Chapter 12 – The Thrill of the Scheme

Xin Yang let out a cheer as he popped open his eyes, breaking through to the next stage of cultivation. Seeing his excitement, Ye Meng and Bai Lihua shared a grin—they'd made progress too.

"Check out the auras on you two," Xin Yang said. "Looking good!"

Bai Lihua had climbed from Stage Three to Four, and Ye Meng's aura was shifting in unusual ways with each breakthrough. Xin Yang guessed it had to do with the weird mantra his brother cultivated.

Rather than train more, the trio decided to check out the hidden room Xin Yang's space-time skills had revealed. But when they entered the Divine Dharma Realm, they found it teeming with challengers from the sects that had taken control of the place.

"So much for secrets," Bai Lihua said dryly.

"Relax, they don't know about this room," Xin Yang replied. "We can still watch the show in peace."

He activated a hidden viewing formation, showing the action unfolding across the realm. Powerful sects had sent their elite younger disciples to claim treasure and stake their claim, unaware they were dancing to the tune of Xin Yang's scheme.

"Check out this group from the Thunder Dragon Sect," Xin Yang said, focusing the view on a few particularly powerful cultivators. "Cultivating some ancient mantra's supposed to make 'em tough stuff, but let's see how they handle a few surprises, eh?"

A wicked grin stretched across Ye Meng's face. "Now the fun really starts."

Xin Yang and his friends watched in amusement as the Thunder Dragon Sect disciples explored the ruins of the city. The beast-men lurking within posed little challenge, but that just made the fall awaiting the arrogant cultivators more satisfying.

"Think they'll wet themselves when the Ruined Emperor shows up?" Ye Meng asked with a snicker.

"Oh, without a doubt," Xin Yang replied. "That construct packs a punch. If they're smart, they'll run for their lives. But let's face it, if they were smart they wouldn't have—"

He broke off as the view zoomed in on the disciples' leader, Jin Weizhe, unleashing an attack on the palace gates. Xin Yang frowned. That strength could complicate things. If Jin Weizhe got inside and claimed the palace's treasures, the whole scheme might be at risk.

"We should intervene before he breaks through," Bai Lihua said, voicing Xin Yang's thoughts. "Keep him distracted while the Ruined Emperor deals with the other disciples. Between the two, they should be in no state to snatch treasures once this round's done."

Xin Yang and Ye Meng exchanged a wary glance. If Jin Weizhe got inside the palace, he might discover their scheme's big secret—that the legendary treasures within were nothing but illusion. They couldn't risk the powerful cultivator exposing that and undermining all they'd worked for.

It was time to up the stakes and join the game personally. If they wanted to keep their secrets safe, they'd have to be willing to get their hands dirty distracting Jin Weizhe.

Into the chaos they went.

Xin Yang and Ye Meng rushed into the Ruined City, leaving Bai Lihua to monitor the viewing formation. They arrived just as Jin Weizhe was unleashing another futile attack on the palace gates, frustration mounting.

The brothers swiftly formed a plan. While Jin Weizhe was distracted, Ye Meng would sneak into the palace through a secret entrance to stash away anything that might raise suspicion if seen. Xin Yang would then provoke the Thunder Dragon disciple into chasing him into a dead-end terrain where Ye Meng could ambush him.

The plan went smoothly. Jin Weizhe took the bait, pursuing Xin Yang with murderous intent after a few insulting remarks. He chased Xin Yang into a cramped alleyway, only to be attacked from behind by Ye Meng.

A fierce battle ensued, destruction raging through the Ruined City. But after a prolonged fight, the brothers managed to overpower Jin Weizhe and take him out of the equation. They then slipped away amid the chaos, leaving the powerful disciple unconscious for the Ruined Emperor and other dangers to handle.

One complication down, now to deal with the rest. The game was just getting started.

After dealing with Jin Weizhe, Xin Yang and Ye Meng returned to Bai Lihua's side. By the viewing formation, they watched the remaining Thunder Dragon Sect disciples succumb one by one to the perils of the Ruined City and palace. The last few survivors fled for their lives once the Ruined Emperor emerged, having no taste for that particular fight.

"And that's a wrap," Xin Yang said with satisfaction, dispelling the viewing formation. "The secrets of this place are safe, and we've gained more than a few new toys to play with."

He nodded at the plundered weapons and items from Jin Weizhe and the other powerful disciples. Those alone would fetch a high price, never mind the techniques they could dig out of them.

"Until next scheme, then," Ye Meng said, clapping his brother on the shoulder.

Bai Lihua shook her head at their antics. "You two will be the death of me." Though truth be told, a part of her did enjoy the thrill and rewards of their ploys, no matter how risky or morally ambiguous.

For today, victory and spoils were theirs. What new chaos might tomorrow bring? That was half the fun—they never knew what might fall into their hands or what madness they might plunge into next.

The brothers decided to lay low for a time after their Ruined City scheme, not wanting to risk the stronger sects catching on to their tricks too quickly. But after a few months enjoying the spoils of their victory, the urge to stir up more trouble struck hard.

"How about we try hitting a few smaller sects this time?" Ye Meng suggested. "Less risk of serious retaliation, and they might have some hidden gems worth snatching."

"Not a bad idea," Xin Yang said. "And if we pick fights between a couple of the sects too, they'll be too busy dealing with each other to worry about who's really pulling the strings."

Bai Lihua rolled her eyes, well used to the way the brothers' minds worked. Still, she couldn't deny she too felt the itch for a new scheme, a new rush of outwitting others and claiming rewards that wasn't rightfully theirs to take.

And so plans were laid for their next round of chaos and profit at the expense of the unsuspecting. The younger cultivators of the smaller sects around them had no idea what storms were brewing, or what might be torn from their hands if they weren't careful. But for Xin Yang and the others, that was all part of the fun.

Xin Yang and his friends' new scheme went off without a hitch. They plundered treasures and techniques from the sects they targeted, instigated infighting to keep their foes distracted, and caused general chaos for their own amusement.

Once the fun was done, they slipped away into the Void Realm, a secret space-time Xin Yang had created for them to use as a hidden base. There they examined their latest haul, already planning how to make use of their gains and what chaos to craft next.

But after a time in the Void Realm, Xin Yang dispelled it to leave no traces for enemies to track. All across the region, cultivators and sect members abruptly found themselves expelled from the space that had imprisoned them, some mid-battle.

Elders and leaders who had waited anxiously for their disciples to return with promised treasures found only failure and humiliation. Fury at being made fools of ran rampant, but by then Xin Yang and the others were long gone, leaving nothing but mysteries behind.

Until they struck again, somewhere new, to claim fresh spoils from those unlucky enough to catch their wandering, troublemaking eyes.