amaotonovel Chapter 105 Exchange Conference, the Storm Begins
Chapter 105 Exchange Conference, the Storm Begins
Seven days later, the sun shone brightly, the clouds billowed, and the sect exchange conference was held as scheduled at the Cloudtop Palace. Lei Yi, dressed in a green robe and a sword at his waist, entered the venue alongside Dongfang Liuli, surrounded by numerous Jianxuan Sect disciples.
As soon as they entered, a solemn and murderous aura hit them, completely out of place in this ethereal Yunding Palace. Looking around, the disciples from various factions were dressed differently, but each one had a calm demeanor and a sharp gaze, clearly seasoned warriors.
Dongfang Liuli approached Lei Yi inconspicuously and whispered, "It seems that various forces are gathering at this conference, and undercurrents are surging. We must be extremely careful."
Lei Yi nodded slightly, his eyes scanning the surroundings. As Dongfang Liuli had said, the venue appeared calm, yet hidden within lay a murderous aura. He keenly caught two gazes, one sharp as a sword, the other cold as a venomous snake, both directed directly at him without hesitation.
Following their gaze, they saw the Jianxuan Sect's leader and the Poison Dragon Sect's leader sitting on the north and south sides of the venue respectively. Both of them were dressed in gorgeous clothes and had extraordinary bearings, but when their eyes met, sparks seemed to fly, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere that was about to explode.
"Junior Brother Lei, long time no see..." A sinister voice came from behind, with undisguised malice in the tone.
Lei Yi knew who was coming without even turning around. He turned and met the sinister gaze of Liu Qingyun, the young leader of the Poison Dragon Cult. Liu Qingyun was still dressed in his dark garb, but his face was paler than the last time they met, and a lingering gloom lingered between his brows.
"Thanks to the English translation, I won't die yet." Lei Yi replied calmly, with no emotion in his tone.
Liu Qingyun sneered and turned his gaze to Dongfang Liuli beside Lei Yi. A flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly concealed. He said in a frivolous tone: "This must be the famous Dongfang girl, right? It is true that hearing about her is not as good as meeting her in person. After meeting her today, I..."
"Young Master, please be careful with your words." Dongfang Liuli interrupted Liu Qingyun coldly without waiting for him to finish, with unquestionable majesty in her tone.
Liu Qingyun's face froze, but soon returned to normal. He looked at Dongfang Liuli deeply and said meaningfully: "Miss Dongfang is indeed very smart. I admire you." After that, he left with the disciples of the Poison Dragon Sect behind him.
"It seems that we have really stirred up a hornet's nest this time." Lei Yi looked at Liu Qingyun's departing back, a sneer appearing at the corner of his mouth.
"If an enemy comes, we will fight him; if a flood comes, we will block it with earth. What are you afraid of?" Dongfang Liuli held Lei Yi's hand, his eyes firm. "With me by your side, no one can hurt you."
Lei Yi held Dongfang Liuli's hand with his backhand, and his heart warmed. He knew that no matter what happened, Dongfang Liuli would fight alongside him.
At this moment, the conference officially began. An old man in a gray Taoist robe, with an air of immortality, slowly walked onto the stage. He was none other than the renowned Qingfeng Lay Buddhist, the host of this conference.
"Heroes and heroes, we have gathered at Yunding Palace today to celebrate this great event..." The voice of Qingfeng Jushi echoed in the hall in a deep and powerful voice. "I am here on behalf of the neutral sects. I hope that all sects can value harmony and work together to maintain peace in the martial arts world..."
On the surface, it sounded grand and high-sounding, but in reality, it was just a bunch of polite talk. Lei Yi sneered inwardly, his eyes sweeping around intentionally or unintentionally. Suddenly, his pupils shrank slightly, because he spotted a familiar figure... a man dressed in ordinary disciple clothes, short in stature, and inconspicuous in the crowd, but Lei Yi recognized him at a glance - the Xuanying Killer! How could he be here? Could it be... Lei Yi's heart suddenly tightened... Qingfeng Jushi was still talking on the stage, but Lei Yi had no intention of listening anymore. His eyes were always fixed on the Xuanying Killer in the crowd, and his heart was in turmoil. The appearance of this cold-blooded killer was no accident, and someone must have ordered him here! And this person was very likely related to the Poison Dragon Cult.
"It seems they want to kill me by borrowing my knife..." Lei Yi sneered inwardly, his eyes gradually becoming fierce. He wanted to see what tricks they could come up with in broad daylight!
Halfway through the meeting, the leader of the Poison Dragon Cult suddenly stood up, a false smile on his face, and said loudly: "My fellow sect leaders, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it or not."
"Master, please speak." The head of Jianxuan Sect said lightly, but a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.
The Poison Dragon Cult leader smiled faintly and said, "In recent years, the Demon Cult has been making moves. We righteous people should unite and fight against the Demon Cult together. However..." He paused deliberately, his eyes sweeping across the crowd, his tone becoming more meaningful. "Cultivation resources are becoming increasingly scarce these days, and friction is inevitable among the various sects as they scramble for them. If this continues, won't it make the Demon Cult a laughing stock?"
These words immediately stirred a commotion in the venue. The various sect leaders chatted among themselves, discussing the matter. Cultivation resources have always been a sensitive topic in the martial arts world, prone to conflict if handled with care. The Poison Dragon Cult leader's bringing this up now was clear to see his intentions.
"In your opinion, how should resources be distributed fairly and reasonably?" asked the head of Jianxuan Sect with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
The Poison Dragon Cult leader was well prepared. He cleared his throat and spoke loudly, "In my opinion, why not hand over all the cultivation resources of each sect and have them distributed uniformly by a single, highly respected figure? This way, we can avoid disputes while also concentrating resources and improving our overall strength. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
These words may seem righteous, but they actually harbor sinister intentions. Once all resources are in his hands, wouldn't he be able to manipulate other sects at will? Wouldn't the entire martial arts world be at his mercy then?
"Master, you're wrong!" A resounding voice rang out, and a burly, middle-aged man in a golden robe stood up. He was the head of the Vajra Sect. "Cultivation resources are hard-earned. How can we surrender them so easily? If so, wouldn't we become lambs to be slaughtered?"
"That's right! I, the Tianshan Sect, would be the first to disagree!"
"I don't agree either!"
……
For a time, voices of opposition arose one after another, and the proposal of the leader of the Poison Dragon Sect was strongly opposed by most sects.
"Hmph! You're so stubborn!" The Poison Dragon Cult leader's face darkened and he cursed in his heart, but his face remained expressionless. He still put on a sanctimonious look, as if he really cared about the martial arts world.
Lei Yi watched all this unfold, sneering inwardly. He knew the Poison Dragon Cult leader was deliberately stirring up trouble, attempting to use other sects against him. But did he really think he would let them manipulate him?
At this moment, a clear voice suddenly rang out in the crowd: "Hey, have you heard? That Lei Yi, it seems that he is not a genius at all, but relies on women to gain talent..."
Lei Yi suddenly looked up and looked in the direction of the voice. He saw a graceful woman in a pink dress standing in the crowd. She was talking and pointing in Lei Yi's direction.
"Hongxiu?" Dongfang Liuli recognized the woman immediately, and her face suddenly darkened. "Why is she here?"
The appearance of Red Sleeves was like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly stirring up a thousand waves. The people around him looked sideways, whispered among themselves, and looked at Lei Yi with eyes full of suspicion and contempt.
"Who is that girl with red sleeves?"
"I heard that she is the top performer at Tianxianglou and is very well-informed."
"Could what she said be true? Lei Yi looks so young, is he really that powerful?"
Lei Yi heard all sorts of discussions, and he clenched his fists so tightly that his nails almost pierced his palms. He wanted to rush forward and tear apart Hong Xiu's hypocritical face, but his mind told him not to do that.
It was obvious that Miss Hongxiu's words were deliberately arranged by someone, with the purpose of ruining his reputation and making him a target of public criticism. If he acted rashly now, he would only fall into the other party's trap.
Lei Yi took a deep breath, suppressed the anger in his heart, and looked towards the head of Jian Xuan Sect for help. However, the head of Jian Xuan Sect just shook his head slightly, signaling him not to act rashly.
Lei Yi's heart sank. He knew that the leader of Jianxuan Sect was trying to protect himself and was unwilling to offend the Poison Dragon Sect because of him.
Dongfang Liuli was furious when she saw Lei Yi being humiliated. She stood up suddenly and was about to speak to defend Lei Yi, but was stopped by Lei Yi.
"Liuli, don't be impulsive." Lei Yi said in a low voice, with a cold light in his eyes. "I will deal with these jumping clowns myself."
Dongfang Liuli looked at Lei Yi's determined eyes and felt a little relieved, but her gaze towards Hongxiu was still full of anger.
Seeing that she had successfully provoked trouble, Miss Hongxiu showed a hint of pride on her face. She covered her mouth with her hands and chuckled softly, then said in feigned surprise, "Oh, I was just saying it casually. Young Master Lei, you won't mind, right?"
Lei Yi looked at her coldly without saying anything.
Seeing that Lei Yi was unmoved, Miss Hongxiu felt a little unwilling. She rolled her eyes and said, "Actually, I heard that the reason why Young Master Lei was able to cultivate so quickly was because he obtained an ancient artifact. I wonder if it's true?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the people around were in an uproar, and their eyes looking at Lei Yi became even more passionate.
Ancient artifacts are legendary treasures that possess the power to destroy the world. If you can get one, wouldn’t you be able to dominate the world?
Lei Yi sneered inwardly. This Red Sleeve girl was truly adept at making up stories, even bringing up ancient artifacts. He was about to open his mouth to retort when he suddenly felt a cold murderous intent locking onto him.
He suddenly looked up and scanned the crowd, but found that everyone was talking and didn't notice anything unusual.
Is it my illusion? Lei Yi was puzzled, but the feeling of being watched became stronger and stronger.
At this moment, the leader of the Poison Dragon Cult suddenly stood up and said loudly, "Well, it's getting late. Let's end today's exchange meeting here."
Upon hearing this, everyone stood up and said goodbye.
Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli also walked out with the crowd. He kept observing his surroundings vigilantly, but the feeling of uneasiness in his heart became stronger and stronger.
Just then, a hand suddenly patted his shoulder.
"Mr. Lei, please stay." A low voice sounded in Lei Yi's ears.
Lei Yi's heart trembled, and he slowly turned around, only to see a man in black clothes and a hat, whose face could not be seen, standing behind him.
"Who are you?" Lei Yi asked warily.
The man in black didn't say anything. He just took out a folded note from his pocket and handed it to Lei Yi. Then he turned around and blended into the crowd and disappeared.
Lei Yi unfolded the note and saw only five words written on it: "Beware of the knife behind you." The words were so powerful that they pierced through the paper, as if carved with a sword, carrying a chilling chill. Lei Yi felt as if a huge rock had weighed down his heart, weighing him down and making him feel breathless.
Who delivered this message to him? Was it a kind reminder or a malicious threat? What exactly does the "knife in the back" refer to? Is it a hidden murderous intent or a lurking enemy?
Lei Yi's mind raced, trying to find some clues from today's events. Red Sleeve's deliberate provocations, the Poison Dragon Cult leader's meaningful gaze, and the fleeting icy murderous intent in the crowd... all these signs indicated that today's exchange conference was not as simple as it seemed.
"What's wrong, Brother Lei?" Dongfang Liuli noticed something strange about Lei Yi and asked with concern.
Lei Yi handed the note to Dongfang Liuli and said in a deep voice, "Someone sent me a message, telling me to be careful of the knife behind my back."
Dongfang Liuli took the note and examined it carefully. Her eyebrows knitted slightly as she said, "The handwriting is sharp and fierce. It must have been written by a master swordsman. It seems that the other party has ill intentions."
Lei Yi nodded, already making up his mind. He crushed the note into powder and said in a deep voice, "Let's get out of here first."
The two followed the crowd out of the venue. Lei Yi calmly observed the surroundings, trying to identify the person who had delivered the message to him. However, the crowd was bustling, and everyone had a different expression on their face, making it impossible to tell who was friend and who was foe.
"Brother Lei, where are we going now?" Dongfang Liuli asked.
Lei Yi pondered for a moment and said, "Let's go outside the city first and see if we can find some clues."
After leaving the venue, the two did not leave the city directly, but walked around the area for a few times. After making sure that no one was following them, they found a teahouse and sat down.
"Brother Lei, do you really believe what was written on that note?" Dongfang Liuli asked, "Could it be that someone is deliberately trying to scare us?"
Lei Yi shook his head and said, "It's better to believe it than not. We'd better be careful."
He picked up the teacup and took a sip, but his eyes were looking out the window. He thought to himself, "No matter who you are, since you dare to send me a message, it means you have been involved in this vortex. I want to see what you want to do!"
As the sun set and the sky gradually darkened, Lei Yi and Dongfang Liuli walked out of the teahouse, preparing to head out of the city.
"Brother Lei, look!" Dongfang Liuli suddenly pointed to an alley not far away and said, "There seems to be someone there."
Lei Yi looked in the direction of Dongfang Liuli's finger, and saw a blurry figure flash by in the depths of the alley.
"Chase!" Lei Yi shouted in a low voice, then his figure flashed and he chased in the direction of the alley.