Daoist Competition
Chapter 65 - 33: Secretly Implement a Crafty Plan to Slay Xuan Guang (Part 2)

Chapter 65: Chapter 33: Secretly Implement a Crafty Plan to Slay Xuan Guang (Part 2)

In the past few days, Zhang Yan and his companion repeatedly delayed to buy time, not merely to drain Du Bo’s strength. Luo Xiao has been making full use of the Shell King’s True Dew found in the cave, along with the Great Origin Pill taken from Du You, to focus on healing her injuries. Now, she has restored four to five tenths of her power.

But as the confrontation with Du Bo approaches, Luo Xiao feels a sense of deep vigilance and does not dare to be careless. She thought to herself that once they engage in battle, she’ll have to use the thunderous momentum of her every Dharma Treasure to eliminate him swiftly. Otherwise, if Du Bo is given the chance to recover, there’s no telling what methods he might employ.

Her gaze shifted and caught a glimpse of Zhang Yan standing calmly to the side, his demeanor as light-hearted as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Annoyed, she said, "Du You mentioned that Du Bo still carries Dharma Treasures. Daoist Zhang, your intellect is unparalleled. How about coming up with another scheme to make Du Bo hand over his treasures willingly?"

She had intended only to provoke Zhang Yan slightly with her words, but to her surprise, Zhang Yan nodded solemnly and replied, "Over the past two days, I’ve been considering this matter as well. I have thought of a method, and I just happen to have been waiting for the opportunity to share it with you, fellow Daoist. Come closer."

Luo Xiao’s delicate lips moved as if about to speak, but her mind faltered. Could it be that this man truly had a plan?

Suspicious yet curious, she stepped closer and listened as Zhang Yan whispered his idea to her softly. Before long, her bright eyes began to shine with a glimmer of excitement. Though the plan had not yet been executed, she was already convinced that success was more than likely.

Suddenly, Zhang Yan detected a fluctuation in Du Bo’s Qi Mechanism from outside. Turning to look, he broke into a faint smile and said, "Daoist Luo, we must stabilize Du Bo’s emotions for now. I sense that he’s close to snapping."

Luo Xiao responded with a light "Mm" and then raised her voice to the exterior: "Du Bo, Du You is now in our grasp. If you release the Shell King now, we will leave immediately. Otherwise, Du You will certainly perish. Think carefully about your next decision."

Du Bo was shocked. For a moment, his thoughts did lean toward this course of action.

From his interactions with Du You earlier, he noted that her reasoning was intact and her demeanor lacked the telltale signs of instability seen when mishandling the Refinement of Xuanzhu. Instead, her behavior seemed indicative of being coerced by external forces, yet despite thinking over the situation repeatedly, he could not deduce any clarity.

Furthermore, his physical strength was already nearly depleted, making it increasingly difficult to suppress the Shell King. He was on the verge of relinquishing control to investigate, yet hearing Luo Xiao’s threat renewed his hesitation. In a grave voice, he questioned, "Your Excellency, who might you be?"

"Du Bo, why do you pretend ignorance? This time, the Sect Leader permitted you to use the True Dew for Opening Meridians—indeed quite the generous act. Yet, you’ve secretly consumed the Xuanzhu. How will the Du Family account for this to the Sect Leader?"

That remark struck Du Bo like a beam of light piercing through thick fog, and suddenly, his mind pieced together parts of the puzzle.

This was an attack aimed at the Du Family by factions aligned with the Sect Leader!

The sect was rife with factional strife, marred by open confrontations and hidden schemes. Disciplinary disciples who followed the lineage of master and student often bore resentment towards the descendants of noble families. They envied the latter’s ability to effortlessly enjoy sect privileges, ignoring the merits fought through struggle, and harbored animosity. Resorting to underhanded sabotage was certainly within the realm of possibility.

This time, the Du Family leveraged the deaths of several True Disciples to stir up accusations against Ning Chongxuan, claiming he had deliberately withheld assistance. They rallied other families to jointly pressure the Sect Leader. To pacify the noble families, the Sect Leader grudgingly agreed to let Du You access the Yingyun Shell Field’s Shell King True Dew for Opening Meridians.

It was clear this matter had already sparked dissatisfaction among the Sect Leader’s faction.

Especially under the circumstances of being within the Yingyun Shell Field, Du Bo could not fathom how anyone other than members of the Sect Leader’s faction might have been able to venture here.

What stood out the most, however, was that their opponent—a female cultivator—was even more telling.

Everyone knew that the Sect Leader favored deploying female cultivators. Not only could he use marriage alliances to attract exceedingly gifted disciples, but the female cultivators also acted with fewer reservations. Then and there, Du Bo became eighty percent certain of their identity.

After pondering for a while, he concluded that under no circumstance could this matter become the Sect Leader’s excuse to suppress the Du Family. Thus, he decided to shoulder the blame himself.

He sighed quietly before speaking, "Your Excellency, discerned with clarity, everything that transpired here was solely instigated by Du Bo. Du You, being young and naive, was merely misled by my foolish words. This has no relation to the Du Family, for Du Bo is not a member of the Du Family’s bloodline, but rather only..."

Before he could finish, he was brusquely interrupted: "Hmph! Do you think whether you’re of Du Family’s lineage holds any importance to us? What a laughable notion!"

Du Bo furrowed his brows. Judging by their tone, it seemed they intended to press the matter without backing down. Anger simmered within him, and his voice carried a frosty edge: "Since that’s the case, why waste time with words? Your Excellency appears to think Du Bo is an easy target. Why not reveal yourself so we can settle this dispute through our respective abilities?"