She smiled and said, “I think only the elite squads of Divine Grade Sects will be able to compare to your squad once they break through to the Mortal Tribulation realm.”
Shen Yuan chuckled at Bing Rong’s remark. “That’s the plan—nothing less than the best. Once they break through to the Mortal Tribulation Realm, I’ll have a real force to reckon with.”
He guided the flying ship through lofty clouds, the wind ruffling his robes. Not far below, valleys and rivers zoomed past them.
Bing Rong leaned against the ship’s railing, letting her gaze wander over the passing landscape. “So, you’re telling me that there’s trouble coming at the Silver Fox Sect, and Fang Lian’s letter confirms it?”
He nodded his head. “Exactly. Based on what I read, it sounds like the sect’s enemies are making a move soon—probably because they heard that all the core members are missing. I had asked Fang Lian to inform me if any major power makes a move in that region.”
Bing Rong turned back to him, brushing a stray lock of icy blue hair from her face. “You mentioned that the Silver Fox Sect has ties to your new ‘elite squad.’ How so?”
Shen Yuan laughed. “Hahaha, that’s the funny part. I went to their sect and dominated everyone and recruited all the core members of that sect into my own elite squad. But most of them joined me ‘willingly’ once I showed them my strength. Ancestor Ling Yue was particularly enthusiastic about it. They all have been training in my Pagoda ever since.”
Bing Rong nodded thoughtfully. “No wonder you are heading there in such a hurry. Your people will be directly affected.”
“Exactly. Which is why I can’t ignore this. But let’s talk with Ling Yue first. She understands the sect’s politics and what enemies they have better than anyone else, probably.” Shen Yuan turned around, gazing outside the speeding horizon. “Let’s bring her out from the Pagoda so we can figure out our next steps.”
Bing Rong raised an eyebrow. “You can just ‘call her out’ anywhere?”
He tilted his head and laughed. “Sure I can. Now that I have full control over the Pagoda, I can teleport any individual in or out—assuming they’re not mid-trial or engaged in anything crucial since that can be detrimental to them.”
“That’s… unbelievably convenient,” Bing Rong said, impressed by the treasure’s level.
Shen Yuan closed his eyes briefly, circulating a sliver of his Qi into his dantian where the Pagoda rested. It glowed faintly in his dantian as he communicated with the spirit.
And a second later, golden motes of light coalesced in the air to his left, gradually taking shape.
With a gentle shimmer, a figure emerged—a tall, elegant woman clad in silver-and-white robes. Long, glossy black hair fell down her back, and two fox ears peeked through the dark strands.
Ling Yue blinked once as she felt the change in her surroundings—she was no longer inside the trials of the Pagoda. Her golden eyes quickly flicked to Shen Yuan as she quickly bowed. “Young Mast—”
Before her words could be finished, she felt something soft fall on her head as she noticed Shen Yuan’s scent closer.
“Damn, you became a fox girl?” Shen Yuan excitedly said while petting her head and feeling the soft ears.
“Uh, Young Master, I alwa—” She softly raised her head, but Shen Yuan quickly walked behind her to see her long fluffy tail swinging from side to side.
His eyes lit up as he gently grabbed the tail and softly caressed it. “Damn, so soft.”
“Unm~ Young Master.” She softly moaned, feeling Shen Yuan’s touch on her tail.
Bing Rong’s eyes twitched. She moved forward and smacked Shen Yuan’s head directly.
Bam!
“Get a hold of yourself, you are making her uncomfortable,” she said with an exasperated expression.
Ling Yue exhaled in relief with a slight hint of disappointment before quickly turning around and bowing to him again. “Young Master.”
“Cough,” Shen Yuan straightened his back and coughed lightly. “What happened to you? I didn’t know you were a fox.”
Ling Yue took a deep breath and said, “I didn’t mean to deceive you, Young Ma—”
“I’m not blaming you. I’m just curious.” He lightly waved his hand to calm her down while Bing Rong stood beside him and eyed Ling Yue curiously, sensing her to be on par with core disciples of her sect in terms of battle strength.
She exhaled a sigh of relief. “Young Master, all the members of the Silver Fox Sect have bloodlines from the different branches of the Fox Clan. Most of the larger clans already know about this.”
He nodded his head. “I see, I see. So anyways, do you know why I summoned you?”
Ling Yue thought for a second and replied back, “Is someone attacking the Silver Fox Sect?”
Shen Yuan raised an eyebrow. “Impressive, that’s indeed the case. Do you know which blind bastard it is to dare attack my sect?”
Ling Yue thought for a moment before she nodded her head. “Yes, Young Master. The ones mobilizing are likely from the Crimson Wolf Clan—though they’ve likely gathered some allies from other smaller factions as well. It’s no secret that we of the Silver Fox Sect have clashed with them for generations.”
She paused, then continued in a quieter tone, “To be honest, it all escalated a few years back when one of our former elders led a covert mission to assassinate a few of their high-potential disciples. A preemptive strike, or so she claimed. Naturally, the Crimson Wolf Clan didn’t take kindly to that—and they’ve been scheming for revenge ever since.”
Bing Rong raised an eyebrow. “Your sect assassinates their disciples, and they want payback. That… well, it certainly explains why they’re so hellbent on revenge.”
Ling Yue nodded. “Precisely. But there is not much we can do about it. This is just the average life of an assassin sect. The difference now is that the Silver Fox Sect appears leaderless—many core members gone or missing. Our enemies saw an opening to attack and gathered forces.”
Shen Yuan folded his arms over his chest. “You said ‘former elder’ orchestrated that assassination, right?”
“Yes, Young Master. She later died in one of the missions to assassinate a high-ranking elder of a different sect,” Ling Yue quietly said. Read new chapters at My Virtual Library Empire
A silence fell over the surroundings. The ship continued to zoom past the mountains and rivers, quickly traveling towards the Silver Fox Sect.
After a while, Shen Yuan broke the silence. “So, the Crimson Wolf Clan has good reason to want the Silver Fox Sect wiped out.” He glanced from Ling Yue to Bing Rong. “But with so many of your stronger disciples currently training under me, the sect probably looks like a free dish. Perfect opportunity for them to strike.”
Ling Yue’s expression turned playful as her tail swung from left to right. “But they failed to realize just how much stronger we have gotten during this time. Now any random member of the elite squad can wipe out their entire sect.”
Bing Rong tapped her fingers against the ship’s railing. “You members of the Silver Fox Sect have really gotten strong during this time.”