187: Meng Lang's Little Intentions

Meng Bi felt a surge of joy and hurriedly said:

"The Core Ranking Competition is in a few days! This scoundrel will definitely participate!"

"Brother Xiao, your cultivation is at Golden Core Perfection, and you are a Peak Master's personal disciple. You can 'guide' him during the ranking battles,"

"make him look like a complete fool in public, or even... cripple him! Let him know the consequences of offending us brothers!"

"As long as Brother Xiao is willing to act, I will surely provide a generous reward!"

"The Core Ranking Competition, huh..."

Xiao Chen lightly tapped the armrest of his soft couch, a calculating glint flashing in his eyes.

"It is indeed a good Opportunity. According to the Sect rules, in the ranking battles, as long as lives are not taken,"

"severe injuries and crippling are within the allowed scope..."

He pondered for a moment, a chilling smile appearing on his face:

"Very well, this Prince accepts the task."

"Thank you, Brother Xiao! Thank you, Brother Xiao!" Meng Bi was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly.

"However," Xiao Chen's tone shifted, his eyes turning cold, "know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."

"Go immediately, use all the connections you have, and find out every detail of Yao Delong's movements over the past month,"

"the people he has met, and the strength and methods he has displayed. Investigate everything thoroughly!"

"Especially his experiences in the Immortal Mausoleum—not even the slightest clue can be missed!"

"Yes! I'll get right on it!"

Meng Bi's spirits rose, as if he could already see the scene of Yao Delong being trampled underfoot by Xiao Chen on the ranking stage, and he excitedly took his leave.

Watching Meng Bi's departing figure, the smile on Xiao Chen's face gradually faded, leaving only cold calculation.

He lightly stroked the emerald jade talisman in his hand and whispered to himself:

"Yao Delong... a Golden Core who has comprehended a Domain?"

"Heh, this Prince wants to see if you, this stepping stone, are hard enough!"

"The Opportunity you possess... this Prince is determined to have it!" The greedy light in his eyes was almost tangible.

In Yao Delong's courtyard on Luoxia Peak.

The flickering lamplight cast a long, slender shadow of the focused Luo Miaomiao.

The speck of water-blue light at her fingertip had condensed into something solid, emitting a heart-palpitatingly sharp aura.

Although it was far inferior to Yao Delong's Sword Qi that could pierce through Azure Steel Stone, for her, it was already a qualitative leap!

"Condense!" Luo Miaomiao shouted softly, and the light at her fingertip suddenly exploded!

Chii—!

A water-blue beam of light, as condensed as a needle and extremely fast, shot out.

In an instant, it pierced through a millstone-sized Bluestone ten feet away!

A small hole with smooth edges was left on the stone's surface. Though it wasn't bottomless like Yao Delong's,

its piercing power already far exceeded any of her previous techniques!

"I did it! Senior Brother! I did it!"

Luo Miaomiao jumped up in excitement, her small face flushed with agitation.

The stray hairs on her forehead were stuck to her smooth skin by sweat, and her large eyes sparkled with an unprecedented brilliance.

The look she gave Yao Delong was filled with pure admiration and gratitude.

Yao Delong nodded slightly, the look of approval in his eyes deepening:

"Not bad, you've just begun to grasp the basics. The key to this technique lies in the ultimate unification of mind and spiritual power."

"With diligent practice in the future, faster compression and stronger penetration will make this one of your ultimate moves."

"Mhm! I will definitely practice hard!"

Luo Miaomiao nodded vigorously, feeling her whole body filled with strength, her previous exhaustion swept away.

After several hours of guidance, although her cultivation hadn't achieved a Breakthrough, her control over power, her understanding of combat,

and her perception of her own water techniques had undergone earth-shaking changes!

This feeling of having a touch of gold made her dependence on and admiration for the Senior Brother before her grow even deeper.

Tuyao Peak, Meng Bi's Immortal Cave.

"Useless! All of you are useless! After investigating for so long, this is all you have?!"

Meng Bi irritably swept a stack of intelligence Jade Slips to the ground, roaring at Meng Lang, who stood below with his head bowed.

Meng Lang kept his head down, a faint, imperceptible coldness and calculation flashing through his eyes, though his face was filled with fear and helplessness:

"Cousin, please calm down! Since Yao Delong returned from outside the Sect, his movements have been extremely low-key."

"Aside from acting today at the Training Grounds to intimidate you... oh no, to intimidate the rabble,"

"and taking Luo Miaomiao back to Luoxia Peak in the evening, he has hardly left his home!"

"His specific experiences outside the Sect are even less known!"

"We only know that he did encounter a Nascent Soul Demonic Cultivator, but how he escaped and what Opportunity he gained is completely unknown!"

"Useless!"

Meng Bi cursed again, his chest aching slightly—it was his internal organs, injured by Yao Delong's Sword Domain, protesting.

He paced irritably, the feeling of helplessness from being crushed by Yao Delong's strength and his jealousy toward Luo Miaomiao biting at him like a venomous snake.

Meng Lang carefully observed Meng Bi's expression, sneering in his heart.

This cousin of his was still only thinking about retaliating against Yao Delong, failing to see that he was already like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river—unable to even save himself!

The Marquis's Estate Elders were already extremely dissatisfied with his successive failures, the loss of the Blood Vulture Death Warriors, and his behavior that almost brought trouble upon them.

If his father, the current family head, hadn't insisted on protecting him, the position of Heir Apparent would have changed hands long ago!

'That brute Meng Hu is dead, and in this generation of the direct line, only he and I are left...'

Meng Lang's heart rate accelerated slightly, a bold and sinister thought growing wildly in his mind.

'What if he... also dies at Yao Delong's hands, or... dies in an "accident" during the Core Ranking Competition?'

Once this thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

His previous urging of Meng Bi to deal with Yao Delong was also out of greed for Yao Delong's Magic Treasure and Opportunity.

But now, he saw a greater benefit—taking his place and becoming the new Heir Apparent of the Marquis's Estate!

The stronger Yao Delong was, the more likely he was to "accidentally" severely injure or even... cripple Meng Bi during the ranking battles!

When that time came, he, Meng Lang, would be the sole direct heir!

"Cousin," Meng Lang suppressed the wild joy in his heart, his face showing an even more humble and worried expression.

"That Yao Delong's strength is unfathomable. Even you... ahem,"

"even he dared to act against you in public, showing how arrogant and domineering he is, with no respect for status!"

"Although the Third Prince has agreed to act... shouldn't we also make secondary preparations? Just in case..."

"Just in case what?" Meng Bi turned abruptly, staring at Meng Lang with gloomy eyes.

"What if even the Third Prince... can't do anything to him?"

Meng Lang said "worriedly," "After all, he is a monster who has comprehended a Domain!"

"Moreover, he has the Luoxia Peak Master behind him! Should we... prepare some 'backup plans' in advance?"

Meng Lang's "worried" words were like a venomous snake's tongue, accurately piercing Meng Bi's deepest fear—that even the Third Prince might fail!

"Backup plans?"

Meng Bi turned abruptly, staring at Meng Lang with gloomy eyes, like a trapped beast.

"What backup plans? Do you expect this Heir Apparent to take the field personally? Or are you relying on a useless person like yourself?!"

Meng Lang cursed in his heart, but his face became even more humble and fearful as he hurriedly said:

"Cousin, please calm down! How would I dare let you put yourself in danger?"

"What I mean is... could we perhaps request 'Uncle Dao' to act?"

"Uncle Dao?" Meng Bi's pupils shrank slightly, and his irritable pacing came to a sudden halt.

Daoba! The sharpest, most loyal, and most clandestine blade under his father, Marquis Zhenyuan Current Marquis!

With a Mid Nascent Soul Stage cultivation, his killing techniques were superb, especially in concealment and one-hit kills.

Back when Current Marquis was just a Border Army general, Daoba followed him.

On the battlefields of the Demonic Calamity, amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood, he saved Current Marquis's life countless times and dealt with numerous unspeakable opponents.

It could be said that Daoba was instrumental in Current Marquis's ascent to the position of Marquis Zhenyuan!

He was Current Marquis's true confidant and one of the pillar forces hidden in the shadows of the Meng family!