"This is excellent."
"I never thought things would go so smoothly." The elderly voice carried a tone of satisfaction.
"You've worked hard over these years, Justin."
"It's not time to relax just yet," came a calm, composed voice. "That old man, the Great Elder, still harbors suspicions about me. He's still investigating the truth behind Caspian Qin's fall."
The voice was steady and cool—this was none other than Justin Shang, the one poised to ascend as the next Sect Leader of Shushan. The other voice belonged to his father.
"That is a bit troublesome," Justin's father responded. "But he won't uncover anything. Who would imagine that you, with the Supreme Demon Blood, could feed your own blood to the Great Demon? The only one who could have discovered the truth, Caspian Qin, is already dead. Set your mind at ease."
His casual words revealed an astonishing secret—the rampage of the Heavenly Gate Great Demon in the Valley of Fallen Demons was part of an elaborate plan. Caspian Qin's death had been orchestrated from the start.
"It's a pity," Justin sighed. "If only Sarah Qin had died back then, things would have been so much simpler. Caspian Qin would have trusted me completely."
"Nothing could be done about it. Who could have anticipated that the old Sword Demon, Dugu, was still alive?" Justin's father reminded him, "You must remain cautious and avoid any slip-ups. Shushan still has several elders alive, and while they're not as powerful as Dugu, they are still formidable."
"I understand," Justin replied. "All of this is for the restoration of the gods' glory. We're only a step away from success—I won't let our years of effort go to waste."
Their conversation was laced with secrets, and the two spoke freely, assuming no one could overhear. Powerful barriers surrounded them, making it impossible for even a Heavenly Gate practitioner to eavesdrop. However, they hadn't considered that someone within Shushan had extraordinary abilities beyond comprehension.
"So, that's the truth," Jason Chu mused, listening with a faint smile. He hadn't expected to stumble upon such an earth-shattering secret by accident.
"So, Caspian Qin is dead," he thought. "If I remember correctly, he was Sarah Qin's father." The memory of that solemn, respectful voice thanking the Sword Demon in front of the Swordmaking House came to mind. Only a century had passed since then, and now he was gone.
Jason had also learned of the events at the Valley of Fallen Demons. The threat of rampaging demons had devastated the land, explaining Shushan's recent emptiness as its members ventured forth to save the world.
"Sarah… It's been a while. I wonder how she's doing." He realized now that the ambush Sarah had faced outside the Swordmaking House a century ago had also been orchestrated by Justin.
Now that he knew the identity of the mastermind, a faint spark of killing intent flickered in his heart. It wasn't just because Sarah was his friend, but also due to the complete disdain he felt for Justin and his actions. On top of that, Justin carried the aura of a demonic being—a breed that Jason, like most, detested.
"Justin, have you gathered the materials?" his father's voice came again, filled with gravity. Clearly, this was no trivial matter to him.
"I've collected quite a few, but finding those with the 'Heaven's Deficiency' mark is exceptionally difficult," Justin replied, his tone tinged with frustration. "In the past century, I've only managed to capture six people."
"They're still alive, I presume?"
"They're confined in a hidden place. I'm ensuring their safety," Justin replied, sounding particularly focused.
"Good. Guard them well; they are essential to our plans."
"Of course. By the way, Father, I recall that Shushan once had a disciple with the 'Heaven's Deficiency' mark?"
"Yes, a blind boy assigned to the Swordmaking House as a Swordsmith Apprentice. Unfortunately, by the time you found the Codex of the Gods, I'd already looked into it, and he seems to have vanished. He likely died of old age."
The old voice held a tone of regret.
"Damn it!" Justin cursed quietly, sounding irritated. This matter was evidently important to him.
After a moment's silence, Justin's voice broke in again, "Father, I'll go check the Swordmaking House once more. I want to be sure. If he's dead, even his bones might prove useful."
His father seemed surprised. "Is that so? Then go and see. If you find anything, it will be an unexpected boon."
"Very well," Justin agreed.
At that moment, Jason was taken aback. He hadn't expected to hear his own name mentioned by these two individuals, who assumed he was irrelevant to Shushan.
And… what? They were so certain he was dead that they even planned to make use of his bones?
Jason frowned, sensing Justin's aura moving toward the Swordmaking House. He felt a slight sense of irony—he hadn't gone looking for trouble with Justin, yet here was Justin coming straight to his door.
This was certainly an unexpected turn of events.
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