Chapter 1227 Spirit Sword Monk

A few days later, Zhou Yiqiao and his party bid farewell to the sphere of influence of Qinjian Villa. After a long journey, they finally stepped into the sphere of influence of a puppet sect controlled by Lingxiao Palace.

The sect chosen by Zhou Yiqiao and his group is called "Lingjian Sect". It is located on the edge of Lingxiao Palace's sphere of influence and is a medium-sized righteous sect of immortal cultivation.

They chose this sect as their entry point for three reasons.

First of all, although the Lingjian Sect is affiliated with Lingxiao Palace, due to its remote geographical location, the control it is subject to is relatively weak, which facilitates their subsequent actions.

Secondly, the Lingjian Sect did not receive much support from the Lingxiao Palace, and its strength could only be described as mediocre, which made it easier for them to find opportunities to strike.

Finally, the leader of the Lingjian Sect did not have a close relationship with the Lingxiao Palace, and there had long been rumors that he wanted to break away from the control of the Lingxiao Palace. This made it easier for them to find conflicts that they could exploit in the Lingjian Sect.

In a town outside the Lingjian Sect, Zhou Yiqiao and others temporarily settled down.

They rented a larger house, settled Qing Jimeng and the disciples of Qinjian Villa, and then began to investigate this sect.

Although Qing Jimeng had reconciled with himself, he still had to control the group of loyal monks behind him who were devoted to Qinjian Villa. Therefore, Zhou Yiqiao and the other person still had to go personally to investigate the internal situation of Lingjian Sect.

They changed into the clothes of ordinary casual cultivators and sneaked into the markets and teahouses near the Lingjian Sect under the pretext of visiting old friends.

"Brother Xu, what should we do next?"

In the teahouse, Zhou Yiqiao held up the teacup in his hand and looked at Xu Hanchang, asking for his opinion.

Xu Hanchang took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and then spoke slowly.

"First, we need to understand the recent movements of the Spirit Sword Sect, including their internal situation and their relationship with other forces."

“This information is critical to our next steps.”

"Secondly, we need to find an opportunity to contact the top leaders of the Spirit Sword Sect and see if it is possible to win them over to our side."

"If we succeed, it will be easier for us to find opportunities to attack this sect."

"Finally, we need to keep a close eye on the movements of the Lingxiao Palace to prevent them from suddenly taking action against the Lingjian Sect and disrupting our plans."

Zhou Yiqiao frowned slightly, agreeing with Xu Hanchang's idea, but at the same time he also revealed a hint of worry.

"Brother Xu is right, but Lingjian Sect is still a vassal of Lingxiao Palace after all. It is not easy to infiltrate its top leadership."

"What's more, there are many eyes and ears in the High Heaven Palace, and our every move may be monitored."

"If the plan succeeds, it's fine. But if it's exposed, it will easily alert the enemy and ruin the plan."

Xu Hanchang smiled slightly.

"That's true, but there are always loopholes in everything."

“Although the Lingjian Sect is influenced by the Lingxiao Palace, people’s hearts are different. There are always one or two people who are dissatisfied with the status quo and eager for change.”

“We can start with these people and maybe we can open up the situation.

Zhou Yiqiao heard the deeper meaning in Xu Hanchang's words, and a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"Brother Xu, do you mean to say that you have already found out who in the Lingjian Sect is dissatisfied with the current situation of the sect? "

Xu Hanchang smiled and refilled his tea, speaking slowly.

"That's right, Brother Zhou. It's no secret that this person is dissatisfied with the current situation of the sect. All the cultivators nearby know this news."

"The reason why I chose this teahouse is to wait for that person to come."

"We can observe the other party from a distance first, and then decide whether to contact them."

After hearing that Xu Hanchang had made all the arrangements, Zhou Yiqiao reluctantly put aside his doubts.

"Brother Xu is indeed very thoughtful. Let's just wait and see what happens."

The two of them sipped tea quietly in the teahouse, while paying attention to the movements around them.

Soon, a figure entered the teahouse. It was a middle-aged monk who looked to be about 40 or 50 years old. He had a firm face and a barely perceptible worry in his eyes.

His arrival immediately attracted the attention of other monks in the teahouse, and many of them cast meaningful glances at him.

"Brother Zhou, look at that man."

Xu Hanchang signaled Zhou Yiqiao with his eyes to pay attention to the middle-aged monk.

"He is an elder of the Spirit Sword Sect, named Zhao Dingshi. It is said that he is very dissatisfied with the current situation of the sect."

"He often expresses his dissatisfaction with the High Heaven Palace in this place, so he is well known by many cultivators."

Zhou Yiqiao looked at the middle-aged monk carefully, then spoke slowly.

"How strong is this person?"

"He is in the late stage of Spiritual Transformation. Although he is not the top one, he is still considered a top figure in the Spirit Sword Sect."

Xu Hanchang replied.

"Moreover, I heard that he used to be a close confidant of the Lingjian Sect's leader, but was later marginalized for some reasons, which deepened his dissatisfaction."

Zhou Yiqiao nodded, and quietly spent ten years of his life to use the Golden Dragon Qi-Viewing Technique to check the other party's luck.

"From the looks of it, he is not a wealthy person. He probably has not had many opportunities before us. He is an ordinary person. We can approach him."

Xu Hanchang also agreed.

"That's right, we can observe his behavior first and then decide whether to contact him."

In the next few days, they frequently went in and out of this teahouse, pretending to pass by Zhao Dingshi inadvertently, but they did not talk directly, but just silently observed his words and deeds.

After a few days of observation, Zhou Yiqiao and Xu Hanchang discovered that Zhao Dingshi was indeed dissatisfied with the current situation of Lingjian Sect and the excessive interference of Lingxiao Palace, just as the rumors said.

He often complained to the monks around him in teahouses about the weakness and mediocrity within the sect, as well as the ruthless plundering of resources by Lingxiao Palace, and his words showed undisguised hatred for Lingxiao Palace.

One afternoon, the teahouse was sparsely populated. Zhao Dingshi sat alone in a corner, playing with a faded jade pendant in his hand, his eyes full of reminiscence and sorrow.

Zhou Yiqiao and Xu Hanchang looked at each other, felt that the time had come, and slowly walked to his table.

"Elder Zhao, I have long heard of your great name. It is fate that we meet here today."

Zhou Yiqiao spoke first, his tone sincere and gentle.

Zhao Dingshi looked up and a hint of vigilance flashed across his eyes, but was immediately replaced by a polite smile.

"Oh? You two are..."

"Next week, on the bridge, this is my dear friend Xu Hanchang."

"We are two independent cultivators traveling together in Tianchen Realm. We have been staying here for a few days and happened to hear Elder Zhao's inspiring speech. We are filled with admiration and have come here to learn from him."

Xu Hanchang took over the conversation, and while they were talking, the two of them unnoticeably sandwiched Zhao Dingshi in the middle.