And although the Monk only looked middle-aged, his palms were like withered tree bark.

A number of Daoists and Monks gathered around them.

Clearly, the group was centered around these two men.

The old Daoist turned to the Monk before him and broke the silence. "Yuan An, our superiors are very displeased with us, as you know. What do you plan to do?"

As he spoke, everyone present turned their gazes toward him.

Whether Daoist or Monk, every person’s gaze held a trace of exhaustion, as if they hadn’t slept in days.

They were from the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect of Fenglin State, and the old Daoist and the Monk were their leaders.

Not long ago, Liu Wufeng had led members of the Observatory in a frenzied campaign to wipe them out, even committing half of the Observatory’s manpower and resources.

Among the evil forces in Fenglin State, the Upper Evil Sect and the Dark Hall had always been thorns in the Observatory’s side.

Originally, those two groups had served as a screen for the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect, allowing them to survive in the shadows. They could even stir up trouble and cause the Observatory immense problems whenever it tried to deal with them.

But everything changed after Shen Bai’s arrival.

The Upper Evil Sect was gone. The Dark Hall was gone too.

With those two thorns in its side removed, the Fenglin State Observatory could finally free up its hands to deal with them.

Liu Wufeng committed half of his forces and even coordinated with the constables from the Government Office, causing the two sects to suffer devastating losses in a short amount of time. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

Although they hadn’t suffered any core damage, every loss they took was still irreversible.

The two sects had gathered here this time to discuss their next move.

If they didn’t strike back, the Observatory would slowly devour them, piece by piece.

By then, with only a handful of members left, they wouldn’t be able to make any waves.

After hearing the old Daoist’s question, Monk Yuan’an fell into a long, drawn-out silence.

The Qianqing Daoist’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter. "Your silence can only mean one thing—you have no solution. If we have no solution, then both our sects will be abandoned by our superiors. And you know the consequences of that."

"No more missions, no more resources, and no support of any kind. We’ll become rootless weeds, ready to wither and die at any moment."

Monk Yuan’an sighed. "Daoist, if there were a solution, I would have found it by now. But what can we possibly do to kill Shen Bai? Our superiors’ message is simple. We two sects were crushed by Shen Bai, and if we can’t kill him, we no longer have a reason to exist."

The Qianqing Daoist gritted his teeth. "I know that, of course. But we have to kill him, even if we think we can’t. If we fail to kill him, we die. It’s not like you don’t know how our superiors treat failures."

"But what choice do we have now?" Monk Yuan’an’s hands clenched into fists. "Shen Bai refuses to leave Fenglin State, and we’ve already botched the Nightmare plot. So tell me, what’s your brilliant idea?"

At the mention of this, Monk Yuan’an’s anger began to flare.

The Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect weren’t orthodox organizations. They were known throughout the Jianghu as Demonic Forces.

Naturally, their subordinates were hardly saints.

Their recent failure and devastating losses could all be traced back to one man: Shen Bai.

Their superiors had already sent word. Because of their failed operation, they had caused their masters to lose all face.

If they couldn’t kill Shen Bai, they would be cast aside like sacrificial pawns—an example to others of the price for failure.

The only way to win back their superiors’ favor was to complete the mission they had already failed.

But that brought them back to the original problem.

Shen Bai had thwarted the Nightmare plot and was remaining within Fenglin State, giving them no opportunity to strike.

They didn’t dare enter Fenglin State in person.

Forget Liu Wufeng—even Elder Mu and Long Yan were lying in wait, ready to deal them a fatal blow.

It was a suicidal plan, and they weren’t about to walk into that kind of trap.

And so, the Wild Taoist Sect and the Wild Buddha Sect were completely trapped in a dilemma.

They couldn’t kill him, yet their superiors would punish them for it. After the punishment, they would be cut off from all resources and left to fend for themselves.

Eventually, they would just disappear.

It was a vicious cycle.

At least, it was a cycle that Monk Yuan’an saw no way of breaking.

Hearing Monk Yuan’an’s words and sensing his anger, the Qianqing Daoist stroked his long beard. "Actually... it’s not entirely hopeless. But we may have to pay a steep price."

As he spoke, the gazes of everyone present, which had been fixed on Monk Yuan’an, now shifted to the Qianqing Daoist.

Monk Yuan’an was taken aback for a moment. He then unclenched his fists, pressing his palms to the ground for support. "If you have a plan, speak plainly," he said. "If we can’t kill Shen Bai, we really are doomed."

No one welcomed death. Everyone would rather cling to life, no matter how wretched. Monk Yuan’an was certainly no exception.

The Qianqing Daoist said nothing. The clearing fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Monk Yuan’an didn’t press him. He just stared intently at the Qianqing Daoist, waiting for him to continue.

After nearly the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, the Qianqing Daoist, who appeared to be choosing his words carefully, finally seemed ready and began to speak slowly.