After a long while, Biyao finally asked, "Ping'er, have the three major righteous sects arrived yet?"
“Yes!” A graceful and beautiful woman stood respectfully beside Biyao and said, “Miss is incredibly resourceful. With just a little planning, the three major righteous sects have already arrived at this Dead Swamp today.”
"But the Sect Master instructed us to act discreetly, yet you, Miss, have summoned everyone here in such a grand manner. Doesn't this directly contradict the Sect Master's orders?"
"Hmph! What do you know? I naturally have my reasons." Biyao smiled confidently.
"Although my Ghost King Sect has now integrated most of the Holy Sect's forces, the Holy Sect has been declining in recent years, and its overall strength is still inferior to the three major righteous sects: Qingyun Sect, Tianyin Temple, and Fenxiang Valley."
"However, Fenxiang Valley is far away in the southern border and has never had much contact with the sects in the central lands. Furthermore, Qingyun Sect and Tianyin Temple are not exactly close to each other either."
As she spoke, she paused slightly, a strange ripple flashing in her eyes: "It's already good enough that these three major sects haven't been scheming against each other and dragging each other down, let alone expected to cooperate fully."
"It just so happens that our goal isn't the extraordinary treasure that's about to be unveiled. Let's throw it out there and let them fight it out. We just need to wait for them to take the treasure, and then we can safely carry out our plan!"
"We didn't come here for any rare treasure?" The girl named Ping'er was taken aback and couldn't help but ask, "Then what is it that's worth all this fuss about?"
Biyao glared at her, displaying a certain air of authority, "Hmm? Is this something you should be asking?"
Ping'er quickly lowered her head and said in a low, panicked voice, "This subordinate knows her mistake! Please forgive me, Miss!"
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask!" Biyao snorted coldly, turning her gaze to the direction beyond the Dead Swamp, where the three major righteous sects had all gathered!
Meanwhile, Ping'er, with her head bowed and eyes lowered, secretly turned her gaze to the golden bell in Biyao's hand, her eyes unconsciously filled with a hint of fervor.
...
In Dawang Village.
"Greetings, Master Faxiang! Greetings, Senior Brother Li!" Xiao Yicai greeted his fellow practitioners with a smile.
Several years have passed, and he is still as handsome as ever, with no change in appearance. Behind him, Lu Xueqi, Zhang Xiaofan, Zeng Shushu, Tian Ling'er and more than ten other people are standing there.
After exchanging pleasantries with Faxiang and Li Xun for a while, Xiao Yicai concluded, "The purpose of coming to this Dead Swamp today is to prevent the Demonic Sect from obtaining this rare treasure. For this purpose, our three sects must work together!"
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Chapter 371: The Heavenly Emperor's Treasury
That night, at the Qingyun Sect's gathering place in Dawang Village, Lu Xueqi shared a room with her senior sister Wen Min. The two had been fellow disciples for many years, and although Lu Xueqi was not very talkative, there was no awkward silence between them.
At this moment, Wenmin's eyes were filled with undisguised happiness. Her wedding date with Song Daren was approaching, and they had decided to get married after returning to the mountain this time.
Looking at Wen Min's joyful smile, Lu Xueqi couldn't help but smile with relief as well, while also considering when she could marry that person.
Thinking about it, Lu Xueqi smiled slightly, then wondered why her senior sister hadn't said anything while she was lost in thought.
Turning my head, I saw that Wenmin was lying on the bed, fast asleep!
"Who goes there?!"
Tianya was instantly drawn, and Lu Xueqi's expression turned cold. She was not naive enough to think that Wen Min had fallen asleep because she was tired. Who could so quietly and silently knock out Wen Min, who was one of the strongest in Xiaozhu Peak, right in front of her?
"It's me!" With those two short words, Li Ling revealed himself.
Lu Xueqi's tense body instantly relaxed, a hint of joy flashing in her eyes. She sheathed her sword and said unhappily, "Why did you knock Senior Sister unconscious?"
"I just want to talk to you," Li Ling said with a grin, quickly walking to Lu Xueqi's side and taking her hand to sit down on the edge of the bed.
Feeling the warmth in her palm, Lu Xueqi was quite happy, but she still frowned and said, "This time, Uncle Daoxuan ordered us to go down the mountain, but it seems you weren't here. Why did you come here alone? You should wake up your senior sister."
"It's alright, I was very careful. She'll wake up in an hour! Otherwise, if she goes out, it will be easy for them to notice."
"I specifically discussed this with my senior master, the sect leader, to secretly help you. Otherwise, with all the outstanding disciples of our Qingyun Sect here, how could I have been left out!" Li Ling said with a smile. "I only came to see you because I was worried about you, Xueqi."
"Hmph!" Lu Xueqi snorted and turned her face away, but a blush crept onto her cheeks, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Li Ling's hand slightly.
After spending some time together and exchanging some intimate words that would make anyone blush, Li Ling bid farewell to Lu Xueqi and set off alone into the Dead Swamp.
The deeper one goes, the more poisonous insects and beasts appear in the Dead Swamp, each one incredibly venomous and ferocious.
Li Ling knew that the third volume of the "Heavenly Book," which he cared about most, was located in the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury at the deepest part of the Dead Swamp. Although he was not fast, he was definitely ahead of everyone else.
After all, the Heavenly Emperor's Treasury is not yet ready to be opened. Even an ancient beast like the Blackwater Serpent would have to use a lot of time and effort to break into the treasury. He is not afraid that someone will get there first.
Just as Li Ling was heading deeper into the Dead Swamp, outside the swamp in Dawang Village, the righteous path once again clashed with the demonic path in an extremely fierce battle.
The members of the Demonic Sect plotted a night raid on Dawang Village, hoping to inflict heavy losses on the enemy by surprise. Unfortunately, their plan was foiled by Xiao Yicai and his group, leading to a fierce battle between the two sides. (61wenku)
In the end, the righteous path won the great battle due to their superior skills, and almost all of the attacking demonic cult members were wiped out. Of course, the righteous path also suffered considerable casualties.
However, Faxiang and the others were unaware that a large group of people had gathered here, dozens of miles away from Dawang Village.
A beautiful woman dressed in a pale yellow dress respectfully addressed Biyao: "Miss! The fishmen who were bewitched by your Hehuan Bell and attacked the righteous path have all been wiped out by them. Moreover, they seem to have indeed mistaken these fishmen for members of our Holy Sect!"
"They would never have imagined that our true main force is hidden in this dead swamp. If we take advantage of their unpreparedness, we might be able to wipe out those righteous people in one fell swoop!"
Biyao toyed with the Hehuan Bell in her hand and said leisurely, "No need! Killing the young one will only bring the old one, making them even more difficult to deal with. Besides, now is not the time to start a full-scale war with the righteous path!"
"These merfolk have thick skin and thick flesh, but their mental state is extremely weak. They actually dared to come and ambush us, which means that my Hehuan Bell has found a group of good fighters!"
"Now those righteous people must think that all the Holy Cult members who came to the Dead Swamp have been wiped out. Let them continue to misunderstand! We just need to watch the show."
"Miss is wise!" Jin Ping'er praised, but as she lowered her head, a hint of regret flashed in her eyes.
Biyao glanced thoughtfully at Jin Ping'er, who had her head down, before her gaze fell on her Hehuan Bell.
Jin Ping'er was once on par with her in status and position, but now she has become her subordinate. Her sect's most precious treasure, the Hehuan Bell, is also her prized possession. How could Biyao not be wary of her?
After a great battle and several days of rest, the righteous people who had come had recovered from their injuries. Led by Xiao Yicai, Faxiang, and Li Xun, the group of righteous people rushed towards the Dead Swamp.