"According to King Lu's instructions, our purpose was to beat the grass and startle the snakes. Yet the two major factions don't seem to have reacted at all," Zhu Qingyu said. Looking out at their remarkably smooth progress, her initial delight gave way to hesitation.
From the moment they launched their operation until now, everything had unfolded without a hitch. They had met with no resistance whatsoever.
While such a situation seemed good on the surface, doubt lingered in her heart. Things going too smoothly was often a sign that something was amiss.
It hadn't seemed strange at first, but now that neither faction had made any move, it raised suspicions.
"Yes, it really is a bit abnormal," Ice Fairy agreed, also sensing something off.
The Hengduan Mountains were one of the great renowned ranges, vastly different from the sites they had reclaimed before, yet it was now on the verge of being captured without facing any trouble.
In her eyes, this was indeed unnatural. Furthermore, both the Ji clan and the Eternal Clan knew full well what the Heavenly Court was doing, yet they remained completely passive.
Lu Yuan had set their objective to beat the grass and flush out the snakes, to see what the two factions were planning.
Instead of achieving that, they had discovered nothing at all.
Rumble!
While the two were pondering this, the void suddenly violently trembled. A powerful aura swept in from the distance, immense and boundless, having already transcended the Saint Realm.
"An immortal?"
Sensing the aura, Zhu Qingyu immediately recognized what kind of entity had arrived.
Without the slightest hesitation, she barked an order, telling everyone to halt the operation and retreat immediately.
Their ultimate goal had never been to actually occupy some renowned mountain range. It was merely a pretext to gauge the enemy's reactions.
Now that danger had arrived, the first priority was naturally to withdraw. Yet in the next moment, waves of auras surged from all directions.
It was not just one immortal. Multiple immortals severed every escape route and encircled them on all sides.
"Damn it, we've walked into a trap." Zhu Qingyu realized instantly, her expression turning dead serious.
She had suspected that something was wrong all along, and sure enough, just as expected, the two major factions had finally made their move—and sent immortals straight out.
"No need to be frightened. We won't harm you for now," a voice called out. It belonged to an immortal from the Ji clan.
However, he was not particularly powerful, merely an Undying Immortal. Following orders from above, his duty was simply to bottle up a contingent of Heavenly Court forces and draw out Lu Yuan.
The first phase was complete. As for killing them, there was no need; that might disrupt the grand scheme.
Apart from them, the two factions had also dispatched forces to intercept Jiang Haokong and the others.
The goal was to leave Zhu Qingyu completely isolated, giving Lu Yuan no choice but to intervene in person. The plan had succeeded without a hitch.
Two Grotto-Heaven Immortals had been sent against Jiang Haokong, which was more than enough. At such a cultivation realm, even a chosen pride could hardly claim invincibility among peers. After all, not everyone was like Lu Yuan, capable of being utterly fearless against anything. Besides, their mission was merely to delay Jiang Haokong, not slay him.
"Next, we wait for word to spread..."
"...and lure Lu Yuan out."
Watching from the shadows, the Creation Immortals of both factions nodded in satisfaction.
They possessed ample patience. As long as Lu Yuan was eliminated, the grand designs of their two clans could proceed smoothly.
Meanwhile, Zhu Qingyu and Ice Fairy grasped the enemy's true intention.
They realized they were bait, and that the real target was King Lu. An ambush was definitely waiting for him here.
"What do we do?" Zhu Qingyu felt a pang of panic. It was not that she lacked faith in Lu Yuan's strength, but rather that since the two factions had deliberately set this trap, they were bound to be thoroughly prepared.
"We are trapped here. Even knowing their objective, we have no way to send a message out," Ice Fairy said helplessly. She had contemplated fighting to the death, but everyone surrounding them was an immortal.
Against the restrictions jointly laid down by these immortals, they were powerless.
Could they only sit and watch King Lu step into the trap?
Zhu Qingyu felt miserable, blaming her own weakness. The others present were equally helpless and could only wait.
Meanwhile, Mount Tai.
"What? Our people vanished? Even my brother?"
The moment Jiang Ningxian received the report, her eyes shifted.
Over these past days, the plan she and Lu Yuan formulated had gone smoothly. It was only a pity that they hadn't achieved their ultimate goal of flushing out the snakes.
Just when she considered calling it off, she received word that Jiang Haokong and Heavenly Court forces had all lost contact.
In an instant, Jiang Ningxian deduced who was pulling strings behind the scenes. She narrowed her eyes. "What are those two factions up to?"
She tried to divine their ultimate objective.
Yet the information Jiang Ningxian possessed was far too limited. She couldn't guess much, only sensing that the two factions appeared ready to wage all-out war against the Heavenly Court and the Jiang clan.
She wanted to send people to search for them, yet hesitated. The reason was simple: since the two factions had made a move, they must be fully prepared.
Grotto-Heaven Immortals or even Creation Immortals might be involved. Not to mention sending subordinates, even if she went personally, she could hardly change the outcome.
Thus, after a moment of hesitation, Jiang Ningxian went to see Lu Yuan. The only thing to do now was consult him on what steps to take.
After all, she didn't know whether the plan to flush out the snakes had actually succeeded.
Soon, Lu Yuan received the news.
Though he had been in closed-door cultivation, he had not forbidden interruptions. Upon learning what happened, his expression grew stern.
After brief thought, a smile surfaced on his lips. "Regardless of what the two factions intend, since they've mobilized enough strength to intercept all our people, they are definitely bent on making a move."
"In that case, it is time for me to set out as well."
His reasoning was straightforward: whatever the Eternal Clan and Ji clan were plotting, he could never allow Jiang Haokong, Zhu Qingyu, and the others to come to harm.
Furthermore, ever since reaching the Creation Immortal realm, Lu Yuan had barely fought. To outsiders—especially the two major factions—he was still presumed to be a Grotto-Heaven Immortal.
This was an opportunity to show the world his true strength once again.
Indeed, that was also one of Lu Yuan's true objectives. By displaying his power, he would make the two factions feel threatened once more.
They would then regard him as an existential nemesis and react even more violently. When that happened, he could use the opportunity to uncover further secrets regarding the extraterrestrial heavenly demons.
Chapter 443