"Beneath Red Soul Hall, some of its subordinate halls possess eerie and extraordinary cultivation techniques, considered demon cultivators by many, while others are adept at mysterious and unpredictable movement techniques, suitable for assassination, and still, there are others..."
The old man with the crutch recounted the history of Red Soul Hall to Lin Chen, who upon hearing it, suddenly had a moment of realization, finally understanding the situation.
"So, what you meant earlier when you said that we are all family, could it be that Moon Shadow Pavilion and Black Cloud Sect are both subordinate halls of Red Soul Hall?"
At this moment, Lin Chen’s heart was immensely shaken. He had never imagined that the influence of Red Soul Hall could be so enormous.
If what the old man with the crutch said was true, then the power of Red Soul Hall might be that of a super power on the Mysterious Heaven Continent, far surpassing that of Jade Cauldron Sect.
Even the forces of the Great Flame Dynasty, when compared to Red Soul Hall, would seem insignificant.
Seeing Lin Chen’s shocked expression, the old man with the crutch revealed a slight smile at the corners of his mouth. Lin Chen’s abilities might be significant, but his cultivation was not high, so such a reaction was quite normal.
"Based on what you’ve said, old brother, could it be that Red Soul Hall could unify the Great Flame Dynasty?"
Lin Chen asked in surprise.
Hearing this, the old man with the crutch nodded. Red Soul Hall might be powerful, but it was also restrained by other super powers, so the forces that came to the Great Flame Dynasty didn’t have too many strong individuals.
After hearing the old man with the crutch’s words, the shock in Lin Chen’s heart reached an extreme.
He now understood that the battles his Jade Cauldron Sect had fought against Black Cloud Sect were merely trivial skirmishes.
Even if they were to defeat Black Cloud Sect, behind it still loomed Red Soul Hall.
"These matters are too far removed from me; let’s talk about the big deal we’re here for instead."
Although Lin Chen had now learned the secret of Red Soul Hall, he was powerless to change anything. For now, he needed to find out the motives of the assassins from Moon Shadow Pavilion involved in this mission.
Hearing this, the old man with the crutch nodded, also feeling these issues were too distant for Lin Chen, grasping immediate benefits was what mattered; this also made him approve of Lin Chen more.
"Does brother Li Chu understand why your Black Cloud Sect has always been unable to conquer the sects within the Great Flame Dynasty?"
Instead of directly revealing their purpose, the old man with the crutch asked Lin Chen.
Lin Chen thought for a moment, knowing that the other party would continue speaking, so he shook his head.
"Let me tell you, it’s because the people of your Black Cloud Sect are too rigid, always wanting to showcase their own strength."
"When clashing with those orthodox sects, they always face them head-on, never resorting to any stratagems."
"Do you know, now in the Great Flame Dynasty, many forces have actually been controlled by us, Moon Shadow Pavilion."
"But Black Cloud Sect hasn’t been able to take down even a small sect like Jade Cauldron Sect."
The old man with the crutch seemed to have not had such a hearty conversation in a long time. He boasted about the strength of Moon Shadow Pavilion to Lin Chen, sharing numerous stories about the pavilion.
According to the old man with the crutch, the reason they were able to quickly take down so many sects, families, and cities was that they knew how to incite internal strife among them.
All they needed to do was to create conflicts among these orthodox sects, and they would eventually exhaust themselves in infighting. In the end, Moon Shadow Pavilion only needed to make a small move to reap the benefits.
This so-called big deal involved several sects within Cloud Sky City. They had heard that in a few days, people from Qingxuan Sect would carry out a transaction with those of Sword Qi Sect on Xuanwu Mountain.
They could ambush Qingxuan Sect on the way and deal them a heavy blow, then pin the blame on Water Moon Sect. With that, suspicion would inevitably arise among the Three Sects leading to mutual destruction.
Moreover, with the news of the annihilation of the Seven Great Families in Cloud Sky City spreading, the people of Moon Shadow Pavilion could simply spread some rumors, making the three major sects fully engage in war. By the time these sects were both weakened from battle, it would be easy for them to take over the entire Cloud Sky City.
Lin Chen almost marveled at the cunning scheme of the old man with the crutch and the other assassins.
Finally, Lin Chen understood how Moon Shadow Pavilion was able to conquer the sects of the Great Flame Dynasty.
He was secretly glad that the enemy of Jade Cauldron Sect was Black Cloud Sect, and not Moon Shadow Pavilion; otherwise, they would have likely fallen already.
Moreover, within Jade Cauldron Sect, the unity among the various Peak Masters was not as solid as it seemed, leaving open the possibility of them being already influenced by Moon Shadow Pavilion’s instigations.
Lin Chen knew he had to resolve the matter at hand quickly and report back to the sect.
"Brother Li Chu, after hearing what I’ve said, are you somewhat tempted to switch from Black Cloud Sect to join us at Moon Shadow Pavilion?"
The old man with the crutch looked at Lin Chen, extending the invitation.
Upon hearing this, Lin Chen was stunned for a few seconds, not rushing to agree immediately.
"I need to think about this carefully."
Lin Chen responded indifferently.
Hearing his response, the old man with the crutch nodded, understanding, and said Lin Chen could tell him anytime once he had made up his mind.
Then Lin Chen and the old man with the crutch agreed on the distribution of profits from this deal, allocating twenty percent of the spoils to Lin Chen, which directly caused dissatisfaction among Liu Zhu and the others.
After all, Lin Chen alone was taking a fifth, and that indirectly reduced what they would gain from the spoils.
The two parties arranged to meet again at this place after five days, and Lin Chen took his leave beforehand.
After Lin Chen left, Liu Zhu was quite upset looking at Lin Chen’s departing figure.
"Boss, this guy is only at the Spirit Gathering Realm Seventh Layer, isn’t a twenty percent cut a bit too generous?"
"Besides, we’re still not sure if he truly belongs to Black Cloud Sect."
Liu Zhu voiced his dissatisfaction.
The old man with the crutch naturally understood that his subordinates would be discontented, but he did not bother to explain further.
What he valued was Lin Chen’s potential, something beyond the understanding of Liu Zhu and the others. The old man with the crutch even wanted to say he believed that even now, Lin Chen’s strength far surpassed anyone present. But considering the current mission, he worried such a statement might demoralize his men, so he held back.
"Boss, Liu Zhu is right, this kid is indeed a bit enigmatic. Shall I probe him further?"
Wang Qi was also deeply unhappy about Lin Chen. His strength ranked second only to the old man with the crutch, and he should have had the most spoils. But Lin Chen’s presence meant his share was now substantially reduced, harbor resentment towards Lin Chen.