Among the experts of the Southern Witch Sect, the Blood River Sect was considered the lineage that most frequently ventured north into the Central Earth Great Tang.

Especially in recent years, frequent killings and battles had occurred throughout various parts of the Great Tang.

The members of the Blood River Sect were like sharks that had caught the scent of blood, chasing and gathering everywhere.

Some from the Blood River Sect died in various places, never to return to the Southern Wilderness.

But some, due to the peculiarities of their heritage, refined vast amounts of murderous and deathly auras, significantly improving their cultivation realms and their Cultivation Strength.

Wei Ancheng, the Sect Leader of the Blood River Sect, was indeed one of the best among them.

It wasn't that no one had thought of ambushing or assassinating the descendants of the Blood River Sect.

There had been many successes over the years.

But Wei Ancheng was so powerful and his movements so secretive that in recent years, as he traveled all around, he became increasingly stronger. Every time he reappeared in public, his Cultivation Strength had risen to a new level.

So much so that rumors spread he was gaining momentum to become the new number one expert of the Southern Witch Sect.

Previously, during the great battle between the Celestial Master Mansion and the Jiangzhou Lin Clan, some masters of the Blood River Sect sporadically appeared nearby, but Wei Ancheng himself was never found.

Afterward, when Prince Wu rebelled and the Tang Imperial Court quelled the chaos, the Empress herself went to the East Sea coast to suppress the demon disturbance.

Upper Three Heavens experts of the Blood River Sect also appeared, continuing to take advantage of the chaos for their benefit, yet Wei Ancheng's whereabouts remained unknown.

Now, there was finally news of him.

It was just that this news directly accompanied the fall of the Abbot of Bodhi Temple, one of the Four Sacred Grounds of the Buddhist Sect.

When the Sect Leader of the Blood River Sect personally took action, it was always earth-shattering.

As for whether it was seizing an opportunity or part of a long-laid plan, probably only those involved truly knew.

"The latest information we've received is that the Great Void Temple attacked Bodhi Temple. Bodhi Temple was vulnerable due to the absence of many of its masters and ultimately could not withstand the assault; its mountain gates were breached by the Great Void Temple. As for the detailed aftermath, I currently do not know; I'm awaiting further accurate news."

Ye Qi's expression was one of regret. "It's a pity that the ancient Bodhi Temple, with its thousands of years of history, has encountered such a catastrophe. Though what's past is past, Abbot Liaoyuan's earlier decision was truly ill-considered!"

"You're right, Mr. Xiujing," Li Xuan said, his gaze sweeping across Ye Qi and the other Jinzhou Ye Clan members before him.

Whether Wei Ancheng had long planned his move is difficult to guess.

But regarding the turmoil in the Northern Lands and the calamity at Bodhi Temple, it was clear that the Jinzhou Ye Clan, along with the Youzhou Forest Clan, and even potentially the Qingzhou Ye Clan and other Prestigious Families acting secretly behind the scenes, had been planning for a long time.

As for the Demon Race, it was hard to say.

But they surely had an understanding with the Great Void Temple.

The Great Void Temple did not mind being used as a weapon by them, or even taking the blame.

This heretical Buddhist sect was known for its radical actions and was a sworn enemy of the Buddhist Holy Land Bodhi Temple.

If there was a chance to wipe out Bodhi Temple, why would the Great Void Temple hold back?

If the Tang Imperial Court had possessed surplus strength, perhaps it would have provided some support and care, at least preserving some Primordial Qi for Bodhi Temple, preventing its Ancestral Courtyard of the Sect from being forcefully breached by the Great Void Temple.

But the Tang Imperial Court's attention was currently focused on the southeast.

From the moment Abbot Liaoyuan led his followers from Bodhi Temple and headed north, everything seemed predestined.

Li Xuan couldn't help but think: If it weren't for Tang Xiaotang's sudden breakthrough to the Eightfold Heaven Realm and her immediate, unhesitating rush back to the mountain to cause trouble for Li Song and Li Ziyang, would the Jinzhou Ye Clan and the other Prestigious Families have first targeted the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion, which was embroiled in internal strife, instead?

Now, with so much preparation underway in the Northern Lands and the arrow already nocked, the Jinzhou Ye Clan and the Youzhou Forest Clan had no choice but to strike at Bodhi Temple first.

As for the Celestial Master Mansion, only Middle Three Heavens Cultivators like Ye Qi had come over.

And their reasons for coming...

"Taoist Li, how are your preparations?" Ye Qi asked.

Li Xuan took out a list and handed it to him. "The names at the front are the ones to be most wary of."

Ye Qi took the list. The first name that caught his attention was:

Lei Jun.

"Lei Jun, Lei Chongyun, is indeed a Heavenly Talent," Ye Qi nodded. "But for that very reason, he must be eradicated early. Otherwise, how can we be sure he won't become another Xu Yuanzhen or Tang Xiaotang someday?"

Li Xuan's typically stern face now looked as black as the bottom of a pot.

Considering Yuan Mobai, his disciple, who is the spitting image of his master, is likely no better.

Everything before was merely concealment and deception.

Even if that wasn't the case, he and Yuan Mobai, together, are now destined to be enemies of the Li Clan.

Now that all pretenses are dropped, this boy must not be allowed to live!

As Ye Qi glanced over the list, his peripheral vision caught Li Xuan.

The list basically covered all the notable external disciples of the Dragon Tiger Mountain Celestial Master's Mansion, from the Middle Three Heavens to the Lower Three Heavens.

Among them, some were newcomers with low cultivation realms, yet they were also included, with some even ranked highly.

The ranking basis was certainly not Li Xuan's personal preference, but an estimation of their potential and abilities.

Eliminating all the Celestial Master Mansion disciples on the list would be very difficult; just finding them would be a challenge.

But the goal for now was to try and deal with a portion of them; the rest could be handled slowly and methodically later.

However, Ye Qi also noticed some issues.

For instance, the names of Zhang Jingzhen, Lin Shan, Shangguan Hong, and others were not on the list.

Clearly, Li Xuan, or rather Li Ziyang and the others, were still unwilling to completely sever ties with the Tang Imperial Court.

Even though people like Shangguan Ning had maintained ambiguous attitudes during the Celestial Master Mansion's internal conflict.

All those years of burning incense had been in vain; how could Li Xuan and the other Li Clan members not feel hatred in their hearts?

But in the current situation of the great battle on Dragon Tiger Mountain, the Li Clan did not hold the upper hand.

Therefore, the Li Clan currently needed to minimize making enemies as much as possible, to guard against any eventuality.

Moreover, although they had established a connection with the Jinzhou Ye Clan, Li Ziyang, Li Xuan, and the others had no real intention of tying themselves completely to the Ye Clan.

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