Chapter 3444 — Testing the White Leader

"That's good then..." Elder Xuan Chen breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "In that case, Kang Jingming will be back soon too. We'll look at the details once he returns!"

Elder Xuan Chen was right. This time, Kang Jingming no longer dared to strut and boast before the Kang family. The moment he left the Song household, he drove back to the Five Luminaries Sect in a frantic rush.

That very evening, Elder Xuan Chen met with Kang Jingming, who had just returned from his journey.

"Father-in-law, it's bad, it's really bad! That Wei Zhao is far too formidable! We're done for—we've been nursing a tiger, and now it's turned on us! We should have finished him off long ago!" Kang Jingming cried incoherently the moment he stepped through the door.

"What do you mean by that? If we could have finished him off, we would have done it long ago—why would we wait until now?" Elder Xuan Chen frowned. By now he had managed to steady himself somewhat from his grief, and he glared at Kang Jingming. "I already know about Xiao Er. Tell me the whole thing in detail—what exactly happened? Is this Wei Zhao really that formidable?"

"It's like this. Following your suggestion, Father-in-law, I went to Yanjing City first, and Xiao Er and I put up at a hotel nearby to observe the Song family's situation!" Kang Jingming said. "After several days of watching, we found no sign of the Paoli clan's people, so I decided to test Wei Zhao..."

With that, Kang Jingming recounted the events of that time to Elder Xuan Chen in detail. But when he got to the part where they had gone to confront the man and Wei Zhao had slain Xiao Er with a single palm strike, Elder Xuan Chen's composure shattered completely!

"What did you say? Wei Zhao killed Xiao Er with one palm? Is that true or not?" Elder Xuan Chen found it a little unbelievable. Even he would not dare claim he could kill a Heaven-rank expert of Great Perfection in a single blow—because it simply was not possible!

"It's true! Father-in-law, would I lie to you? Would I boost another's morale and diminish our own prestige?" Kang Jingming said with a bitter smile. "I saw it with my own eyes!"

"Then what about the three Zhao family experts? Were they also killed by Wei Zhao in an instant?" Miss Lan spoke up and asked.

"No, I haven't finished. Those three Zhao family experts—they really are traitors! They were so scared they wet themselves and then ran for their lives. I couldn't stop them even if I tried!" Kang Jingming said with a bitter smile. "Not only did they surrender, they spilled everything about the Center's cooperation with us. Wei Zhao is none too pleased with us right now!"

"They ran?" Elder Xuan Chen's brows knitted at once. Those three were far too cowardly—what sort of people were they? They clearly had the strength, yet lacked even the courage to fight. Utter trash!

"Exactly, there's no describing it!" Kang Jingming said helplessly. "Originally, according to our earlier analysis, although Wei Zhao could kill experts in an instant across ranks, he should also have to pay a certain price under some special circumstance, and couldn't do it consecutively! So if the three of them had surrounded and attacked Wei Zhao at that moment, there was still a good chance of finishing him off. But who would have thought—before I could even give the order, they ran first!"

"Ah, Miss Lan, this time it truly is not that our Five Luminaries Sect did not put in the effort—it's just that, well, you saw the situation yourself..." Elder Xuan Chen turned to Miss Lan and said.

"I don't blame you for this." Miss Lan shook her head. She was indifferent to the matter and did not hate Wei Zhao that much anyway; her main purpose in staying here was actually to research biochemical human modification. Even if Wei Zhao was detestable, they could hardly be called enemies.

Since this man was so formidable, Miss Lan decided to temporarily avoid his edge and not clash with him head-on.

"It's good that Miss Lan can understand!" Elder Xuan Chen nodded. "Rest assured, we will certainly eliminate this Wei Zhao!"

"Very well. Since it's confirmed that Wei Zhao and his people did it, I'll go back and rest for now." Miss Lan nodded and took her leave.

At that moment, only Elder Xuan Chen and Kang Jingming remained in the room.

"Father-in-law, this time we must eliminate Wei Zhao. If we don't, he will surely become a disaster for us!" Kang Jingming said. "Right now he's already a peak mid-Heaven-rank expert. If he keeps growing, we won't stand a chance against him!"

"Quite right!" Elder Xuan Chen nodded, steeling his resolve. "Here's what we'll do: tomorrow you fire up the furnace and refine pills—refine the Limit Qi-Gathering Pills. We must poison Wei Zhao to death quickly. Any further delay and it will be too late!"

"Understood, I'll fire up the furnace tomorrow!" Kang Jingming had actually been thinking the same thing. Wei Zhao's cultivation level was rising higher and higher; at this rate, if Wei Zhao truly reached Heaven-rank Great Perfection, the Qi-Gathering Pills would have no effect on him at all—and by then, even if they refined the pills and offered them to him, he likely wouldn't take them.

So this matter had to be settled as soon as possible. Otherwise, the dish would go cold.

"Ah, despicable as this trick may be, it must be done. Even if the White Leader reprimands us, it must be done!" Elder Xuan Chen had finally made up his mind. Previously, out of consideration for the White Leader's side and the matter of cultivating a wood-element inheritor, they had had to preserve some semblance of face—but now, Wei Zhao had reached the point where he simply had to be eliminated!

"Understood, Father-in-law. I'll set aside everything else on hand and devote myself to refining the pills for the time being!" Kang Jingming nodded. He, too, had hardened his heart—he must refine the pills and poison Wei Zhao to death!

"On my end, I'll have a word with the White Leader, sound out his stance, and bring up the matter of the Heaven-rank trial along the way," Elder Xuan Chen said. "By the normal rules, he still counts as the Five Luminaries Sect's sect master. I should give him some face and let him arrange for his disciples to take part in the trial."

"Wei Zhao?!" Kang Jingming was slightly taken aback. "Wei Zhao is coming to the trial too? Then how do we deal with him? Second Senior Brother has fallen, and the three Zhao family experts are finished as well. Only the Silkworm-Transformation Young Sect Master is left—he's no match for Wei Zhao either, is he?"

"Not Wei Zhao. The White Leader's quota can only go to Guan Xin. Wei Zhao won't be able to come—if I don't agree, he can't take part in the trial," Elder Xuan Chen said flatly. "Since we're going to poison him with pills, why let him come to the trial at all? To cause trouble? With a man like that, by all means keep him away—he has ties to several inheritors, and I fear trouble will come of it!"

"Mm, that's good! Then I can set my mind at ease and go out for some training as well." Kang Jingming breathed a sigh of relief. Previously, what he had most looked forward to was finishing off Wei Zhao during the Heaven-rank trial! But now, what he feared most was Wei Zhao taking part in the trial!

These were two utterly different states of mind!

Having sent Kang Jingming back to prepare for the pill refinement, Elder Xuan Chen dialed the White Leader's number!