Chapter 198: Meeting Linghu Shou Again

Jiuyou returned to his cave dwelling on Ember Sword Peak but did not immediately enter seclusion. Sitting on the edge of the stone platform, he lightly tapped his knuckles against his knee, going over the words he had just heard from Old Man Wave Chaser.

Why had the black-robed man spared Old Man Wave Chaser?

If they had a shared history, Jiuyou had never heard anyone mention Old Man Wave Chaser having ties to the outside world during his earlier inquiries. The old man had cultivated in Daoyang Sect since childhood, practicing his sword on Sword Peak day in and day out for centuries, rarely stepping outside. To say he had befriended some Demonic Path cultivator beyond the sect simply made no sense.

If it was meant as humiliation, why hold back enough to leave his foundation undamaged? A demonic cultivator who killed for souls had no reason to let a Late Golden Core soul go for nothing. Jiuyou understood this better than anyone—after all, he used to be in that exact line of work.

That left only one possibility: the man recognized Old Man Wave Chaser and did not wish to kill him. Yet if he were an outsider, how could he possibly know a Golden Core elder who stayed on Sword Peak year-round? Unless that person was from within the sect itself.

As this thought settled, Jiuyou's gaze caught for a moment. He immediately recalled the faint ripple of soul energy the Nether Capital Gate had captured the day he left Linghu Shou's valley.

At the time, it had only been a passing suspicion. But looking back now, the timing of that ripple coincided closely with the destruction of the Flying Snow Sect. Moreover, that valley—left unguarded for hundreds of miles in every direction—possessed unnaturally dense spiritual energy and was surrounded by restrictions far surpassing the sect's main defensive array.

If Linghu Shou truly was that black-robed man, what was his goal? Why would a Righteous Path cultivator at the Peak Nascent Soul Stage secretly slaughter small sects and deliberately extract their souls?

A guess surfaced in his mind: unable to reach Deity Transformation, he had turned to the Demonic Path to seek the Dao.

However, he pushed the thought down the moment it formed.

If entering the demonic could lead straight to Deity Transformation, why had he himself bothered to scatter his cultivation, rebuild from scratch, and forsake the demonic for the Righteous Path back then? It was clear enough that there were no such cheap shortcuts on this road.

He stood up and paced a few steps across the cave dwelling.

If Linghu Shou truly held another path to Deity Transformation in his hands, it wouldn't hurt to "borrow" it for a look. He had already planned to investigate that valley again; now he was simply pushing that plan forward by a few days.

Several days later, Jiuyou finished his preparations and set out. He had just left Ember Sword Peak when he bumped into Ge Qingfeng on the mountain path leading to the main peak.

Spotting him from a distance, the man hurried over with a face full of joy, eager to cross the distance in half the steps. His first words were of gratitude, saying he had touched the threshold of a Sword Dao Grandmaster a few years ago. It was all thanks to the Sixth Elder enlightening him with a single remark that day, otherwise he might have wasted another hundred years.

Jiuyou had originally intended to brush him off with a few casual words and leave, but Ge Qingfeng acted as if he had finally caught his prey, chattering endlessly and refusing to let him pass. Left with no choice, Jiuyou pulled a previously copied booklet from his sleeve and handed it over.

The booklet contained excerpts of Perfected Jinli's insights into the Sword Dao, though with slight alterations to the details. He had even changed the signature to "Qing Youzi," and too lazy to think of a proper title, he had simply called it Five Years of Sword Dao, Three Years to Grandmaster.

Ge Qingfeng took it and flipped through a few pages, his eyes shining brighter with every word. He thanked Jiuyou profusely, and feeling that empty-handed gratitude was inappropriate, he forcefully shoved five hundred thousand spirit stones into his hands. Finding it hard to refuse, Jiuyou "helplessly" accepted them.

Treating the booklet like a supreme treasure, Ge Qingfeng gleefully said his goodbyes and departed, his steps visibly lighter than usual.

Jiuyou stood in place and watched him walk away. Then, he casually slipped those fifty spirit stones into his sleeve and continued along the mountain path toward the valley.

Not far after leaving the sect, Jiuyou restrained his aura and quietly took flight.

On the way, he first sent a voice transmission to Zhou Chengshan, stating that he had matters to attend to outside and there was no need to look for him. This act was both to put the other man at ease and to leave a plausible excuse for his whereabouts. He circled around the outer perimeter once more to ensure no one was tailing him before finally changing direction and speeding toward the valley.

About the time it takes an incense stick to burn later, he arrived at the outskirts of the valley once again. He did not approach, but simply landed on a concealed mountain ridge in the distance, using the terrain to hide his aura entirely.

He knew clearly that multiple layers of grand arrays surrounded this valley, and approaching rashly would only beat the grass and startle the snake. For now, he did not want the other party to realize he had been here.

This stakeout lasted five days.

It wasn't until the fifth day that he finally sensed a familiar aura slowly approaching from the direction of the valley. It was Linghu Shou. He was still wearing that same white-and-gold dharma robe. The worldly weariness between his brows was no different from usual, and his expression was composed, showing not the slightest hint of abnormality.

But as Linghu Shou passed by, Jiuyou caught a trace of an extremely faint aura—not dharma power, but soul energy. That wisp of aura was so light that if his Divine Sense had not far exceeded that of his peers, and if he had not immersed himself in the Ghost Dao for many years, he likely would never have noticed it. He silently activated the Nether Capital Gate inside his Storage Pouch just a fraction, confirming the source of that ripple.

'It really is him,' Jiuyou thought, silently verifying his earlier guess.

Linghu Shou stopped in front of the array and cautiously glanced at his surroundings. Then, with a sweep of his sleeve, he opened the entrance to the grand array. However, he did not step inside immediately. Instead, he lingered at the doorway for a moment, as if trying to sense something.

Jiuyou's gaze tightened. His hand already rested imperceptibly on the Storage Pouch at his waist, gently pressing the jade token used for entering this place into the shadow of the Nether Capital Gate, isolating any aura it might emit.

He hadn't guessed wrong. That jade token was a symbol of trust, but it was also likely a hidden trap. If Linghu Shou really used the array to sense the jade token's position, he would know whether Jiuyou had visited this place recently.

A moment later, as if confirming that no one was around, Linghu Shou finally stepped into the array. The stone doors closed silently behind him.

Jiuyou slowly withdrew his hand, but his gaze never shifted. He didn't rush to leave, opting to wait a while longer on the ridge.

Linghu Shou's cautious behavior just now clearly wasn't an act for anyone else to see; he truly had a guilty conscience. If the secret of this place leaked out, Daoyang Sect's ten thousand years of pristine reputation would be destroyed in an instant. It was impossible for him not to take precautions.

Jiuyou went over these details in his mind.

What caught his attention even more was Linghu Shou bringing up the matter of the people from Ganzhou unprompted earlier. At the time, he had thought it was just a casual inquiry, but looking at it now, it was likely done on purpose.

Deliberately leaking this matter would not only divert attention, but if news of the destruction of those small and mid-sized factions blew up in the future, people would naturally turn their eyes toward Guiming Sect or those foreign cultivators. They would never suspect that the culprit was actually the Supreme Great Elder of Daoyang Sect, an orthodox and righteous faction.

He withdrew his gaze and his figure slowly receded into the shadows. He did not leave immediately, nor did he cast another glance at the valley.

The wind blew over from the far side of the mountain ridge, scattering the last trace of aura he had left behind.