Cultivating Immortality Starts with Planting Techniques

Huh? 

A dignified Golden Core Patriarch, taken down like that? 

Li Ye's expression was complicated he looked like he wanted to say something but didn't dare to. 

The scene from just a short while ago was still fresh in his mind: the grand sect-protecting formation had activated, storms had raged across the mountain gate, and though all efforts were made to intercept that streak of crimson light, the target had still managed to escape. 

And the furious, aged voice that had echoed across the entire sect afterward had only confirmed what had happened. 

Even now, the great formation above Li Ye's head remained on high alert. Winds howled and clouds swirled, completely blotting out the sky. 

"That's what I heard next to the elder how could it be false?!" 

The child before him, no taller than half a man, wore a furious expression, clearly upset that Li Ye would doubt such explosive news he had come to share. 

"Of course, I believe you, Fellow Daoist Xiangyang," Li Ye quickly explained, his face showing a hint of unease. 

"It's just… the whole thing is far too unbelievable. I'm still struggling to wrap my head around it…" 

"The Patriarch is the true pillar of our sect. If anything were to happen to him, many powers in Huan Country and the surrounding regions who've long had their eyes on the Purple Profound Sect would certainly make a move!" 

Xiangyang's little face scrunched up as a trace of worry and fear flickered in his eyes. 

Elder Ji Qing had gone to the sect hall for a council meeting, and what he was telling Li Ye now was something he'd overheard in passing when the elder received a transmission. 

If the news hadn't shocked him so much, he wouldn't have rushed to share it with someone.

Even though he and Li Ye had only really gotten to know each other over the past few months, he wouldn't have casually revealed something this important under normal circumstances. 

"…It probably isn't that bad, right?" 

Xiangyang hesitated, then said, 

"I heard that traitor Cai made his move while the Patriarch was personally examining his spiritual constitution. The Patriarch was completely off guard." 

"But even so, with the Patriarch's Golden Core powers, he was only caught off guard that's why the traitor managed a single successful strike before fleeing. I doubt he was able to truly harm the Patriarch, even if it was all premeditated…" 

Li Ye listened in silence but quietly shook his head. 

Honestly, the Purple Profound Patriarch got played… 

Who would ever expect that a highly respected, meritorious rising star of the sect would suddenly launch a sneak attack right when he was being shown personal favor and having his constitution examined by the sect's supreme elder? 

Regardless of the mentor-disciple dynamic or the inherent power difference between a Golden Core cultivator and someone newly in the Foundation Establishment, there would have been no reason to be on guard. 

And yet Cai Siwei had done exactly that! 

Looking back now, Li Ye realized the signs had been there all along. 

That "sudden" appearance of demonic cultivators earlier was likely a deliberate setup to give Cai Siwei a chance to rise and catch the sect's attention. 

His subsequent efforts to boost his reputation and contributions within the sect were probably all carefully laid out, just to earn the opportunity to personally meet the Purple Profound Patriarch as soon as possible.

At this thought, Li Ye felt a sense of relief. 

Thankfully, I realized early on that Cai Siwei's behavior was strange and potentially dangerous, and I wisely distanced myself from him. 

Even when Cai Siwei had personally come to invite him over, causing some buzz, Li Ye had used the opportunity to push Li Zongyin into the spotlight instead.

Otherwise, given the sect's current climate, anyone closely tied to Cai Siwei would be rounded up and interrogated without delay. 

There's no way I'd escape suspicion! 

"…Still, I'll probably face some trouble regardless," he muttered to himself, "but if Elder Ji Qing is truly as fair and steady as he has always seemed, it shouldn't be too big a problem…" 

Compared to the news he had already mentally prepared for, Li Ye had far greater concerns at the moment. 

Judging by the rage and killing intent in the voice of the Purple Profound Patriarch earlier, it didn't sound like he had escaped unscathed! 

Not only had Cai Siwei, with just an early Foundation Establishment cultivation, managed to successfully ambush a Golden Core Patriarch once… 

After causing such a massive uproar, he had even escaped the Patriarch's wrathful counterattack and broken through the seal of a Tier Three formation!

That was a Tier Three formation! 

It could, to a certain extent, manipulate the power of the void. Within its bounds, it formed a realm of its sealing, and shifting things within it was effortless.

"The talisman he used back then must've been either a Tier Three Restriction-Breaking Talisman or a Tier Two one that had been enhanced through some special means… otherwise there's no way it could've broken through the void lock and allowed him to escape!" 

To think he had access to something that rare and precious! 

Cai Siwei held a special status within the force backing him. 

Otherwise, if all they needed was an assassin, they could've sent a disposable pawn. Why bother preparing such a sophisticated escape route? 

A method capable of injuring a Golden Core cultivator, a rare restriction-breaking talisman, the careful buildup of Cai Siwei's reputation and cultivation… 

To plan and prepare so extensively, all just to injure the Purple Profound Patriarch what force is pulling the strings behind the scenes?

And who knows how badly the Patriarch was wounded… 

An ambush on a Golden Core Patriarch like this won't stay hidden for long. 

If the Purple Profound Sect fails to make a strong show of power soon, fear will spread throughout the cultivation world of Huan Country. Many factions will start stirring… 

No, if the enemy's plan has already succeeded, they're likely to make further moves very soon. 

Unless the Purple Profound Patriarch was completely unscathed, the sect may no longer have the authority to dictate the direction of Huan Country's cultivation world. 

And when that time comes… who knows if he'll still be able to live his peaceful, farming lifestyle? 

Seeing that Li Ye had gone silent for a while, Xiangyang the child cultivator nudged him. 

"Li Ye, don't panic too much. With the foundation of our sect, even if traitors make trouble, they'll be swiftly suppressed. There's no need to look so lost." 

Looking at the forced confidence on the child's face, Li Ye could only shake his head with a bitter smile. 

"Of course, I believe that no mere traitor could ever offend our Patriarch's divine might! It's just that, in the past, I was blind and foolish… I did have some dealings with Cai Siwei. Though I later distanced myself from him, I'm afraid I'll still have to make a trip to the Disciplinary Hall…" 

"No need to worry!" 

Xiangyang waved it off without a second thought, speaking with the serious tone of a little grown-up: 

"When the elder appointed you as a spiritual herb caretaker for his cave estate, naturally his subordinates investigated your background thoroughly." 

"That vile woman surnamed Xiong her claims about your relationship with Cai Siwei didn't get past the elder's eyes!" 

"If you truly cut ties with him and have no remaining contact, the elder surely wouldn't let the Disciplinary Hall recklessly punish you or subject you to unfair treatment…" 

He spoke with full confidence, though who knew where that confidence came from. 

Li Ye was just about to play along and show some gratitude when Xiangyang suddenly frowned, pulling out a token. 

With a wave of his hand, the clouds covering the mountain peak parted slightly, revealing a path. 

Almost immediately, a squad of three law enforcement disciples flew straight in their direction.

All of them had mid-stage cultivation bases, and at this moment, their gazes were ice-cold as they fixed their eyes on Li Ye. Each had one hand resting on the swords hanging at their waists. 

"You are Li Ye?" the lead disciple asked bluntly. 

"I am," Li Ye answered with calm composure. 

"The Disciplinary Hall summons you. Come with us immediately," the leader said firmly. 

The two disciples behind him kept their eyes locked on Li Ye, as if ready to strike him down the instant he made any sudden move. 

Li Ye winked at Xiangyang, then said with composure, 

"Very well, let's go." 

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