The man in the middle looked to be around fifty years of age. He had a squarish face and looked extremely dignified. At this point, he took several steps forward and frowned, "Our original plan was to weaken the sect and use the altar to activate King Lu's energy to break into Paradise. As long as we could seize control of Paradise, the Elders and True Disciples within the sect would lose more than half of their powers. At that point, we would be able to wipe out Free Cloud Sect. Now that this man has returned, I'm afraid there's a change in our plans."
Elder Xu frowned and said, "Elder Chen, the Imperial Qi has broken through Paradise, but we've been affected as well. This man's sword arts are extremely pure, and he's killed many officials. Perhaps he's obtained some treasures, and isn't afraid of the Imperial Qi. We have to get rid of this thorn in our side, without any hesitation."
"But we can't find him. That brat has concealed himself. Perhaps he's using some sort of treasure to shield himself." One of them spoke. "We've already used many different types of Dao arts, but we still can't find any traces of him."
"You can use the Disciple's Lantern to search for him. This is a bit of spiritual light that is imprinted into the disciple's body when he or she enters the sect. It carries a trace of his or her soul. As long as you can obtain it, you can use this connection to find the person's location. You can also use it to cast spells. It's even more accurate than using the blood and hair of a person to search for him or her." The square-faced Elder Chen pondered for a moment and suddenly said.
"But how do I get it? Elder Chen. "An elder said.
"Activate this spy and steal the Fate Lantern. Although stealing the Fate Lantern would expose the spy's identity, and he would not be able to conceal himself anymore, it would be worth it. In the future, there would be no need for a spy to exist in Free Cloud Sect." Elder Xu said, "If he's still waiting for me, I shall give the order."
"Alright, we shall continue to prepare the altar array. You shall lead some men to kill Pei Zi Yun. Even if you can't kill him, you must at least hold him back. Three days. As long as we can hold him back for three days, we shall be able to lessen the chances of this happening." Elder Chen said solemnly.
"Yes, Elder Chen." These people all answered.
The rain continued to pour. Zhang Yin raised his head and saw shadows of people. There were quite a number of disciples patrolling the mountain. Recently, the situation had been tense and many of the disciples had been recalled. They were now patrolling the mountain in groups of three to five, all of them wielding long swords.
"I wonder if anyone on the mountain has noticed that I'm missing?" Zhang Yin was getting impatient. Just then, he felt something warm in his robes. He hurriedly took out a talisman and tapped it. A shadow appeared in the room.
Seeing the shadow, Zhang Yin knelt down and asked, "Elder Xu, what are your orders?"
Elder Xu, who was in the projection, pondered for some time before saying, "Tell me everything that has happened in Free Cloud Sect recently."
Zhang Yin paused for a moment, "Elder, the sect is currently gathering the disciples to return to the sect to protect the sect."
"Among them, the number one genius would definitely be Pei Zi Yun. There are also a few other experts. Chen Zhong Yu is proficient in Dao Arts. Zhao Yi was inspired by the sword duel last time and has improved quite a bit as well. He's a worthy opponent. And …" Zhang Yin reported.
After listening to the news, Elder Xu said slowly, "You've investigated these matters very clearly. I'll record it in the Book of Merits for you."
"Thank you, Elder." Zhang Yin bowed in gratitude.
Elder Xu paced a few steps before speaking, "Zhang Yin, there's one last thing I need you to do. Once you're done, when you return to the sect, you'll have a Core Disciple."
"Thank you for your kindness, Elder. Your disciple will do anything for you." Zhang Yin hurriedly knelt down.
Elder Xu laughed, "You don't have to do anything for me. All I need is for you to steal Pei Zi Yun and Chen Zhong Yu's Fate Lanterns."
Hearing these words, Zhang Yin was taken aback. He hurriedly replied, "If I steal the Fate Lantern, I'm afraid I won't be able to hide anymore. I won't be able to serve the sect anymore."
Zhang Yin's back was drenched in cold sweat. Stealing the Fate Lantern meant that he wouldn't rest until he was dead. Every disciple had their own Fate Lantern. When they died, the Fate Lantern Hall could be said to be the core of any sect.
Elder Xu smiled, "Once you've retrieved the Fate Lantern, you'll be promoted to Core Disciple. Think about it yourself."
Hearing Elder Xu's words, Zhang Yin gritted his teeth, "Elder Xu, I'm only thinking about how to steal the Fate Lantern. How would I dare to betray the sect?"
Elder Xu nodded his head, "I understand. Go and retrieve the Fate Lantern. When you're down the mountain, use the talisman to communicate with us. We'll wait for you at the foot of the mountain."
"Yes, Elder." Zhang Yin replied loudly. The Elder nodded his head in approval. He then instructed Zhang Yin on a few other tasks before disabling the talisman.
Zhang Yin's forehead was dripping with sweat, as a look of worry surfaced on his face. He paced back and forth, "I have no choice but to retrieve the Fate Lantern Hall. There are at least five senior brothers guarding it. If I wish to retrieve the Fate Lantern, I can't force my way through.
The rain had stopped, and the sky was dark. A gentle breeze blew past, causing the trees to undulate. Zhang Yin carried the food box to the Fate Lantern Hall. He then heard someone shout, "Who's there?"
Zhang Yin looked over and saw a senior brother guarding the Fate Lantern Hall. He had a smile on his face as he spoke, "Senior brother Qin, thank you for your guidance over the past few days. When I remembered that you were on duty today, I prepared some meat and wine for you."
Senior brother Qin saw that the person in front of him was someone he was familiar with. He then laughed, "I was wondering who it was. So it's Senior Uncle Chen's fourth disciple, Zhang Yin. You're a good person. You still remember me, your senior brother, and even prepared some meat and wine for me."
Zhang Yin took the food box and was about to place it outside when Qin Zhen stretched out his hand and placed it on the table, "Follow me inside. There's a table inside for you to place the food."
Qin Zhen placed the food box on the table and placed it on the table. There was even a jug of wine. Qin Zhen sniffed it and looked at Zhang Yin, "Senior brother Zhang, this is our sect's Green Lotus Wine. We used the petals of our sect's Green Lotus Wine and used some precious herbs to brew it. You've spent a lot of money on it!"
"Ai, senior brother, good wine is for heroes. I've always felt that the senior brothers of our sect are the true heroes. Thank you for your guidance over the past few days." Zhang Yin took the initiative to pour some wine for himself.
Qin Zhen laughed as he patted Zhang Yin on the shoulder, "Junior brother has good taste."
"Ai, senior brother, why aren't the others here?" Zhang Yin looked around the hall and asked. Qin Zhen picked up a chicken drumstick and took a huge bite. He then drank a mouthful of wine and sighed, "I don't know which sect wants to start a war between the sects. Everyone else has been sent away, and I'm the only one left to guard the hall. Not many people would come here."
"Let's drink, let's drink." Qin Zhen finished his cup and picked up the meat with his chopsticks. Zhang Yin then raised the jug of wine and filled it up. He then pressed on the top of the jug and revealed that it was a Yin Yang jug. He poured the wine in front of Qin Zhen and poured himself another cup. The two of them then started drinking.
After drinking for a while, Qin Zhen was slightly tipsy. Zhang Yin then counted, "4, 5, 6 …"
Qin Zhen was still in a daze as he asked, "Junior brother Han, what are you counting for?"
Zhang Yin had already counted to 10. He then looked at Qin Zhen and smiled, "Senior brother Qin, I'm counting when you'll pass out."
Hearing these words, Qin Zhen paused. Just as he was about to say something, he fell head first into the bowl of food. Seeing this, Zhang Yin pulled Qin Zhen's head to the side and sighed, "Senior brother Qin, thank you for taking care of me in the past. It's just that there are some things that I have to do. If it wasn't for the sake of my Dao, I wouldn't have hidden myself. My talent is average, and I have to find a way to fight for it.
As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Yin did not hesitate any longer. He turned around and walked into the Fate Lantern Hall. As soon as he entered, he felt that the interior of the hall was very different from the outside. Although there were hundreds of lanterns densely packed together, the interior of the hall was dark and spacious.
Zhang Yin knew that there was a restrictive spell within the hall. Fortunately, he had learned Dao techniques from his own sect. Hence, he was safe. However, if he stayed here for too long, he would definitely be discovered. Hence, he hurriedly searched for the Fate Lantern.
Finding the Fate Lantern wasn't difficult. It was just that he didn't pick it up immediately. The Fate Lantern had a restrictive spell on it. As long as he moved it, someone would be able to sense it. After all, disciples could patrol the hall, but if it wasn't necessary, nobody would touch the Fate Lantern.
Once he found the Fate Lantern, he took it and ran. If not, it would be difficult to escape.
Zhang Yin stood in front of the Fate Lantern and hesitated, "If it's possible, I should destroy some of them. Perhaps I can cover up my tracks."
It was said that if the Fate Lantern was destroyed, it would not result in the death of the host. However, it would cause the host's soul to be damaged, and could be used to cast spells. Hence, he raised his head and sighed, "After five years of hiding, I've developed feelings."
As Zhang Yin said this, tears started to flow down his cheeks uncontrollably. He reached out to wipe them away and turned around to retrieve his own Fate Lantern. Pei Zi Yun and Chen Zhong Yu both searched for their Fate Lanterns before retrieving one. There was a "weng" sound as the Patriarch in front of them trembled. A ray of light shone out as it opened its eyes, "Someone has touched the Fate Lantern."
Zhang Yin wrapped the Fate Lantern up and placed the talisman within his robes. He then walked out of the door and ran down the mountain without turning back.
Some of the Elders were in deep sleep, while others were patrolling the area. When they received the Patriarch's warning, they were shocked, "What? A traitor stole the Fate Lantern? Damn it. Investigate. Who stole the Fate Lantern? Who did it? "
Before long, the Elders rushed into the hall and saw Qin Zhen sprawled on the table, unconscious. One of the Elders picked up a cup of wine and smelled it. He then said coldly, "It's the Drunken Immortal Brew. There's no poison in it. He's only unconscious."
"Wake him up." The Sect Leader cleared his throat.
One of the Elders retrieved a pill and forced it into Qin Zhen's mouth. The moment the pill entered his mouth, it dissolved. Before long, Qin Zhen regained consciousness. Seeing the Sect Leader and Elders surrounding him, he exclaimed in shock, "Sect Leader, Master, Elders, why are all of you here?"
The Sect Leader looked at Qin Zhen and asked, "Who was it that made you drunk?"
Qin Zhen was sweating profusely as he reported, "Sect Leader, it was Senior Uncle Chen's fourth disciple, Zhang Yin. He brought some food and wine here tonight. He only drank a few mouthfuls before he became drunk."
Just as the Sect Leader was about to reprimand Elder Chen, an Elder came out from within the hall, "Sect Leader, the matter has been investigated. Three Fate Lanterns have been lost. They belonged to the traitor Zhang Yin, Pei Zi Yun and Chen Zhong Yu."
Yu Yun Jun, who had been silent all this while, stood up in anger, "This person stole Pei Zi Yun's Fate Lantern. How despicable!"
Yu Yun Jun turned around and chased after the traitor. When Chen Zhong Yu's master heard this, his face fell as well. He was enraged and chased after the traitor as well.
Ying Prefecture
It was deep into the night as the boat docked at the pier. Pei Zi Yun alighted from the boat and noticed that although it was raining and it was time for the market to close, the streets were still bustling with people. The shops were still open. He sighed to himself, "With the opening of the sea trade, this place is getting more and more prosperous."
Just as he was about to take a step, he felt a chill run down his spine. The Stars Transposition Technique was activated, and the shivers subsided. He frowned and muttered to himself, "Is this a warning, or a reaction?"
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