Behind the pearl curtain, it wasn't the scandalous scene Nan Zhi had imagined. Instead, a stunning dragon girl was coiled upon a large clam-shell bed.
The dragon girl's skin shimmered with hints of aquatic blue. From the bridge of her nose to her forehead, pale blue dragon scales blended into her crimson hair. Atop her head sat a pair of water-blue dragon horns, as large and majestic as a stag's antlers.
She wore coral hairpins and pearl-shell ornaments. Dragon scales partially covered her body in place of undergarments, and she was draped in an ink-blue mermaid silk dress that shimmered like flowing seawater. Her narrow, upturned eyes were filled with a seductive, flirtatious charm, radiating a natural elegance.
At the foot of the clam bed knelt a fair-skinned man of the Sea Dragon Kingdom. His skin was as white as snow, and he looked up at the dragon girl with a gaze full of infatuation.
“My little darling, seeing you like this makes my heart ache,” the dragon girl teased, extending a finger to gently lift the man's chin.
“How about I take you as the fifty-sixth consort of my Rakshasa Sea Palace?”
“I would be honored.”
The Sea Dragon man's face lit up with joy as he stared blankly at her. His long tail silently wound around the clam-shell bed, curling around the dragon girl's calf and rubbing against it with obsessive devotion.
The cold fragrance in the air grew more intense. The dragon girl let out a tinkling laugh, pinching the man's tongue as if playing with a small animal, drawing out a thin, suggestive thread of silver.
Nan Zhi, a lifelong single, instantly felt her face flush hot.
She had definitely walked into the wrong room, hadn't she?!
Was this something she was allowed to see for free?
Nan Zhi swore she had only followed those two Wuwei Sect disciples inside.
“My disciples just reported that a rogue cultivator discovered traces of a low level Zhemu Sky Demon near the treasure ship.”
Suddenly, a voice spoke from a corner. The romantic atmosphere in the room vanished instantly. The dragon girl rolled her eyes elegantly and slowly began to play with her long nails.
“I must say, Great Master Zong, you really know how to ruin a mood. No wonder those vixen from Qingqiu look down on you.
“If it were me, I’d find you far too stiff and boring as well. I truly don't know why anyone would think you and I are a pair.”
Only then did Nan Zhi realize that there was a third person in the room besides the dragon girl and the Sea Dragon man. The person's aura was so well-concealed and they were so silent that they were incredibly easy to overlook.
It was a middle-aged cultivator in his early forties, wearing a crow-feather cloak.
“Great matters are at hand, yet you still have the mind for romance. Hmph.”
The cultivator sat before a small coral table, his expression solemn as he held the report sent in by the Wuwei Sect disciples.
“After half a year of planning, the Splendid Platform has followed its usual route through the Wuwang Sea of the East and North Provinces. Finally, we have some results.
“Low level Sky Demons are usually controlled by high level ones. Since this creature appeared near the ship, we must be close to that Nascent Soul Sky Demon's nest from years ago.”
“I severed one of that demon's arms back then, and it has held a grudge against me ever since. If it discovers the Splendid Platform's trail, it will surely seek revenge. This is the perfect opportunity for me to kill it once and for all.”
The dragon girl patted the Sea Dragon man's face, gesturing for him to leave. Once he was gone, she sat up, her face turning ice-cold.
“If my father didn't intend to let that despicable Jiao take over the Rakshasa Sea Market, I wouldn't have to take such a risk.
“He is truly incompetent. He let a mere human trap him during his dragon transformation and wasted decades in the Great Song. Now, he actually has the nerve to try and snatch the Rakshasa Sea Market that I worked so hard to build?!”
The dragon girl's eyes grew sharp, filled with killing intent.
“I've already sent word to him. If he dares to show his face, I'll make sure he's buried at the bottom of the Wuwang Sea!
“Even if my father comes to hold me accountable, I'll have an excuse. After all, the whole world knows that you, Master Zong Zheng, are hopelessly infatuated with Dragon Girl Mingzhu and spend your days drinking in the Haifang Market.
“If you happened to stumble upon that Jiao conspiring with a Sky Demon to ambush me while we were enjoying ourselves, it would only be natural for you to step in.
“When that happens, who in the Wuwei Sect or the Sea Nation could possibly find fault with it?”
“That Jiao knows you are fighting a Nascent Soul Sky Demon. He will surely try to reap the benefits and assassinate you to seize the position of market master. No wonder you were willing to pay such a high price to hire me as your secret backup.”
The Taoist shook his head, unable to help but sigh.
“In terms of schemes and methods, that Jiao is truly no match for you. If he really dares to come, I'm afraid there will be no return for him.”
Nan Zhi was stunned. These two were major figures!
One was the son of the Wuwei Sect leader, a Nascent Soul cultivator named Zong Zheng.
The other was the master of the Rakshasa Sea Market, the dragon girl Lady Ao Mingzhu.
Nan Zhi clicked her tongue inwardly, guessing that the "despicable" Jiao the dragon girl mentioned was likely the Lord Jiao she had met before.
That Lord Jiao had tried to capture her to play with his children. Now, hearing his name again, he was embroiled in an internal power struggle of the Sea Nation.
Nan Zhi also managed to piece together the relationships between them.
Lord Jiao wanted to kill the dragon girl, but coincidentally, the dragon girl wanted to kill him too. Thus, she had set a trap in this remote part of the Wuwang Sea to eliminate both the Nascent Soul Sky Demon and Lord Jiao in one fell swoop.
And this Master Zong Zheng was the backup the dragon girl had hired.
Lord Jiao, the Sky Demon, Zong Zheng, and the dragon girl.
If a chaotic battle broke out, it would be four Nascent Soul level combatants fighting on the same stage. It was bound to be a spectacular sight.
Nan Zhi wrapped her Spirit Swallowing Grass blanket tighter, her heart racing with anticipation.
The two Nascent Soul cultivators continued to refine their plan, detail by detail. They didn't just consider the lives of the cultivators on the Splendid Platform; they casually decided Lord Jiao's fate as well.
Nan Zhi nodded as she listened, feeling a sense of relief.
She had underestimated the intelligence of the people in this game world.
The dragon girl was not unprepared for this demon-slaying mission.
With thirty-seven late-stage Golden Core cultivators from the pill, formation, talisman, and sword lineages on the Splendid Platform, plus the assistance of Zong Zheng at the mid-stage Nascent Soul, and the dragon girl herself being at the Demon Soul stage, killing an injured Nascent Soul Sky Demon and a Jiao who had only recently transformed was more than feasible.
It seemed the Wuwei Sect operated quite differently from the Qingjing Sect.
Nan Zhi's gaze fell on Zong Zheng, observing him closely.
Rumor had it that this Master Zong was a wild and eccentric man who fell in love with the dragon girl at first sight. After being rejected, he supposedly threw tantrums and spent his days wailing and drinking.
But listening to their conversation, it seemed there was more to the story.
“?”
Zong Zheng suddenly looked toward Nan Zhi's direction, his brow furrowed.
Seeing this, the dragon girl immediately burst into laughter.
“What are you afraid of? There are formations both inside and outside this room. Any use of magic would leave a trace. Do you really think someone could bypass layers of formations to enter this room and eavesdrop on us?”
Nan Zhi: “...”
She didn't dare move. She didn't dare move at all.
“The Four Provinces are vast, and there is no shortage of wonders. Items that can conceal spiritual energy are as numerous as the sea. Legend has it that within the sect's treasury, there is a kerchief woven from Spirit Swallowing Grass that can shield one's presence from any divine sense below the deity transformation stage. It is a rare treasure of the sect.
“Unfortunately, over the last few hundred years, the spiritual energy of the Four Provinces has withered, and Spirit Swallowing Grass has become hard to find. Only the South Province still has some remaining.
“Perhaps I've just been overthinking things lately, becoming a bit paranoid.”
Zong Zheng rubbed his brow, his expression somewhat unnatural.
“I only hope that after we kill that troublemaking Jiao, you will honor our agreement and travel to the Kingdom of Qingqiu on my behalf—”
“You just want me to help you find out which fox girl from Qingqiu slept with you back then and then dumped you without a second thought? That's simple enough.”
The dragon girl raised an eyebrow, her beautiful face full of schadenfreude.
“That fox girl is truly a role model for our kind. Not only did she force herself upon the former number one genius of the Wuwei Sect for a night of passion, but she was also heartless enough to leave you pining for over a decade.
“Everyone in your Wuwei Sect thinks the heartless woman who abandoned you was me. Hahaha, it's truly hilarious.”
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