Nine Evolutions of the True Spirit
chapter-195

NETS – Chapter 195 – Conspiracy Unfolding

It turned out that after the massive battle at the sea border, the cultivators went on separate ways to return to their respective sects.

So, the six patrol teams from Huang Li Island, led by Enlightened Master Yang Xuan-Mu, were also making their way back.

However, not long later, a huge fist suddenly appeared in mid-air and came down hard on the six patrol teams.

Enlightened Master Yang Xuan-Mu was the first to notice the fist and the immense power in the attack. He tried his best to defend from it, but he was only in the Second Layer Core Forging Realm.

One blow dealt him serious damage, causing blood to spurt out from his mouth.

The aftermath of the attack spread out to the sides. The patrol teams were positioned in the Three Essence Five Element Formations, yet they were quickly overwhelmed and the formations shattered. The team leaders took the brunt of the attack and incurred heavy injuries.

Caught off guard by the ambush, they were inevitably panicked.

Fortunately, the fist only attacked once—they heaved a breath of relief when it stopped.

Unfortunately, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by countless monster beasts.

The cultivators couldn’t remake the formations in their shabby state, so the seriously injured Enlightened Master Yang Xuan-Mu was forced to step out again. He cleared out a path through the encirclement and ordered the patrol teams to spread out and escape.

Although worried, Lu Ping’s mind was turning fast.

How did such a large group of monster beasts sneak into the human race sea and still go unnoticed?

Who was this mysterious attacker who could cause such damage to Enlightened Master Yang Xuan-Mu in just one strike?

Why did they stop at just one attack? The Zhen Ling cultivators were already at their limits, so one more attack would be enough to wipe them out.

Why the extra effort to let a group of monster beasts encircle the cultivators and give them a chance to escape?

Just as Lu Ping was planning to pack up his cave-dwelling and leave for the sea, Chen Lian and Du Feng suddenly walked into the chamber.

The pair held their mystic instruments with murderous auras, carrying wounds on their body and blood stains on their clothes. They had clearly just returned.

Chen Lian was happy to see Lu Ping in the council chamber, but his face darkened and turned somber in the next moment. Ignoring Lu Ping’s questions, he pulled the latter by the arm and said, “Quickly, follow me to Master Immortal Liu’s cave-dwelling. He’s wounded, and the rest are also there. We’ll talk then.”

…

Hu Lili was missing!

Lu Ping poured the entirety of his divine sense over the man in front of him. His divine sense could cover more than 1,500 feet around him, but now, he stacked it layer by layer onto the six-feet-tall man.

An invisible aura began to cover Lu Ping. The items around him vibrated, then eventually broke apart, and even the fragments were grinded into small particles.

His eyes filled with murderous intent, his veins bulged out, his heart cold as ice.

Master Immortal Liu, Yao Yong, Zhong Jian and the rest of Patrol Team One, as well as the leaders and deputy leaders of the other five patrol teams were present in the cave-dwelling, all staring as Lu Ping poured his anger onto the man.

This aura… it’s exactly like the suppression from an Enlightened Masters’ divine revelation! This Lu Ping is only in the Seventh Layer, how is it possible for him to suppress us?

The two Eighth Layer deputy leaders sitting beside the man both turned pale with shock as they looked at Lu Ping. Cold sweat rolled down their cheeks, but they didn’t dare to move at all.

Sitting on the master’s chair, Master Immortal Liu looked stunned as if he had forgotten his injuries. He stared at the frowning Lu Ping and murmured, “This sense of tangibility… it is a sign that the divine sense is transcending into divine revelation… Have you really cultivated your divine sense to such a stage already?”

“So, you’re telling me that Senior Sister Hu voluntarily lured the monster beasts away, so that you, Leng Qian, and Ninth Junior Sister can escape?”

As he uttered each word, his voice deepened and the killing intent in his heart seemed to spill out from his mouth.

The man in front of him blushed red with embarrassment, either from Lu Ping’s suppression or because he’d left Hu Lili behind so he could escape. The man opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.

Li Zi-Ming, who was sitting opposite from them, laughed drily. “Junior Brother Lu, calm down. Your murderous face is scaring Junior Brother Yuan speechless. Besides, Junior Sister Hu offered herself as bait, so Yuan is not to be blamed…”

“SHUT UP!”

Lu Ping abruptly turned around, his divine sense tinged with killing intent as it swept away the dust on the floor, pouring down onto Li Zi-Ming across the cultivation room.

The impact pushed Li Zi-Ming’s head backward and hit him with a burst of dizziness. When he came back to his senses, humiliation filled him as he surged his arcane energy, looking ready to come to blows with Lu Ping.

However, as their eyes met, the savagery brimming inside Lu Ping’s maddened eyes scared him away. He could feel the other’s divine sense scrutinizing him from tip to toe, like a dish waiting to be devoured.

Li Zi-Ming knew Lu Ping had to vent his anger somehow, and the best outlet was to kill someone. He who had old grudges with Lu Ping was undoubtedly the best candidate, second to those responsible for Hu Lili’s disappearance.

Indeed, Lu Ping had the desire to kill. But his state of mind had been well-trained by his many deadly experiences, so he hadn’t lost his reason quite yet.

Lu Ping gradually retracted his divine sense, and the suspended dust motes settled back down on the floor.

Those in the room heaved a sigh of relief. They never expected that Lu Ping’s aura alone could actually suppress their group of Late Blood Condensation cultivators.

However, despite retracting his divine sense, Lu Ping’s aura was still firmly locked onto the man. They all knew that Lu Ping would undoubtedly kill the man if he couldn’t justify himself.

The man was Yuan Zi-Zhan, the one who Lu Ping eliminated in the side hall competition. Right now, he was in the Seventh Layer and a member of Patrol Team Five.

Yuan Zhan’s heart was still palpitating, his face still red, but his eyes had calmed down. He coldly said, “Hmph, Junior Brother Lu is putting on quite the show, but do you really think you’re an Enlightened Master?”

Yuan Zhan’s sarcastic words were intended to remark on Lu Ping’s lack of respect for the leaders present. But Lu Ping was unmoved, the killing intent in his cold eyes only flaring higher.

Yao Yong stepped in to intervene; he had always been a straightforward person and never liked dragging things out. He believed that it was a man’s duty to take on the burden of luring the enemy away—he couldn’t bring himself to side with Yuan Zhan and viewed him as a coward.

Before Lu Ping could say anything, the furious Yao Yong had already started rebuking him, “Cut the crap, what nonsense are you trying to say here?”

In fact, Lu Ping didn’t care about Yuan Zhan’s insinuations, he only wanted to know what happened. Should Yuan Zhan fail to give a reasonable explanation, Lu Ping wouldn’t hesitate to disregard the hierarchy and the ties of fellowship. Even in the presence of the leaders, he would, with the utmost certainty, kill Yuan Zhan on the spot.

But the truth was, even if Yuan Zhan could justify himself, Lu Ping would only let him live for a little longer and then find a chance to retaliate in the near future.

Lu Ping had never hated anyone this much before. He had no interest in Yuan Zuan’s excuses, he only knew that Hu Lili had been hurt in the process, so Yuan Zhan would have to pay with his life!

Lu Ping made no attempts to hide his fury!

Yuan Zhan seemed to be aware of Lu Ping’s plan but still tried his best to calm himself down from the latter’s killing intent. He then began telling the story of what happened yesterday.