312: There are still experts!

Something is very wrong!

Teng Qianjue and Liu Wusheng had this thought almost simultaneously, alarm bells ringing in their hearts.

At this moment, both men were heavily injured, their dharma robes tattered and their Qi erratic. But what terrified them even more was the irrational, near-suicidal state of combat they had just been in!

Although they had a long-standing grudge and today's conflict was tied to their interests,

given their Heart-Nature tempered by centuries of cultivation, no matter how angry they were, they should never have lost their reason so easily and resorted to methods that damaged their very foundations and were nearly mutually destructive!

It was as if an invisible, intangible force was secretly plucking their heartstrings, infinitely amplifying their anger, greed, and competitiveness, while blinding their rational judgment of danger and cost!

"Our emotions were being manipulated!"

At that moment, this hair-raising thought rose in both their minds simultaneously.

To be able to influence the emotions of two Golden Core True Persons at the same time and cause them to fall for it unknowingly was certainly no ordinary feat!

At the very least, the perpetrator's cultivation Realm was definitely not below theirs!

There's still a master!

Both felt a chill in their hearts.

They had originally thought they were the only two players in this chess game, but they never expected that they might have long since become pawns on someone else's board!

Who exactly is it!!?

Warning signs blared in the hearts of Teng Qianjue and Liu Wusheng. No longer caring about their fight, they tacitly chose to stop, each retreating hundreds of feet to put distance between them.

Their powerful Divine Sense swept out like spilled mercury, frantically scouring the Hu Family Territory and every inch of the surrounding space, trying to find the presence hidden in the shadows.

Meanwhile, their thoughts were racing, trying to piece together clues and deduce the identity of the mastermind.

Compared to Liu Wusheng, Teng Qianjue obviously knew more, and he was secretly calculating in his mind.

Though he didn't know who the mastermind was, he followed the principle of hypothetical reasoning: shoot the arrow first, then draw the target!

Whoever this person was, one thing was certain: to be able to scheme against and influence two Golden Core True Persons at once, their cultivation must be at least at the Golden Core stage!

Furthermore, the outcome the opponent wanted was inevitably for him and Liu Wusheng to suffer mutual losses so they could reap the benefits; the current trend of the situation also showed signs of this.

But doing this, who would benefit in the end?

It seemed like no one could.

After all, the only two Golden Cores currently on the surface of the Black Sha Marsh were both present.

What about the other two?

Murong Jingyang?

No, impossible. That man was already dead, as evidenced by his soul lamp, and he had even searched his soul to confirm it.

Then it could only be... the Hu Family Ancestor, Hu Tiangang!

"Yes! It must be him!"

A sharp light flashed in Teng Qianjue's eyes.

Three years ago, Hu Tiangang's fall was far too suspicious, and no one had witnessed it personally. The judgment was only made based on the Hu Family's internal turmoil, which was problematic in itself!

If Hu Tiangang had faked his death to escape and used the opportunity to secretly set a trap, then everything would make sense!

The more Teng Qianjue thought, the clearer his logic became: "Hu Tiangang allowed Murong Jingyang to achieve Core Formation to intensify the conflicts between the Golden Core powers. Then, he exploited the greed Liu Wusheng and I had for the Hu Family to set this trap, making us fight like two tigers so he could reap the rewards!"

He even further deduced: "Murong Jingyang's death was likely also that old ghost's handiwork! Using the hands of two Golden Core True Persons to eliminate an unstable newly-risen Golden Core, then luring us into the trap... What a deep scheme!"

Was it reasonable?

Very reasonable!

Everything fit the logic perfectly.

As for the price the Hu Family paid in this game—the ruined territory, the dead and injured clansmen, the stolen foundation—was the sacrifice perhaps a bit too large?

But in Teng Qianjue's view, these things really weren't that important to a Golden Core True Person!

Before sufficient benefits, these sacrifices were completely acceptable.

Moreover, if he could wipe out the Teng and Liu families in one fell swoop, rebuilding the Hu Family would only be a matter of time, and they would be even stronger then!

Teng Qianjue asked himself: if he had such an opportunity to monopolize the entire Black Sha Marsh just by paying some price, would he make that choice?

The answer was: of course he would, and without hesitation!

Thinking of this, Teng Qianjue couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy.

"When did Old Ghost Hu become so skilled at scheming?"

In his heart, there was both the anger of being plotted against and a hint of wariness toward such ruthlessness and forbearance.

On the side, although Liu Wusheng didn't know exactly what Teng Qianjue was thinking, he also vaguely guessed that the person behind the scenes might be related to the Hu Family Ancestor, and his expression was terrifyingly dark.

However, what they didn't know was that at the very moment they broke free from the Chaos of their thoughts and their minds became clear again,

deep within the Hu Family, in a quiet underground room, a black-robed figure sitting cross-legged suddenly opened his eyes.

He slowly raised his head, his gaze seemingly piercing through layers of obstructions to look toward the two Golden Core True Persons.

There was no joy or sorrow in his eyes, only a sheet of indifference.

This person was precisely Murong Jingyang!

"A pity. Using the Blood Fiend Qi to catalyze the Six Desires was ultimately lacking a bit of mystery; it hasn't reached the peak and couldn't induce the two to reach the point of mutual injury or even mutual destruction."

"But it's understandable. After all, they are Golden Core True Persons, not as easy to deal with as those low-level Cultivators."

"But this is fine too..."

Murong Jingyang whispered to himself, a slight arc curling at the corners of his mouth.

"It saves you from actually playing yourselves to death."

"After all, what the Venerable wants isn't one or two useless corpses!"

Murong Jingyang slowly stood up and stretched his limbs.

"It seems I still have to personally take action to capture you all..."

Before his voice finished, he slowly extended his palm.

"Rumble—"

In an instant, in this core area of the Hu Family Territory, the earth began to tremble!

The ground cracked and soil rose as a secret room wrapped in heavy Restrictions, dozens of feet deep underground, was actually lifted from the depths of the earth by a vast and peerless force!

Then, completely detaching from the ground, it just floated in mid-air.

"Boom—"

The tightly closed hall doors burst open!

Murong Jingyang stepped out from within at an unhurried pace.

Then his gaze swept over Teng Qianjue and Liu Wusheng, who were startled by this sudden change, like a hunter sizing up his prey.

"It's you!"

Seeing the person's appearance, Liu Wusheng's associate, Third Madam, cried out in shock, her eyes full of disbelief.

How could this Cultivator, who had fled miserably three years ago under the joint pursuit of her and Teng Qianjue, appear in the Hu Family Ancestor's place of secluded cultivation?

The shock in Teng Qianjue's heart was even greater than Liu Wusheng's!

His pupils shrank, and a monstrous wave surged in his heart!

"Murong Jingyang! You're not dead!"

His voice was somewhat dry, not because of fear, but because of the shock brought by his perception being completely overturned.

"Fake, it's all fake!"

He instantly understood that his previous deduction was completely wrong!

The mastermind wasn't Hu Tiangang, who was presumed to have "faked his death," but this "already dead" Murong Jingyang!