Crafting a bold scheme

"Looks like she's about to lose control. She really needs to strengthen her mental resilience. With her current state of mind, stepping into the late stages of the Core Formation realm, let alone the Palace stage, will be near impossible," Yang Qing said, stepping down from his podium and heading toward Wen Chang.

The qi fluctuations surrounding her grew increasingly chaotic, rippling violently through the air. Veins began to protrude across her body, and soon blood trickled from her eyes, followed by thin lacerations tearing across her skin. Her sclera turned stark white, completely consuming her irises and pupils, giving her an eerie and unsettling appearance.

Yang Qing stopped just centimeters away from her, entirely unaffected by the raging qi. The turbulent energy dissipated the moment it approached him, as if an invisible barrier surrounded his body, effortlessly nullifying the violent waves.

Raising his right palm, he pointed it toward Wen Chang's towering form and muttered softly,

"Green Cocoon of Evernight."

A sphere of dark green water materialized from his palm, expanding outward to envelop Wen Chang. As the water spread, her qi fluctuations diminished with every inch it closed in. Within moments, the dome completely surrounded her massive figure, silencing the violent energy. The lacerations on her body healed rapidly, vanishing as the dark green cocoon sealed her within.

As the chaos subsided, a subtle transformation occurred. The dark green cocoon shifted, its color deepening into a pitch-black hue. It now resembled the night sky—endless and void, without a single star in sight.

"I hope you survive," Yang Qing muttered under his breath as he made his way back to the podium.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan's heart pounded so violently it felt like it might burst from his chest. His knees trembled uncontrollably, his teeth chattered, and every breath was a struggle as the air seemed far too heavy for his lungs to handle.

The cause of his overwhelming reaction wasn't Wen Chang's condition—it was the overwhelming experience he had the moment Yang Qing executed his cultivation spell. It felt as though his entire being had been dragged into another world.

That world was an endless, dark, starry night, where he floated alone in a boundless ocean. The water stretched infinitely in all directions until, without warning, the ocean transformed into a towering figure.

The figure's back was to Cheng Yuan, and its size was so immense that he couldn't see its shoulders or head clearly. But the longer he stared, the more it began to resemble Judge Yang Qing. Then, the figure turned, the motion alone creating a massive windstorm that nearly swept him away.

Even as it turned, Cheng Yuan still couldn't see its face clearly. Instead, his gaze locked onto the figure's eyes—two luminous, full moons that glowed with a somber brilliance. The moment those eyes settled on him, a chilling force froze him completely. Every part of his being—his breath, his body, his thoughts—was immobilized.

The figure raised a hand and pointed directly at him. The pressure that followed was beyond anything Cheng Yuan could withstand. It crushed him utterly, his veins bursting, his flesh tearing, and even his bones shattering under the weight. His vision slowly darkened as unconsciousness crept in, but just before everything faded, he saw the figure's lips move.

It said something—something he couldn't hear or comprehend before the void claimed him.

The purple veins visible on Cheng Yuan's pale hands were proof enough that the experience he'd just endured wasn't some wild hallucination. He struggled to reconcile the memory of the terrifying power he'd felt with the easygoing, approachable demeanor Yang Qing had displayed so far. To Cheng Yuan, that brief encounter was a hundred times more terrifying than the ordeal Yi Jie had put him through earlier.

Meanwhile, Yi Jie and Mao Yunru exchanged puzzled glances. This wasn't like Yang Qing at all. In all the years they'd known him, Yang Qing had always kept a tight rein on his cultivation realm pressure. Even when performing techniques or spells, he had remarkable control, rarely letting even a hint slip out.

They both silently speculated on what might have caused this sudden shift in behavior, but no clear answers came to mind. Yi Jie, however, entertained a fleeting thought: perhaps Yang Qing's mind was still preoccupied with whatever Supervisor Lei Weiyuan had in store for him during his final week.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. After all, Yang Qing had pulled countless stunts over the years and had long developed a shameless thick skin for the fallout that came along with it. If anything, he seemed to thrive on them. Yi Jie had even begun to suspect that Yang Qing and Lei Weiyuan were locked in some kind of unspoken competition to see who could outwit the other.

That suspicion had only grown as Yi Jie started noticing the faint glint of playfulness in Lei Weiyuan's usually cold, stern eyes whenever he unraveled Yang Qing's schemes. As for Yang Qing, his creativity in finding new ways to pull one over Lei Weiyuan kept growing by the day, as if the failures only fueled his mischief.

The man in question was now seated comfortably, wearing his trademark lazy, carefree smile. He cleared his throat, the sound pulling the others out of their spiraling thoughts and back to the moment at hand.

"Sect Master Cheng Yuan, don't worry about Wen Chang. She's completely safe in that cocoon—physically, at least," Yang Qing said, his tone suddenly shifting to a rare solemnity.

"Mentally, that's another matter," Yang Qing continued, his tone calm but heavy. "I could have knocked her out, but that might have caused more harm than good. The cocoon will protect her meridians and regulate her qi flow. As for her mind... she'll have to rely entirely on herself.

If she manages to break through the shock, she'll have a brighter future on her cultivation path. But if she fails..." He paused, his gaze lingering on the cocoon. "Best case, she retains her sense of self and spiritual awareness but will forever be stuck at her current stage. No resources or bloodline talents will help her ascend to the peak of the core formation realm or reach the palace stage.

The worst case is... she loses herself completely and reverts to a feral state. She'll become no more than a spirit beast, driven purely by instinct—like before she awakened, but now with core formation strength. If that happens, you'll need to monitor her personally at all times, Sect Master Cheng Yuan. With only the two of you at the core formation level in your sect, it will fall to you to contain her, should she rampage."

Yang Qing sighed, his usual cheer replaced by a rare seriousness. "I wish her the best. After all the effort and luck it took for her to reach this point, it would be a shame for it to end here."

Cheng Yuan's earlier fear seemed to dissipate, replaced by a grim determination. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the black cocoon, though it still filled him with an unshakable dread.

"Wen Chang, you have to survive... Otherwise, all of this will have been for nothing," Cheng Yuan thought, his fists clenched tightly as he lowered his head to hide the storm of emotions brewing within him.

Mao Yunru glanced at the cocoon, her worry written plainly across her face. Yi Jie, as usual, remained stoic, his expression giving no hint of his thoughts as his gaze briefly rested on the ominous orb.

"Sect Master," Yang Qing said softly, breaking the heavy silence. "I think we should continue. As for Wen Chang, we can only wait. What happens next is entirely up to her."

"Okay," Cheng Yuan replied, his voice hoarse and barely audible. He lifted his head, but his face now looked more haggard than ever, the weight of Wen Chang's fate pressing heavily on him.

"Good. Luckily, we have everything we need to make a sufficient judgment based on what you've both said and shown us," Yang Qing began, his voice steady yet sharp. "From my analysis, it seems that Elder Peng Zhen, the vice sect master, was the mastermind behind all of this.

"As for how long he's been scheming? Who can say? It could be recent, or it might trace back to the days when your master was still alive. Slowly and meticulously, he sowed discord between you and Wen Chang. With his authority as the vice sect master, it would've been easy for him to rope in other elders who were already dissatisfied with you.

"Given his position and your long history as martial siblings, I'm sure he knows you well—your routines and habits. He likely knew exactly when you wouldn't be in the sect treasury vault and used that opportunity to lead Wen Chang there on that fateful day."

Yang Qing paused, his eyes narrowing slightly. "As for the herbs... I have a different theory than yours. It's possible they were procured by Elder Dong. There's more to him than meets the eye, I suspect. And those beast-tamer sects you mentioned? They may be part of this plot too. After all, the progeny of a radiant emerald cow—no matter how diluted or variant the bloodline—is a tempting prize for any sect, especially one focused on beast taming."

He leaned back slightly, his expression thoughtful but firm. "As for their ultimate goal, I can only speculate. But before I do, there's something I'd like to confirm with you."

Yang Qing's gaze locked onto Cheng Yuan. "Did Elder Peng Zhen know the true grade of your core?"

Cheng Yuan's eyes widened briefly at the unexpected question, but he quickly regained his composure. "I never explicitly told him," he replied, his voice measured and concise.

"Well, that explains it," Yang Qing said, his voice calm yet edged with intrigue. "Since he likely didn't know your core was orange grade—just like Wen Chang's—he must have assumed you had a lower-grade core. Despite your higher cultivation rank, he probably believed that a fight between you two would be a bitter struggle, leaving both of you gravely injured. In that scenario, you'd be easy pickings. He could eliminate you both or sell Wen Chang to the beast-tamer sects, making it far easier to take control of the sect with minimal resistance.

"But his plan fell apart, thanks to his misjudgment. Wen Chang couldn't overpower you, even though you pretended it was a drawn-out fight for her sake, I presume.

"After that failure, I'm guessing he was the one who suggested settling the feud through the courts. Likely under the guise of preserving peace within the sect... am I right?" Yang Qing asked, throwing another question at Cheng Yuan.

The sect master appeared distant, his expression clouded. Whether it was the shock of Wen Chang's current situation or the weight of Yang Qing's hypothesis, his reaction was sluggish and distant.

"Yes," Cheng Yuan replied after a moment, his voice dull. "He was the one who proposed we bring the matter to the courts instead of resolving it within the sect. He said it would prevent a rift among the sect members. We both agreed. Like me, Wen Chang trusts and respects him. He was the only one in the sect who could get through to us."

"Your junior brother is a crafty one indeed," Yang Qing mused. "When his first plan failed, he pivoted to the next best thing—getting both of you out of the sect at the same time. The easiest way to do that was to involve the Order. With you both here, he'd have free reign to do as he pleased. My guess? He planned to rob you of the Tupelo tree and the sect's treasury.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed by his boldness in using the Order as part of his scheme. I'm curious about what he thought would come next. A man as meticulous as him must know the Order's reach. Involving us in his plans was sure to bring him under our scrutiny. That's not something easily overlooked… but I suppose we'll have answers soon. Feng Xin should have reached your sect by now. Truly interesting," Yang Qing remarked, drumming the podium with his index finger, his expression one of faint interest as he sank deeper into thought.

After a moment, he turned his attention back to Cheng Yuan. "By the way, Sect Master Cheng Yuan, one last thing if you'll indulge me. Earlier, you mentioned that you and Peng Zhen have saved each other's lives. Was that before or after you were chosen as sect master?"

"It's both," Cheng Yuan replied softly.

Yang Qing leaned back, his expression thoughtful. He seemed to fall into even deeper contemplation, his mind clearly churning over something known only to him.