Mortal: My name is Ma Liang, and I also possess a magic brush.

On this day, Wen Siyue led Zi Ling and suddenly arrived outside the cave in Ma Liang.

Zi Ling stepped forward. "Senior, I have something important to tell you."

Ma Liang, inside the cave, was puzzled when he saw Zi Ling arrive.

Judging from Zi Ling's previous attitude, she clearly did not intend to bring him along, so why would she suddenly come to visit?

Without thinking twice, he removed the cave's protective barriers and simultaneously sent a message outside: "Come in."

Zi Ling and Wen Siyue immediately entered the cave, only to find a giant python coiled at the entrance as soon as they entered.

The next moment, the giant python suddenly stood up from its coiled position, its huge head approaching the two of them, its scarlet tongue flicking in and out, startling Zi Ling and Wen Siyue so much that they retreated repeatedly.

At this moment, Ma Liang emerged from the study. "On the day of Jingzhe, one must not be rude!"

Upon hearing the sound, the giant python circled around Zi Ling, carefully sniffing her scent. Then, it flicked its long tail, coiled around Ma Liang, and retreated to one side, lying down again.

"Don't mind, this is my spirit beast, Jingzhe. If there's anything you need, please come to my study to discuss it."

Zi Ling and Wen Siyue breathed a sigh of relief and followed Ma Liang into the study.

Ma Liang sat down behind the table and gestured with his hand, "Sit."

The two women sat down on the other side as instructed. "May I ask what brings Sect Leader Wang here?"

Zi Ling immediately stood up and bowed respectfully to Ma Liang.

"Senior, the plan is all prepared and will be officially implemented in a few days. I humbly request your assistance!"

Ma Liang lightly tapped the table. "Judging from your attitude before, you clearly didn't intend to include me in your plans. Why did you suddenly change your mind?"

"May I ask, senior, do you keep a sharp-armored dragon?"

Ma Liang felt a slight chill. He glanced at Wen Siyue beside him, neither nodding nor denying.

"Then that's it! I previously investigated the intelligence before the war on Kui Xing Island. Someone witnessed a fierce battle between armored dragons in the waters around Kui Xing Island."

"This junior dares to guess that the participant in that battle was you, senior."

"Furthermore, I also discovered that Wu Chou suffered extremely serious injuries during that period and has not shown his face for a long time."

"Therefore, I can conclude that if the battle on Kui Xing Island was fought by you, then the fact that you have a grudge against Wu Chou is definitely not unfounded."

"With this grudge in place, I dare to trust you, senior!"

Upon hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Ma Liang's eyes. "You were able to find this out? Indeed, as long as you're willing to put in the effort, there's nothing you can't accomplish."

"That's right, the battle outside Kui Xing Island was indeed between me and Wu Chou. It was because of that battle that I forged a deadly feud with him, which is why I took the initiative to seek you out."

"Now that you're willing to let me participate in the plan, could you tell me your entire strategy?"

Zi Ling looked apologetic. "I hope you will forgive me, senior. There are many secrets in the plan, and I really cannot tell you everything at the moment."

Ma Liang knew the details of her plan, but he still laughed loudly: "Fine, it doesn't matter if you don't know the plan. You just need to lure Wu Chou out of Ji Yin Island, that will be enough."

He changed the subject, "In that case, you don't have to reveal the plan, but besides me, who else have you found to help you? That way I'll have some idea, in case the people you found have also made enemies with me and ruined the whole thing for no reason."

Zi Ling pondered for a moment and realized that what he said made a lot of sense. "The helpers I invited are mainly Old Monster Chi Huo and Sect Master Sun of the Hidden Fiend Sect."

She didn't mention the others, since as long as these two core combatants had no grudge against Ma Liang, that was enough.

Seeing that the conversation had finally steered to this point, Ma Liang decisively shook his head.

"What? Does Senior have a grudge against these two?"

"I have no grudge against them."

"However, you've got the wrong person."

Zi Ling's expression changed slightly. "Please enlighten me, senior!"

Ma Liang looked directly into Zi Ling's eyes and asked, word by word, "Do you know about the Reverse Star Alliance?"

How could she not know of such a force that rivaled the Star Palace?

Just as he was about to respond, Ma Liang continued, "The Crimson Flame Old Monster you're looking for is a member of the Reverse Star Alliance. And coincidentally, Ji Yin is also a member of the Reverse Star Alliance! You're trying to get two people from the same alliance to join forces against your own people—can this plan really work?"

Zi Ling was incredulous. "The identities of members of the Reverse Star Alliance are extremely secretive. How did you know, senior?"

Ma Liang raised his hand and waved it, "You don't need to know how I knew."

"If you don't believe me, there's a way to verify it. Just find an opportunity to tell Old Monster Crimson Flame the secret code of the Reverse Star Alliance."

"Under the inverted star, life and death hang by a thread."

Whether he is a member of the alliance or not will be revealed by his own actions.

Zi Ling was even more shocked, "Senior, you even know the secret code of the Reverse Star Alliance, Senior...you wouldn't happen to be a member of the Reverse Star Alliance, would you?"

Ma Liang scoffed, "I wouldn't deign to join such a shady organization."

Looking at Ma Liang's confident demeanor, Zi Ling felt a little wavering in her heart.

"Could it be..." She hesitated for a moment, then bowed and said, "This junior will take her leave now."

"If the Crimson Flame Old Monster is indeed from the Reverse Star Alliance, then all of my previous plans will probably be in vain."

"Don't leave yet."

"Since you've come to me of your own accord, let's exchange information first and then plan together. If my method works, you can go and verify it with Old Monster Crimson Fire later."

"But if after you investigate, you find that Old Monster Crimson Flame is not a member of the Reverse Star Alliance, then our conversation today will just be a casual chat."

"I will no longer participate in your plans, which will save both of us a lot of time."

Zi Ling ultimately wanted to hear what insightful opinions Ma Liang had.

She composed herself and said, "Please speak, senior."

"Is it feasible to exclude the Crimson Flame Monster from this plan?"

Zi Ling hesitated for a moment, then said, "That's feasible. I can find a reason to exclude the Crimson Fire Monster."

"However, if he doesn't participate, the combat strength of this plan will likely be weakened."

Ma Liang, however, didn't seem to care and shook his head. "Have your Elder Zhao and Left Envoy Fan found a Core Formation cultivator surnamed Han?"

Upon hearing this, Zi Ling's eyes widened immediately, her voice filled with undisguised panic: "Senior, what do you mean by this?"

Ma Liang chuckled lightly, "What's the rush, girl?"

"Isn't that Sect Leader Sun you mentioned earlier an ally in this case? But as far as I know, it seems that the goods from your Miaoyin Sect that were robbed were thanks to this Sect Leader Sun, weren't they?"

"Furthermore, I've learned by chance these past few days that you've been secretly recruiting Core Formation cultivators, seemingly intending to seek revenge. Combining these clues with some intelligence I have, I can roughly guess your plan this time."

After saying this, a hint of smugness flashed in Ma Liang's eyes, clearly indicating that he had secretly shown off a little.

Zi Ling was deeply shocked, and her gaze toward Ma Liang became increasingly filled with disbelief.

She had only casually mentioned a name, yet the other party had deduced almost the entire plan from those few words!

Zi Ling's mind went blank for a moment, and she broke out in a cold sweat: This person was terrifying?

She glanced to her side instinctively, then shook her head.

No, Wen Siyue was unaware of this plan; there was absolutely no way he could have found out from someone else!

Upon thinking of this, Zi Ling felt a chill in her heart, and all her previous relief turned into regret.

Seeking help from Ma Liang was probably a huge mistake from the very beginning.

Working with such a meticulous person, if you're not careful, you might be devoured without a trace!

But since things had already come to this point, the two sides had already established a relationship, and there was no turning back.

She bit her lip, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and secretly resolved to do her best to befriend him.

Without hesitation, Zi Ling bowed deeply and performed a very respectful salute.

"Senior, you are truly wise and resourceful, able to see through my entire plan from just a few words. I am utterly in awe of your foresight and wisdom!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Liang felt as if he had drunk something sweet and felt indescribably pleased.

Considering his previous schemes, which had always resulted in him being outmaneuvered, it was quite a pleasant surprise to be admired by Zi Ling today.

However, he still maintained the air of a senior, saying, "Alright, alright, you're getting better and better at flattering people."

Ma Liang himself didn't realize that his way of addressing Zi Ling had quietly changed from "Sect Master" to "Girl".