"Is that you? How did you get here?!"

Wei Wujie's surprised yet calm tone caused Qi Xiu's eyes to flicker as the pitch-black color on his hands slowly receded.

"Why can't I come when you all did? Isn't Fifth Junior Brother also my junior brother?"

The person who spoke slowly removed the Bamboo Hat from her head, revealing the face of a gorgeous woman with a high-bridged nose and a clear, heroic aura.

"Is this the new Little Junior Brother our Master has recently taken in?"

Her beautiful eyes flickered as her gaze fell upon Qi Xiu, her cool and indifferent eyes seeming to dissect and scrutinize him.

"Hmm, Seventh Junior Brother, this is your Second Senior Sister, Nangong Qingqiu. This is our Little Junior Brother, Qi Xiu."

"Greetings, Second Senior Sister."

Qi Xiu cupped his fists and bowed to Nangong Qingqiu in greeting.

"MM."

Nangong Qingqiu nodded slightly before turning to Wei Wujie, her eyes as sharp as a knife's edge. "Wei Wujie, you're quite something! Fifth Junior Brother has been kidnapped—such a major event—and you planned to handle it with just the two of you? What, am I not a disciple of the Shenxiao Sect? Not Master's student? Not Fifth Junior Brother's senior sister?"

Nangong Qingqiu's barrage of questions left Wei Wujie looking troubled, not daring to utter a sound.

"Second, listen to me…"

"How many times have I told you not to call me Second!"

Her eyes widened slightly, intimidating Wei Wujie into frantically waving his hands. "Alright, alright, Nangong, this was entirely Master's decision. Divine Sorrow Ridge is a gathering place for all sorts of Demons. The Eight Great Dao Body Realm Sovereigns are stationed there, and there might even be Primordial Spirit bosses lurking in hiding. The more people we have, the bigger our target. Once exposed, none of us would be able to escape. Master also considered this from an overall perspective…"

"Cut the crap! Master already told me this was your idea to handle it alone, and Little Junior Brother is only here because you had no other choice. If I hadn't returned to the sect by chance and noticed something off about Master's expression, and after I pressed... well, questioned him, he wouldn't have told me the truth. You would've successfully kept it from me."

With a cold HMPH, Nangong Qingqiu sat down on a stool in the room, an expression on her face that said, "I saw right through you."

Heh, this old… our respected Master, how could he be so disloyal? Selling me out just like that.

Sucking in a breath of cold air, Wei Wujie muttered quietly before approaching Nangong Qingqiu with a placating smile, beginning to massage her shoulders and pound her legs. "It's not the first or second time Master has passed the buck to me; you can't just take his word for it. Anyway, let's drop it. It's good that you're here. If we really have to fight, we can watch each other's backs."

"Three of us? Eldest Senior Brother, with such a big performance, do you think you could stage it completely without me?"

A light chuckle came from a shadowy corner.

Only then did Qi Xiu realize that a thin, sickly-looking middle-aged man had been sitting in the corner of the room all along.

"Third Senior Brother, you're here too?"

Seeing this sickly man, Wei Wujie helplessly pressed his forehead, then began searching around the room. "If you're here, where's Fourth Senior Brother? You two are always inseparable."

"Fourth Senior Brother's wife is having a baby; he's with her for the birth. He'll rush over as soon as the child is born."

Standing up, the sickly middle-aged man approached Qi Xiu, a smile appearing on his pale face. "Qi Xiu, right? I'm your Third Senior Brother, Li Jun."

"Greetings, Third Senior Brother."

After greeting him, Qi Xiu couldn't help but remark, "Third Senior Brother, your skill in concealing your presence is truly exceptional! You were sitting right here in the room, and we didn't notice you at all."

"HEH HEH, Little Junior Brother, you're too kind. Your Third Senior Brother here is not as naturally gifted as our Eldest Senior Brother and Second Senior Sister. This little trick is all I have to show," Li Jun said with a humble smile.

"Seventh Junior Brother, don't listen to him. Your Third Senior Brother here possesses a rare Ming Body, naturally endowed with a powerful soul and a long lifespan. This fellow was the first on our Yunti Peak to break through to the Blood-Stained Realm," Wei Wujie interjected from the side, his face full of envy.

A Ming Body is what they call a half-human, half-ghost, possessing the strengths of both races without their flaws. They are long-lived and have an innately powerful soul. Thus, when Li Jun transitioned from the Dao-Entering Realm to the Blood-Stained Realm, he did so with hardly any effort, surpassing others to become the first cultivator on Yunti Peak to reach the Blood-Stained Realm.

Looking at the room full of people, Wei Wujie frowned and massaged his temples. "So, counting everyone, aside from Sixth Junior Brother who's in confinement and Fourth Senior Brother who's attending his child's birth, it seems the entire younger generation of our Yunti Peak is here. HEH, Fifth Junior Brother sure has a lot of pull."

As Wei Wujie said this, the people in the room exchanged smiles. Many of them were meeting for the first time. But as fellow disciples and direct students of Daoist Yunxiong, they had all rushed to the extremely dangerous Divine Sorrow Ridge upon hearing the news of Ge Ping's kidnapping—willingly and without hesitation.

Watching all this, Qi Xiu was quietly moved. In this cold and ruthless Cultivation Realm, beyond the usual deception and bloodshed, there are also glimmers of warmth, like this camaraderie among sect members.

"Now that everyone's here, let's plan how to rescue Fifth Junior Brother from the clutches of that little wench from the Yin Tian Nation."

Squatting on a stool, Wei Wujie spread his hands. Countless rays of light flew from his palms, weaving and transforming into a detailed, three-dimensional, and almost perfectly replicated map.

"The Earth Phase Mysterious Shadow Skill of the Huihuai the Cao Family? You've learned quite a few things over the years, haven't you?"

Gazing at the map suspended in mid-air—a miniature replica of Dead Spirit City—Nangong Qingqiu showed a hint of surprise.

"HAHA, just a little understanding, merely a bit. I'll teach you when we have time," Wei Wujie said with a grin, pointing to a central location on the map—a massive palace occupying nearly one-fifth of the area. "This is the Youming Royal Mansion, where the King of the Yin Tian Nation and his family reside. I reckon Fifth Junior Brother is being held here. However, the palace is too vast, and there are likely formations inside that interfere with Universe Space. If we don't find Fifth Junior Brother's location beforehand, a reckless rescue attempt would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Moreover, the King of the Yin Tian Nation is no pushover; he's a Dao Body Realm Leader. Taking us down would be all too easy for him."

"Leave this matter to me. There are still more than twenty days until the wedding, so there should be enough time," Li Jun, who possessed a Ming Body, spoke up.

Although Dead Spirit City was currently swarming with various Demonic Evil Cultivators due to the wedding, the Youming Royal Mansion itself would surely be off-limits to any outsiders. Wei Wujie, Qi Xiu, and the others might have used Secret Techniques to cloak themselves in Demon Qi and Demon Fog, but that wasn't the same as the deathly yin energy of the deceased. In contrast, a Ming Body, being half-human and half-ghost, could easily mimic this deathly yin energy and infiltrate the Youming Royal Mansion without arousing suspicion.

"Alright, Third Junior Brother can handle this."

Nangong Qingqiu's gaze swept across the entire Dead Spirit City, her eyes focusing on a seemingly inconspicuous blank area. "What is this place?"

"I don't know. That area forbids any outsiders from approaching. Several Blood-Stained Realm Fierce Ghosts are covertly guarding it; it's sealed tight, impossible to slip through," Wei Wujie said, shaking his head with a frown.

Nowhere in Dead Spirit City, not even the Youming Royal Mansion, had such strict security. Yet, in this unremarkable corner, several Blood-Stained Realm Fierce Ghosts stood secret vigil. This clearly indicated the place was extraordinary.

"That should be where the King of the Yin Tian Nation gathers lost souls."

"HMM?"

Turning to look at Qi Xiu, Nangong Qingqiu's eyes showed a touch of surprise. "How do you know?"

His eyes swirling with a vast purple light, Qi Xiu replied calmly, "I've seen it with my own eyes."

In that unremarkable corner, he had used the Observing Qi Skill to personally see a huge Qing Tian Big Banner, one that didn't exist in reality, ceaselessly fluttering. Each time this Big Banner waved, it would draw a black wind from the vast void, a wind filled with countless helpless souls. The endless lost souls in Dead Spirit City were all forcibly drawn here by this Big Banner.

Noticing the purple glint in Qi Xiu's eyes, Nangong Qingqiu's brows furrowed slightly. She felt as though she had seen that purple light somewhere before.

"If this place is indeed as Little Junior Brother described, then it's a spot worth targeting. Before the wedding, Fifth Junior Brother will certainly be heavily guarded. Snatching him from under the nose of a Dao Body Realm Leader is clearly unrealistic. We must wait until the wedding day. Fifth Junior Brother will surely be brought out then, and when everyone's attention is on the wedding feast, that will be our chance to strike."

"Moreover, the King of the Yin Tian Nation dotes on this Fourth Princess excessively, willing to feast the entire nation with Taiyang meat just for her. Now, the city full of Demons caters to the vanity of the King and the Fourth Princess, but this also gives us an opportunity. On the wedding day, when the entire city of Demons descends into chaos, how much attention will be paid to Fifth Junior Brother?"

"First, destroy his lost soul formation, causing complete mayhem among the city's dead souls!"

"Then, stir up the city's Demons, turning the wedding feast into total disarray!"

"With the entire city in chaos, no one will be able to focus on anything else!"

"Then we strike and rescue him in one fell swoop!"

Surrounding the map of Dead Spirit City, Qi Xiu and Nangong Qingqiu spoke one after another, laying out strategies and plans that flowed steadily from their mouths. They even discussed several alternatives for the most minute details, carefully selecting and discarding options until the optimal one remained.

Standing to the side, Wei Wujie and Li Jun had their hands tucked in their sleeves, peculiar expressions on their faces.

"Little Junior Brother is quite capable, holding his own against Second Senior Sister. Master has really found another gem," Wei Wujie remarked quietly to Li Jun.

"When I first met Little Junior Brother, I already felt he was exceptionally bright and insightful, with a hidden wisdom. I didn't expect it to be so true," Li Jun agreed.

"HMM," Wei Wujie then said, a bit louder, "it's just that with them carrying on like this, it makes me, the Eldest Senior Brother, feel rather insignificant. Maybe I should offer a few suggestions?"

"Come on, Eldest Senior Brother," Li Jun said, "don't go asking for a snub. Let's just stay cool over here."

"HEY! What kind of talk is that? Just watch me."

Full of bravado, Wei Wujie approached Qi Xiu and Nangong Qingqiu, who were frowning and deeply engrossed in their intense discussion. Just as he opened his mouth, before a sound could escape—

"SHH!"

"Go cool off somewhere else!"

His face stiff and dark with annoyance, Wei Wujie returned to Li Jun's side.

"I told you not to go. Got snapped at by Second Sister, didn't you? Satisfied now?" Li Jun said, covering his mouth to suppress a laugh as he patted Wei Wujie's shoulder comfortingly.

They're just blatantly jealous! I hadn't even said anything yet. What if it was a golden idea? Wei Wujie grumbled.

"The probability of that," Li Jun drawled, "is truly one in ten thousand."

"…"

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