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Mu Yi silently watched as Tang Jie left.

Xiao Wen came up and protested, “Junior Brother Mu, Tang Jie alone can’t possibly hold off the reinforcements from Godhead Palace and the Beast Refining Gate. This is clearly the will of the Basking Moon Sect, trying to use us to save their people. Even if we didn’t give them True Essence Pills, they would still do it.”

Mu Yi was unperturbed. “I know. Actually, if things really are as Tang Jie says and Yun Wuji has taken hostages from three sects, this blockade isn’t just the action of the Basking Moon Sect, but of all three sects.”

Xiao Wen and Lin Wang were all shocked. “‘The action of three sects’? Doesn’t that make it a four versus two?”

Mu Yi nodded. “Correct. If I were Tang Jie, I would definitely make this choice. In this contest, the six sects are of unequal strength. The strongest are the Beast Refining Gate and the Basking Moon Sect. If the four sects work together to first eliminate Godhead and Beast Refining, the Basking Moon Sect would be left as the strongest of the four.”

Lin Wang realized what was going on. “If that’s the case, then this matter is of huge benefit to the Basking Moon Sect. No wonder they’re being so nice. Junior Brother Mu, since you saw through it, why did you give him the True Essence Pills? They should be giving stuff to us.”

Mu Yi shot Lin Wang a cold glance. “Is your objective limited only to a few bottles of pills?”

Lin Wang froze as Mu Yi continued, “Though my Seven Absolutions Sect ranks as one of the six major sects, it has always been ranked last of the six. In every contest, the Seven Absolutions Sect has to sit at the very end, drawing the laughter of others. In this Immortal Fortune Conference, while everyone knows that the six sects are taking part, the vast majority of people think that the winner will be the Beast Refining Gate. Are you guys willing to just sit back as Godhead Palace and the Beast Refining Gate are eliminated?”

A Seven Absolutions Sect student grunted, “Isn’t this because the other sects fear the power of our formations? Whenever they draft the rules, they always ban formations.”

While the Seven Absolutions Sect was weak in combat power, it was very formidable when it came to the operation of formations. If they were given the chance to lay these formations down, they could easily overcome the strong as the weak. Among the cultivators of the Rosecloud Domain, those of the Seven Absolutions Sect were the ones who most frequently defeated foes above their level.

Alas, they were only allowed to use these methods in normal times. In these joint tournaments, the rules drafted by the six major sects would always ban the formations they relied on, preventing them from using their full power. The people of the Seven Absolutions Sect had always been frustrated by this, but there was nothing they could do.

But the Seven Absolutions Sect and Horizon Ocean Pavilion weren’t just going to take things lying down. Through their vigorous struggles, they had managed to turn the ban on formations into a ban on formation materials. It was now acceptable for the Seven Absolutions Sect to lay down formations that did not require materials. In everyone’s view, the power of material-less formations was limited, so there was no need for a harsher ban. And every generation of disciples in the Seven Absolutions Sect, when researching formations, would also research ways of laying down formations while lacking materials.

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Mu Yi casually said, “This is also why I gave him the True Essence Pills. Don’t you think this is an opportunity?”

“What sort of opportunity?” everyone asked in unison.

“The Fire Beacon Smoke Net Formation!”

All of them were startled by these words.

The Fire Beacon Smoke Net Formation was a special formation the Seven Absolutions Sect had developed in recent years precisely to work around the rules set down by the six major sects. Its most defining attribute was that it required very few materials and mostly needed spirit plants. In a blessed land like this, they could simply gather the materials.

But the research on this formation wasn’t done, and while most of the materials could be replaced with spirit plants, there were still a few key areas that required specific formation materials. This prevented it from becoming the Seven Absolutions Sect’s ultimate weapon.

Xiao Wen said, “Junior Brother Mu, while the Fire Beacon Smoke Net Formation doesn’t require many materials, it still requires them. And we brought none of these materials, so how will we lay it down?”

Mu Yi replied, “If we don’t have the materials, we’ll make them ourselves! Rules are dead while people are alive. Of the several key materials required by the Fire Beacon Smoke Net Formation, there are two that aren’t banned, and I brought them in with me. There is one other that can be obtained from here through a secret processing method. The rest are the Windworm Silk, Golden Roar Blood, and Darkcloud Sand, which will be more difficult to acquire. But the Windworm Silk is primarily for control, so while the formation might not run smoothly without it, or might even injure us, there happens to be the Stop Gate Banner within this blessed land. This is an even better formation-controlling treasure than Windworm Silk.”

The Stop Gate Banner? Everyone’s eyes glowed.

When the Wandering Palace had been deciding on the ten treasures, it had done everything possible to avoid useful treasures so as to avoid the treasure guardian relying on the treasure itself to protect it. This was precisely why most of the ten treasures had little use in combat.

Even so, there were always loopholes that people could exploit.

Mu Yi had had his attention on the Stop Gate Banner since a long time ago, a grandiose plan forming in his mind around it.

“What of the Golden Roar Blood and Darkcloud Sand?” Lin Wang asked.

Mu Yi casually replied, “These two are both rather troublesome, but it’s not impossible… Actually, these two things are right in front of us. You guys just haven’t noticed yet.”

Everyone’s hearts trembled.

Xiao Wen stared in disbelief at Mu Yi. “Does Junior Brother mean…”

Mu Yi silently nodded.

Lin Wang shouted, “But the ancestral teachings…”

Mu Yi waved his hand. “I’ll bear any consequences. The people of my Seven Absolutions Sect are individually weak, so if we want to accomplish extraordinary things, we must take an extraordinary course… Miracles have always been established on the breaking of the rules.”

Everyone breathed in and nodded. “We will do as Junior Brother commands!”

Deep in the dense forest, Yun Wuji suddenly became nervous.

The forest was frighteningly quiet. After he had taken the hostages, no one had come after the treasure, but no reinforcements had come, either.

There was also no sign of the two junior brothers he had sent off after that intruder.

He vaguely sensed that he might have rushed things a little too much. He felt like a storm was coming, and he was very tense.

Like a voracious tiger sensing danger lurking to the side, Yun Wuji suddenly called out with a harsh and murderous light in his eyes, “Since you’re here, why are you still hiding?”

There was a sigh.

Nine figures appeared around them, surrounding Yun Wuji’s group of five.

“The Seven Absolutions Sect…” When he saw who it was, Yun Wuji’s pupils constricted, and his heart fell to rock bottom.

Truly, whatever one was afraid of was often what showed up.

Yun Wuji held hostages from three sects, so the people he least wanted to run into were those from the Seven Absolutions Sect, but it was these people who had appeared in front of Yun Wuji.

Yun Wuji knew that this wouldn’t end nicely. Yun Wuji gestured at the students around him, telling them to get ready to break out. At this moment, Mu Yi placed his bamboo flute on his mouth and blew a special tune.

Yun Wuji’s mind shook, and the scene in front of him changed. He discovered that he was no longer in a forest, but on a vast plain. His four juniors and the nine from the Seven Absolutions Sect seemed to have been similarly transported.

“The Animitta Music Illusion?” Yun Wuji said in shock. “Be careful! This isn’t a real battlefield, but an illusion created by Mu Yi’s Animitta Music to attack the mind sea! Don’t be fooled.”

Mu Yi said, “Everyone, there’s no need to be nervous. I didn’t pull you into the illusion to fight. I am not skilled in illusions, and this illusion wouldn’t be able to last long if you tried to break out. I’ve used this spell to make it easier to negotiate.”

‘Easier to negotiate’?

Yun Wuji froze, instantly realizing that Mu Yi must have been referring to the students he had taken hostage. Mu Yi should have used the Animitta illusion to isolate them, but rather than just imprisoning the five of them, he had taken in everyone. Those hostages had simply been placed in another illusion.

But what did Mu Yi have to negotiate that required this?

Yun Wuji coldly snorted, “My Godhead Palace doesn’t have anything to negotiate about with you lot!”

Mu Yi chuckled. “You had best understand the situation before saying anything more. Senior Brother Lin!”

Lin Wang stepped forward and told Yun Wuji everything that Tang Jie had told them.

When Yun Wuji heard that Tang Jie had already gotten together the other four sects to deal with him, Yun Wuji turned ghastly pale.

Only now did Mu Yi say, “Senior Brother Yun’s plan to use hostages as a means to get a spot in the top ten wasn’t wrong, but alas, Tang Jie used this same fact to join everyone together against you. It is now four versus two, and the Basking Moon Sect and the other two sects are on the perimeter hunting down your reinforcements. The defeat of Godhead and Beast Refining in this contest is already decided.”

Yun Wuji was ashen-faced. “So that’s what was going on! Good job, Tang Jie, you ruthless scoundrel! But why are you telling me this?”

Mu Yi indifferently said. “No reason except that if you lose, the Basking Moon Sect will dominate. I don’t like this outcome, so I would like to change it.”

Yun Wuji was confused. “What are you trying to say?”

Mu Yi replied, “The Seven Absolutions Sect has a formation called the Fire Beacon Smoke Net Formation, a formation that only requires a limited number of materials to lay down. Even so, we still lack a few required materials for this formation. While I’ve thought of ways to make up for these gaps, we currently lack two main materials. If we can get them, I am confident that I can lay down this formation, and then not even the Basking Moon Sect’s heaven-soaring strength will be a match for us.”

“What materials?” Yun Wuji asked.

Mu Yi answered, “Golden Roar Blood and Darkcloud Sand.”

Yun Wuji had no reaction at first, and then he blurted out, “‘Darkcloud Sand’?”

The three Beast Refining Gate students shouted in unison, “‘Golden Roar Blood’?”

Their faces were rich with emotion at this moment.

“Correct!” Mu Yi firmly nodded. “If my memory is correct, Senior Brother Yun’s Blackbone Fan is made from Darkcloud Sand. And Senior Brother Jin’s refined beast is a Jade Golden Roar.”

Yun Wuji said in shock, “You want my Blackbone Fan and Junior Brother Jin’s Jade Golden Roar?”

Mu Yi replied, “That’s not all. The Darkcloud Sand has been made into a Blackbone Fan, changing its nature. I need Senior Brother Yun to use your Brahma Fire in concert with my Fireparting Meridian to process and restore the Darkcloud Sand. In addition, the Stop Gate Banner is also required for this formation. I know that Godhead Palace has a secret art that can leave a mental tracker on treasure you’ve seen before. This is why your Godhead Palace was the first to find the Taiyi Profound Clarity Cup. I need Senior Brother Yun to help me find the Stop Gate Banner to ensure that it does not fall into the hands of another. As for Senior Brother Jin’s Jade Golden Roar, it has lived for too little time and will lack in efficacy. But I know that you have a secret method that can coalesce the essence of a refined beast, but it requires sacrificing other refined beasts.”

Yun Wuji and the others breathed in after hearing all this. The other Godhead Palace student shouted, “Mu Yi, do you know what you’re saying? You’re asking us to help you! Godhead Palace and the Seven Absolutions Sect get along like water and fire. There’s no possibility of us working together!”

Mu Yi indifferently replied, “You don’t have any other choice. Cooperate with me or die. While you will sustain a loss from cooperating, you will at least still be alive, and you can even borrow our hand to get revenge on Tang Jie and teach a lesson to the Basking Moon Sect. Yun Wuji, while the Seven Absolutions Sect and Godhead Palace are mortal foes, Tang Jie can’t be said to be on good terms with Godhead Palace, yes? Three years ago, Godhead Palace’s Hawk Hall suffered a heavy blow in Sageheart, and wasn’t that because of Tang Jie? Even Gu Changqing died at his hands. As for Senior Brother Jin…”

He looked at the three from the Beast Refining Gate. “You are not mortal foes with my Seven Absolutions Sect, but you are mortal foes with the Basking Moon Sect. Senior Brother Jin, would you rather see the Basking Moon Sect win or my Seven Absolutions Sect win?”

The three from the Beast Refining Gate said nothing.

Mu Yi added, “Don’t forget that Tang Jie was the architect behind your current situation. You only have two options: die or cooperate!”

Mu Yi’s words were like a needle stabbed straight into their hearts.

Mu Yi said, “Right, I’ve heard that Senior Brother Cen has a Black Cloud Banner, so it’s best if we can use it as well. I need the Stop Gate Banner to take the place of Windworm Silk in controlling the formation, but the Stop Gate Banner has the problem of treasure light. This will make it easily discovered, which will make people raise their guard. I want to use the Black Cloud Banner to cover the Stop Gate Banner.”

That “Cen” from the Beast Refining Gate grunted, “I do have the Black Cloud Banner. I initially brought it to hide the treasure light, but when we tried it, we found that it didn’t work. Otherwise, we would have already used it and would have never ended up in this state.”

Mu Yi replied, “I have a secret art that can stimulate the Black Cloud Banner and allow it to temporarily cover the treasure light.”

“Don’t think that I don’t know it. But that only lasts for four hours, and the Black Cloud Banner will be destroyed.”

“It’s not enough to guard the treasure, but it’s enough to hide the formation.”

Mu Yi had thought of everything, leaving Yun Wuji’s group no room to pick on this crossroad of cooperation and death.

Finally, Yun Wuji spat out, “How can I trust that you won’t kill us after using us?”

There were simply too many grudges between Godhead Palace and the Seven Absolutions Sect. If the Seven Absolutions Sect were to learn that Mu Yi had worked with Godhead Palace in order to win, it might not be happy about it. Rather, the Seven Absolutions Sect would probably be more satisfied if Mu Yi used Yun Wuji and then killed him.

And not even a Heart Demon Oath could solve this. A small Heart Demon was nothing compared to a sect grudge. Perhaps it was even the opposite, and keeping the oath would produce a Heart Demon while breaking the oath would not.

This was a difficult problem that Mu Yi had to deal with. If he didn’t resolve the matter of trust, Yun Wuji’s group would never help him.

Mu Yi gave the problem some thought and said, “Why don’t we do this? The three senior brothers from the Beast Refining Gate will first help me process the Golden Roar Blood, after which you will leave with the Black Cloud Banner. I will then have Senior Brother Yun help me find the location of the treasure and process the Blackbone Fan. Once this matter is done, Senior Brother Yun can leave. If I go back on my promise and kill him, Senior Brother Yun can send out a warning, and then the three senior brothers from the Beast Refining Gate will naturally no longer have to deal with me. If Senior Brother Yun leaves safely, then the three senior brothers from the Beast Refining Gate can trade with me. There is no grudge between my Seven Absolutions Sect and the Beast Refining Gate, so there is no need for us to go back on our word. Of course, in case these three senior brothers change their mind, we must first be allowed to plant tracking marks on you. In addition, you must hand over your return tokens.”

The five of them glanced at each other.

In a situation of mutual distrust, Mu Yi’s suggestion seemed like the only way.

The three Beast Refining Gate students winced as they reluctantly took out their refined beasts and began to process the Golden Roar Blood.

Once they finished and were about to leave, Yun Wuji thrust two suits of Godhead Armor into their hands. “While there is no hatred between the Seven Absolutions Sect and the Beast Refining Gate, in this world, you don’t have to hate someone to kill them. The two junior brothers from my sect that I sent out have vanished without a trace, so they have presumably died at the hands of the other sects. When it comes to the Seven Absolutions Sect, you can’t be careless either. While you guys are still around, Mu Yi probably won’t kill me. Keep these two suits of Godhead Armor and use them to defend yourselves. Your stupid senior is incompetent and can’t bring our two sects to victory. This is all I can do for you.”

“Senior Brother Yun!” The three of them were deeply moved by his words.

Once the three of them had left, Yun Wuji started to help to find the treasure and process the Blackbone Fan.

Mu Yi quietly waited on the side.

Until he suddenly received a signal: his tracking marker had disappeared.