Chapter 614: Chapter 414: This Is Suspicious

Ghost Head Castle.

Inside an underground fortress.

All of Ghost Head Castle’s Core Formation-level leaders were gathered here.

The atmosphere was heavy, all because of a piece of news.

The former Second Cave Master of the Black Ghost Cave was dead, and at the hands of the mysterious Spirit Refiner no less!

"No wonder the Black Ghost Cave was the first to hole up. No wonder it was useless no matter what I said to them," Lan Zhaifen remarked long after she’d heard the news.

A month after the Black Ghost Cave had stopped aiding the Dragon Demon Palace, she had made a special trip to the cave.

Her goal had been to persuade them to rejoin the fight and, at the same time, find out what had happened to make their leaders come to such a decision.

They hadn’t learned the reason, so they could only rely on their own speculation.

They had guessed that the Black Ghost Cave couldn’t stomach the heavy losses from supporting the Dragon Demon Palace, and since they weren’t gaining any benefits, they had decided to pull back.

Looking back now, their guess had been too simplistic. The Black Ghost Cave’s strongest Core Formation expert had died. It wasn’t just ’heavy losses’—it was a devastating blow!

"Did the Black Ghost Cave really need to hide this news, keeping it even from us?"

Half a year had passed before they, Ghost Head Castle, finally learned of it.

"If you were the Cave Master of the Black Ghost Cave, you’d do the same. By not telling us, they’ve let the Celestial Cloud Sect focus much of its firepower on us."

"The Black Ghost Cave doesn’t know our plan. If they did, they’d realize that even if we had known earlier that the mysterious Spirit Refiner killed their strongest Cave Master, we would have still continued to target the Celestial Cloud Sect."

The Black Ghost Cave had its own agenda, and Ghost Head Castle had theirs.

Their relationship with the Black Ghost Cave was much worse than the Ghost-Controlling Sect’s was.

One reason was the disparity between their two influences. Among Core Formation Influences, the Black Ghost Cave and the Ghost-Controlling Sect were on the same level, and the territories they occupied were of similar size.

"The Ghost-Controlling Sect knew about this long ago. They did a good job of keeping the Black Ghost Cave’s secret."

"Yes, they must have known. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have holed up just a few days after the Black Ghost Cave did."

"Both the Black Ghost Cave and the Ghost-Controlling Sect fear the mysterious Spirit Refiner’s power..."

At the mention of the mysterious Spirit Refiner’s power, the atmosphere grew even heavier.

None of the Ghost Head Castle leaders had ever imagined that the Black Ghost Cave’s strongest Cave Master would die at the hands of the mysterious Spirit Refiner.

After receiving this news, they went to the Black Ghost Cave to get more specific information.

How long had the Black Ghost Cave’s former Second Cave Master lasted against the mysterious Spirit Refiner before being killed?

Details like these were crucial for helping them better understand the mysterious Spirit Refiner’s strength.

With the secret out, the Black Ghost Cave was finally willing to talk. The battle between the mysterious Spirit Refiner and their strongest Cave Master had ended quickly.

"According to the Black Ghost Cave, the mysterious Spirit Refiner is likely far more powerful than an ordinary Spirit Refiner at the Peak of Core Formation."

"Mm," Duan Shiling, Ghost Head Castle’s Supreme Elder at the Peak of Core Formation, nodded. "I know a fair bit about the Second Cave Master’s abilities. He possessed impressive escape techniques. The fact that the mysterious Spirit Refiner could kill him proves they are no simple foe! Not only are their stealth techniques powerful, but their offensive and trapping abilities must also be terrifyingly strong."

With even Duan Shiling saying this, the other Ghost Head Castle Supreme Elders no longer had any doubts about the mysterious Spirit Refiner’s power.

"For the Black Dragon Hall Elder hiding in the Dragon Demon Palace, dealing with the mysterious Spirit Refiner now will be very difficult."

"Fortunately, our ultimate goal isn’t to deal with the mysterious Spirit Refiner."

Ghost Head Castle’s objective was to use the chaos to create an opportunity for Duan Shiling to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage.

"But with the Black Ghost Cave and the Ghost-Controlling Sect having ceased their activities, a large part of the Celestial Cloud Sect’s pressure has shifted to us."

This fact caused the Ghost Head Castle leaders present to fall silent once more.

They could already feel the pressure from the Celestial Cloud Sect.

Many Foundation Establishment Spirit Refiners from the Celestial Cloud Sect and its subordinate Foundation Establishment Influences had already appeared in Ghost Head Castle’s territory.

So far, not a single Foundation Establishment Influence in their territory had been wiped out.

They knew this was only because the mysterious Spirit Refiner had yet to appear in their territory. If that Spirit Refiner were to show up, they would take out at least one Foundation Establishment Influence.

"Should we inform the Dragon Demon Palace about the mysterious Spirit Refiner’s true strength?"

"Of course, we should," Duan Shiling said. "Letting the Black Dragon Hall’s Elders know the news will be to our advantage. They might send more Elders over."

"Understood. I’ll do it as soon as the meeting is over."

"Grand Elder Duan, ever since the Black Ghost Cave and the Ghost-Controlling Sect stopped supporting the Dragon Demon Palace and completely holed up, the Celestial Cloud Sect hasn’t taken much action against them either.

The Black Ghost Cave and the Ghost-Controlling Sect have achieved their goal. It’s impossible to get them involved again. We must bring in more forces now. I suggest we contact the Blood Red Sect. We might get something out of it."

Like Ghost Head Castle, the Blood Red Sect bordered not only the Dragon Demon Palace but also the Wind Ling Sect.

If the Blood Red Sect could be persuaded to support the Dragon Demon Palace, the pressure on them would be greatly reduced.

"Elder Wei, you’ve come up with this idea because of the recent incident involving the Blood Dew Palace and two other Core Formation Spirit Refiner influences, haven’t you?"

"That’s right," Elder Wei nodded. "For the Blood Dew Palace to make such a big move, they might have been instructed by the Blood Spirit Sect. As I recall, the Blood Spirit Sect and the Purple Mist Sect have a very poor relationship."

"It’s too early to contact the Blood Red Sect now. We won’t get a good result even if we send someone. The Purple Blood Pavilion borders the Celestial Cloud Sect’s territory, and even they haven’t made a move. I, for one, think the chances that the Blood Spirit Sect ordered the Blood Dew Palace to act are very slim."

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