ning says so, do you have any good ideas?" The young man surnamed Weng asked back, his gaze flickering as soon as the old man spoke.

"How would this junior have any good strategies? But isn't Fairy Cai here? With Fellow Daoist Cai's wisdom, I imagine resolving this matter should be easy." The black-bearded old man waved his hands repeatedly, but his tone shifted, and he unexpectedly mentioned Cai Liuying, who had been sitting quietly to the side without speaking.

As soon as the beautiful Crystal Clan woman heard the black-bearded old man's words, her beautiful eyes shifted, and she immediately replied with a light laugh:

"Brother Ning is joking. With Senior Weng and the Master of Sha Mountain here, there is no room for this junior to show off her petty cleverness. I only need to do my best to follow orders!"

"Fellow Daoist Cai, now is not the time for humility. I want to hear the opinion of you, an Elder of the Crystal Clan." The young man surnamed Weng straightened his expression and directly ordered Cai Liuying.

"Since the Senior truly wants this junior to say a thing or two, then this concubine will overreach herself once." The beautiful Crystal Clan woman frowned, but immediately stood up with her usual expression and bowed to the young man surnamed Weng and the old woman respectively.

"Hmm, Fairy Cai, feel free to speak."

"That's right, Fellow Daoist Cai surely won't let us down."

Seeing the beautiful Crystal Clan woman say this, most of the people sitting there showed smiles and praised her.

It seems that although Cai Liuying's cultivation was among the lowest of the Sacred Clan members present, her reputation was truly not low.

The old woman, whose eyes had been almost half-closed, now lifted her eyelids slightly and took a deep look at the beautiful woman.

As for the young man surnamed Weng, his gaze toward Cai Liuying revealed a hint of anticipation.

"According to this concubine's opinion, since neither being strict nor being lenient will work, it would be better to be loose on the outside but tight on the inside, and lure the snake out of its hole." After Cai Liuying swept her gaze over everyone in the hall, she stated her opinion.

"Loose on the outside, tight on the inside." The young man surnamed Weng revealed a thoughtful expression upon hearing this.

"That's right. No matter what method that spy used to evade the search, it seems it will be very difficult to capture them immediately in the short term. If that is the case, we might as well exhaust our manpower within a month and use our greatest strength to search the city once more. If we really catch that spy during this period, that would naturally be for the best. If we still find nothing, we might as well withdraw our manpower bit by bit, creating the appearance that we are gradually relaxing the matter. But in reality, the manpower at the four gates should not decrease but increase without revealing their tracks. In addition, we should organize another wave of elite personnel to continue secretly investigating all suspicious persons who want to leave Cloud City in the near future. In this way, if the other party is anxious to send the items out, they will naturally run headlong into our ambush. If they really intend to continue lurking in the city, once they see the wind outside has relaxed and time passes, they will be unable to maintain their vigilance and will eventually reveal their flaws for us to catch." The beautiful Crystal Clan woman explained slowly.

"Not bad. It is indeed a good method. But once the four gates are opened, if that person truly has astonishing divine abilities in the Dao of Illusion and has a way to deceive our investigations, and instead takes the opportunity to swagger out through the main gate, what should we do then?" The young man surnamed Weng nodded after listening, but then shook his head.

The others had originally felt that Cai Liuying's method was good, but now that they saw the young man surnamed Weng did not quite agree, they couldn't help but look at each other.

"Hehe, Senior Weng. This concubine's method was only half-spoken. There is still another half that hasn't been told. Senior might as well continue to listen." The beautiful Crystal Clan woman smiled enchantingly.

Then, the woman's lips moved slightly, but not a sound came from her cherry mouth; she had directly transmitted her voice to the young man surnamed Weng.

The young man surnamed Weng was first somewhat surprised, but after hearing only a few sentences, he let out a "light gasp" in his mouth, revealed a hint of surprise, and finally even revealed a look of pleasant surprise.

For a full cup of tea's time, the beautiful Crystal Clan woman kept her mouth closed, ending the voice transmission.

"Is it truly so!" The young man surnamed Weng took a deep breath, asked Cai Liuying a question, and then his gaze shifted, unexpectedly glancing toward Qian Jizi's side.

"How would this junior dare to joke about this matter." The beautiful Crystal Clan woman said with a solemn expression.

Seeing Cai Liuying and the young man surnamed Weng acting all mysterious, the other old monsters sitting there looked at each other, their expressions varied.

But they were very sensible, and none of them had any intention of asking about the content of the voice transmission.

"Hmm, since Fairy Cai has said so, how could I, Weng, not believe it. Madam Sha, I imagine you also heard Fellow Daoist Cai's voice transmission just now. What do you think?" The young man surnamed Weng suddenly turned his head and asked the old woman who seemed to be half-asleep to the side, his manner quite polite.

"I have no opinion. This old bone of mine came out of the mountains this time, and I'm too lazy to use my brain. I'm only responsible for helping these little fellows when they encounter strong enemies. As for other matters, I won't interfere, nor do I have the energy to interfere. Alright, since you have handled things well enough, I will go down and rest first. Fellow Daoist Weng, you can make the decisions for the following matters yourself." After the old woman surnamed Sha gave a hoarse laugh, she unexpectedly stood up tremblingly and said listlessly.

Hearing the old woman's words, the young man surnamed Weng had a bitter smile on his face. But before he could say anything to the old woman, the other party had already walked toward the side door of the main hall on her own, truly leaving the young man surnamed Weng alone.

Seeing this situation, the other Sacred Clan existences naturally had strange expressions.

Speaking of which, this old woman's background was extremely mysterious. Although everyone knew that there was such a Body Integration stage existence among their thirteen clans, no one knew which clan the old woman came from or what kind of great divine abilities she cultivated to be able to advance to the Body Integration realm.

Moreover, according to some rumors, this old woman was the longest-lived among the existing Body Integration stage existences of their thirteen clans. It is said that her lifespan far exceeds what ordinary people can imagine.

At the very least, when these Sacred-stage existences present had just achieved some success in their cultivation, they already knew of the existence of this Old Madam Sha.

Therefore, although this old woman looked as if a gust of wind could blow her over, even the young man surnamed Weng, a Body Integration stage existence, had always treated her as a half-junior.

The other Sacred Clan existences in Cloud City naturally dared not be the slightest bit negligent.

However, after the young man watched the old woman finally disappear at the side door, he could only sigh helplessly and withdraw his gaze.

"Since Madam Sha has already left, there is nothing left to discuss about this matter. Let's do as Fellow Daoist Cai suggested. Fairy Cai, Fellow Daoist Bai, this matter will be handed over to the two of you to handle with full authority. Everyone else must cooperate fully." The young man surnamed Weng only pondered for a moment before decisively ordering.

Naturally, everyone in the hall had no objections and agreed repeatedly.

"Alright, let's discuss the matter of the Vast Cold Realm next. Qian Jizi, you tell us about it." The young man surnamed Weng changed the topic and suddenly pointed out.

When the others heard the words "Vast Cold Realm," their expressions all changed slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Qian, what does this mean? Could it be that the Vast Cold Realm is about to open?" Some impatient people couldn't help but ask directly.

Among them, Cai Liuying and Duan Wen Tianren subconsciously looked at each other upon hearing this, but immediately shifted their eyes away without changing their expressions.

"The Vast Cold Instrument placed by our Eternal Clan in the Spirit Communication Hall had a reaction two days ago. According to the usual predictions of the past, the Vast Cold Realm will open in at most three or four years, or as soon as a few months." Qian Jizi said unhurriedly.

【Web】 ===== CHAPTER 1700 =====