Chapter 182

"A big fight?"

Wang Yu heard this, his expression unchanged, but his heart stirred.

"Yes, Brother, you probably don't know yet—we discovered a suspected Lingyao Garden left behind by Jia Lan Shangren, along with the demonic sect, a few days ago. It contains many rare thousand-year medicinal herbs, including several that increase the chance of Foundation Establishment."

"You must know that thousand-year medicinal herbs inherently possess far stronger medicinal properties than ordinary ones; if used to assist Foundation Establishment, the effect is obvious."

"So, both sides have already engaged in minor skirmishes over this garden, and now we've gauged their strength—we're preparing to strike and seize the garden outright," Wan Shan said with excitement.

"Lingyao Garden… so that's it."

Wang Yu understood upon hearing this.

This Brother Wan Shan was not far from reaching Qi Condensation peak; if there was now a chance to obtain an item aiding Foundation Establishment, he would naturally fight for it.

"The demonic sect's two True Disciples have made Senior Brother Tian so cautious—they must be strong. How many are there on their side?" Wang Yu asked after some thought.

"Don't worry, Brother. Though the demonic sect has two True Disciples too, last time they were clearly suppressed by Senior Brother Tian and the other."

"This time we've gathered another dozen or so disciples—we're certain we can crush them, or at least drive those demonic brats out of this region. Everyone who participates will get a share of the herbs in the garden," Wan Shan explained, sounding utterly confident.

"Oh, could Brother Wan tell me who these two demonic True Disciples are and what their strengths are?" Wang Yu asked with a smile.

"Of course. One is the tenth-ranked True Disciple of the Black Soul Sect; he wields a Yin Soul Banner that has condensed three fierce spirits, each as strong as a late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, and also carries a complete set of White Bone Forks."

"The other is the eighth-ranked Yaonv of the Joy Palace; her charm arts are astonishing, and she wields a Heaven Fragrance Fan that can summon twelve Heavenly Mei shadows, transforming into beautiful women—extremely detrimental to male cultivators like us." Wan Shan answered swiftly, detailing the two demonic True Disciples.

"Tenth, Eighth…"

Hearing their rankings, Wang Yu felt half his worries lift.

If they'd been top-ranked demonic True Disciples, he might have seriously considered leaving.

Moments later, the two landed in a valley.

In the valley's center, over forty disciples from the four sects had gathered, half of them from the Four Symbols Sect, the other half from the remaining three sects.

As Wan Shan led Wang Yu into the valley, many eyes turned toward them, accompanied by murmurs.

"Tsk tsk, more Four Symbols Sect people—there really are a lot of them in this region!"

"Their robes look like inner sect disciples—hope they're strong enough."

"Hey, isn't that Brother Wang, the official Alchemist? Rumor has it his strength isn't weak."

……

Clearly, everyone here was sharply divided: the Four Symbols Sect disciples clustered together, while the other three sects stood on the opposite side.

Wang Yu's arrival drew the attention of the two Qi Condensation True Disciples.

When Wan Shan brought Wang Yu to a rock, "Senior Brother Tian" sat cross-legged atop it, glanced at Wang Yu a few times, then smiled slightly and said:

"I wondered who triggered the positioning device—turns out it's Brother Wang Yu. That explains it. With your rumored strength, slaying a few demonic disciples is no surprise."

As he spoke, the handsome young man flipped his palm, revealing a white crystal ball.

This "Senior Brother Tian" had clearly slain a demonic True Disciple and seized the positioning crystal.

Wang Yu's heart tightened slightly; he bowed to the handsome youth.

"I heard from Brother Wan that you're about to fight the demonic sect for the Lingyao Garden. I'm unworthy, but I'd be honored to lend you my aid."

"Excellent! With Brother Wang's help, I'm even more confident about the coming battle. Rest well for now—when the fight begins, if you contribute enough, you'll receive your share of the herbs in the garden," Senior Brother Tian said warmly.

Wang Yu naturally thanked him.

At that moment, a cold female voice came from across the valley:

"Senior Brother Tian, from your tone, this Brother Wang seems capable. Could he handle Dai Zong? That scoundrel's poison arts are revolting—if left unchecked, he'll cause massive damage. We still haven't found anyone suited to counter him." Wang Yu glanced over at the speaker.

On another rock across the way sat a woman in a pale white robe. Her face was merely average, but she radiated an icy aura that repelled all approach; strapped to her back was a pale green sword case.

"Who is this…?"

Wang Yu's mind shifted slightly; he bowed respectfully across the distance.

"Seventh True Disciple of the Thousand Bamboo Sect, Yue Lengshan," the white-robed woman replied coldly, without returning the bow.

"So you're Sister Yue. But who exactly is this Dai Zong?" Wang Yu asked calmly.

"Dai Zong is a disciple of the Demon Luo Sect—merely an inner sect member, but he's mastered a host of poison arts. Most disciples find him extremely difficult to handle."

"Besides Dai Zong, the demonic sect has several other troublesome individuals, but all others have been assigned opponents. Only Dai Zong, covered in toxins, remains without a counter," Senior Brother Tian explained.

"Yes, yes! Brother Wang, I saw Dai Zong in the last battle—he poisoned several of our comrades out of nowhere. Most were saved, but one of our inner sect brothers, Brother Li, died from the poison," Wan Shan added, his face darkening as he nodded vigorously.

Hearing this, Senior Brother Tian and Yue Lengshan exchanged glances but said nothing.

Wang Yu caught the implied suggestion in Wan Shan's words; after a brief internal calculation, he smiled and addressed the two True Disciples:

"If it's merely poison arts and toxins, I've trained in some body-refining techniques and have some resistance to poison—I'm willing to give it a try."

"Excellent! Even if you merely hold Dai Zong off, you'll have done a great service. If you eliminate him, even better," Senior Brother Tian said, delighted.

Yue Lengshan nodded and fell silent.

Then Senior Brother Tian described Dai Zong's appearance and attire, and told Wang Yu to rest well with Wan Shan—they would move out together in the afternoon.