Chapter 168: Stirring the Pot Like a Pro –
The Place Where the Black Serpent Transforms into a Flood Dragon

“What… is she doing?”

Inside the Hundred Fragrance Hall, the Venerable Elder of Azure Profound Sect stared in disbelief as Lian Mu took Fengyun Yi away—and even snatched Ying You’s sword.

Shang Liu pressed his lips together, momentarily at a loss for words. “…”

Over at the Returning Immortal Sect, confusion was written all over their faces too. An elder skilled in alchemy leaned over and whispered to Murong Yi, “Why did Lian Mu only take Fengyun Yi? Wouldn’t it have been better to take Ying You?”

This was the perfect opportunity to go after the strongest chief disciple. Even if they couldn’t touch him now, the moment he woke up defenseless, they could easily eliminate him.

Murong Yi couldn’t make sense of it either.

Anyone else would’ve gone after Ying You first, not kidnapped the Chief Alchemist. Fengyun Yi was completely powerless to resist—easy to handle even if he woke up. But if Ying You woke up and found Fengyun Yi missing, he’d definitely go looking for him himself.

Lian Mu had taken the Flying Swan Sword with her. With the spiritual connection between them, it would be child’s play for Ying You to track her down.

Murong Yi frowned. “She shouldn’t have taken the Flying Swan Sword.”

If Lian Mu had left the sword behind, she might’ve stayed under the radar. But now that she had it, the moment Azure Profound Sect’s chief disciple woke up, he could immediately pinpoint her location.

What puzzled Murong Yi even more was—why take someone else’s sword?

Flying Swan was a renowned blade crafted by the number one artifact refiner. It had reached the highest grade and, though it didn’t restrict users by Spiritual Root, it had been nurtured for centuries and was already developing a sword spirit. Sword spirits were notoriously picky—they only recognized their chosen master. Once bonded, they would remain loyal until their master’s death. As long as the master lived, no one else could wield the sword.

Lian Mu had just scored a benefit from Azure Profound Sect’s chief disciple, only to walk away with a massive headache in tow.

Now, all they could hope for was that Ying You would be trapped in the Heart Realm Trial for a while longer.

The Sect Master of Crimson Sky Sect, watching the scene unfold, beamed with delight. “This is getting more and more interesting. I like this little friend Lian Mu.”

He had always enjoyed a good spectacle, especially when someone stirred the pot and turned everything upside down. Having sat in the sect master’s seat for so long, he’d led Crimson Sky Sect to become a bunch who thrived on chaos.

The Venerable Elder of Azure Profound Sect wore a frosty expression, his words laced with sarcasm. “Oh, it’s certainly interesting. I thought the Illusion Realm managed by Crimson Sky Sect this year would be a bit more proper than usual. Turns out it’s the same old mess—very much in line with your sect’s style.”

Letting disciples enter the Heart Realm Trial by inhaling floral fragrance, only to be incapacitated and left at others’ mercy—such a careless and dangerous setup would’ve been torn apart by criticism had it come from any other sect. But Crimson Sky Sect always got away with it.

Because every time they were criticized, the next round would be even more outrageous. The Venerable Elders of the Four Great Sects still remembered that one year when the Heart Realm Trial was triggered by stepping on a tree frog in the woods. Compared to that, sniffing flowers was practically tame.

The Crimson Sky Sect’s Sect Master remained all smiles. “Your uptight sect could never understand the fun of ours. The world is ever-changing. Walk the same path too long, and you turn into wood. After all, the most dangerous things often hide in the most unexpected places. Even a single flower or blade of grass can’t be taken lightly.”

“Your Illusion Realm has been the same dead thing for hundreds of years. I didn’t even bother watching the first two rounds. Only the one arranged by Shen Minglu was mildly interesting.” He didn’t care if others dared not criticize him—his mouth never held back.

“As for Returning Immortal Sect, well, they’re a lost cause—no real talent to speak of. But your sect master is considered top-tier among artifact refiners, and yet can’t even tweak an Illusion Realm?”

The Venerable Elder of Returning Immortal Sect, inexplicably caught in the crossfire: “…”

Murong Yi had to hold back a fellow disciple who was about to stand up. “Don’t be rash.”

Seeing the displeasure on the faces of both Returning Immortal Sect and Azure Profound Sect, the Crimson Sky Sect Master looked even more pleased. “Still, your disciples are doing better than those from Clear Thought Sect. Can’t even take first place on their own turf—now that’s embarrassing. I wonder what their Venerable Elders are teaching them.”

The Venerable Elder of Clear Thought Sect: “…”

Having successfully provoked Azure Profound Sect, even Shang Liu couldn’t stay silent. His voice turned cold. “Looks like Crimson Sky Sect’s been enjoying its good days for too long. Don’t forget how you even got into the Four Great Sects. The Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda entrusted to you by the descendants of Penglai Sect—you lost it, and still have the nerve to act so high and mighty. If it weren’t for the heroic legacy of Penglai Sect, your sect would’ve never made the cut.”

Mei Chengyu, also from Crimson Sky Sect, gave a faint smile. She didn’t deny Shang Liu’s words.

“So what?” The Crimson Sky Sect Master smiled. “Like you said, that was then. Today’s Crimson Sky Sect is more than capable of surpassing Azure Profound Sect. All we need is the right opportunity. Who in this world dares to challenge Crimson Sky Sect now? You, Shang Liu?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a powerful pressure swept across the entire Hundred Fragrance Hall, making it hard to breathe.

Shang Liu placed a hand on his sword hilt, his brow slightly furrowed.

Murong Yi, watching from the sidelines: “…”

As expected, the Crimson Sky Sect Master was just looking for an excuse to suppress Azure Profound Sect.

“The matter of the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda was the fault of the Crimson Sky Sect,” said the Sect Master of Crimson Sky Sect. “However, we’ve already sent people to search for it. So far, all we know is that the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda has ended up somewhere in Black Tortoise North.”

Murong Yi’s expression changed. “No wonder the demon race has been stirring up trouble around Returning Immortal Sect these past few years. They must be trying to…”

The Crimson Sky Sect Sect Master didn’t answer. Instead, he turned and walked out.

As he passed by Shang Liu, he patted him on the shoulder with a smile still on his face. “You couldn’t even make elder. Do you really think you can take me on? I don’t bother fighting people of your level. Azure Profound Sect may be the number one sect, but you’re not the number one sword cultivator in the world.”

With that, he left the room, leaving everyone behind.

The room fell silent for a moment before the Venerable Elder of Clear Thought Sect broke the stillness. “Let it go. Just a few harsh words. No need to offend the master of a sect over it.”

The Venerable Elder of Clear Thought Sect remained expressionless throughout. They were used to being berated. In past years, other sects had often taken jabs at Clear Thought Sect and Returning Immortal Sect. Compared to that, the Crimson Sky Sect Master’s words were hardly worth reacting to.

The matter of the Thousand Mechanisms Pagoda had nothing to do with Clear Thought Sect anyway—at most, it involved Returning Immortal Sect.

The Venerable Elder of Clear Thought Sect turned his gaze to the image-recording stone. During the argument just now, the Clear Thought Sect chief team had already changed course, heading in the direction where Lian Mu was.

Cheng Ling wiped the sweat from his brow and whispered to Mei Chengyu, “The Clear Thought Sect Master really has a good temper. Our sect master is always…”

Mei Chengyu didn’t even glance at him. After a moment of thought, she turned to Murong Yi and said, “Let’s talk in private.”

Everyone watched as Mei Chengyu led Murong Yi away. They more or less guessed her intention, and with the tension momentarily eased, they turned their attention back to the image recording.

The Crimson Sky Sect chief team was far from the other three sects and posed no immediate threat. Their team was moving cautiously, skirting the edges of the forest.

In contrast, the Clear Thought Sect team seemed overly timid. Before the Illusion Realm began, Ying You had publicly declared he would target them. Maybe they were truly afraid. Tang Wuxun had been sneaking around the whole time, deliberately choosing paths with no one around—but unfortunately, his route was about to intersect with Lian Mu’s.

“That Tang kid is a promising candidate for team leader. He performed well back in the sect. Too bad that once the Immortal Sect Grand Competition started, things spiraled out of his control.”

“Well, he’s an artifact refiner—soft-hearted by nature,” Cheng Ling said. “The other three sects all have sword cultivators as team leaders, which gives them a natural edge in presence. But there’s more to it. With Tang Wuxun’s smooth and diplomatic nature, he could’ve used this competition to change the sect’s image and build good relations with the others. He might’ve even secured a solid third place. Too bad he got teamed up with the Shen clan’s eldest son.”

“I heard the Clear Thought Sect team leader was personally chosen by Sect Master Shen. He picked Tang Wuxun probably hoping to ease tensions with the other sects, but his own nephew keeps messing things up.”

The Venerable Elder of Azure Profound Sect said, “Returning Immortal Sect is no pushover this year either. That Lian Mu alone is more trouble than ten Shen Wuxies.”

The Venerable Elder of Returning Immortal Sect silently watched the image-recording stone. With their chief team already down, all their attention was now on Lian Mu.

After clearly seeing where Lian Mu was headed, a sword cultivator Venerable Elder from Returning Immortal Sect’s expression shifted. “That direction… it’s where the black serpent is transforming into a flood dragon.”

“What?”

Everyone turned to the image-recording stone showing Lian Mu. Sure enough, she was heading straight toward the place where the black serpent had fled.

Back when Lian Mu was trapped in the Heart Realm Trial, the black serpent had suddenly reached the point of shedding its skin to transform into a flood dragon. In the fifteen minutes after shedding, its body would be extremely fragile, so it chose to flee.

Lian Mu had narrowly escaped that encounter, but now the path she’d chosen happened to pass right by the serpent’s hiding place.

At this moment, the serpent had already grown horns and completed its transformation into a flood dragon. Its cultivation had stabilized. Lian Mu had killed a nest of its young, and the scent of them still clung to her—there was no doubt it would seek revenge.

Cheng Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “There’s no escaping it. This tribulation is written in her fate. She dodged it once, but not twice. If it were just an ordinary demonic beast, she might stand a chance. But that’s… a first-rank Spirit Beast.”

The Spirit Artifacts used by disciples of the Four Great Sects—including their swords—were all forged from demonic beast materials, which were naturally suppressed by Spirit Beasts. With their current cultivation levels, it would be extremely difficult for any of them to survive a fight against a first-rank Spirit Beast.

And to make matters worse, Lian Mu’s sword was only fourth-grade. Even if she summoned her Flame Blade, it would be nearly impossible to win.

The Venerable Elder of Returning Immortal Sect furrowed his brows. On the image-recording stone, Lian Mu had just entered a cave to rest, when the screen suddenly went pitch black.

“That’s strange—why can’t I see it anymore?”