Chapter 591 Lowly Tactics

Above the mountain villa more than thirty li from the county town, Ji Yuan stood in the air with a blank expression.

Beside him were Elder Hong Tian and Shangguan Wuxiang.

As for Lin Yubai and Cui Yinghong, they had already made their move impatiently.

Under the powerful assault of the two, the great formation protecting the mountain villa was immediately broken, not even lasting half an hour.

This was even with them holding back and not directly displaying their full strength.

In fact, in less than a quarter of an hour, the mountain villa had been taken down by the two.

The force that owned this place did not even have a cultivator in the third realm.

The strongest among them was merely a martial artist in the late second realm.

“It seems the people supporting them from the shadows are no longer in this place,” Ji Yuan said with a light laugh as he scanned his surroundings.

Perhaps sensing their aura, they had chosen to retreat directly.

But then again, it made sense. Five cultivators in the third realm arriving together was something anyone would have to consider carefully.

It was certain that a being in the third realm was stationed here, otherwise, how would a force with only second-realm martial artists dare to oppose Ming Xin Xuan?

It was just that the strong individual sent to support them from the shadows had been scared away by them.

“Alright, let’s go to the next place.”

Lin Yubai and Cui Yinghong returned, the former saying with boredom, “I thought I’d get to stretch my muscles, but it turned out to be just a formality.”

“Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to stretch your muscles later,” Ji Yuan said casually with a smile.

The forces that dared to oppose Ming Xin Xuan were not all like this mountain villa.

Some of them had considerable strength of their own.

There was even one force that had a cultivator in the middle third realm stationed there.

However, when they tried to sweep through them one by one, they found that the forces on the list had all disappeared!

It was as if these forces had vanished overnight, leaving behind vast tracts of property for others to compete for, but no further traces.

“Luring the tiger away from its mountain?”

Ji Yuan pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

If there were any changes in the prefectural city, he would sense it, as the Water God Temple could transmit messages.

But if that wasn't the case, then the events that had unfolded along the way were rather strange.

Apart from the first force, all the others had vanished into thin air, not even leaving a single clue.

Now that they had traveled all the way to Qinghe Prefecture, the scene they saw had not changed in the slightest.

But if someone wanted to deliberately lure them away, there was no need to do it this way.

Leaving those forces behind would only make them spend more effort.

The most important point was that such an abnormal situation, as long as one wasn't an idiot, could tell that something was wrong.

“No matter what, let’s go back first!” Elder Hong Tian said solemnly.

After all, the remaining two forces were within Feiyun Prefecture, and going there was meaningless.

They could send a message back, and ask Xuan Tian Guan or Tian Yi Water God Temple to send two or three third-realm cultivators to resolve the matter.

More than two months later, Ji Yuan and the others rushed back to Luoxia Prefecture’s prefectural city without stopping.

However, to their surprise, the city was still as calm as ever.

There were no incidents targeting them, and the various factions were very stable, with no conflicts occurring between them.

This made Ji Yuan even more puzzled.

“You’re saying that forces also vanished in other places?” When Qian Ni Chang rushed over, she brought this news.

In three to four months, at least twenty or so forces in Luoxia Prefecture had disappeared.

And these local forces had all appeared on Ming Xin Xuan’s trade routes and had significant conflicts with them.

After all, no matter how they handled things, they couldn't guarantee that every single force would cooperate with them on all trade routes.

There were always some people who were dissatisfied with Ming Xin Xuan’s actions, or for some other reason.

And now, all these forces had disappeared, and not a trace could be found.

“This is troublesome!” Ji Yuan’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately realized that this was a scheme targeting Ming Xin Xuan.

The disappearance of those forces had a very direct impact.

Even some people who had very good cooperative relationships began to ponder.

Would they, one day, accidentally offend Ming Xin Xuan or make someone unhappy, and then vanish into thin air like these forces?

Groundless speculation was the most deadly because you didn’t know the truth, and you couldn’t see or touch anything.

Allowing a torrent of thoughts to surge would only lead to mistaking the false for the true.

Just like now, many forces were showing a reluctance to cooperate.

However, it was only a thought, and they still didn’t dare to act on it, as they were also worried about their own problems.

And within a few days of Ji Yuan and the others returning to the prefectural city.

News began to spread in the city, roughly stating that Ming Xin Xuan had the support of the Nine Profound Sect from Feiyun Prefecture and was using their military might to clear out all those who did not cooperate with them.

To most people, this was a ridiculous rumor, but under the instigation of some people, it caused a great stir in the city.

Ming Xin Xuan’s business had been affected to varying degrees because of this.

“It should be Hao Han Lou,” Qian Ni Chang said gravely.

In the prefectural city, there were certainly no small number of forces capable of such a feat.

And those who harbored enmity towards Ming Xin Xuan were very few. Only Hao Han Lou, with its conflicting interests, had the motive and stance to do so.

It was not surprising that the two factions fought each other and employed conspiracies and stratagems.

They had been fighting for decades, and it was already quite good that they hadn't completely torn their faces.

“I’m afraid it’s not just Hao Han Lou,” Ji Yuan said with an equally displeased expression.

He strongly suspected that Wu Wei was also involved in this.

As if to confirm his guess, people from the yamen soon came to inquire about the forces that had mysteriously disappeared along the route Ji Yuan and his companions had taken.

Although it was merely a perfunctory matter, and these yamen officials could not actually see Ji Yuan and the others, rumors then began to spread in the city.

The content of these rumors was that the people of the Nine Profound Sect, relying on their powerful strength, had annihilated all the forces that opposed Ming Xin Xuan.

“They want to use the name of the Nine Profound Sect to drive us out of the prefectural city, and even Luoxia Prefecture!” Ji Yuan finally reacted, guessing the plan of the people behind the scenes.

He had to admit that this method was not only clever but even considered crude and despicable.

But it was precisely effective.

It instantly defined Ji Yuan as an outsider, who was bringing outside forces to interfere in Luoxia Prefecture and seize a large amount of profit from various factions.

Although it was just a rumor, how could those who heard it not have some doubts?

After all, Ji Yuan was indeed an outsider now, and he was indeed leading inner disciples and elders of the Nine Profound Sect to develop his own forces in Luoxia Prefecture.