Since Wen Lan reached the Foundation Building stage, Wang Hong had secretly arranged two more followers to undergo Foundation Building as well.
However, renting a temporary Foundation Building cave mansion seemed a bit too conspicuous.
For a small shop like his, having people consecutively advance to Foundation Building would inevitably raise suspicions if it got out.
As of now, the two newly established Foundation Building followers were secluded, focusing on strengthening their realms, and nobody outside was aware of their progress.
In a hidden chamber within Boundary City, a late Foundation Building cultivator from the Beast Spirit Sect with the surname He, along with five other Foundation Building cultivators, including the young man from the previous encounter, were discussing their plans.
Upon receiving the recent information, He had investigated the two Qingxu Sect cultivators' situations and found himself a step behind; one of them had already returned to the Qingxu Sect.
Only Wang Hong, the alchemist, remained in Boundary City, but they hadn't found a suitable opportunity to act against him yet.
Because Wang Hong, as an alchemist, rarely needed to leave the city for missions, and he couldn't just wander outside the city without reason.
When he was in the city, Wang Hong resided in the Qingxu Tower's compound and rarely ventured beyond its gates.
Although Boundary City was somewhat chaotic, targeting the top figures of the six major sects required significant courage and strength. The Beast Spirit Sect, despite its enmity with the Qingxu Sect, couldn't muster both.
Qingxu Tower represented the Qingxu Sect's prestige outside, openly attacking it would be a direct affront to the sect itself, and they dared not do that, as life was precious.
"Everyone, after our recent investigations, we know that Wang Hong, despite usually staying at the Qingxu Tower, occasionally visits a shop on East Street. We can ambush him on his way there. However, his visits are irregular, and there's no set pattern. I've assigned someone to discreetly monitor him, and as soon as we get any news, we'll be informed," said He, the cultivator with the surname He, sitting at the head of the table. The five below were his sect members, though some were recent additions from other sects.
"He, what about the strength of that shop? Shouldn't we just wipe them all out together?" one of the sect members below inquired, eyes gleaming with greed.
"That shop's strength is only average. Previously, there was only one mid Foundation Building cultivator guarding it. Recently, something unexpected happened; one of his guards also achieved Foundation Building successfully. If we count Wang Hong, there are three Foundation Building cultivators in totaltwo early-stage and one mid-stage," He said slowly.
"In that case, we shouldn't worry. We have six people in total, one late-stage, one mid-stage, and four early-stage. We're more than capable of handling them," another sect member chimed in.
"Yes, let's not stop at one. We should eliminate all of them and remove any future threats," another added.
The discussion below erupted with everyone voicing their desire to eradicate all potential problems.
In reality, their true motivation was the wealth within Wang Hong's shop. With a store of that scale, seizing all its resources could amount to at least a hundred thousand Spirit Stones. After the job, each of them could get their hands on one or two thousand Spirit Stones' worth of loot, making the battle worthwhile.
"In that case, we'll go with the majority's decision. Let's head to the shop on East Street and carry out the massacre," He said, following the consensus.
"He, we'll await good news from you then," one of his sect members said with anticipation.
At the lower end of the table, the young man spoke first, and the others chimed in in agreement.
Wang Hong remained oblivious to the plot against him. He continued to spend his days cultivating, practicing alchemy, occasionally crafting runes, and even venturing into his personal space, keeping company with the plants and flowers there.
He found this life quite enjoyable, so he rarely ventured out when he had nothing important to do.
Today, he was in the middle of a food battle with Little Peng over a freshly roasted Demonic Beast meat.
Little Peng, with its large size and mouth, effortlessly tore off a plump hind leg from the roasted meat and devoured it in just a few bites, bones and all, without the need for chewing.
Wang Hong, not one to back down, quickly snatched another leg and held it in his hand. However, Wang Hong's eating speed couldn't match that of the Demonic Beast. He took a large bite of the roasted meat, swallowed it without chewing, and ended up choking briefly before managing to swallow the substantial piece of meat.
By the time he finished that leg, Little Peng had already devoured three. Fortunately, this Demonic Beast had eight legs.
As Wang Hong reached for another leg to tear off, a Transmission Talisman flew in through the door and landed in his hand.
It turned out to be a message from Yin Ze's shop, containing the essence blood of a Tier 2 Demonic Beast.
Wang Hong waved his hand, stashing the roasted meat into his Storage Bag, and then headed out.
Little Peng wasn't satisfied yet and quickly followed him out the door.
Wang Hong led the way with a large bird drooling behind him, closely following his every step.
Upon entering the shop, Little Peng followed suit.
Seeing the bird's eager appetite, Wang Hong took it to a corner, removed the roasted Demonic Beast, and allowed it to feast there.
He also took out a small bottle and placed it nearby, containing only about two cups of liquid to ensure the bird didn't get too drunk.
After taking care of Little Peng, Wang Hong approached Yin Ze's counter to retrieve the essence blood.
"East Master, I've just received a sample of Tier 2 Demonic Beast essence blood. Could you please check if everything is in order?" Yin Ze asked, handing a small bottle to Wang Hong.
Wang Hong took the bottle, opened it, and inspected it carefully before confirming its authenticity. "Yes, this is indeed the right one."
Just then, six Foundation Building cultivators dressed in black robes and wearing sinister masks entered through the main door. They remained silent, forming a semi-circle around Wang Hong's location.
Customers inside the shop sensed that something was amiss and hastily put down their belongings, fleeing the scene.
Seeing the danger, they didn't need any further prompting to leave. The six masked individuals didn't stop them and allowed them to escape.
Yin Ze had already sent a message to the others at this point.
"Gentlemen, do you have any business here? Please speak your request, and I'll do my best to accommodate," Wang Hong greeted them politely, hoping to buy some time for the others to arrive.
Meanwhile, his Golden Light Bowl Spiritual Weapon was concealed in his hand, hidden within his sleeve.
"To prevent any unexpected surprises, let's start by killing him," the lead cultivator spoke and simultaneously unleashed a Flying Sword towards Wang Hong.
The others wasted no time either, activating their Spiritual Weapons and launching attacks toward Wang Hong.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]