Chapter 67: Cangyan Sect's Dark Hall - The Purge Operation

Chapter 67: Cangyan Sect's Dark Hall - The Purge Operation

Southern Lake Su Family Estate.

Su Wanning approached her grandfather, Su Ruihe, with a question: "Ancestor, how long does it usually take to breakthrough to Foundation Building from Condensation Stage Ninth Rank?"

Su Ruihe lounged in a wicker chair in the garden, spring sunlight glinting through his silver-streaked hair.

Hearing his beloved granddaughter's inquiry, he smiled indulgently: "That depends on who we're talking about. For an ordinary cultivator, ten years would be considered swift."

"As for my precious Xiao Wanning, just one year would suffice."

Su Wanning's expression darkened instantly, her delicate brows knitting together: "How could it be so fast? Isn't Foundation Building supposed to be extremely difficult?"

At this rate, wouldn't Xiao Chen achieve Foundation Building almost immediately?

Once he reached that stage, he'd begin taking on sect responsibilities, leaving him no time to help her compete for the First-Seat Disciple title.

Su Ruihe chuckled: "What's this? Displeased that someone's cultivating too quickly?"

"Not exactly", Su Wanning shook her head, pressing further: "Ancestor, if an inner sect disciple has a low-grade wood spirit root, would his Foundation Building progress be slower?"

This time, Su Ruihe didn't answer directly. Instead, he patiently explained: "Foundation Building itself is merely breaking through a cultivation bottleneck."

"As long as preparations are adequate, the process itself wouldn't take more than a day."

"The real challenge lies in obtaining the Foundation Building Pill and mastering the secret techniques that assist the breakthrough - both are no easy feats."

Su Wanning pondered: "What if those obstacles weren't an issue?"

Su Ruihe's curiosity piqued: "Oh? Which disciple are we talking about? A low-grade wood spirit root under thirty, with Foundation Building Pill support? Is this someone from the Chen or Jiang families?"

Su Wanning shook her head: "Neither. But I'm certain he can secure the Foundation Building Pill."

Su Ruihe sat upright: "You're referring to that Xiao Chen everyone's talking about, aren't you?"

Su Wanning gasped: "Ancestor, you know him?!"

Su Ruihe chuckled wryly: "Do you think your old ancestor's gone senile? From Condensation Stage First Rank to Ninth Rank in a single year, on the verge of Foundation Building."

"Your grandfather mentioned this prodigy yesterday. Chen Tianyang's apprentice indeed - a true blessing for the Chen family. They'll gain another powerhouse within a year."

"A formidable young generation indeed."

...

Meanwhile, similar discussions unfolded among the Plain Liu family, the Beast-Taming Song family, and surrounding minor clans.

Even within the Cangyan Sect, Xiao Chen's name reached Dark Hall Elder Lu Wuqiang through clandestine missives.

"Imbeciles! The lot of you!" Lu Wuqiang roared, his jowls quivering with rage. "Confirmed at Condensation Stage Ninth Rank at twenty-two? Are our informants all deadwood?!"

"Why not wait until after his Foundation Building to report?!"

The trembling messenger stammered: "Initially, he was just a servant disciple - not even on our surveillance list."

Lu Wuqiang's face contorted: "The list! The list! Is that all you brainless fools know? What use are you to me?!"

"When he entered the outer sect, where were you? When he advanced to inner sect, where was your intelligence?!"

The messenger scrambled to explain: "The operative monitoring the Second Sub-Academy did orchestrate an operation against Xiao Chen. But... it failed inexplicably."

"Our agent then vanished. By the time we secured a new informant, Xiao Chen had already joined the inner sect."

Lu Wuqiang descended from his dais, gripping the man's collar: "Then why no report? When a non-Five Great Families cultivator enters inner sect, who authorized your silence?!"

The messenger stammered: "Elder, I..."

Lu Wuqiang released him, smoothing the man's collar with eerie calm: "So you've... forgotten?"

The messenger collapsed to his knees: "Elder, the squad leader said Xiao Chen must have secrets. He forbade reporting and gave me a hundred spirit stones."

"Elder, I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

Lu Wuqiang's tone turned icy: "And where is this squad leader now?"

The messenger raised a trembling envelope: "He... disappeared yesterday afternoon. Took all our spirit stones and talismans."

"All intelligence on Xiao Chen is here."

Lu Wuqiang accepted the letter without opening it, leaning close to whisper: "You've visited his leader's home before, haven't you?"

The messenger's eyes widened: "Y-yes, once!"

"Good." Lu Wuqiang's smile turned sinister: "Then bring me his wife's head."

"I want only the head. The body's yours to dispose of as you please. Understood?"

The messenger nodded violently: "Yes! I'm honored! I'm delighted!"

"Then what are you waiting for?"

As the messenger fled, Lu Wuqiang leisurely opened the dossier on Xiao Chen.

Compiled by a bribed inner sect disciple, the report detailed Xiao Chen's cultivation stage but lacked information about the Yan Chi Secret Realm.

After reviewing it, Lu Wuqiang summoned an aide: "Notify the Tian triplets. Eliminate Xiao Chen - make it swift and clean."

He paused: "Tell them not to conserve talismans or hold back. They have my permission to use that trump card. Absolute certainty is required."

Though intelligence was scarce, Lu Wuqiang resolved to strike decisively.

Outwardly mere wandering cultivators, the Tian triplets were actually orphans raised from infancy by Lu Wuqiang as deathless warriors.

Each at Condensation Stage Ninth Rank, they possessed rare variant spirit roots - ice, thunder, and wind respectively.

Lu Wuqiang had even procured a joint formation technique for them, amplifying their combined might beyond ordinary cultivators of the same stage.

To ensure peerless combat prowess, he'd secured a demonic cultivation art from the Luo Tian Sect as their ultimate ace.

As Cangyan Sect's elder with ties to the Li Huo Sect, direct involvement would be unwise. Thus, he deployed his Dark Hall's sharpest blade, authorizing the use of the demonic art to prevent Xiao Chen's potential miraculous survival.

He believed that with the Tian triplets' combined might, Xiao Chen would perish the moment he left Li Huo Sect.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end