Chapter 723: Chapter 382 Iron Ridge Heavenly Grotto, Wisdom Sword Slays Demons
Qinghua state experienced a massive invasion from the Netherworld Cave, and although the great battle had subsided, the two sides had resumed their standoff.
Yet within Qinghua state, turmoil was unceasing.
This time, the large-scale invasion by the Netherworld had caused Qinghua state, and especially Da Yue Country, to reel as if on the verge of collapse, leading some martial artists to defect to the Netherworld.
Now that the Netherworld had been repelled, these defectors, who had become Blood Shadows, were hiding everywhere, even sowing chaos, for they could not turn back.
Those who had secretly pledged allegiance, but yet to become Blood Shadows or Blood Slaves, Blood Disciples, were living in constant fear, dreading the day their betrayal would be exposed.
Some, as a result, had been caught and were being used by others.
Although Qinghua state was ruled by three major powers, there were many other forces, big and small, and a reshuffling of the power landscape was quietly unfolding.
For Da Yue Country, Myriad Thunder Sect, and Tianwu Sect, as long as the shifts among those forces did not concern them, they paid no mind, so long as the tasks of guarding their respective Heavenly Grottos were completed.
Within the territory overseen by Tianwu Sect, in the range of Iron Ridge Mountain, there was a Heavenly Grotto, which in Qinghua state, was considered above average.
The guardians of this Heavenly Grotto were a second-tier family sect, and one of the family heads had perished in the recent assault, weakening their power.
The Sect Master of this sect, seeing that he could not hold out and fearing Qinghua state was at risk of falling, had secretly sworn fealty to the Netherworld.
But before he could fulfill his role as an inside agent, Da Yue Country defeated the Netherworld invaders, dispatching powerful reinforcements to aid the four corners, with several True King Heavenly Venerables arriving to suppress this Heavenly Grotto.
Unfortunately, his seemingly secretive pledge of allegiance had been leaked, he was being blackmailed, and his power was being stripped away step by step, leaving him helpless.
The sect had reached a critical juncture.
The elders within the sect had all expressed their dissatisfaction with him as Sect Master, so he could only temporarily assuage them with the excuse of having suffered hidden injuries during the battle, which had weakened him and forced him to retreat.
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He even used the pretext of needing to meditate and heal to avoid managing the affairs of the sect.
"Master Wei, you know what to do, right?"
In a hidden valley of Iron Ridge Mountain, a man in a black robe, wearing a mask, spoke with a sinister laugh.
Master Wei's face was extremely somber as he said in a heavy voice, "Your Shao Family, have you pledged to the Netherworld?"
The Shao Family, one of the second-tier families of Iron Ridge, was also the power that had suffered the least in the Netherworld invasion.
"Master Wei, who told you that I am from the Shao Family?"
The masked man sneered.
"Heh, you strive at every turn to seize power for the Shao Family, to extend their influence in Iron Ridge. If you're not from the Shao Family, then who else would you be?"
Master Wei retorted with a cold laugh.
"Master Wei, I advise you not to overthink things. The plan must be completed, or you know the consequences."
The masked man said with a smile.
"Iron Ridge Sky Cave cannot accommodate the entry of Xuezhi, even if I am willing to act as an inside agent, Xuezhi cannot get in!"
Master Wei stated firmly.
"Qinghua state needs a Xuezhi to back us up, but not to let Xuezhi in, a Blood Disciple will suffice. In three days, a Blood Disciple will enter the Iron Ridge Sky Cave.
"All you need to do, your task is to deceive the guard and allow the Blood Disciple to enter Qinghua state. Once the Blood Disciple enters Qinghua state, ascent to Xuezhi will be easy."
The masked man spoke with gravity.
Master Wei's expression changed as he thought of Xuezhi Tu, who had initially entered Qinghua state as a Blood Disciple and had sacrificed the Prefecture City of Qi Yun County to ascend to Xuezhi.
"What's the matter, Master Wei? Have you developed a conscience and no longer wish to carry out such deeds?"
The masked man looked at the hesitant Master Wei and spoke with a sinister tone.
"Rest assured, I will ensure the task is done,"
Master Wei took a deep breath and said.
By now, he had no way of turning back.
"That is best, I will await the good news from Master Wei!"
After speaking, the masked man's figure shifted and then vanished from the spot.
"No turning back now!"
Master Wei muttered to himself and then turned to leave.
Not long after the two had left, Xu Yan stepped out from behind a large tree.
"Qinghua state really is in chaos, full of traitors."
Both the masked man and Master Wei were True King Heavenly Venerables, and they were not weak. Killing the two would be no easy feat.
"Head to Iron Ridge Sky Cave, eh? A Blood Disciple, is it? If I kill the Blood Disciple they've gone through so much trouble to escort here, and then reveal their traitorous identities..."
Xu Yan plotted internally.
Facing off against a Blood Disciple and killing him would be very difficult.
Even now that he had reached the pinnacle of the Divine Skill Realm, a Blood Disciple tasked with infiltrating Qinghua state to replicate the feat of Xuezhi Tu would undoubtedly be among the stronger of the Blood Disciples.
If he couldn't kill his opponent in a direct confrontation, then he wouldn't confront directly.
The turmoil at Iron Ridge Sky Cave had settled, and on this day, it was the turn of Master Wei's sect to guard the Sky Cave.
"Sect Master, you've come?"
The elder guarding the cave was taken aback upon seeing Master Wei's arrival.
"Yes, I'm going to check on the Heavenly Grotto to prevent another Blood Disciple invasion."
Master Wei nodded.
After entering the Heavenly Grotto, he reached its depths, where another True King Heavenly Venerable was stationed.
"I will seclude myself here for a few days; you should return to the sect and rest for a while,"
He said to the True King Heavenly Venerable.
"Yes, Sect Master."
The True King Heavenly Venerable paused briefly before getting up and leaving.
Since the great battle, the sect's power had waned. Master Wei had repeatedly made concessions to the Shao Family, and they bore the brunt of the grueling task of guarding the Heavenly Grotto.