Chapter 129: The Scheme Falls Through

At this moment, in the heart of the City of Villains, within the inner citadel, three figures sat in a high pavilion, observing the battle from afar.

Among them was the Old Man of Ghost Mountain. The other two, a man and a woman, were equally striking. The woman appeared elderly, with graying hair, sitting cross-legged in a relaxed posture. In her hand, she toyed with a string of moon-white beads; they were smooth and round, faintly shimmering with an ethereal light that betrayed their extraordinary nature. The man appeared to be in middle age, sporting a head of fine braids. With a square jaw and thick brows, his physique was as imposing as a mountain, exuding a menacing aura.

The three had been discussing matters when they suddenly noticed the commotion at the abandoned manor. They paused their conversation to watch. From the moment the black mist enveloped the estate to the demise of all the gang members, and finally to Jiang Min trapping the man-eating bees and pursuing the Black and White Eagles—all of this transpired within a few short breaths.

The woman leaned to one side, her gaze piercing through the distance of several miles. Having witnessed the entire sequence, she narrowed her eyes, lost in thought. She, too, was skilled in beast taming and was highly sensitive to demonic energy. When the Black Eagle released the man-eating bees, she had vaguely sensed the White Eagle quietly releasing a third-tier insect into the swarm to track the assailant. However, due to the distance, it was difficult to discern what happened within the sphere of sword energy. Yet, judging by the White Eagle's reaction, that third-tier insect had likely perished.

The group withdrew their gaze and returned to their previous topic.

The square-jawed man asked in a muffled, booming voice, "Ghost Mountain, why did you suddenly decide to add an opportunity for a secret realm? Why not keep such an opening for our own people?"

Though his question was phrased diplomatically, the Old Man of Ghost Mountain knew he was fishing for information about the ancient secret realm. He let out a cold snort, his voice devoid of emotion, and replied flatly, "This realm is under the management of Daoist Mei Jun; I am merely tagging along."

Upon hearing the name of Daoist Mei Jun, the square-jawed man’s eyes flickered. He immediately offered a sincere smile, leaned slightly toward the Old Man of Ghost Mountain, and bargained, "Could you put in a good word for me? I’ll owe you a favor."

The Old Man of Ghost Mountain tapped his fingertips against the table. Looking at him with sharp, piercing eyes, he said seriously, "It’s not that I won't help you, but I cannot. And honestly, brother, I don't want to lead you into a trap. Daoist Mei Jun doesn't want too many people to know about this."

"But you’ve made it public, haven't you? Doesn't everyone know now?" the square-jawed man asked, confused.

"Know what?" the Old Man of Ghost Mountain countered, appearing perfectly candid.

In an instant, the square-jawed man grasped the implication. Indeed, there were countless secret realms in the world, and ancient caves appeared occasionally. Who could say which one this opportunity referred to?

"When have I ever kept a benefit from you or Lanyue?" The Old Man of Ghost Mountain looked at him, then glanced at the gray-haired woman. "If I didn't approach you two, it only means this isn't a good thing."

Just then, the gray-haired woman, who had remained silent until now, spoke up: "The Black and White Eagles are about to die."

The Old Man of Ghost Mountain, who had been keeping a distracted eye on the two, frowned and stood up immediately. "They are connected to that old monster Liang Boxiu; they cannot die."

His voice still echoed in the pavilion, but his figure had already vanished from the loft.

...

Cragged Stone Mountain was in a state of utter ruin, littered with the mangled carcasses of countless demonic beasts. The Black and White Eagles had fallen from the sky, landing in the debris. Their faces were deathly pale, their breathing shallow. Their life-bound artifacts had been destroyed by Jiang Min, causing a severe backlash and leaving them heavily wounded.

Jiang Min descended from the sky in hot pursuit, her expression fierce. She swung her sword, unleashing two heaven-shaking strikes of formidable energy.

*Whoosh! Whoosh!*

The strikes were so swift that the pair had no time to react.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, a gale roared into existence, shielding the Black and White Eagles. As Jiang Min’s pupils constricted, her two sword strikes dissipated into the wind like mud thrown into the sea, failing to cause even a ripple.

A figure emerged from within the violent wind.

"Such powerful strength! Is he from the City of Villains?" Jiang Min felt a jolt of alarm, followed by a sinking feeling of dread.

Cultivation of this caliber was far beyond that of a Foundation Establishment practitioner. To be able to intervene in a battle within the City of Villains on the Old Man of Ghost Mountain's territory suggested this person was likely a subordinate of his, or perhaps the Old Man of Ghost Mountain himself.

She narrowed her eyes. A message talisman was silently tucked into the web of her hand, and her body tensed. She retreated several yards, ready to flee at a moment's notice if the situation turned sour.

The Black and White Eagles were stunned, then exchanged glances. Who was this? They did not recognize him, nor did they know why they had been saved, but that did not dampen their relief at surviving.

This mysterious female sword cultivator was terrifyingly strong—far stronger than the likes of He Chunshan or Chu Dongliu. If they had had their gang members to create a distraction and had summoned all their beasts from the start, they might have stood a chance. But she had picked off their men first, then destroyed the Black-Scaled Giant Python and the Brain-Eating Worm, methodically eroding the strength of the Eagle Alliance and stripping them of their most potent weapons. They could not defeat her!

The cultivator in the green and white ancient robes slowly descended from the air, standing with his hands behind his back in front of the Black and White Eagles. He exuded an undeniable aura of high status, looking down at Jiang Min with a disdainful gaze. He spoke bluntly: "Their tokens are yours. Their lives, however, are spared."

His voice was low, carrying an authoritative sharpness that brooked no argument.

Jiang Min did not recognize him, but his words made his intent clear: he was protecting the two.

Jiang Min did not hold such deep-seated hatred that she absolutely had to have their lives; she had merely been influenced by the intense baleful energy of the city, leading her to be a bit heavy-handed.

However, this did not mean she was willing to let the Black and White Eagles be taken away. Yet, in the face of such a powerful cultivator, Jiang Min maintained her composure. She hid her dissatisfaction deep within, ensuring no trace of it showed on her face. She bowed respectfully, neither servile nor overbearing.

"As you command, Senior."

She did not even dare to test the waters by asking if the Black and White Eagles' belongings could be hers. When traveling abroad, antagonizing a powerful cultivator was the height of stupidity; one could never be sure if they would simply dispose of you on a whim.

The green-robed cultivator’s expression softened slightly, satisfied with Jiang Min’s pragmatism. He gestured for the Black and White Eagles to hand over their Villain Tokens.

"Give them over."

The Black and White Eagles immediately produced all their tokens, wiped their spiritual imprints from them, and reluctantly handed them to Jiang Min. Their eyes burned with resentment and frustration.

Jiang Min calmly reached out and swept the flood of tokens into her storage bag. She didn't care if they hated her; her name was false, and her face was a disguise. Once she left this City of Villains, no one would recognize her.

The green-robed cultivator departed with the Black and White Eagles. As their figures faded into the distance, the sincere smile on Jiang Min’s face slowly ebbed away. She withdrew the message talisman from her hand and tucked it back into her storage bag.

"I have the tokens, but I didn't get the white jade fragment." Jiang Min lowered her eyes, her gaze darkening.

From the very beginning, her ambush had been calculated to obtain the white jade fragment; the tokens were secondary. She hadn't expected a powerful cultivator to intervene and whisk the pair away, causing her plans to fall through.

But she could not give up.

"Before the Villain Battle began, I heard that the Black and White Eagles were renowned in the Qi River region... Heh... once the battle ends, I won't have any trouble finding them."

By then, no one would be there to protect them.

Jiang Min suppressed the cold glint in her eyes, sheathed her sword, and turned back toward the abandoned manor.

Liu Fenglian was standing at the entrance, clutching her wooden doll, waiting for her. Seeing Jiang Min, her eyes lit up, and she trotted over, asking eagerly, "Sister, did you win?"

"Yes. You didn't leave?" Jiang Min asked with some interest.

"If you hadn't returned, how could I have felt at ease leaving?" Liu Fenglian smiled with an innocent air, her tone sweet. She then changed the subject, asking cautiously, "The things belonging to those people in the manor... are they really mine now?"

Jiang Min nodded with a faint amusement. "Take them."

She kept her word to those who cooperated in good faith. As for those who betrayed her, she would not be so merciful.

Hearing this, Liu Fenglian was overjoyed. "Then, shall we continue to cooperate, Sister? Fighting like this is surprisingly easy."

Jiang Min shook her head. She produced her Wind-Thunder Shuttle, leaped onto it, and turned to look at her. She waved, saying casually, "I'm leaving. We shall meet again if fate permits."

After all, the Villain Battle was drawing to a close.

By dawn, a streak of crimson ignited the horizon, illuminating the world. On the scroll, only one hundred and thirty-four names remained.

Late last night, the names of the Black and White Eagles had vanished from the rankings, shocking the cultivators still in the city. However, since no one else’s token count had surged, they had no idea who was responsible.

In a remote, dilapidated house, Jiang Min finished reciting the "Scripture of Tranquility" for the third time. The influence of the baleful energy on her mind finally dissipated.

She opened her eyes, her gaze clear and balanced. She looked out the window at the scroll in the sky, a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"It is time to refine all the tokens."