Chapter 154: The Upheaval of Thousand Leaf Island

Qin Ming stared at the retreating figure of the other party, his heart unable to calm for a long time.

"It was actually Mo Lingwei."

"Didn't she originally choose to throw in with the Zhao family in order to gather the materials for a Foundation Establishment Pill?"

"Under such tight control by the Nie family, how could she possibly have slipped into Thousand Leaf Lingdao?"

"Could it be that the remnants of the Zhao family also—"

Thinking of this, a cold sweat broke out across Qin Ming's back! If it really was the case, then it meant the Zhao family remnants were about to make some major move against Thousand Leaf Lingdao.

And it was a grand plan that had been brewing for a long time.

Not even putting a slew of Foundation Establishment cultivators and the Nie family's False Core in their eyes—just thinking about it tells you how serious the matter was.

"This place is too dangerous. I'll notify Aunt Long, and then slip away." Qin Ming was a decisive man; without a second word he took off at once.

Immediately afterward, Qin Ming sent Aunt Long a transmission talisman at once: "Fellow Daoist Long, I've received word that Thousand Leaf Lingdao may be on the verge of upheaval. Continuing to stay here is extremely dangerous—we must leave right away."

"I won't be returning to the villa. I'll leave first; you take your subordinates and evacuate this place immediately."

……

Inside the villa at the Mirror Jing Xue Ge's outpost in the mountain valley.

Aunt Long was in a fine mood today, chatting in a private room with several of the pavilion master's top brass.

All of a sudden.

The transmission talisman on her person delivered a message; she opened it at once and saw that it was actually from Fellow Daoist Qin.

When she finished reading its contents, her face changed drastically and she sprang up from her chair with a "thud."

Then she raised a hand and cast a soundproofing barrier, shrouding the entire room.

"Not good!"

"The situation has changed—we have to leave Thousand Leaf Lingdao immediately!"

Seeing Shopkeeper Long so out of sorts, the other top brass were caught off guard as well. Protector Li Mu furrowed his brow and said, "What happened?"

Aunt Long handed the transmission talisman in her hand to the other party.

Li Mu took the transmission talisman, sent out his divine sense to examine it, and was immediately startled as well.

"Since this is news passed along by Fellow Daoist Qin, it's almost certainly true."

"Let's not make too much of a stir. Under the pretext of moving goods, we should withdraw toward the port at once."

"Take everything we can carry; whatever we don't have time to grab, forget it. Hurry and notify the people under us."

Inside the room, the people of Mirror Jing Xue Ge quickly settled on a plan, preparing to withdraw from Thousand Leaf Lingdao in secret.

……

On the other side.

Mo Lingwei, her face disguised, revealed a complicated look on her delicate features as she arrived at a place deep underground on Thousand Leaf Lingdao.

"Why did you go away for so long again?"

"Is everything set up outside?"

In the darkness, a hoarse voice rang out. By the time Mo Lingwei drew near, a familiar face was revealed ahead.

The other party was none other than the Zhao family's eldest young master, Zhao Wuji—only that, at this moment, the steady and capable air he once had was gone, replaced by a sinister aura and a twisted face with half of it ruined.

"It's already been set up," Mo Lingwei said expressionlessly.

"Hehe! You'd best not try any tricks. From the moment you came to find me, we've been grasshoppers on the same string."

"Every last member of your Mo family is in my hands. If you try to play any little tricks in front of me, you know what the consequences will be," Zhao Wuji warned in a sinister tone.

Mo Lingwei went pale, clenched her fists, and said nothing more.

"You wait here—the show is about to begin."

With that, Zhao Wuji turned and walked deeper into the cave's hidden passage.

A short while later.

He followed the hidden passage all the way down to the depths of the earth.

A bone-chilling cold seeped up from the cavern below, emanating a ghastly and terrifying aura.

Even Zhao Wuji nervously swallowed once before continuing downward.

A vast underground karst cavern appeared before him.

On the rock walls here were inscribed numerous complex formation runes and prohibitions, and over a dozen arm-thick black chains stretched off into the darkness. On the open ground below sat cross-legged a white-haired old man with a withered face, his qi and blood utterly drained, his aura extremely unstable, as if he might pass away at any moment.

Zhao Wuji walked over and said to the old man with a respectful attitude, "Reporting to the Yunxi Laozu, everything has been handled."

"Mm, then let's begin," the aged elder said at once.

Zhao Wuji hesitated, then asked, "Yunxi Laozu, are you really going to do this?"

"Heh! Think of me, Zhao Wuyang, who roamed unchecked all my life, formed a False Core, and lived to this age—in the first place, that was already my fate."

"But since the Zhao family no longer exists, what's the point of having the Immortal Realm of spiritual energy Archipelago?" Zhao Wuyang said darkly.

"Hehe! Even Lei Yuanzong and Lingyu Gate never expected it."

"The reason my Thousand Leaf Lingdao can produce a single drop of 'Mystic Yin Earth Sha Spirit Liquid' every hundred years—"

"—is because one layer further down, a Rank-3 demonic plant has been sealed away."

Zhao Wuyang had just finished speaking.

"Gegigegige~"

"Zhao Laogui, you've finally seen the light!!"

The chains in the depths of the cavern swayed, and a bewitching voice rang out.

Then countless blood-colored, tentacle-like vines crawled up along the chains. "Keh! Today I, Zhao Wuyang, feed myself to the demon, and let those lofty sects experience for themselves what fear truly means!"

"Hahahaha!"

Zhao Wuyang's eyes flashed with a crazed look as he let out an eerie, frenzied laugh.

……

Outside Thousand Leaf Lingdao.

Qin Ming hurried toward the harbor. When he reached the gate of the sentry post, the elder of the Nie family who had escorted them in yesterday spotted him as well, and came forward with a smiling face to ask, "Oh! Island Master Qin, it's so late—are you heading out?"

"Mm, something urgent came up suddenly, I'm planning to head back to take care of it," Qin Ming replied with his usual calm expression, nodding evenly.

"Hehe! What a pity then—Island Master Qin has only just arrived for a single day, and hasn't even had the chance to enjoy himself for a few days."

"But Island Master Qin's business comes first, I'll have someone open the formation and let you through right now," the Nie family elder said.

He was just about to turn back and order someone to open the protective formation.

Just at that moment.

Qin Ming gazed out at the night sky, his pupils suddenly dilating.

Rumble rumble rumble! He saw that above the sky and in the waters outside the harbor, a sky-darkening horde of demon beasts was advancing toward Thousand Leaf Lingdao.

What surprised him even more was a black giant ape over ten zhang tall, with a pair of eerie twin pupils, emanating an overwhelming aura of terror, following behind the main demon beast force—its target was likewise Thousand Leaf Lingdao.

The Nie family's guards on outer watch and patrol had likewise spotted this astonishing sight.

"Something's happening! Enemy attack!"

"Quick! Activate the protective grand formation at full power!"

Then several signal flares went off with a bang, exploding in the sky above Thousand Leaf Lingdao.

The Nie family cultivators immediately relayed the news back into the island.

In the valley's spirit island outpost, people were still immersed in the lively, festive atmosphere of the trade.

A brilliant spell burst open in the sky, illuminating the night as bright as day.

The cultivators one after another looked up at the sky, expressions of utter astonishment on their faces, and began to panic.

"What's going on?"

"Isn't that the Nie family's warning signal?"

"Something big isn't about to happen, is it?"

……

Qin Ming spread his divine sense outward. This wave of the beast tide had come on with terrifying momentum—second-tier demon beasts alone numbered in the dozens, and among them were no shortage of late second-tier great demons. This had likely been premeditated.

Just as he was pondering how to slip away.

Rumble rumble rumble! An even greater earth-shaking boom resounded across all of Thousand Leaf Lingdao.

In an instant the ground shook and the mountains swayed, and the spiritual energy within the island began to grow chaotic.

(End of this chapter)