“Anyway, now that you guys are back we need to resume our missions. But before we discuss the Demonic cult…”
Li Shen turned to Lihua.
They were all seated around a table.
“How did those spies infiltrate our faction?”
“Huh? Something like that happened when we were gone?”
Mu Fan said surprised.
Lihua explained the details of what happened yesterday morning to him and the others before she responded to Li Shen’s question.
“After some investigation, we discovered that those two entered the Celestial Academy with fake identities. The Stormy Violet Sword Faction executed an elaborate plan to have them enter the Outer Academy for us to scout them in the future. We also have reason to believe that more of their members are mingled in with the Inner Disciples while disguised as an Outer Disciple turned Inner Disciple.”
Fang Chen’s eyes flashed with a cold light upon hearing that.
“They would go that far to put a spy in our ranks? We refrain from doing the same to not cause a major conflict in the Academy but they went ahead and do this? How dare they?!”
Turning to Li Shen, Fei Yin asked.
“Are we going take action against them? Faction leader, we can’t just let this slide, who knows if the other Factions would try similar things.”
Yang Su, Jun, and Mu Fan also voice their intention to take action.
Lihua hearing them shook her head and commented.
“All you boys know how to do is stroke your inflated egos.”
Mu Fan scowled at that.
“What’s with you and those broad statements? That’s exactly why you won’t find a man with that mouth of yours and that fetish, such a turn-off!”
Lihua immediately glared at Mu Fan who quickly tried to use Jun next to him as a shield if she ever made a move to attack him.
Jun quickly began shoving Mu Fan away with a disgusted expression, while Li Shen remained silent for a moment.
“Jun, I want you to use your ability to oversee the selection of disciples as well as question the ones already here.”
Jun paused his shoving to nod in affirmation before continuing.
“This is a gap in our faction that I thought we didn’t have to fill, but the Stormy Violet Sword Faction’s actions proved it to be necessary. And as for us retaliating, Lihua is right, you guys are too eager for conflict.
“The Seven Major Clans' Factions aren’t like the Demonic Cult where we are enemies without a shadow of doubt. We’re on the same team as allies albeit with different agendas. However, with that said...”
Li Shen wore a serious expression as he continued.
“...there’s no way I can let them get away with this.”
Lihua couldn’t help but frowned as she asked.
“Then why let them go? Shouldn’t we have detained them? The Academy has rules against such actions that we even had to bypass by not making those disciples officially join our faction.”
“Plus, aren’t rumors going to spread about you brainwashing these disciples?”
Li Shen smiled in amusement at that.
“So what if that false information spread? I might have the ability to make others loyal to me but I didn’t use it on those disciples nor did I manipulate or influence them in any way. Why would I need to? They’ve been given a chance to change the unbearable lives they’ve been living in the Academy until now. Only people who have lived through that hopelessness could understand how it feels for someone to go out of their way to extend a hand out to them."
Yang Su and Fei Yin hearing that thought of their own situation when they had might Li Shen.
“I have my ways to retaliate against them and make them regret poking their nose in my business. And forget killing the chicken to scare the monkey, not just the Stormy Violet Sword Faction, I’ll make them all suffer to show that if one of them steps out of line they will all face the consequences.”
The others all looked at each other wondering what kind of plan Li Shen was concocting.
Li Shen then moved on to other matters.
“We’ve been targeting low-level Demonic Cult secret bases but our forces have developed enough to go after mid-level bases.”
Fang Chen and the others wore excited expressions upon hearing that. Li Shen had been adamant to focus on low-level secret bases and not take any risks, but he finally decided to let up.
Lihua took out a jade slip and place it in the middle of the table.
The runes on the jade slip lit up and a holographic projection of a town appeared before she began speaking.
“This is a Meridian Opening Realm level Town but signs of a mid-level secret base were seen here. There are also signs that they’re using this town as a central point to expand to other towns and villages in the surrounding area.”
As Lihua spoke the holographic image zoomed out to show the landscape and surrounding towns and villages.
“Do you have the cap level of Demonic Cultivators here?”
“My Intelligence Gathering team discovered Foundation Realm Demonic Disciples, but there might be Core Formation Realm Demonic Cultivators as well.”
Li Shen remained silent for a moment then said.
“Like our usual routine, Jun have your Beggars Association mingle with the townspeople to gather more information. Once we’ve located their secret base and the system the Demonic Cult has set up around the town we’ll go in. Also, do the same for the surrounding towns and villages as well.”
Jun nodded before he took out a jade slip to send a message.
Li Shen then turned to Yang Su, Fang Chen, Mu Fan, and Fei Yin before saying.
“While Lihua and Jun work on our next mission, you four come with me to the training grounds.”
Looks of unwillingness immediately appeared on the four’s faces. Li Shen was a sadistic devil, he may not look it but those people spreading the rumors outside weren’t far off the mark.
Meanwhile, cries of agony started echoing out in their courtyard, in the Conclave Section of the Academy, Weisheng and the other youth who had infiltrated their faction was standing in front of Lin Dong. The eldest son of the Lin Clan Patriarch and Faction Leader of the Stormy Violet Sword Faction.
“So you're telling me he’s using his Soul Arts to somehow improve those trash disciples' cultivations and not pills? Are you taking me for a fool?!!”
Weisheng trembled as Lin Dong’s Early Nascent Realm cultivation leaked out.
While bowing his head with cupped fists, Weisheng hurriedly said.
“It’s the truth, Young Master! He’s somehow managed to clear my mind with his flute and allow me to reach some sort of epiphany. In that state, my mind became clear and the difficulties I had in comprehending my cultivation method and even martial arts were swept away like it fog. I manage to break into the mid Foundation Realm and soon after that form my fifth Divine Platform.”
As Weisheng spoke his tone went from trying to convince Lin Dong that his words were true, to having a hint of excitement at his new cultivation on his face.
Lin Dong looked at him in disgust before he reached out his hand towards him.
Weisheng felt his body stiffen and he couldn’t move.
“Young Ma-”
“SHUT UP!!”
Lin Dong’s face looked vicious as he forced Weisheng’s mouth shut.
“You’re not going to keep that cultivation after getting it from that incompetent Second Prince.”
Weisheng hearing this had his heart shudder.
His eyes then bulge out of his head with veins appearing on his neck a forehead. He wanted to scream out as pain wracked his body, but his mouth was tightly shut giving him no way to release them.
Lin Dong was forcefully sending his Divine Will into Weisheng’s dantian and destroying his fourth and fifth Divine Platforms.
Weisheng’s body shook uncontrollably and soon began bleeding from his facial orifices.
The other youth who was next to him didn’t dare move in the slightest, but couldn’t help his trembling legs as he held his head down.
With a loud thud, Weisheng’s unconscious body fell to the ground, Spiritual Qi seeped out of his dantian as his cultivation dropped back down to the Early Foundation Realm.
“Get him out of here.”
Lin Dong dismissively waved and said to the other youth, who quickly took up Weisheng and left the pavilion they were in.
Lin Dong then got up and started pacing around.
After a minute, he said.
“I’ll continue the narrative that he’s brainwashing the Celestial Academy’s disciples. That should make the Academy get involved with whatever he’s doing. No matter if that bastard of a Vice Headmaster is letting him get away with everything until now, the other Clans won’t miss the opportunity to latch onto this leverage to bring him down.”
Lin Dong was furious that this trashy prince had practically taken over the Sword Pavilion right under their noses without them being able to retaliate against him.
“Even that bastard Ling Tian. He’s the only one not showing any worry about this Second Prince’s actions. Is it the Vice Headmaster’s doing?”
Lin Dong gritted his teeth.
“Bastard! I’ll have him driven out of the Academy if it’s the last thing I, Lin Dong do!!"
Lin Dong then took out a jade slip to use his channels to spread the news of Li Shen brainwashing disciples.
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