"This time, I’ll make her wish she were dead!"

A vicious glint flashed in Liu Yao’s eyes. He immediately took out a Communication Talisman and sent a message.

"Brother, who is that...?"

"Shh!" Liu Yao gestured for her to be quiet, then glanced cautiously outside.

"You absolutely must not speak of this. If anyone finds out, we’ll both be in more trouble than we can handle."

"I know. Don’t worry, brother!"

Liu Yiyi immediately made a gesture as if zipping her lips.

She touched her cheek. "As long as she dies, getting beaten was worth it!"

"Just make sure you don’t get soft-hearted when the time comes!"

Liu Yao’s face immediately darkened. He scoffed, "Impossible! I want her dead right now. How could I possibly go soft?"

"Good, as long as you have a clear head about it. In this world, we’re the only family we have. You can’t rely on anyone else!"

Hearing this, Liu Yiyi relaxed. The corner of her mouth twitched into a smirk. "I’ve already had people start spreading rumors. They’re saying that while she has a fiancé, she was secretly hooking up with you... It’s the only way to restore your reputation!"

Disciples of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect were all there when it happened. Someone even recorded it with a Memory Stone. Now the recording is spreading everywhere, utterly humiliating them.

Their only choice was to slander Song Wanning to mitigate the damage.

A savage expression flashed across Liu Yao’s face at her words; he had clearly remembered the incident as well.

A vicious glint flashed in his baleful eyes. "Don’t worry. As long as this plan succeeds, Song Wanning will be despised by everyone. Then, naturally, people will stop talking about me."

With that, he leaned close to Liu Yiyi’s ear and laid out his plan.

The more Liu Yiyi listened, the brighter her eyes grew, the muscles in her face twitching with excitement.

"That’s perfect, Brother!"

"This time, I’ll destroy that bitch!!"

...

After the beast tide, the Cultivation World had returned to its usual peace, though the Demon Cultivator who had undergone their tribulation was still the subject of much discussion.

However, things at the Heavenly Inquiry Sect had been anything but peaceful lately, and the atmosphere was decidedly strange.

It had all started with a piece of news from a few days prior. A Cultivator calling himself Taiyi True Man had supposedly beaten the Li Family’s eldest son and heir half to death, then brazenly claimed he had the backing of the Heavenly Inquiry Sect’s Sect Master.

The Head of Li Family had been so enraged that he’d given chase, but the man had slipped away. In the end, the Head of Li Family had gone to the Heavenly Inquiry Sect to demand an explanation.

The disciples who heard the news were utterly astonished.

"That can’t be true, can it?"

"I agree. Who would just announce their backer like that? Then again, you can’t rule out some arrogant fool being determined to burn his own bridges."

"That’s true. And judging by how furious the Head of Li Family looked, he must be genuinely livid."

"I’d be livid too if it were me. Your beloved eldest son and heir beaten unconscious? Who could stand for that?"

"Sigh... our Sect Master... there are no words. Is there any other Sect Master like him?"

"Don’t even start. It just makes me angry talking about it. The Heavenly Inquiry Sect has declined more and more under his leadership. A few days ago, even Grandmaster Song was threatening to leave the Heavenly Inquiry Sect!"

"For real? What happened?"

"It was back during the beast tide..."

The disciples’ dissatisfaction with the Sect Master had gradually built up. Now, they didn’t even bother to hide their hushed discussions.

Some even started thinking about replacing the Sect Master. It was a seditious thought, but no one could stop the whispers from spreading among the disciples.

In the Sect Master’s main hall, the Sect Master was so furious his vision swam, but he didn’t know how to refute the accusations.

Because the so-called Taiyi True Man was one of his brothers-in-law!

He had never taken a Dao companion, but he had many women. There were seven or eight with some status, and countless other fleeting affairs.

Once those women learned of his status, they would throw themselves at him without him having to lift a finger.

Furthermore, in his years as Sect Master, he had lined his pockets and was lavish with his spending, which made them flock to him in endless succession.

Taiyi True Man’s sister was his favorite companion. She was gentle and understanding, but an entirely different person in bed. She had him utterly captivated, body and soul, and he found it impossible to pull away.

But to maintain his image as Sect Master, he had never let anyone in the Sect learn of this matter. Not even the Seventh Elder knew.

Now that Taiyi True Man had caused such a huge scene, he was so angry he could spit blood.

"I trust your esteemed Sect will give me an explanation!"

Below him, the Head of Li Family’s gaze was piercing. Even if he was merely the head of a minor family, he could not be ignored.

He frowned in annoyance. "There must be some misunderstanding. I’ve only met this Taiyi True Man once. I imagine he’s just using my name to bluff!"

"Are you certain?"

The Head of Li Family wasn’t entirely convinced, but it did seem plausible.

After all, Taiyi True Man was just a Loose Cultivator. So what if he was a Golden Core Stage Cultivator?

He shouldn’t have any connection to the Heavenly Inquiry Sect.

"It is the absolute truth. If the Head of Li Family does not believe me, I can confront Taiyi True Man myself."

His concession successfully dispelled the Head of Li Family’s doubts.

He cupped his fists in embarrassment. "My apologies. I was so blinded by anger that I wasn’t thinking straight. Please forgive my impertinence."

"Not at all, not at all..."

The Sect Master laughed it off and saw the man out.

The sight of the two of them conversing amicably successfully dispelled the disciples’ doubts.

It really was just a misunderstanding, after all.

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

After seeing the Head of Li Family off, the Sect Master returned to his chambers. His expression immediately darkened as he sent a Communication Talisman to Taiyi True Man, demanding to know what had happened.

"Brother-in-law, you’ve got to be mistaken! I was in Li Family City recently, but I never laid a hand on anyone from the Li Family!"

"You’re still lying to me? The Head of Li Family himself came to confront me! He said you dropped my name! Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"What? I’m being framed, Brother-in-law! I swear I didn’t do it, and I certainly didn’t mention your name! You told me never to mention you to anyone, and my lips have been sealed!"

"...You really didn’t do it?"

"I swear I didn’t! I can even make a Heart Demon Oath! Brother-in-law, you have to believe me! I really didn’t do it! Someone must be setting me up! Damn it, if I find out who’s trying to frame me, I’ll make them regret it!"

The angry shouting continued from the other end of the Communication Talisman, but the Sect Master no longer heard it.

His expression had become incredibly grave.

’At this point, I’d rather it had been Taiyi True Man...’

The Sect Master collapsed into his chair, a cold sweat breaking out on his forehead without him even realizing it.

’Has my secret been exposed?’

’Who is it?’

’Who on earth is scheming against me?’

The more the Sect Master thought about it, the more restless he became. He stood and paced around the room several times, but couldn’t figure out who could be pulling the strings.

"The only person I’ve offended recently is... Song Wanning?"

He froze, then quickly shook his head.

’Junior Sister Song is domineering, but she’s always been direct.’

’If it were her, she would have been raising a fuss all over the place by now.’