Chapter 102: Counting the Spoils
"Let's return to the sect!"
After disposing of Gu Mo, the disobedient pawn, He Shaogang stepped out of the room and spoke to Yao Shifeng and a Foundation Establishment protector waiting outside. The ambush mission was nearly complete—of the Qinglu Sect disciples participating in the trial, those who could be killed were dead, and those who couldn't had mostly retreated back to the sect.
There was no reason to stay any longer. In this True Inheritor Trial, He Shaogang had executed the plan flawlessly. The trial mission was successfully completed, and with the assistance of a Foundation Establishment protector, he had even slain a Foundation Establishment assassin. Such achievements were more than enough to secure his position as the top true inheritor.
As for the slain Foundation Establishment assassin, his sect would naturally compensate his family and promise to cultivate another Foundation Establishment cultivator in his place.
The overseas sect targeting the Qinglu Sect had paid a heavy price in their bid to seize its territory. He Shaogang absolutely could not allow the plan to fail. Even if Gu Mo was a highly valued pawn, the moment he showed the slightest sign of disobedience, He Shaogang would eliminate him without hesitation, ensuring that no loose ends remained.
However, upon returning to the sect, He Shaogang's expression changed drastically when he saw Yuan Niya and the other two disciples who had also returned. Gu Mo, who was supposed to be a dead man, was alive and well, standing before him full of vigor. He Shaogang couldn't comprehend this—there was no way the soul-killing curse embedded in the jade token could have failed.
It didn't matter if Gu Mo was in the Qi Refining stage or even if he had reached Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, or Nascent Soul—the soul-killing curse was absolute.
The only difficulty lay in extracting a wisp of the target's soul beforehand. For lower-level cultivators, this was relatively easy, but for higher-level cultivators, putting them in a completely helpless state to extract their soul was several times harder than simply killing them.
Yet once a soul fragment was successfully sealed, the curse was inescapable.
But Gu Mo had broken this ironclad rule.
In truth, it wasn't that Gu Mo had defied any established law—it was simply that the soul sealed within He Shaogang's jade token wasn't Gu Mo's in the first place. Since the target was wrong, the soul-killing curse naturally wouldn't work.
Despite his shock, a chill spread through He Shaogang's body. A living Gu Mo was far too dangerous. He was someone who knew their secrets yet was beyond their control.
If Gu Mo spoke recklessly, the entire plan could collapse. To bring down the Qinglu Sect, He Shaogang's sect had paid a massive price. The casualties from this ambush aside, just getting He Shaogang into the Qinglu Sect had cost them an extremely rare Reincarnation Pill.
The Reincarnation Pill was a unique and invaluable elixir that could reset a cultivator's cultivation, physique, and even lifespan to the state before they began cultivating.
For example, an old cultivator nearing the end of his lifespan could take the Reincarnation Pill and return to his youth, restarting his cultivation from scratch.
This was essentially giving a cultivator a second life—one where they retained the knowledge of their previous cultivation experience. With prior experience, their second cultivation path would undoubtedly lead them to even greater heights.
He Shaogang wasn't some aging cultivator at death's door. On the contrary, he was young and had already reached the peak of Foundation Establishment—a true genius. He was also the direct descendant of a Nascent Soul ancestor, making his status incredibly prestigious.
With his exalted background and exceptional talent, He Shaogang had never lacked cultivation resources. His progress had been meteoric, only slowing once he reached Foundation Establishment's peak.
However, he soon discovered that his rapid advancement, combined with his reliance on cultivation-boosting pills, had left his foundation unstable. Golden Core would be his limit. But He Shaogang didn't want to stop at Golden Core—he wanted to reach Nascent Soul, like his ancestor.
To break past this limit, his best option was to take the Reincarnation Pill and start over, meticulously refining his foundation to prepare for the Nascent Soul stage.
Yet, even as a genius and a direct descendant, obtaining such a rare pill was nearly impossible.
That was until his sect decided to target Qinglu Sect's territory. At that moment, He Shaogang saw his opportunity.
Sneaking into a Nascent Soul-level sect like Qinglu required more than just concealment techniques. The only foolproof method was to erase his cultivation entirely with the Reincarnation Pill, allowing him to infiltrate as a mere mortal.
He immediately sought an audience with his ancestor and volunteered for the mission to dismantle Qinglu Sect from within.
Given his identity, talent, and position, he was the perfect candidate. His sect agreed, granting him the Reincarnation Pill. He then entered Qinglu Sect under the guise of a gifted mortal youth.
Using Qinglu Sect's resources, He Shaogang meticulously built a solid foundation while executing the plan to destabilize the sect.
Everything had been progressing smoothly—until Gu Mo, an unpredictable variable, appeared. Worse yet, he was a fatal flaw in the plan.
At that moment, He Shaogang's killing intent toward Gu Mo reached its peak. Gu Mo had to die. The risk was too great otherwise.
"Mm?"
Gu Mo turned his head, scanning He Shaogang with narrowed eyes. Just now, he had sensed an icy, murderous intent. But wasn't this sect leader's personal disciple quite friendly to him before? Why the sudden hostility?
"What keen perception!"
Seeing Gu Mo's reaction, He Shaogang quickly suppressed his murderous aura and waved with a smile. Now was not the time to openly turn against Gu Mo. They were still within Qinglu Sect, making it difficult to act against him. He needed another approach.
"Senior Sister Yuan, my mission is complete. Please submit the mission report to the Task Hall as soon as possible," said Rong Guangsheng, finally relaxing after returning to the sect. He promptly bid farewell to Yuan Niya, bringing his escort duties to an end.
"Thank you, Senior Brother Rong," Yuan Niya nodded.
Instead of heading directly to the Task Hall, Yuan Niya and the others followed Gu Mo to his small spiritual field residence. They had matters to discuss—mainly, what details from the mission could be revealed and what needed to be concealed.
Most of these decisions revolved around Gu Mo. Yuan Niya and Chu Feifei had little to hide.
Gu Mo, however, had plenty of secrets. Some, if exposed, could cause unnecessary trouble. Especially now that he knew a hidden Foundation Establishment demonic cultivator was lurking in the sect, he had to be even more cautious.
For instance, his ability to kill a Foundation Establishment cultivator—this had to remain hidden.
If enemies were unaware of his capability, they would only send ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators to deal with him. After all, sending a Foundation Establishment expert against a Qi Refining disciple was already considered excessive.
But if they learned he had the power to kill Foundation Establishment opponents, they wouldn't send ordinary ones anymore.
At that point, Gu Mo would be facing an even deadlier threat.
"Senior Sister, do you know who that steward was—the one who came before Steward Rong?" Gu Mo asked cautiously after ensuring they were alone in his residence. Only by understanding the enemy's background could he prepare accordingly.
That steward had tried to manipulate him into attacking Yuan Niya. Gu Mo had feigned ignorance, but he knew the enemy wouldn't be fooled for long. Danger could come at any time.
However, within the sect, the enemy wouldn't act too brazenly. As long as Gu Mo stayed inside, he should be safe.
"That was Steward Qian. He was the one who found Junior Brother He Shaogang in the mortal world," Yuan Niya explained, offering additional details in case Gu Mo wasn't familiar with the name.
Hearing this, Gu Mo's scalp tingled. If Steward Qian was compromised… then what about He Shaogang?
His mind raced back to He Shaogang's earlier killing intent. There was no longer any doubt—He Shaogang was compromised too.
At that moment, Gu Mo realized he had been dragged into an enormous conspiracy—one far beyond just a demonic cultivator infiltrating the sect.
With the Black Mist Space, Gu Mo had no need for the small storage pouch. If he wanted to conceal the existence of the Black Mist Space, he could simply use the Sleeve Universe technique—using a storage pouch would only draw attention.
On the other hand, as a formation master, Chu Feifei constantly needed to carry a large number of materials for setting up arrays. Having a storage pouch would be incredibly convenient for her.
"Ah!"
When she saw Gu Mo handing her the most valuable storage pouch, Chu Feifei was momentarily stunned. Among all the spoils of battle, the storage pouch was clearly the most valuable, followed by the magic treasure-grade flying sword. Yet, Gu Mo had given her the most expensive item.
"You deserve it," Gu Mo said matter-of-factly.
He knew that the only reason he had been able to kill the Foundation Establishment assassin was not just because of the Rank-2 Potato Landmine and the Rank-2 Peashooter—Chu Feifei had played a crucial role as well. If she hadn't subtly revealed a flaw in the formation, the enemy wouldn't have chosen to break through it but would have waited for reinforcements instead.
Had that happened, Gu Mo would have had to face two Foundation Establishment assassins at once.
"Consider this a deposit for your future formations."
Chu Feifei accepted the storage pouch. As Gu Mo had said, she truly needed one to store her various formation materials. Since different formations required different materials, their nature varied greatly—some were heavy, while others had to be used immediately after being crafted into formation stones, or their spiritual energy would dissipate.
Relying solely on the Sleeve Universe technique made it difficult to carry such special materials, but with a storage pouch, these problems would be easily solved.
"I don't need any of this."
Seeing Gu Mo glance in her direction, Yuan Niya waved her hand dismissively. She already had a storage pouch, and although she currently lacked magic treasures due to her insufficient cultivation level, once she reached the peak of the Qi Refining stage, her master would naturally prepare one that suited her. As for spirit stones and pills, she had more than enough.
Especially now that she had become a true disciple, her resources would only increase.
"Senior Sister, how about I trade you a secret technique for your spoils of war?"
Yuan Niya might not need these things, but Gu Mo certainly did. The loot she had collected from the late-stage and peak Qi Refining assassins couldn't compare to what the Foundation Establishment assassin had carried, but it was still quite valuable. Among them was a top-grade magical artifact, seven high-grade magical artifacts, over ten thousand low-grade spirit stones, and various Rank-1 pills.
Apart from the standard mid-grade magic sword Yuan Niya had given him earlier, Gu Mo had no noteworthy magical artifacts. Now, he had obtained a magic treasure-grade flying sword, but it required refinement—it wasn't something he could use immediately. Moreover, it would serve as one of his trump cards, meaning he couldn't reveal it casually.
Thus, he wanted to acquire another magical artifact for everyday use. The top-grade and high-grade artifacts Yuan Niya had looted were perfect for this. Since the assassins had used common types of artifacts to avoid exposing their identities, Gu Mo could use them without drawing any suspicion.
"No problem!"
While Yuan Niya didn't care much for magical artifacts or spirit stones, she was always eager to acquire more secret techniques.
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