Chapter 1554 - 163: Cloud Que Welcomes Joy, Harmony of Qin and Se (Part 2)

Chapter 1554: Chapter 163: Cloud Que Welcomes Joy, Harmony of Qin and Se (Part 2)

A cultivator in a blue shirt had wandering eyes; after making a round, he reached a secluded spot, lit a short incense stick, and silently recited prayers. When the incense burned to ashes, he absorbed the white ash into his stomach, leaving no trace, and quietly returned to the main hall.

Zhang Yan sat in front of the Little Pot Mirror, observing every move of this person. With the head seal in his possession, he discerned the person’s identity; he saw three such Demon Sect spies, all from disciples under his tutelage, while not a single noble family disciple was seen.

However, this did not surprise him; disciples under tutelage come from various sources, some from the Nine Cities, and some recruited from outside the mountains, while noble families live together by bloodline, making it difficult for outsiders to infiltrate.

The Mirror Spirit beside him said, "Master, do you wish for me to enforce a forbidden capture?"

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "No need, these three still have their uses; don’t alarm them unnecessarily."

Outside Zhao You Heavenly Pond, two Demon Sect disciples were also observing from afar. The Old Daoist stroked his beard and said, "Earlier, fellow sect members stationed at Mingcang Sect sent word that Liu Yan Yi and Wei Zihong are both present, it seems our concerns were unwarranted, there should be no major issues."

The Black Robed Daoist was highly suspicious, always feeling something amiss, and said sternly, "Brother Daoist, let’s not make conclusions just yet; as long as the feast isn’t withdrawn, we can’t relax. Besides, we need to pay attention to a few among the Top Ten Disciples; my manpower is insufficient, Brother Daoist, do you have any solutions?"

The Old Daoist glanced at him without saying anything.

The Black Robed Daoist cautioned, "Brother Daoist, don’t be careless; if Zhang Yan purposely holds a feast to attract our attention here while making arrangements elsewhere, and if our sect’s disciples suffer due to this, it would be no trivial offense."

The Old Daoist silently laughed at his paranoia, but remembering the sect’s ruthless punishments, he shuddered, thought for a moment, and finally said, "Brother Daoist, you’ve indeed put me in a difficult spot; however, we mustn’t be careless with this matter, I shall think of a plan."

At the same time, Peng Yuzhou had passed through the Sea Eye Demon Cave under Shouming Palace and reached the surface, scanning the area, he saw two figures already waiting there, and said coldly, "Are you disciples of Junior Brother Zhang?"

One of them replied, "Nephew Peng, you arrived late."

Peng Yuzhou was initially angry at the address, then showed a look of confusion, recalling something, he focused his gaze; upon recognizing the appearance, he incredulously said, "Elder Han?"

At this time, another person stepped out from the side and sighed, "Back then, in terms of cultivation, Nephew Peng you couldn’t compare to us; unexpected as it is, you’ve taken the lead now."

Peng Yuzhou stepped back, turning his gaze, surprised and doubtful, "Elder Cai? Why are you here? Were you two not expelled from the sect?"

Han Wangke said, "Thanks to Junior Master Shen’s support, we were able to return to the sect. This time, we are acting under Junior Master Shen’s Dharma decree, assisting Junior Brother Zhang to face the Demon Tribulation."

He looked at Peng Yuzhou with complex eyes, having heard this Nephew was afraid of his Master and dared not attend the swordfight at the Sixteen Sects Dharma Assembly, later forced by the Chen Clan to go to his position. Yet despite this, he could cultivate at the Floating Heavenly Palace Day Sky Hall, his advancement far surpassed the two of them. If not hindered by past events, they could have reached the Third Realm by now, but circumstances delayed them, and with life nearing its end, reaching the Grotto Heaven is hopeless. However, returning to the sect allows for accepting disciples, and there is still hope of enlightenment in a future life.

He shook his head, saying, "The current matter is urgent, no need for idle talk, we’ll set it aside for now. Nephew Peng, your Daoist cultivation is the highest here, why don’t you oversee this matter?"

Peng Yuzhou hastily waved his hand, saying, "I’m but a sinner here; with you two masters present, how dare I preside over affairs?"

Han Wangke was only being polite earlier, nodded, and said, "Since that’s the case, no need to delay, let’s proceed immediately."

Peng Yuzhou had no objection.

All three employed escape skills, speeding westward; to prevent Demon Sect practitioners from detecting in advance, they did not enter Extreme Sky but instead flew at the surface. Two days and nights later, Green Bull Mountain was in view, but ahead, turbid Qi shot into the sky, spirit light flashed chaotically, tremors sounded continuously, appearing as many fiercely attacking the Mountain Protection Array.

Han Wangke did not rush to charge, instead stopped, raising his eyes for a moment, and asked, "Junior Brother Peng, how far can your Forbidden Locking Skill reach?"

Peng Yuzhou replied, "Normally six or seven li in radius, if exerting fully, barely ten li, but can only sustain for an hour at most."

Han Wangke bowed his head in thought; when he looked earlier, he saw four tunneling lights at their peak before Green Bull Mountain but not gathered in one place, separated by a few li each, clearly to guard against the Heaven and Earth Locking Skill, purposely dispersed to avoid being captured in one sweep.

According to the Flying Book, the enemy has at least five Nascent Soul Elders, with one currently unseen; either it has already left or is hiding nearby, guarding against sudden attacks. He speculated more so the latter.

This showed that these Demon Sect practitioners acted cunningly and skillfully, not easy to deal with.

Feeling troubled, it was not about fearing the enemy, but worried rash advancement would alarm them, resulting in at most leaving one or two captured.

Peng Yuzhou considered for a moment, eyes flickering, said, "I have a plan to break the current situation."

Han Wangke sounded interested, said, "Nephew, please speak."

Peng Yuzhou said, "Elder Han can send a Flying Book, let Linqing Temple pretend the Forbidden Array is breached, allowing those four inside; then we close the Array Gate, deal with the Demon Sect practitioners outside, including those in hiding, and later turn back to kill those four."

Han Wangke closed his eyes, this plan isn’t bad, but with four Demon Cultivators charging into Linqing Temple, even with two Nascent Soul Elders defending, losses would be significant.

This move essentially swaps the lives of Linqing Temple disciples for the chance to kill Demon Sect practitioners, and in a critical situation, they have no choice; if successful, there is indeed a chance to eliminate the Demon Sect forces here, yet this approach has the appearance of using fellow Daoists as bait, whether to proceed or not?

...

...(To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to recommend or vote monthly on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)