Plundering the Heavens

Above the Rising Immortal’s Altar, a few clan Exalts and elders were chatting with Magu about some of the past events inside the Guixu Ruins. With their cunning temperaments, they didn’t fully trust her identity and were secretly trying to confirm its authenticity with these seemingly casual chats, but she acted extremely easygoing and fully answered any questions without withholding any information. The head elders of the Fengtian clan, Yushou clan, and Baiyue clan all exchanged glances before deciding there wasn’t really anything else they could doubt her on.

The moon inclined towards the west as the night began to pass, and even the red lantern in the sky began to dim. Magu looked up and softly spoke, “Daylight is here. Magu will to continue her cultivation practice now. Please do beg her pardon, Esteemed Seniors!” She then took out a spirit tool in the shape of a palace, and when she threw it into the sky, the palace suddenly grew until it became a one-hundred-foot building hanging above the clouds with an elegant and exquisite appearance.

“A sealed palace?”

The old cultivators were surprised to see this. They could tell this was originally a palace-like structure that had been sealed using secret techniques. The theory behind it was the same as what was used to make the Shanbao Mountain Treasure, and when the seals on this palace were lifted, it would return to its normal state and size. Its appearance was extremely exquisite, and its use was very convenient.

“Please do help yourself, Miss Magu! We shall help you guard outside.”

The old cultivators all smiled with a pleasant kindness. They stood up but did not leave, and instead flew up to sit in mid-air surrounding the palace in a triangular formation. Even the honorable head elders of the clans didn’t hesitate to put aside their identity to personally protect the palace.

“Thank you, Esteemed Seniors, for troubling yourself on this junior’s behalf.”

Once Magu had entered the palace, head Elder Xiong Hu of the Yushou clan let out a light cough and spread out his spirit sense, only for his expression to change. “There are restrictive spells in the outer areas of the palace,” he said to Head Elder Fangzheng of the Fengtian clan nearby. “Not even spirit sense can enter.”

“In that case, nevermind. It is best not to make the situation awkward right now,” the Fengtian head elder plainly replied with an unchanging expression. “She is still technically the clan master of the Xunlong clan. Although our cultivation levels are all higher than hers, we still need to treat her with courtesy. We still can’t trust her completely, but we can’t stop her from entering her own palace; we can only wait as guards for now and make sure she doesn’t leave our sight and do things without us knowing.”

—

After Magu entered the palace, four of her six servants continued guarding the entrance with blank expressions while the other two were brought inside by Magu, as though she needed the two to serve her by her side. Once she was inside, however, she immediately went over to a purple wooden chair at the other end of the palace hall and quietly sat down while holding her forehead in thought.

“Those old things still don’t trust you!” a light voice suddenly rose up, belonging to one of the servants who’d completely changed his appearance by now. The blank look was replaced with a sharp and lively glint, and as he spoke, he slowly walked forward to stand behind Magu. His fingers pressed against her neck in a massaging motion, his actions and demeanor revealing a relationship that certainly wasn’t simple.

If Fang Xing or anyone from the Hentian clan was present, they would definitely be shocked by such an appearance. His face was handsome and his brows were sharp like blades; it was none other than the Venerated Youth, the peril bird that fled from the Hentian clan’s gathering spot.

“It is the first time they have met me, and all for such an important matter; it is only natural for them to not trust me,” Magu replied, her voice calm and unchanged, her expression one of not holding any worldly concerns. “However, we Xunlong clan have made very minimal contact with them in the past regardless, and they have very little knowledge of the secrets within the depths of the Guixu Ruins; I doubt they’d discover any fault in my words. As long as they want to enter the palace ruins, they have no other choice but to trust me. If there were any dangers, they would only show after reaching the depths.”

The Venerated Youth paused for a moment before saying, “To be honest, I blame myself for failing with the Hentian clan. If not for that, you wouldn’t have to risk yourself.”

Magu turned halfway and took hold of the Venerated Youth’s hand. “There’s no need to mention that. That you failed was all due to that youth who had been too peculiar. His arrival left you underprepared; it is not your fault.”

A flame of anger appeared in the Venerated Youth’s eyes. “I lost and that is that, what is the need to try to console me? Hmph, that guy named Xing Fang does indeed have some abilities. Through such dirty methods, he was able to force me into my original form, which stalled our plan for the treasure left behind by the Hentian clan’s great ancestor….

“Before leaving, I left behind the incomplete secret technique of beast control in the hopes of using the five Hentian elders’ greed to cause both parties to fight against each other. Xing Fang falling into a deadly situation would be enough to vent my anger, and if those five old men were to follow the technique and craft that Divine tool, all the peril beasts within the Guixu Ruins would have sensed it when it was completed, causing a beast tide not even ten Hentian clans would be able to hold off. I would’ve been able to take advantage of the opportunity to enter the clan and find the treasure….”

As he spoke, he paused again, uncertain how to express his emotions. It was only after a long time had passed that he finally let out a low sigh. “Yet who would have thought that Xing Fang guy is so difficult to deal with. I thought he was nothing more than a small character who pretended to be mighty because of his red dragon, but he does actually have a lot of ability. Before my plan even succeeded, he actually managed to cause a beast tide all by himself and destroyed the Hentian clan. Even the treasure left behind by their great ancestor is….”

Magu quietly listened to the Venerated Youth’s rant. After growing up together since youth, she knew very well what kind of proud temperament the Venerated Youth had. Everything had been smooth sailing for him ever since his consciousness and intelligence had developed, yet this time he actually stumbled multiple times at the hands of the same person. How was that something he could bear?

“There’s no need to keep that on your mind. This time you will win for sure. Fengtian clan, Baiyue clan, Yushou clan, for all the clans within the Guixu Ruins, as long as they wish to enter the ruins’ depths, they will definitely do as I say. I have already mentioned I want that red dragon and they have no choice but to capture it with all they have. However, they might not know the red dragon is merely a pretense; our true purpose is the bronze mirror of the Hentian clan’s great ancestor. Once the red dragon’s owner is captured, all we need to do is secretly take the bronze mirror from him….”

The Venerated Youth’s anger settled somewhat after Magu’s gentle consolation, and he paused for a moment before continuing, “Once the Head Exalt and head elder of the Hentian clan are both dead, there should be no one else who knows the functions of that bronze mirror, right? Heh, so what if that kid is clever and sly? He wouldn’t even know the weight of that treasure he has! I’d like to see where he hides after we’ve used this situation to cast a tight net for him!”

Magu gently held the Venerated Youth’s hand and softly replied, “He cannot run. You will win, this time for sure!”

The pair continued to speak with lower and lower voices. The Venerated Youth held on to Magu’s shoulder and made motions to lift the veil hiding her face, but Magu’s body trembled slightly before she pressed his hand down and lightly shook her head, as though telling him not to do so. The Venerated Youth showed a faint smile with determination, and Magu didn’t dare truly stop him with brute force; she allowed his hand to raise the veil as though accepting her fate.

Just at that moment, however, the palace suddenly shook as a deep and powerful voice called from outside. “Miss Magu, I have some business to speak with you!”

Magu was a bit surprised, but she recognized the voice as belonging to the head elder of the Yushou clan and so stood up with a light sigh. The Venerated Youth let out a cold growl before returning with the other servants, and all the liveliness disappeared until he was one of the hollow-looking servants once more. No one would ever associate such a servant with the extremely handsome Venerated Youth who’d been full of vigor.

After leaving the palace, Magu’s coldness returned. “Esteemed Senior Xiong, what is the matter?”

The head elders of the three clans all showed extremely serious expressions with hints of joy. It was the Yushou clan’s Head Elder Xiong who spoke up first. “Miss Magu, the red dragon’s tracks have been discovered!”

“The red dragon’s tracks have been discovered?” Magu asked in shock. Although she knew it was only a matter of time, she hadn’t expected it to be so soon.

The Venerated Youth disguised as a servant was also surprised, which nearly gave him away.

Elder Xiong replied, “Indeed, I did not expect it to be so easy either. I have just sensed the messaging tool activated by my clansmen. I thought they were in danger so I sent some men over, but it was actually because someone found tracks of the red dragon. They did not dare to make hasty movements, so they kept men watching over it while coming back to deliver the message to me. Let us go and have a look!”

Magu was slightly taken aback. “Is there confidence all of us here together can take down this red dragon?”

Elder Xiong looked at the other two head elders before declaring with a firm tone, “Three Golden Cores at full mastery with almost thirty other Golden Cores. No matter what, this would be enough to make an attempt. This opportunity is simply too rare, and who knows when we might find it again if the red dragon were to flee? The three of us have decided to go over now. Would Miss Magu be willing to come along?”

Magu knew their intentions—they didn’t want to leave her here alone and wanted to keep her with them at all times—so she gave a nod. “If that’s the case, let us not delay and go have a look together….”

Above the Rising Immortal’s Altar, nearly a hundred lights shot out flying urgently towards the west.