Chapter 19: Turned Against

Each bottle of Qi Gathering Powder yields one Low-grade Spirit Stone in profit; he still has some spare money left. This book is originally published on TianTian Kan XiaoShuo to alleviate boredom, tttks. tw, providing you with error-free, non-disordered chapter reading experience.

Chen Zhao silently recited the divination.

【Today's Divination · Auspicious】: After your quarrel with Zhao Dehai, he flew into a rage and ordered you to lead the way. With your exceptional Mental Power and careful attention, you discovered the Spirit-Eroding Powder trap.

Spirit-Eroding Powder?

This substance erodes Qi; only a cultivator can set it up. It seems today I'll find a Robber Cultivator.

Reading complete.

"Everyone, gather here! Distribute the Qi Gathering Powder!"

Zhao Dehai roared.

Everyone except Liu Chen, who had not returned, received a vial of pills.

Chen Zhao looked inside.

Well, damn.

Empty.

Is Zhao Dehai trying to incite public outrage?

This seems advantageous to me—if I turn Zhou Buyu against him, I can directly seize his position.

But a sense of unease rose in Chen Zhao's heart.

As expected.

Everyone was filled with righteous anger.

Zheng Daocai snarled:

"Just a moment ago, there was still half a bottle left—how is it that as Chen Brother speeds up his Alchemy, the pill output has decreased instead of increased?"

Zhao Dehai previously used half a bottle to pretend, but now he doesn't even bother pretending anymore.

If this can be tolerated, what cannot?

Yet Zhao Dehai remained utterly calm, pointing at Chen Zhao:

"Then you should ask Alchemist Chen—he gets many bottles, but the quantity in each is always small!"

"Before, it was enough for four bottles; now it's barely enough for one!"

Everyone frowned.

Zheng Daocai sneered even more.

Suspecting Chen Zhao of hoarding?

Taking them for fools?

Why didn't you mention this earlier? Only now, right after your quarrel with Chen Zhao, do you remember? It's too contrived.

Zhou Buyu was about to speak, but Zhao Dehai cut him off:

"Think about it—if not for this, how could Chen Zhao have broken through to Qi Refining Fourth Layer here?"

Hearing this,

everyone suddenly understood, falling silent.

They didn't truly believe this nonsense—they were thinking of something else.

At this moment, the Spirit Rice was gone.

Chen Zhao could break through here only because, besides the Array, he relied heavily on pills.

All of them are Registered Disciples; one extra pill means one more chance to advance to Outer Disciple.

So now, with Chen Zhao being an Alchemist, might he have more pills?

Zhao Dehai's words were less an accusation and more a fabricated charge meant to incite infighting and justify killing Chen Zhao.

Who among those present hadn't engaged in infighting before? They naturally thought of this.

As for the truth…

Does resources matter?

Chen Zhao, newly entered into Qi Refining Fourth Layer, versus Zhao Dehai, holding the Token, backed by Zhou Buyu, and possessing Qi Refining Fifth Layer cultivation.

Who holds the upper hand now is obvious.

"Hmph, baseless slander—Chen Brother only needs to open his Storage Bag, and his innocence will be clear."

Zheng Daocai declared solemnly.

Hearing this,

Chen Zhao silently cursed.

This wasn't asking him to prove his innocence—it was trying to see what valuable items he was hiding!

One Spirit-Avoiding Pill was already concealed in his sleeve; three Talismans waited in readiness.

Yet Chen Zhao's expression remained calm and detached:

"Rather than search me, why not check what treasures Zhao Senior Brother is hiding?"

Unfortunately, he couldn't lock onto Li Zhiwei's aura; otherwise, he would have used the Communication Talisman for help.

He could only stall.

Waiting for another, similarly situated, equally wealthy target.

Liu Chen.

If he could drag him into this,

with his status in the Su Family, he could sway Zhou Buyu, the prospective immortal son-in-law.

In that case,

the advantage would shift to us, and Zheng Daocai and the others would naturally take sides.

They side with whoever is stronger.

Not long at all.

Zhao Dehai's Identity Token suddenly grew hot.

It's Liu Chen's Communication Talisman!

"Senior Brother Zhao, I've found the remaining Robber Cultivators!"

"There's a Spirit-Eroding Powder trap on the only path we must take; the solution is…"

Zhao Dehai immediately hid his Token and smiled coldly.

Yet everyone pretended not to see.

Rather than fight among ourselves now and waste our Qi, let Chen Zhao trigger the trap and be killed by the Robber Cultivators.

Dying to slay the bandits sounds so noble.

Chen Zhao of course knew their scheming.

Fortunately, he had been warned in advance.

Before anyone could act, he volunteered to take the lead in scouting.

The group arrived before a treacherous path.

On either side, cliffs plunged into bottomless depths; only this one path offered passage.

Chen Zhao focused his mind and suppressed his breath, not using any Dharma Treasure.

He sought only to buy time; clever tricks would only anger the enemy.

He concentrated his attention on his eyes.

Faintly, he saw several dark objects scattered along the narrow trail.

Chen Zhao feigned ignorance.

He walked unsteadily the whole way, nearly triggering the traps several times, yet somehow avoided them each time by the narrowest margin.

Does he know the trap's solution?

Zhao Dehai glanced at the information displayed on his Token, his expression shifting between dark and light.

He took a deep breath and suppressed the killing intent in his heart.

This brat is only at Qi Refining fourth layer; I can control him anytime. No need to kill him now.

The group crossed the narrow path.

Around the corner, a hidden cave came into view.

Inside, faint flames flickered—surely the Robber Cultivators' lair.

Chen Zhao and Liu Chen had already been lying in ambush for a long time.

"In my perception, one Robber Cultivator is missing from inside. Let's wait until all are present, then net them all at once."

Chen Zhao crouched in the grass and whispered to Liu Chen:

"Also, I fear the Robber Cultivators may have other tricks. Let's notify Senior Sister Wan Yao now, so she can rush to reinforce us and ensure absolute safety."

Liu Chen nodded, activated his Communication Talisman, and sent the message.

Last time, when we startled the snake, it took us nearly a month to find them again.

Now our Spirit Rice is nearly gone—we must finish this in one decisive strike.

Chen Zhao watched the Communication Talisman slowly burn out, then glanced beside him.

Zhao Dehai had heard every word of their conversation.

He wasn't foolish; once Su Wanyao arrived, his status would no longer be what it was, and it would be much harder to kill Chen Zhao.

If so, why let Liu Chen send the message at all?

"This is truly strange."

Chen Zhao's mind raced.

Could Zhao Dehai want to kill me, and Su Wanyao won't stop him?

He summoned his Divination Tube and cast a Divination on this matter.

The answer: inauspicious.

So Su Wanyao stands with me.

Chen Zhao exhaled in relief, yet grew even more puzzled.

What is Zhao Dehai planning?

Half a day later.

Su Xin arrived, using the Concealment Technique.

Seeing the moment to net their prey had come, the group followed Su Wanyao into the Cave Abode.

The place was vast and empty; faint candlelight outlined the Robber Cultivators' figures.

Suddenly.

The six turned their heads toward the intruders—and grinned maliciously, all at once.

Something's wrong!

Chen Zhao was startled, and instantly realized!

He remembered the Divination from before they left, and slipped the Warm Sun Pill under his tongue.

Just then.

The withered old woman ceased concealing her aura.

She stepped out from the shadows and raised her hand.

A stone door crashed down, sealing the cave entrance.

"Qi Refining Eighth Layer......"

Su Wanyao frowned, showing little panic.

She had already prepared a backup plan.

With Xin Tong at Qi Refining Seventh Layer, plus two others in the team at Qi Refining Fifth Layer, they might still stand a chance.

Just as she was about to rally the others.

A sweet, foul odor filled her nostrils.

Poison!

Xin Tong activated the Array Disk in time, summoning a green light barrier that enclosed her and Su Wanyao, keeping the poison gas outside.

Even so, both women swayed slightly, stars dancing before their eyes.

Su Wanyao turned back—and her face turned pale.

All the others lay sprawled on the ground, silent and motionless.

Zhao Dehai and the Robber Cultivators had swallowed antidote Pills.

"Su Wanyao, Su Wanyao—didn't you suspect a thing?"

The Poison Pill in Zhao Dehai's hand had already largely evaporated.

And wrapped around the Poison Pill, the pill casing clearly bore a single character: Su.

"A group of Robber Cultivators? A mission that brings great reward if completed? Team members mostly your 'trusted allies'... how could such luck exist?"

Chen Zhao lay on the ground feigning death, and after hearing this, his heart was deeply shaken.

What a masterful chain of schemes!

Su Muqing must have used some method to interfere with the selection of this team.

That's why, from the very beginning, the team's strength was at a disadvantage—only then did the Robber Cultivators dare to cooperate!

And Zhao Dehai—no doubt, after his first failed attempt to obtain a Pill, he defected to Su Muqing!

He delayed them along the way, letting the Robber Cultivators escape.

Not just to advance his own cultivation, but to deplete the Spirit Rice and manipulate the group.

Then, using him as a tool, he lured Su Wanyao here under the pretense of Liu Chen's urgency to complete the mission, joining forces with the Robber Cultivators to kill her!