Wait a minute, where is my master?

Shangjing City, a hundred miles away.

Enveloped by a mist, a vast valley.

Caravans of merchant carts incessantly entered and exited.

The soft ground had been pressed into distinct patterns by the wheels of various sizes.

The carts followed the ruts they knew well, like ants moving house, ferrying cartloads of Shangjing citizens into the valley.

Once inside the valley, the Demon Sect disciples driving the carts tossed the people off like livestock, onto the gravel ground, without a trace of compassion.

The citizens thrown onto the ground were numb, their eyes hollow, and even those whose heads bled from sharp stones showed no reaction. They simply stood up silently and merged into the crowd.

At the base of the valley's inner wall, there were piles that looked like hills of trash, which were the "caring" provisions that Four Elders Ye Wuyang had prepared for the citizens.

If the valley's inhabitants were hungry, they would follow their survival instincts to eat and drink, ensuring they did not starve to death.

They were the important bargaining chips for this plan; the Demon Sect had to make sure they stayed alive until Xia Yunzhao's coronation.

At the mouth of the valley.

Ye Wuyang watched silently as the last cart left the valley, about to say something.

The sultry yet slightly disdainful voice of the Demon Sect's Third Elder spoke beside him, "Your eyes are covered, can you even see?"

"..."

Ye Wuyang ignored Yan Meishan's comment. Ever since the last time she had tried to flee and he had forcibly persuaded her to stay, she had been speaking to him in this manner.

"Never mind whether I can see or not. Now that the 'goods' have all been moved into the valley, it's time for you to raise the Formation."

"Heh~ Are you sure your plan will work? Don't mess up and lose your life again."

Despite her disdainful remarks, the Third Elder leaped into the air and cast out several Formation flags into the thick fog. As the flags vanished into the mist, the dense fog over the entire valley churned violently.

Seeing this, Yan Meishan quickly pinched out a few spells, sending out streams of Spiritual Power.

The fog above the valley gradually dispersed, replaced by a transparent red Spiritual Power Shield.

Afterward, she began sprinting around the massive valley, continuously embedding Formation flags and prohibitions.

Only after busying herself for an hour did the Third Elder return to the valley entrance.

"Whew~ The Formation is in place. Now, neither of us can enter this valley."

Yan Meishan wiped the sweat from her forehead and let out a breath. The Spiritual Power needed for this Formation was not much, but it mainly drained the caster's mental energy. The Third Elder had to be extremely careful while setting it up, as any carelessness could lead to complete failure.

Ye Wuyang nodded slightly and confidently said, "Thank you for your hard work. Rest assured about this plan. What I'm using here is an open strategy. Xia Xuanmin is willing to sacrifice the people of four cities and his reputation in the Nine Provinces, but would he be ruthless enough to let his successor tarnish her reputation upon ascending the throne? If so, Great Xia would indeed have a valid reason to be denounced by everyone."

The Third Elder, seeing his confident demeanor, couldn't help but mock, "Don't forget about that little Taoist."

"Ha, that little Taoist is deeply connected to Xia Yunzhao; she'll definitely not allow her reputation to be tarnished. Now that the citizens are in our hands, they can only comply with this plan obediently."

Yan Meishan heard this, offered a charming smile, and then with parting lips said, "There's a delicate balance to fishing~~"

Demon Sect's Four Elder: "..."

...

...

In Shangjing, inside the patrolman's prison.

All eyes were fixated on the little Taoist.

Jin Xu, however, ignored them.

His eyes brimming with a lecherous light, he was intently observing the three people said to be the Demon Sect's Cultivator's incarnations.

Within the depths of the Sea of Consciousness of Kui Lei and the two deputy commanders lay a tiny Spiritual Seed, nearly undetectable yet containing a vast amount of Spiritual Sense Power.

The little Taoist, currently exerting the full might of his Spiritual Eyes' Perceive Truth ability, was trying to deduce the identity of the person behind these seeds.

As more of his Spiritual Sense Power poured into his eyes, Jin Xu vaguely saw the face of an unfamiliar woman. Although her features were unknown, the coquettish look in her eyes was all too familiar to the little Taoist.

He felt he had seen that gaze before. After a brief reflection, it dawned on him—the auction, Wu Li!

The female auctioneer who looked exactly like the Lustful Evil Spirit.

Recalling this, the little Taoist asked, "Miss Yunzhao, do you remember the auctioneer named Wu Li we met at the auction?"

Xia Yunzhao nodded, puzzled as to why he suddenly brought her up.

"What happened to her afterward?"

Since handing over that "room card" to the Seventh Princess, he hadn't inquired further, only occasionally hearing rumors of a fire at the Tianxiang Building.

"She's dead. Found in a desolate alley with her head severed. It appeared to be an unsolved case at first, but after I had men interrogate the remnants of Prince Mu's faction, one assassin confessed to killing the auctioneer. The motive apparently related to the incident where Yaoer and the others were kidnapped. Why are you thinking of her all of a sudden?"

Xia Yunzhao shared what she knew, but didn't fully disclose the fact that the little Taoist possessed a vast quantity of Bone Marrow Cleansing Spirit Liquid.

There were too many people around, and although Jin Xu's cultivation was unfathomably deep, there was always a worry about attracting unwanted attention.

It's worth mentioning that 'too many eyes and mouths' here actually referred to the two deputy commanders of the Void Refinement Realm.