207: Chapter 207 Gathering Manpower and Planning an Ambush!

...

The first one he found was Thunder Badger.

This badger was nestled in an underground river in the southeastern part of the Secret Realm, holding a spiritual fish of some unknown species in its mouth, eating until its mouth was dripping with grease.

Seeing Elder Rat drill out from the soil, the badger rolled its eyes.

"What is it?"

"I've found a fat sheep, but the target is a bit thorny. I need to find a partner."

Elder Rat scurried up to him and lowered his voice, explaining Xiao An's situation in detail: "The chief Disciple of the Tianjian Sect. He has at least one wisp of Earth Dao heaven and earth qi on him."

"This kid is being hunted by all sides, and even his own Senior Brother from the same Sect wants to kill him."

"Just the two of us?" Thunder Badger chewed up and swallowed the fish tail. "Are you kidding me? That's a False Core-level combat power."

"That's why I'm looking for helpers!"

Elder Rat said anxiously, "We have quite a few brothers scattered throughout this Secret Realm. Gathering six or seven Foundation Establishment Great Demons to surround and kill an injured Sword Cultivator shouldn't be a problem."

Hearing this, Thunder Badger understood.

"It's not impossible to make a move together, but once we get the heaven and earth qi, how do we split it?"

"Can you use Earth Dao heaven and earth qi?" Elder Rat asked in response.

"No."

"Then that's settled. We'll take the heaven and earth qi back and hand it over to the Old Ancestor to deal with, and we'll split the other treasures on him equally."

"He's the chief Disciple of the Tianjian Sect. Guess how many good things must be in his Storage Pouch!"

Hearing this, Thunder Badger's eyes lit up.

"Alright, let's do it!"

...

Over the next two days, Elder Rat went on without stopping, successively finding the three bear demons: Xiong Shan, Lei Nu, and Shuang Yu...

Xiong Shan had been living quite well lately, having hunted several native Yao Beasts in the dense forest in the southwest of the Secret Realm. Overflowing with vital energy, he was just looking for a place to vent it.

As soon as he heard there was a fight, he agreed without a second thought.

Lei Nu had just come out of the Thunder Marsh. The thunder light around him was much more condensed than before, and his aura had grown increasingly deep, already reaching Foundation Establishment Perfection.

In terms of cultivation, he could be said to be the strongest under Shi Jian!

He was not far from Core Formation either. What he lacked was nothing more than heaven and earth qi. Without the assistance of heaven and earth qi, it would likely be difficult for him to cross the Three Core Formation Barriers.

He didn't have much interest in Disciples of the Tianjian Sect or the like.

But after all, the Old Ancestor had instructed that the interests of the Yao Race came first, so Lei Nu agreed. If they really could seize the heaven and earth qi...

...then this wisp would definitely have to be given to Shi Pan to refine.

At that time, Shi Pan would be qualified to break through to Core Formation, becoming the second Golden Core Yao General of their Bear Clan, and their Bear Clan lineage would also grow even stronger!

As the leader of the Thunder Bear Lineage, compared to personal gains and losses...

...the interests of the clan were clearly above all else!

Shuang Yu was the easiest to talk to. This Icefield Bear had a steady temperament and agreed to whatever Elder Rat said, lacking much opinion of her own.

Her only request was to be allocated a bit more resources.

The request was not excessive, so Elder Rat naturally agreed.

Finally, there were Bi Luo and Bai Ling.

Bi Luo's condition was somewhat better than two months ago, but she was still far from her peak. The backlash of her Bloodline Divine Ability could not be recovered from in the short term, and she currently had only about sixty to seventy percent of her strength.

Elder Rat guaranteed Bi Luo's safety and would not have her act as the main attacker.

In return, if there were any spiritual plant seeds or wood-attribute Spiritual Materials on Xiao An, they would all belong to Bi Luo as compensation for her help.

As for Bai Ling, it was even simpler.

The White Fox Clan was skilled in illusion and bewitching enemies, which was extremely useful in a coordinated ambush. Elder Rat and she hit it off immediately, barely even negotiating a price.

She only asked that Elder Rat put in a good word for the White Fox Clan in front of Shi Jian in the future.

At this point—

...in just a few short days, Elder Rat had rallied six Foundation Establishment Great Demons to make a move.

Squatting on a rock, Elder Rat looked around at these six differently shaped Yao Beasts, his pointed mouth grinning from ear to ear.

With such a lineup, why worry about not being able to take down Xiao An!

...

In the northeastern direction of the Secret Realm, the Rocky Hills.

Xiao An fled day and night, constantly escaping toward remote areas...

Over the past few days, he had successively repelled three waves of pursuers. One wave was from the Haoran Sect of the Liang Kingdom, and two waves were Loose Cultivators of unknown origin.

He killed six, severely injured four, and used up a great deal of his own resources as well.

But what truly made him unable to eat or sleep in peace was still the aura behind him.

Qi Wenyuan.

His dear Senior Brother, the top Prodigy of this generation of the Tianjian Sect!

When seizing the Earth Dao heaven and earth qi in the core area, Xiao An and Qi Wenyuan had fought for it at the same time.

His sword was a step faster, and he was the first to take the heaven and earth qi into his Qi Sea. However, Qi Wenyuan did not let it go. Instead, he secretly spread the news during the retreat, leaking Xiao An's location to various forces.

Using this to kill with a borrowed knife.

Once Xiao An was exhausted from being hunted, Qi Wenyuan would come to reap the rewards.

"My dear Senior Brother, you really are too kind!"

Leaning behind a huge boulder, Xiao An mobilized his Spiritual Qi and true essence, slowly repairing and recovering from the injuries on his Physical Body...

It was just that some wounds carried poison, or were tainted by Dao charm.

This made them unable to heal in a short period, only continuously draining his strength.

He knew Qi Wenyuan all too well.

That guy had been plotting against his position ten years ago. After failing several times, he had finally found an opportunity this time.

There was no one in charge in the Secret Realm, and killing a fellow Disciple would not leave any evidence.

After returning, he would only need to say that Junior Brother Xiao was brutally besieged and unfortunately perished, and all would be fine, wiping his hands clean of all problems.

No matter how ridiculous this cover-up might be.

But if he really died, no one would cripple another Genius for the sake of a dead one...

The higher-ups of the Tianjian Sect would not investigate.

After all, although Geniuses were rare, there were always others. Not to mention, if the Earth Dao heaven and earth qi fell into Qi Wenyuan's hands...

...for the Sect, they could still nurture a Golden Core.

The result would remain the same, so it didn't matter who died.

They might even feel that the one who survived had a better Heart-Nature, and would tilt resources toward him instead. The cultivation world is just that fucked up.

The survivor is the righteous one!

The so-called "when one achieves success and fame, there will naturally be great scholars to justify their actions" is roughly what it means. The world keeps turning no matter who is missing.

For the Sect, it was nothing more than a question of who achieved Core Formation...

...