Chapter 110: Those Who Each Harbor Secret Schemes

If I'm not mistaken, Li Mu, my nephew, you're now roughly already at the Early Stage of Concentrated Spirit Realm, but your foundation isn't yet stable, right?

If this Scorpion Beauty can fall into your hands, it will surely make your foundation solid and strong, without any flaw.

When we return to Ziyang Sect aboard the Sky-Traveling Airship, dear nephew, you can then start to break through the minor realm.

Moreover!

Dear nephew, please rest assured!

If we don't encounter this Scorpion Beauty on this trip, that's fine; since we have, I, as your elder brother, will definitely find a way to get it for you.

Coincidentally, at that time in the Demon Domain, I also gathered the surviving disciples of other teams.

Since everyone has met here, why not form a temporary cultivator team!

When we reach Fuhu Mountain, dear nephew, you won't need to do anything; just watch our performance.

Although, in the process of actively making the request to Li Mu, Song Haolin can be said to have done everything possible to suppress the murderous intent raging in his heart.

He tried as hard as possible not to let Li Mu detect any clue, yet it was not hard to see from the occasional cold glint in Li Mu's eyes and the involuntary twitch of the muscles at the corner of his eyes when speaking.

At this moment, if he hadn't constantly failed to find a suitable opportunity, Song Haolin would have already struck Li Mu down.

However.

Regarding Song Haolin's murderous demeanor, Li Mu acted as if he had no alertness at all, slapping his own trousers, standing up carelessly, wiping his mouth with a handkerchief, blinking his innocent large eyes, and exclaimed with an excited face.

"This is truly wonderful!"

"With uncle and all your senior brothers stepping in, how could we worry about not obtaining the Scorpion Beauty?"

"Right here!"

"I'll thank uncle first!"

"When I've made my way later, I certainly won't forget the great kindness you, uncle, have shown today."

"Hey!"

"You already call me 'uncle', so what's this talk of great kindness or not?"

"Uncle giving the Scorpion Beauty to his nephew—that's only natural, isn't it?"

"If dear nephew says that, then you're being overly generous!"

Song Haolin squinted his eyes, and his smile grew even brighter.

"Enough!"

"I won't waste any more words on you, dear nephew."

"Choosing an auspicious day is no match for striking today!"

"Since the Scorpion Beauty is blooming and bearing fruit within these two days."

"Then we might as well head to Fuhu Mountain right now, lest we arrive late and miss a good spot, which would be a huge loss!"

Mid‑sentence, Song Haolin reached out, grabbed Li Mu's arm, and gestured to walk outward.

A short while later.

Li Mu then followed the cultivator team led by Song Haolin, leaving Qingfeng Tower together.

Fuhu Mountain is surrounded by peaks on all sides, with outstanding people and a spirit‑blessed land.

Song Haolin slung his arm over Li Mu's shoulder, while the other four deliberately lagged half a step, advancing slowly from three directions.

On the surface, those four seemed unwilling to proactively interrupt the lively conversation between Li Mu and Song Haolin.

In fact!

Those four had silently blocked all of Li Mu's exits, giving him no chance of escape.

Even!

If Li Mu dared at this moment to show any slight movement, given the ruthlessness of these three when they strike...

They would not even hesitate, and would immediately deliver a fatal blow to Li Mu!

However, regarding the deadly formations these four had set in secret, Li Mu, the person concerned, seemed completely unaware, still walking side‑by‑side with Song Haolin at the front, the two engaging in idle chatter.

"Dear nephew!"

"You've just joined our cultivator team, and you're still not proficient in many cooperative combat aspects!"

"This will be quite disadvantageous for us later, when we may have to simultaneously face cultivator teams from various forces and Slash that demon beast!"

Upon saying that, Song Haolin's tone paused, then he nudged Li Mu's torso with his elbow.

Immediately, with a meaning‑laden tone, he continued:

"Therefore, I think before we officially start vying for the Scorpion Beauty, we should first conduct a Combat Drill."

"And use it to cultivate our team's rapport, coordination, and many other aspects!"

"Combat Drill?"

Hearing that, Li Mu couldn't help but halt his steps, looking bewildered as if unfamiliar with worldly affairs, his face full of doubt as he looked at Song Haolin, seemingly waiting for his next words.

"Exactly!"

"Combat Drill!"

Song Haolin nodded affirmatively, then continued: "I've heard that near Fuhu Mountain there's also a Crimson Blood Ape King!"

"The cultivation level of this Crimson Blood Ape King should be around the Peak of Sixth-Grade Demon General, so I think using this beast as a whetstone for our journey is just perfect!"

"Of course!"

"When the time comes to battle that Crimson Blood Ape King, you, dear nephew, won't need to do anything!"

"Our five‑person cultivator team will take the role of primary attackers, tasked with keeping the Crimson Blood Ape King occupied."

"And dear nephew, all you need to do is assist from the side, helping to develop our mutual coordination."

"In short, you have no objections to this group‑battle arrangement, dear nephew, do you?"

To that, Li Mu could not deny and nodded.

Indeed!

If we only look at the division of roles and arrangements for each character in the upcoming team battle, Song Haolin's plan seems fine from any angle.

But that first requires a premise!

That is, the words Song Haolin just said are truly what he thinks inside.

If Song Haolin only says one thing on the surface while doing another behind the scenes,

then what will be waiting for Li Mu is the scramble of these people, eager to stab him in the back!

That's why you fear not a god‑like opponent, but a ghost‑like teammate.

And Li Mu!

Right now he genuinely feels like he's alone, battling wits and courage against the other five ghosts in the team.

It truly brings the Werewolf‑Mafia atmosphere to the fullest.

However…

Does Li Mu feel fear?

Laughing to death!

How could he possibly be afraid!

Ever since leaving Qingfeng Tower, Li Mu's mind flickered and he realized that, besides Song Haolin who was first recorded by the Heavenly Dao Treasure Scroll, the other four names are now also on the list.

As for these five guys who have already become his scapegoats?

Would Li Mu be scared?

No way!

Moreover,

It's not only Song Haolin who wants to kill Li Mu in secret!

Yet in reality, Li Mu is also scheming behind the scenes about how to kill Song Haolin next.

After all,

In this world there's a thousand‑day thief, but where's a thousand‑day anti‑thief principle?

Li Mu knows this better than anyone.

If he can't trap Song Haolin and the other four here, then after returning to Ziyang Sect,

he won't have enough energy.

He must face Pan Wenbo's threats on one hand while constantly guarding against secret attacks from Song Haolin and the others.

"In short, to completely eradicate future trouble!"

"I'll handle this vote myself!"

Li Mu pursed his lips.

After a moment of silence,

finally, under the threatening gazes of Song Haolin and the other five, he heavily nodded.

"Hahaha…"

"I knew it!"

"I didn't misjudge anyone!"

"Wise nephew truly is a dragon among men, not a mortal!"

Seeing Li Mu ponder for a long time, he finally nodded in agreement.

Song Haolin couldn't help but burst into loud laughter, but where Li Mu didn't notice, he slipped his left hand behind his back.

He subtly gestured a few signs to the few behind him.

Yet,

The four who had been charging at Li Mu with fierce momentum now seemed to disperse casually.

Afterwards, the six‑person squad with hidden motives caused no further trouble.

The six of them first hunted down a first‑stage Demon General Steel‑Back Beast in Fuhu Mountain!

To prepare for the upcoming night battle with the Crimson Blood Ape King, Song Haolin suggested extracting the materials and Demon Crystals from the Steel‑Back Beast, leaving the rest to be carried out and placed before everyone.

"When midnight comes, we'll almost be engaged in a close‑quarters blade fight with that Crimson Blood Ape King!"

"In our hometown there's an unwritten rule: before a great battle one must slaughter pigs and sheep and feast properly."

"If we happen to fall in the ensuing terrible fight, we'll at least die full‑stomached after the eighteenth level of hell, won't we?"

"But the conditions are limited; finding livestock in Fuhu Mountain is clearly unrealistic."

"So we'll just use this Steel‑Back Beast to make do!"

"It's also our jointly hunted prey; we can roast it, eat big chunks of meat, drink copiously, isn't that delightful?"

When Song Haolin finished speaking, the other four in the squad instantly nodded in agreement.

Seeing that all six members, five of whom had already agreed,

Li Mu naturally didn't want to be the odd one out.

After holding his chin and pretending to hesitate,

Li Mu also nodded in consent.

"Then I thank Senior Brother Song for his kind gesture!"

"Then I shall humbly obey!"

Hearing this, Song Haolin laughed brightly: "Hahaha…"

"Very good!"

"Very good indeed!"

I, Song Haolin, have never liked doing other things in my life, but I do enjoy making friends with young talents like you, junior brother Li Mu.

After that.

Li Mu, after exchanging a brief, affected greeting with Song Haolin,

Song Haolin used the pretext of helping to dismantle the Steel-Back Beast, slapped his butt, and left early.

He saw Song Haolin walking toward him and the others.

In the squad, a young man in a blue Dao robe immediately stepped forward, his lips moving, and whispered in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

Senior brother Song!

We five have clearly already surrounded that kid Li Mu here; this Fuhu Mountain is high and dense with forest, with no birds or humans.

You think, should we just go straight for a fight now? Kill that kid!

Upon hearing the blue‑robed youth's words, Song Haolin's face clearly showed a few changes.

But quickly.

He shook his head again and refused: "Now that Li Mu this kid has already fallen into the Heaven and Earth Net we set for him without his knowing, are you still afraid that a cooked duck will fly away?"

So I think we can put off killing Li Mu for now; no need to rush.

Besides…

When he said that, Song Haolin's tone paused briefly, then he subtly glanced toward Li Mu's direction.

Seeing that the other side wasn't looking toward him, he then continued speaking.

Besides, that kid Li Mu is highly valued by the elders, stewards and other senior figures of the Ziyang Sect; you know that.

I even heard…

Their Longtan Feng senior sister Zi Yuan even went out of her way to stand up for Li Mu, choosing to wield a three‑foot green blade, single‑handedly daring to storm the Qingzhou Lin Family's main stronghold.

If it weren't for senior sister Zi Yuan's huge threat looming there, the Qingzhou Lin Family members wouldn't dare act rashly.

Do you think a windfall like a pie dropping from the sky could really land on the heads of you and me?

Dreaming, huh!

As he said that, Song Haolin didn't forget to reach out and give the blue‑robed youth a hard smack on the back of the head, then continued.

So, for us now, we're not afraid of ten thousand, we're only afraid of that one "what if".

If we strike Li Mu now, given how troublesome this kid is, among us none can be absolutely sure of delivering a killing blow.

As long as we can't kill him instantly, we give him a chance to call for help.

Can you guarantee that he won't have the Message Jade Tablet or any other means to transmit the news?

If Li Mu were to let the news of his death spread from our hands, then—

Not only would you and I suffer, but even our parents, brothers, and entire families would face annihilation.

Such a rash plan carries too great a risk; we can't afford to lose, we can't afford to gamble!

Therefore, in my view!

The plan to kill Li Mu is better done like this…