Chapter 1288: Conspiracy (2)

"The Elder truly lives up to his reputation; with just a slight move, he dismantled this armor..."

"After dismantling it, however, the Elder’s expression grew somewhat grim."

"He said this armor was crafted by an ’expert’, its design exceedingly peculiar, meticulously custom-made. Especially the formation embedded within—it is extraordinarily unique..."

"This formation is a type of hybrid formation, bearing effects such as gold-breaking, physical defense, and sword-countering. It appears chaotic but is ingeniously designed, lacking a complete system yet highly practical—carrying a hint of the subtle elegance of defeating form with formlessness..."

"What’s most curious is that the formation within perfectly counters the ’shape transformation’ of the Broken Gold Sword Qi from the Sever Gold Sword Control Jue. It’s as if..."

Jin Gui paused.

Jin Yicai frowned, "As if what?"

Jin Gui sneaked a glance at him but ultimately held his tongue.

Jin Yicai grew displeased, "Speak directly! Stop dithering."

Jin Gui then said, "The Elder claimed it seems... to have been crafted by some expert Formation Master well-versed in the Sever Gold Sword Array..."

"Only then could one craft such armor—to counter attack with defense, counter sword with armor, use Spiritual Power transformation to suppress sword Qi transformation—and create a suit that counters our Sever Gold Sect’s sword techniques with such precision..."

Jin Yicai’s expression turned dark.

The tall disciple of the Sever Gold Sect nearby also had a frosty gaze.

"The Elder’s implication is..." Jin Yicai stated coldly, "That there’s a traitor within our Sever Gold Sect?"

Jin Gui bowed lightly, "The Elder didn’t say explicitly. It’s also possible that our Sever Gold Sect’s sword array was leaked..."

Jin Yicai snorted, "The sword array is the Sect’s secret, sealed tightly. Everyone who learns it signs a ’Death Oath.’ How could it be leaked to outsiders?"

"Unless..."

Jin Yicai’s gaze grew increasingly dangerous.

Jin Gui, perplexed, whispered, "Young Master, what do you mean..."

Jin Yicai smirked coldly, glancing around faintly, "Since there are no outsiders in this cave, I’ll speak openly..."

"In the Sever Gold Sect, the Jin family wields the greatest influence. But naturally, not everyone bears the Jin name."

"Surely, there are some who harbor ulterior motives."

"These people eye the Jin family like tigers stalking prey."

"They may not necessarily leak our sword formation to outsiders, but who can guarantee they wouldn’t act themselves—breaking our own Sever Gold Sect’s sword Qi for personal gain..."

Jin Gui, enlightened, "Young Master means..."

He hesitated briefly, whispering softly, "The Song..."

Jin Yicai’s eyebrows twitched.

Jin Gui froze momentarily, finding it hard to believe, "No matter how contentious the Song family may be with our Jin family, they are ultimately members of the Sever Gold Sect. Could they truly collude with external forces, secretly work with the Taixu Sect, and craft formations to counter our own sword Qi?"

"Could the Song family be attempting to leverage the Taixu Sect to topple the Jin family and usurp power?"

Jin Yicai’s eyes showed deep contemplation, "This matter remains unclear and cannot be concluded, but it’s not entirely impossible."

Jin Gui slowly nodded, though confusion lingered in his heart:

"For someone to be skilled enough to understand our Sever Gold Sect’s sword array, independently craft formations to counter Sever Gold Sword Qi—their expertise must surely belong to a Song family Elder or someone at an elder-level, correct?"

"Would such an individual stoop so low as to craft mere second-grade formations or forge second-grade Spiritual Artifacts?"

"What do you know?" the tall Sever Gold Sect cultivator said coldly and indifferently:

"Formations are not about superficial grades alone."

"The true essence lies beyond the grades, deep and unfathomable..."

"The Great Dao evolves; returning to simplicity. Those truly proficient in formations simplify the complex and make the difficult look easy. Even a low-grade formation can display ingenuity beyond the reach of ordinary Formation Masters..."

"Moreover, those from the Taixu Sect are just Foundation Middle Stage disciples who joined recently—what else would they use besides second-grade formations?"

The Sever Gold Sect cultivator’s stance was lofty and arrogant as he spoke to Jin Gui, unhurriedly and without reservations.

Jin Gui bowed respectfully, not daring to challenge him:

"Senior Brother speaks wisely!"

Jin Yicai frowned and questioned the tall cultivator:

"Cousin, with your expertise in formations, can you discern who is helping the Taixu Sect draw formations, forge armor, and counter our Sever Gold Sect’s sword Qi?"

The tall cultivator picked up the dismantled armor from the table, studied it intently, his gaze heavy, his expression also growing serious:

"The formation patterns—like silver hooks and iron strokes—demonstrate exceptional skill, suggestive of at least a century’s experience..."

"The formation pivot—complex yet orderly—indicates profound understanding of formation principles."

"In our Sever Gold Sect, we have high-level Formation Masters. But for such unrestrained design, capable of improvising diverse formation patterns seamlessly—individuals with such insight and creativity are very rare."

"For someone of such achievements to willingly craft trivial second-grade formations and meddle in affairs between Outer Disciples—this is indeed puzzling..."

Jin Yicai pondered briefly, then suddenly felt a chill in his heart, his expression shifting slightly, "Could it be... a leak?"

The tall Sever Gold Sect cultivator’s face also darkened upon hearing this.

Jin Yicai’s tone grew grim as he said:

"It could be the Song family—or perhaps one of our other Sever Gold Sect Elders. They might have secretly caught wind of some intel and thus colluded with the Taixu Sect, intending to use the hands of Taixu’s disciples to sabotage our plan at Refining Demon Mountain—thereby seizing the opportunity to topple the Jin family..."

"Cousin," Jin Yicai’s face paled slightly, "This matter must not be exposed, or I’ll be doomed..."

The tall cultivator’s gaze deepened as he responded, "Don’t worry. No matter how colossal the mistake you may make, our uncle and aunt will handle the aftermath for you."

"No, no, you don’t understand," Jin Yicai’s expression was grim, his eyes full of grievance, "My father despises me."

"Originally, he served as the Vice Sect Leader, enduring for seventy years. In less than ten years, he would’ve been promoted to Sect Leader."

"But because of the prior incident, his promotion was thwarted."

"The Jin family pulled many strings to suppress that issue, but such actions came at a cost—my father’s advancement has been indefinitely postponed."