Chapter 445 Schemes and Calculations

As time passed, the blizzard outside grew fiercer. Except for the city walls protected by formation arrays, everything else had been buried in an endless sea of white. Without proper supplies, anyone caught in this would freeze to death.

Chen Fei looked toward the tent entrance. At that moment, Mingyuan was sound asleep inside.

Ever since returning from the volcanic crater, Mingyuan had been tormented by the strange power he brought back. His body and spirit had both taken a heavy toll.

However, Chen Fei had used Qi to shield himself and secretly employed the Void Heaven Cauldron, which directly absorbed the corrupted energy from Mingyuan’s body.

Originally nibbling slowly on Qi, the Heaven Silkworm Gu suddenly grew ecstatic and devoured the foreign energy in one gulp.

After Mingyuan took a medicinal pill, he slipped into a deep sleep.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed outside. Chen Fei looked up just in time to see someone entering—it was none other than Strategist Ma Shuo, flanked by guards.

“Fellow Daoist Chen, we meet again,” Ma Shuo said with a friendly smile.

Chen Fei nodded in return, and behind him, Mingyuan stirred. His eyes shot open sharply. Despite the short nap, he seemed full of energy.

“Strategist Ma! Junior Brother!” Mingyuan stretched and clenched his fists, surprised by the strength he now felt coursing through him.

Ma Shuo cast a surprised glance at Chen Fei. The Zhenbei Army’s best healers couldn’t help Mingyuan’s condition, but now it was resolved in less than a day? Clearly, Chen Fei’s abilities were far beyond what had been reported.

This was good news.

“Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Mingyuan. With your condition recovered, our odds have greatly improved,” Ma Shuo said as he stroked his beard.

Mingyuan nodded, his fighting spirit surging. “No matter how many demons come, they won’t succeed this time!”

Chen Fei stayed silent. Ma Shuo, not wasting time, said, “It’s almost time. We’ll head over now. Unfortunately, Zhenbei King has suffered backlash from probing the statue’s secrets, so I’ll be leading this operation.”

Mingyuan shot a guilty glance at Chen Fei. This whole affair had begun with him, and now even Zhenbei King had been harmed—it was hard not to feel responsible.

But Chen Fei waved it off. “No matter. If we can thwart the demons’ plan, then this will all have been worth it.”

Although it was technically daytime, the sky outside was dark and hazy. Visibility was nearly zero. The wind howled louder than before, almost like wolves wailing across the land.

Under Ma Shuo’s lead, the group arrived swiftly at the Heavenly Secrets Platform (Tianji Tai).

As soon as they closed the doors behind them, Ma Shuo began shivering from the cold. Destiny Seers like him possessed powerful spiritual senses but very fragile bodies. If not for the protective arrays, this trip might have cost him his life.

“Damn this ghost weather!” he muttered bitterly. Fortunately, the Heavenly Secrets Platform was well-insulated with fire basins and formations maintaining a pleasant warmth.

“That statue has already shown signs of activation,” Ma Shuo said, hurrying into the platform’s inner chamber.

Inside was a bizarre statue that gave off an eerie feeling. A dark glow pulsed on its surface, spreading outward in regular intervals.

“This is the statue Mingyuan brought back. According to our studies, once the black aura pulses nine times, a portal to a hidden realm will open,” Ma Shuo explained while glancing at Chen Fei.

Chen Fei nodded. “Can you estimate how many demon cultivators will come through? And their strength?”

Ma Shuo rubbed his chin. “There have been countless ancient realms discovered throughout history. While each has unique properties, there are some common traits. This aura—it’s strange, but not particularly deep or vast. Based on our experience, the realm’s capacity should only allow cultivators up to the Earth Path Realm.”

“In short, the most powerful demon you’ll face should be Earth Path level,” he said firmly.

Hearing this, Chen Fei relaxed. If the enemies were capped at the Earth Path Realm, then things wouldn’t be too difficult. In fact, if handled right, they could become valuable resources.

Ever since visiting the Goldgather Pavilion, Chen Fei had become painfully aware of how poor he was. The Void Heaven Cauldron was picky, the Heaven Silkworm Gu even more so—both were resource-hungry monsters.

He would absolutely need rare materials to support his cultivation in the future. If the invading demons were of valuable species, he might even earn a fortune from them.

Northern Wastes – Demon Territory

In the depths of a dark cave, inside a private chamber, a beautiful woman known as Nine Demoness (Jiu Yao) lounged lazily on a bed. Before her stood a statue identical to the one Mingyuan had brought to the Zhenbei Army.

“The time’s about right,” she murmured, trailing a finger over her lips. “Senior Brother Tianzeng is still too impatient. There are some things… he doesn’t need to know.”

She giggled to herself and glanced again at the statue. As the aura around it pulsed repeatedly, her smile grew wider.

Looking in the direction of Zhenbei City, she laughed even more gleefully. “Lord Ling, I’ve already prepared your offerings. How about you?”

A deep, hoarse voice answered from the darkness. “Don’t worry. I’m ready too.”

Nine Demoness’s grin widened. “Then allow me to congratulate Lord Ling in advance on stepping into the Void Realm!”

“Hmph. Save your flattery. If you dare deceive me, you know the price!” The voice vanished into the void with those cold words.

Nine Demoness’s eyes flickered with strange light. She looked again at the statue and whispered, “The demon race can only rise again… in my hands. Senior Brother Tianzeng, I hope you like the surprise I’ve prepared for you.”

With a small smile, she gently pointed at the statue.

At her touch, nine beams of black light burst forth from its surface and shot outward, disappearing into the distance.

Tianzeng appeared instantly in the chamber, alarmed by the outburst. “Jiu Yao, what just happened?”

“Fufufu~ Just a little trick with my new cultivation technique,” she said sweetly. “No need to worry. I’m just sending some people off to take care of something.”

Hearing this, Tianzeng’s tense expression relaxed. “So long as it wasn’t a mistake in your practice. By the way, I sent Kui Mu Wolf on a mission. If you need him, I can call him back.”

“No need. With the Zhenbei Festival approaching, chaos is inevitable. Having him there is a good thing,” she replied with a chuckle. “Besides, if everything goes smoothly, I promise you’ll love what I have planned.”

Tianzeng blinked. He hadn’t mentioned where Kui Mu Wolf had been sent, yet she guessed correctly. Still, given Jiu Yao’s cunning, it wasn’t too surprising.

“The most important thing is for you to recover fully,” he said before disappearing once again into the shadows.

Left alone, Nine Demoness rested her cheek on her palm and stared at the statue, blinking her large eyes with a playful glint.

“I hope Tianzeng doesn’t get angry later,” she murmured. “But hey… I schemed even him into this mess. With that brain of his, I doubt he’ll even realize what’s happening. Hehehe~”