Chapter 3528 — Secret Maneuvering: Wei Zhao Is the True Successor of the Five Luminaries Sect?

With all of that done, Wei Zhao put away the fine-steel dark-iron staff, pushed open the door, and stepped out of the suite. Wang Xinyan and Han Jingyi were already awake and washing up; plainly, they too felt some anticipation for the battle to come.

Wei Zhao finished washing up, then brought Wang Xinyan and Han Jingyi downstairs with him, arriving at the ground floor of the inn.

Tianchan was already waiting at the door with Gu Mengyao, Shen Yushu, Xiao Jiu, Yuning, Guan Xin, Feng Xiaoxiao, Tang Zhi, and Xue Li.

Cultivators normally rose early. Wei Zhao had been delayed by forging a heaven-tier divine weapon; otherwise he would have come down first thing as well.

What surprised Wei Zhao somewhat was that not long after he came down, Zhong Yongliang and Zhang Naipao also descended. Clearly the two of them were preparing to leave.

"Young Hero Lin, my thanks!" Zhong Yongliang cupped his fist toward Wei Zhao, then hurried into the vehicle they had arrived in.

Kang Jingming witnessed this gesture, and his heart gave a sudden lurch. He too had been loitering nearby, so he hastily dashed over to Zhong Yongliang's vehicle, taking the stairs two at a time.

But Zhong Yongliang's car had already started moving, and with a "bang" it knocked Kang Jingming head over heels, sending him flat onto the ground in a thoroughly sorry state.

At any other time Kang Jingming would surely have flown into a rage, but now he needed to determine just what relationship existed between Wei Zhao and Zhong Yongliang—why had Zhong Yongliang suddenly become so familiar with Wei Zhao, even exchanging farewell greetings before leaving?

Wasn't that fist-cup salute reserved only for highly respected friends?

"Kang Jingming, are you sick in the head? Looking to die?" Zhong Yongliang stopped the car, thoroughly baffled, and opened the window to curse at him.

"Ha, Brother Liang, wait up, I have something to tell you!" Kang Jingming opened the rear door and climbed in. He too was a heaven-tier grand-completion expert; although a pill refiner, a mere bump from a car was naturally not going to hurt him.

"What do you want?" Zhong Yongliang said with some impatience.

"Ha, isn't Paozi done for? I can help! My master, Old Ancestor Xuanchen, was there at the time, so I couldn't say much. But back then, dealing with Han Jingyi and Wang Xinyan was my idea too, and Paozi getting drained to ruin by Wang Xinyan is my responsibility as well. So I'd like to contribute what little I can!" Kang Jingming said.

"Oh?" Zhong Yongliang was now completely taken aback. What did this mean? Why was he suddenly saying such things to him? Still, Zhang Naipao had mostly recovered, and on this trip back, the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect intended to find a disciple whose strength he could absorb. But if Kang Jingming wanted to do something first, that was fine too: "How do you plan to help me?"

"I can refine Qi-Gathering Pills! Don't forget, I'm a pill refiner!" Kang Jingming said.

"Oh? Good—if you can refine Qi-Gathering Pills, then I won't decline." Zhong Yongliang's eyes lit up, and he spoke with some delight. With Qi-Gathering Pills, Zhang Naipao wouldn't need to absorb anyone else's strength.

To other cultivators, the Qi-Gathering Pill might prove a bottleneck on the path to advancing to the heavenly way, but for Zhang Naipao, that bottleneck did not exist! His Bee-Absorbing Divine Art had already been cultivated to great completion—he could absorb anything, so naturally there was no longer any limit on upgrading or breaking through!

Zhang Naipao no longer relied on the spiritual qi of heaven and earth to advance; instead he advanced by absorbing all manner of other true qi. Thus the side effects of the Qi-Gathering Pill did not apply to him.

"No problem." Having said all this, Kang Jingming finally looked at Zhong Yongliang and asked, "By the way, Brother Liang, what was that greeting with Wei Zhao about just now? Aren't you and he sworn enemies?"

"Oh, Wei Zhao gave us some energy stones. Paozi has now recovered to the strength of the mid yellow tier, and I expect he'll soon advance to the mystic tier and be able to use the Bee-Absorbing Divine Art. So your Qi-Gathering Pills had better come quickly." Zhong Yongliang was in fact a schemer; he said this precisely to make Kang Jingming devote himself wholeheartedly to refining pills at speed.

True, back at the sect they could have Zhang Naipao absorb others' true qi to advance, but how much true qi would that take?

Even absorbing two or three grand-completion experts, after accounting for loss in the transfer, might not be enough to push Zhang Naipao to grand completion—and besides, how many grand-completion experts did the Tomorrow Upon Tomorrow Sect even have? Could Zhong Yongliang offer himself up for Zhang Naipao to absorb? Absolutely impossible.

Finding a few heaven-tier experts would already be fortunate, but even so, Zhang Naipao would still struggle to advance. With a pile of Qi-Gathering Pills, however, things became easy.

"Oh, energy stones. Qi-Gathering Pills are more useful than those. You know as well as I do that energy stones are far too slow for advancing! And this Wei Zhao giving you fine things—no gift without a motive. You and he are not on the same path at all, so don't be fooled by his facade! Think about how you lost your kidney!" Kang Jingming said.

"Mm, that's true enough. Then I'll wait for your good news!" Zhong Yongliang nodded.

"Haha, no problem. But when the heaven-tier assembly comes, you'd better stand on my side!" This was Kang Jingming's true aim—he was afraid that when the time came, Zhong Yongliang would side with Wei Zhao.

"That goes without saying. Wei Zhao and I are enemies after all. Though I owe him a personal favor, at most I won't raise a hand against him myself—but I could never stand on his side!" Zhong Yongliang said.

This was his bottom line. He and Wei Zhao were foes; he could not side with Wei Zhao over such a small matter. Besides, he had made things clear with Wei Zhao: this was merely a transaction. When the time came, Zhang Naipao would take Wang Xinyan's place in resisting the oppressive might of the Five Baleful Demonic Qi, and then Wang Xinyan would be free of risk.

It was out of this consideration that Wei Zhao had given him the energy stones, so Zhong Yongliang did not feel he owed Wei Zhao too much. At most, he would refrain from stirring up trouble or targeting Wei Zhao before the Cloud-Tier Island affair—but if Kang Jingming moved against Wei Zhao, he would not join Wei Zhao's side to stop him.

That was exactly the assurance Kang Jingming wanted. So long as Zhong Yongliang and Wei Zhao were not on the same path, there was no problem. At the heaven-tier assembly, Wei Zhao would be alone with no one to support him—wouldn't that be pitiful? Haha, the very thought made him happy!

Yesterday, Old Ancestor Xuanchen had explained to Kang Jingming the plan to be carried out at the heaven-tier assembly. Kang Jingming had been delighted to hear it: if Wei Zhao dared to make trouble, all the heaven-tier grand-completion experts would rise as one and slay him!

Before the heaven-tier assembly, Kang Jingming had already begun secretly building his network.

"And if Wei Zhao interferes with the chance for Cloud-Tier Island? If he wants to block the opening of Cloud-Tier Island, what will you do then?" Kang Jingming pressed on, step by step.

"Then I'll stand on your side," Zhong Yongliang said after a moment's thought.

"Good!" Kang Jingming was overjoyed. "If Wei Zhao dares to ruin our chance, I'll give the order and everyone will rise together to slay him. Don't forget your promise."