The old man had captured the attention of the other four quite perfectly, and this respect made it obvious that the arrangement of the chairs in the room was not a true gauge of their status. The five of them were all giving off the law fluctuations of a Nascent Soul, but four of them seemed to unanimously defer to this wrinkled old man with a hideously stooped back.

“How is it? Where is Lang Sheng?”

“At the Wudao Sect he only killed a few people. We’ve investigated and found he only killed those responsible for getting the Wudao Sect to join our alliance. Our men tried to follow him, but a Nascent Soul moves too quickly for a Formation Building Cultivator to keep up.”

The serious woman was quick to respond this time, eager to finally get to the reason that the meeting wall called.

“Is that all we have, Lady Diyin?”

The gentleman at her side was quick to ask. Either he was not privy to this information yet, or he was shamelessly acting out a part to build anticipation. His calm countenance never broke, so it was quite hard to tell. Either way, Lady Diyin shook her head and continued, “That is the only confirmed sighting. We are here to discuss a few unconfirmed reports. Our agents have most of the city already locked down and we have run into some of the same signs he left in the other cities. Before each of the alliance members were struck, we can confirm that there were more people talking about them in the bars and teahouses even before they were attacked. There are also rumors of people losing an afternoon or evening of time, all coinciding with the days before the attacks.”

The Shou Clan Leader suddenly spoke up, “Why did he kill so few people in the Wudao Sect? Was he sympathetic to all those beautiful women? Only a heartless man could kill so many dancing beauties.”

The swordsman rolled his eyes at how flighty this woman was. He still didn’t understand how obsessed she was with romance and flirting, yet also had such strange taste in accessories. How could such a weird woman become so powerful?

Lady Diyin was slightly shocked by the Shou Clan Leader’s question, but she maintained her decorum and shook her head, “Of the four dead, two of them were women and they were lauded as among the most beautiful women in the Wudao Sect.”

The Shou Clan Leader started to pout, a normally cute gesture that looked quite horrifying upon her spike encrusted face. Lady Diyin picked up where she left off, “We have no confirmed sighting of Lang Sheng, but we have been more popular among the gossip in the bars and tea houses recently. Also, one of the Pan Clan seems to have gone out drinking and can’t remember a whole night.”

The old man smiled and then started to scratch his belly, “Interesting! Seems Lang Sheng has arrived. How are our preparations?”

This time, the gentleman spoke, “The teams of Elites have been put on full alert. Their concealing formations have all been checked a dozen times. Once the Clan protecting formation is activated, they will be ready to rush out from their hidden positions in the city to catch Lang Sheng from behind.”

“Thank you for your diligence, Yincha Leader.” Then the old man turned his gaze to the woman beside him, “How are things on your end, Little Miss?”

The woman’s facial piercings tinkled together as she moved. She smiled and then bowed her head to the old man, “The trapping formation around the city is fully operational, Ancestor. Once Lang Sheng shows himself, he won’t have any way to leave.”

Lady Diyin suddenly spoke up, “Is there also a ground sealing formation?”

The Shou Clan Leader ignored Lady Diyin’s snideness and smiled brightly back at her, “Of course! Sister need not worry. You already warned us about Lang Sheng’s propensity for tunneling under the ground.”

The old man nodded, “Very good. How about the rest of the preparations?”

The swordsman nodded to the old man, “All the elites of my Sound Sword Sect are waiting in the Shou Clan. If Lang Sheng somehow manages to penetrate the Shou Clan protecting formation we will be waiting for him.”

Then the old man clapped and hopped out of his chair. He stretched, arching his lower back backwards, which made for quite the contrast with the upper part of his back that was curved forward to give him a hunch. After stretching a bit, an L-shaped cane appeared in his hand and he started to dodder his way out of the hall. His steps were small and slow, but none of the other four dared to pass him. They slowly rose from their seats and respectfully followed him out of the Shou Clan ancestral hall and down a stone tunnel. They passed by many closed doors before reaching a steep stairway. The old man climbed even slower than he walked, but the other four Nascent Souls maintained their position behind him.

Reaching the top of the stairs, they walked out the doors of a closet. Then turned a corner to move past the privacy screen that blocked the closet. They walked through what looked to be an office and then out into a large manor. Then traveled through another hallway and then out the front gate of the walled manor. Five palanquins were waiting for them and the leaders could finally move at their own pace without disrespecting the Shou Clan Ancestor.

Lady Diyin let out a frustrated sigh as a servant pulled back the curtain of the palanquin for her. She stepped forward and turned around, lowering herself backward to take her seat. Just as she was about to relax upon the seat she felt a sudden fluctuation of power and slapped her palm towards it.

The whole left side of the palanquin exploded into splinters of wood and shreds of cloth. A brilliant light flashed in front of her, but then she sensed fluctuations all around her. The other four palanquins exploded to pieces just in time for Lady Diyin to see a light flicker in front of her chest.

A loud humming noise filled the night air and the entirety of the Shou Clan was abruptly shielded by an immense dome of energy. The surface of the glowing dome flickered a few times when a few streaks of light struck against it, but it held strong.

The Swordsman had already drawn his weapon and was scanning the area around them, while the Shou Clan Ancestor and Leader were busy staring off into the distance. The elder gentleman suddenly frowned and walked over to the silent Lady Diyin. He pulled away the remaining wreckage of the palanquin and saw a hole clean through her chest. He ran to her and brought out healing pills, stuffing them into her mouth and catching her as she started to fall.

He lifted her and carried her back into the building, laying her into a bed and calling for the Clan’s best healers. A woman pushed them out of the room and then they heard the sound of ripping clothing. The Nascent Souls could see everything happening in the room with their Spiritual Sense, but Lady Diyin could maintain her dignity if they did not see her with her shirt ripped off. A few minutes later, they were called back into the room where Lady Diyin had a new clean white robe on. Her face was pale and her forehead covered in perspiration.

“How is she?”

“Lord Yincha, the healing pills you gave her were superb and Lady Diyin’s cultivation is profound. The wound has already closed up, but I’m afraid…”

“What? Afraid of what? What is it?”

The old doctor was rocked by the forceful shout of the Yincha Sect Leader. In his agitation he had allowed too much strength to leak and even this Core Formation Doctor was injured by his outburst. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then spat out her reply, “Poison!”