Chapter 438: Three Prongs against the Verdant River Sect

It seemed that Nymidria was still confident in her communication method, because they met with her illusory form instead of in person. When she emerged from the flower, however, the dryad matriarch looked much tenser than before, leaning down in a huddle of boughs instead of presenting her full form.

"Originally I thought we'd need to orchestrate some sort of major distraction," she told them, "but instead fortune has been dumped in front of us. That's why I prioritized preparations... I just hope you're ready."

"If the disease is viable, we're fine," Omilaena said. "But what happened?"

"Yul Wei Ren went off on his little expedition with other important members of the clan, which is normal behavior for him. But now he's returning for something that appears to be a much bigger meeting. They've already begun shifting guards in order to protect it, which creates an opening for us."

Kai folded his arms as he considered the situation. "So Omilaena goes to deliver the tree disease. What do the rest of us do?"

"Getting that close to the qi barrier will trigger a reaction." Nymidria's image suddenly glanced to the side, as if listening, then returned to them with a tighter expression. "We can't let them notice the disease until it's too late, so we need another distraction to explain the barrier reaction. That's where our vengeful sect comes in."

"Very good." Zae Zin Nim placed her arms in her sleeves and nodded. "My technique is prepared, so I only need a proper target."

"I have in mind a vault you could attack, which is a plausible target for someone wanting revenge on the Verdant River sect. But there's an unpleasant unknown hanging over this... I don't know what this meeting is about, and they won't invite me. We need someone to infiltrate, just in case the meeting turns out to be relevant to our work."

"I guess that falls to me," Kai said, "if there's any way I could get in."

"Bring your command medallion and come to my garden; I can craft an illusion by the time you arrive. Security isn't too high, it's just cultivators only." Nymidria looked to the side and then cursed before speaking rapidly. "Have to go. I'll trust you to arrange the rest and improvise."

Then her image vanished, leaving them in the courtyard with a magic flower and a bunch of plans.

"So how do we play this?" Kai turned to his wives and they instinctively formed a triangle in the courtyard. There were dryads all around them, but none of them were really capable of helping, so it was down to the three of them.

"My part is actually the easiest," Omilaena said. "Sneak over to get the arboreal disease, then apply it beside the barrier. You two have a lot of unknown variables."

"She wasn't able to say which target she had in mind," Zae Zin Nim said, "but I have been studying the region. I can choose a target and defeat the guards, which should provide enough of a distraction. The only question is timing both at the same time... shall we say noon?"

"That's enough time for some things to go wrong, so that sounds workable. I can get in and out safely, the question is whether there's too much scrutiny too early. We need the disease to seem natural if we want them to lower the barrier later."

"Sounds good." Kai stared out through the rain toward the sect headquarters over the horizon. "I'll meet with Nymidria and get inside this meeting. Hopefully it will be nothing but a feast, but we can't count on that. We don't have good means of communication, so let's just meet up here if everything goes well, or outside the village by the ship if something goes wrong. If we lead suspicion back to the dryads, the Verdant River sect might suspect something."

Then all at once their plans were set. It should have been alarming, to be thrown into such a complex plan so quickly, but this was the reason they spent so much time preparing. They had spent the past several weeks specifically getting ready for this, and the past years acquiring the strength to take on such an ambitious plan.

Before they parted, they all came together and exchanged quick kisses, but it was nothing like their casual intimacy of the day prior. Zae Zin Nim seemed sorrowful to leave them and was retreating into a cultivator's aura, while Omilaena's mind was clearly already on her plans.

Well, they would just have to fight for more of those moments.

They left via separate exits, just in case there was scrutiny, and Kai departed through the special dryad gate. As soon as he was lost in the rain he felt the instinct to transform with the Savage Heart, but he was going in the opposite direction this time. Not a beast anymore, but one more cultivator among others.

He couldn't use Thunderbird's Wings without attracting attention, so he had to use a flying sword to get to the Verdant River sect. As soon as he got close he saw the enormous amount of traffic, but it was mostly on the far side of the sect, where the noble families lived. All he needed to do was get in the back to speak to Nymidria, which was fortunately less busy.

At least there was no need for any complex infiltration this time: his new medallion allowed him directly into Nymidria's garden. She was in the middle of growing some sort of flower that burned with surprising amounts of qi, but waved a branch for him to approach as soon as the doors closed behind him.

"I have an illusion for you," she said, "but I don't have much more information. It's making me nervous how little they're letting out. Most likely this is just some sort of elite party, considering how many people they're letting in, but there's a small chance that could all be a cover for a more important meeting. I need you to find out what's going on."

Kai accepted a band of leaves, which he knew only from what Omilaena had told him, and put it around his neck. He didn't feel any different, even when he looked down at himself, but did feel a faint layer of chakra covering him. "I guess you wouldn't give me this if it would be detected, but it must have limits. How risky is the illusion?"

"They have no defenses for chakra like this, so you'll be completely fine under normal circumstances. Qi won't disrupt the illusion unless it destroys the leaves themselves. But if you start taking physical blows, there will be discrepancies and it might eventually collapse. The idea is not to do that."

"Got it. Guess I'll head over to the party."

"There's not much else I can do, so I have to leave this in your hands."

As Kai left the courtyard garden, he glanced back at Nymidria, wondering if this could be some sort of implausibly complex trap. It seemed unlikely, given her direct access to their enemies, and she really did look worried. Even though they were taking on the real risk, the information and weaknesses she'd given them had been the result of years of work, so she could see her plans go up in smoke.

For once Kai was actually taking on the least risk: they were all in enemy territory, but he was just attending a party while his wives would be directly attacked on sight if things went wrong. Or definitely attacked, since that was Zae Zin Nim's entire role. The possibility that there could be some unknown trap propelled Kai to move faster across the sect headquarters.

Once he reached the edge of the party, he didn't see anything suspicious. Guards checked his medallion, but they were allowing in sect members with even lower ranks. Once he got through the gates, he discovered that the party sprawled across a garden so enormous that it contained several hills.

There was a clear set of tiers even though they were unmarked: the weaker sect members drank cheap booze on the ground at the edges, then a rank closer to the hills got to sit at tables laden with dishes. Further up the tiers became smaller, with rows of clearly more prestigious cultivators leading up to a grand pavilion atop the tallest hill. No one enforced the division, yet everyone seemed to know their place, and the cultivators themselves might act against anyone who tried to move too far.

Kai had been worried about people trying to talk to him, but no one seemed interested: everyone was looking for more prominent members and trying to gain favor with them. Since he was unknown and hiding his strength, nobody cared. That left him free to move past the tables to an area where most of the cultivators were standing and drinking.

From there, he could get a good look at the pavilion of the young nobles. His first question was whether or not some of them were missing, since it was remotely possible that all of this was a diversion. Yet as he scouted around the side of the hill, he identified everyone he expected to be present, one by one.

Yul Wei Ren was the center of attention, wearing different robes but the same crown, clearly enjoying himself. Kai spotted Kan Jin Kung and the Poison Prince as well, apparently even more a part of his inner circle than before. The hiding female Earth Soul was nowhere to be seen, but the old man they called Grandpa Wanwan stood at attention in the sky between the hills.

Just when Kai was beginning to think their concerns had been entirely needless, he realized that there was actually a second locus of power. The majority of cultivators gathered around Yul Wei Ren, but not all of those outside were just envious of him. Another man sat in a chair opposite the heir with his own collection of followers, and something about his stance was so imperious that Kai couldn't help but focus on him.

Whoever he was, he wore black robes of fine silk, less ostentatious than the others but still a display of wealth. He was the first man Kai had seen who he'd say had "jade-like skin" and he looked very refined, as if he groomed his eyebrows and carefully treated the hair he swept back from his forehead. When he gave a toast to Yul Wei Ren, the heir of the entire clan actually acknowledged it and toasted back.

The details of the toast were hard to hear over the crowds, but the commentary allowed Kai to gather a few details:

"Is that truly Xir Xan Khan?"

"Such a noble aura!"

"What is the Coiling Island sect doing here?"

"Young master is even treating with sects from the Heavenly Mountains and Lakes, how incredible!"

So that was his name... something about it tickled his memory, but Kai couldn't come up with the answer while he was so focused. Since there were thousands of spiritual sights overlapping throughout the garden, Kai reached out to examine the new threat.

<

Name: Xir Xan Khan

Total Power: 1329

Cultivation: Sky Soul (1000)

Physique: E-0 (80)

Heavenly Body (+100)

Soul Level: 7 (49)

Coiling Presence (+100)

>

This Xir Xan Khan was no fool coasting on his family's reputation, especially given his perfect Sky Soul cultivation base. He also had Heavenly Body and Coiling Presence traits granting him additionalf +100 boosts, which suggested that his power was refined. Unlike the others, who stared around in envy or awe, his dark eyes held a touch of scorn.

Most likely this guest was the information they had been lacking, if not the reason for the entire party. Kai shifted through the crowds, trying not to bump into anyone, and wondered if he should leave at this point. The longer he stayed, the more likely he would run into trouble. Best to let the party continue, distracting all of them while his wives did their work.

Instead Kai examined the crowds around the base of the hill. Some were engaging in their own politics or staring enviously upward, so they were of no interest. Yet as he really looked at him, suddenly one man jumped out: younger than him, with tanner skin than average for Cloudspire and robes that had been worn thin.

Something about his posture... Kai instinctively began moving toward him. When the crowds shifted, he saw that the young man was carrying a dagger that glowed with qi, trying to hide it under his robes. At that moment, he gripped it tighter and began to walk toward the hill.