328 Countering Each Other

In the forest in the southern border of the Great Yong Dynasty.

Countless tall stalagmites were scattered all over the place. The cold moonlight made them look especially formidable.

The night wind blew through the countless stalagmites, causing a soft buzzing sound. It was as if a wild beast was roaring, or as if someone was whispering in the darkness.

In the silence, a surging cloud floated over from the north. It stretched out like a ball of gauze dancing in the wind, but its speed was shockingly fast. In the blink of an eye, it quietly floated above the forest.

Then, the cloud fell to the ground and turned into a young man in white. He looked like a scholar who was well-read, but there seemed to be a malicious aura around him.

The white-robed young man looked around and said expressionlessly, “Since you’re here, show yourself.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the shadows of the surrounding stalagmites suddenly squirmed as if they were alive. Then, a few black shadows walked out of the darkness. It turned out that they were four figures in black cloaks.

Covered in black cloaks, it was impossible to tell if they were male or female. Each of them restrained their auras to the limit, as if they were four stone statues standing there.

“You’re late.”

One of them spoke. His deep voice seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to tell where it came from.

“I encountered an accident and was delayed for a while.”

The white-robed young man casually cast a sweeping glance over the four figures, and his already sinister expression darkened. “Why are there only four?”

“Someone quit.”

A deep voice sounded. The tone was as calm as stagnant water, as if it was not a big deal for someone to quit.

The white-robed young man nodded and asked casually, “Do you know who quit.”

“It is a rule you set that we are not allowed to know each other’s identity.”

The deep voice continued, and there was suddenly a hint of doubt in his calm tone. “Did you forget the rule you set?”

“What a joke. How can I forget the rule I set?”

The young man in white sneered, and his originally sinister eyes darkened. “I’m just worried that he will expose our plan. To be safe, it’s better to confirm it.”

No one had any objections. The young man in white curled his lips in satisfaction. “Since no one has any objections, I’ll begin. Is the person from the Hetian Dynasty here?”

“Yes.”

The white-robed young man nodded and continued, “Is the person from the Yunqiu Dynasty here?”

“Yes.”

“Dalou Dynasty?”

“Yes.”

“Wunuo Dynasty?”

There was no response for a long time.

“Hualuo Dynasty?”

“Yes.”

“It seems that the one from the Wunuo Dynasty has quit.”

The white-robed young man said calmly, as if he did not take it to heart. However, what he said next made the other four shiver!

“Lu Qianli, the envoy of the Wunuo Dynasty, is in fact a traitor. Thirty-seven years ago, as he entered the realm of Grandmaster, the Emperor of the Wunuo Dynasty ordered him to retire.”

“However, Lu Qianli was unwilling to retire. In order to coerce the Emperor of the Wunuo Dynasty into giving him military power, he planned and carried out 27 riots in the next three years and killed 11,528 people. As a result, he was wanted for treason and his whereabouts are unknown.”

At this point, the white-robed young man took out a bag from his pocket. After opening it, there were 19 jade sticks inside.

“Currently, Lu Qianli is at the first level of the Senior Grandmaster Realm. Moreover, he has a hiding place in the Great Yong Dynasty, the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, the Dalou Dynasty, and the Wunuo Dynasty. I’ve already left the exact location on the jade stick.”

The white-robed young man took out four jade sticks and fanned them out in his hand. “The dead won’t reveal their secrets. You can choose one place each. As for who can cut off his head and make this contribution, it’s up to fate.”

After he finished speaking, the four people opposite him did not move or speak for a long time. The atmosphere suddenly became oppressive.

After ten minutes, the deep voice sounded again, but the tone was no longer as calm as before. “You investigated our backgrounds?”

“Since I’m going to do something big, I have to be careful.”

The white-robed young man smiled noncommittally. Even though the atmosphere was so oppressive that time seemed to have stopped, he still had a calm expression on his face. “You are all infamous. You can’t possibly be afraid of Lu Qianli, right?”

A sharp voice said angrily, sounding like the cry of a bird. “Everyone who participates in the plan should remain incognito. This is what we agreed from the beginning!”

“That’s right!”

Another deep voice agreed. “Now that you’ve secretly investigated us and even know where we live, what exactly are you up to?!”

As the two of them questioned the young man, the invisible pressure in the air increased again. Even the sound of the wind stopped as if it was being sucked away.

The white-robed young man’s clothes fluttered slightly, and his face was still calm. There was a faint smile on his lips, and his attitude was nonchalant, as if the four people in front of him were no threat at all.

“I’ve said it before. Since I’m going to do something big, I have to be careful.”

The white-robed young man said calmly, but this time, there was a hint of killing intent in his calm tone. “If you don’t want to accept it, you can choose to quit.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Now, the four of them knew that if they quit, they would die. However, this was not absolute. If the four of them joined forces to kill the white-robed young man and destroy the jade sticks, no one would know their true identity.

But the problem was, would the four of them quit together?

When two of them were questioning the white-robed young man just now, the other two remained silent. It was obvious that they did not mind their identities being known.

Just as the two of them were hesitating to quit or not, the person standing at the edge suddenly took a few steps forward and took a jade stick from the white-robed young man. He retreated into the darkness and disappeared.