Chapter 225 - 223: Burial

Chapter 225: Chapter 223: Burial

The loving couple shared another tender moment before they left.

For the sake of the Immortal Seedling, Chen Qingyang had no choice but to wait patiently for them to finish. It wasn’t until nightfall that the pair finally packed their belongings, left the Daoist Temple, and headed northwest.

This was the same direction as Demon Suppression Mountain, where Chen Qingyang was headed, which saved him the trouble of having to double back.

Before long, they had left all signs of civilization behind, traveling only through the vast, rugged mountain ranges.

"Junior Sister, when we get back, you have to put in a good word for me. Your Master still has some prestige on Red Jade Peak. We can use his name if we have to!"

Junior Sister Hong shot him a look. "As if I need you to tell me that... Hmph!"

The words had barely left her lips when Temple Master Yu’s figure suddenly destabilized, as if he were about to plummet from the sky. In an instant, his eyelids turned red, and his entire body was engulfed in brilliant flames. His Qi Mechanism fluctuated wildly, as though he had suffered a grievous injury.

"Who’s there!"

No matter how slow she might have been, Junior Sister Hong realized they were under attack. A silk sash at her waist danced out, instantly extending to ten feet long. It glowed a vibrant pink, protecting her on all sides.

But as she carefully scanned her surroundings, she found no sign of any disturbance. Even the flames on Temple Master Yu had vanished into thin air.

Of the two, Temple Master Yu’s Cultivation was slightly higher. But although he was in the Essence Condensation Fourth Realm, he had only just broken through. On top of that, a Conscious Fish with the power of the Essence Condensation Third Realm had just erupted from within him, leaving him gravely wounded in an instant.

"Senior Brother... Senior Brother, are you alright?" Junior Sister Hong’s eyes were filled with concern. After failing to detect any other anomalies, she turned her gaze back to Temple Master Yu.

Temple Master Yu clutched his head with both hands. He had already erected a Soul Banner to protect his entire body, and his figure stabilized slightly. This was a classic Netherworld Peak technique.

"Not good. Something ambushed me, but I didn’t see what it was."

Junior Sister Hong’s expression turned to one of terror. "Why do I feel like that was a Daoist Sect technique? That True Fire is pure yang and unyielding—the perfect counter to our Dharma Gates."

Temple Master Yu made a swift decision. "No matter who it is, we can’t continue down this path. We have to go back immediately! The temple is protected by an Array. Our attacker won’t dare to be so brazen there."

"Okay."

Just now, Junior Sister Hong had carefully scanned the area again. Having failed to sense the Conscious Fish or Chen Qingyang’s presence, she could only assume their attacker had already left.

Letting her guard down slightly, she began to support Temple Master Yu, using Wind Control to fly back toward Fuyuan Temple.

"Oh no!"

High in the sky above, a flying sword shot down toward them. It was five-colored and shimmered with a Danxia Radiance.

The moment the cry left his lips, the flying sword pierced into Temple Master Yu’s body. His life force seemed to be silently drained away, and his corpse fell limply to the ground.

His death barely made a sound.

"Senior Brother! Senior Brother..." the woman cried out, but screaming herself hoarse could not bring him back. Just as she was about to flee for her life, a brilliant flame exploded before her eyes. Her head felt like it was splitting open, her body and Qi Mechanism destabilized, and she plummeted after her Senior Brother.

CRASH!

She crashed through branches and scraped against rocks before finally landing in a mud puddle. Her dead Senior Brother lay nearby, his eyes wide as if he could not rest in peace.

She looked up and first saw a pair of black boots. Her gaze traveled up past coarse cloth robes to a handsome, sharp-featured face that still held a hint of gentleness. A sword, about four feet long, was strapped to his back.

His tall figure blocked all the light in front of her.

"You’re... from the Daoist Sect?"

She struggled to get the words out. From the techniques he had used, she had already deduced his origins.

Chen Qingyang didn’t answer her. He simply flicked out a small flame, incinerating the corpse into a pile of ash. Then he churned up some mud to bury it completely.

In that moment, the woman seemed to have a realization. "Senior Brother, if you spare my life, I’m willing to transfer all the True Skills I’ve ever learned to you. I can even... I guarantee I can make you very happy!"

Her voice grew softer toward the end, her expression turning coy. Her pristine white robes seemed to slip down on their own, revealing skin as smooth and delicate as mutton fat jade. Her breasts were high and proud, like inverted jade bowls, or two hanging puffs of cotton.

Chen Qingyang was already all too familiar with this body. Even as she presented herself so delectably, pushing her seductive arts to their limit, he remained completely unfazed.

’Her so-called coyness is just an act,’ he thought. ’She understands men, knows they like feeling in control, like discovering a woman’s body for themselves, bit by bit.’

Seeing his expression remain placid, the woman couldn’t help but feel a surge of panic. She called out softly, "Senior Brother..."

Her words were cut short as everything came to an abrupt end. Sword Qi pierced through her chest, and she instantly went limp.

’Just now, I was only wondering if I should try to get some information out of this woman,’ Chen Qingyang thought. ’But after thinking it over, it seems there’s nothing I could really learn from her.’

He already knew the general locations of the other Fuyuan Temples. The only thing he really wanted to know was how to avoid the Demon Sect’s Array of Ten Thousand Souls Locking the Profound Vault. ’But then again,’ he reasoned, ’I don’t even know the details of my own sect’s Circulation of Stars Demon Suppression Array. How could she possibly know about something like that?’ And so, he killed her.

Between the two of them, he had obtained over seven thousand stolen Immortal Seedlings. ’A few more hauls like this,’ he thought, ’and my Cultivation will advance to the next level.’

He disposed of her body in the same manner and continued on his way. According to his map, he was no longer far from Demon Suppression Mountain.

There was wisdom in knowing when to quit while you were ahead. He only planned to go this far before turning back. Going any deeper might yield greater rewards, but a single mistake could cost him his life.

It just wasn’t worth it.

He proceeded with great caution, sticking to the valleys. Along the way, he stopped to cultivate and meditate for a while to replenish his True Essence.

That night, he discovered another Fuyuan Temple about fifty li away. This one was only seven hundred li from the last, which was remarkably dense for the Demon Sect Territory that spanned tens of thousands of li. ’In a seven-hundred-li region,’ he wondered, ’how many women must be suffering their torment?’

It wasn’t much different from the previous two; this Daoist Temple was also built deep in the mountains, completely isolated from the world. It lacked none of the expected Arrays or defensive structures.

After scouting the area, Chen Qingyang discovered that the Temple Master here was at the Essence Condensation Third Realm. ’Taking care of him will be easy,’ he thought, ’but I’ll have to wait for the right moment.’

The main hall was magnificent, rising to the height of a two-story building. It was located in the north-central part of the temple complex, occupying a vast area on high ground, with a long flight of stairs extending down from its entrance.

Eight dark red pillars stood within the hall, each carved with black, auspicious cloud patterns inlaid with golden thread, giving them a dignified and imposing air.

Dozens of chandeliers holding candles and Bright Pearls hung from the ceiling, brilliantly illuminating the hall. The Essence Condensation Third Realm cultivator sat in the seat of honor, front and center, flanked on both sides by numerous Disciples from the First and Second Realms, and even some still at Qi Refining.

’They’ve gathered nearly everyone in the temple with any cultivation here in the dead of night,’ Chen Qingyang mused. ’Are they holding some kind of party?’

"...Junior Brothers, let’s first have everyone report on what’s been happening in their areas. We’ll discuss what’s urgent and what isn’t. Everyone needs to be clear on these matters, and we must not disobey the Sect’s orders..."

This was preceded by a flood of grand platitudes—"May the Netherworld last forever," "Glory to the Holy Sect for a thousand ages," and so on. Only after another fifteen minutes of this did he finally utter that sentence.

The one sitting in the main seat was a young man, no older than thirty. He wore sharp, martial attire and projected an air of heroic ambition, as if he were determined to bring about great reforms.

As soon as his words fell, someone below immediately responded, "Since you arrived at the temple, Senior Brother, you have brought clarity to all our affairs and perfected our procedures. Our work is no longer so tedious. Everything here is peaceful and in order. Nothing of note has occurred, and even if it had, it would only be trivial daily matters, not worth troubling you over."

The speaker was an old man at the Essence Condensation First Realm. The young man in the main seat looked extremely pleased to hear this. "You flatter me, Junior Brother. Of course, if I have any shortcomings, you all should feel free to point them out."

Another cultivator, this one at the Essence Condensation Second Realm, immediately stood up. "Since you arrived, Senior Brother, our temple has acquired over 2,400 Saintesses and a great many Holy Slaves. It is a scene of true prosperity! Furthermore, with you operating the Array day and night, tempering them with Netherworld energy, two among the current batch are already showing the early signs of a Saint Heir. When the time comes, we’ll cut open their wombs and retrieve the children. We should be able to produce at least one True Disciple for Cyan Nether Peak!"

"Excellent!" another person chimed in, rushing to speak before the others could say everything there was to say.

"And the Array! Under your direction, Senior Brother, we’ve replaced the Talismans and strengthened the Blood Fiend Qi from all four directions. Our daily gains are immense, and everyone has benefited. This is all thanks to your efforts, Senior Brother!"

’It looked like a serious meeting, but in reality, it was a feast for beasts.’ The young man at the head of the hall lapped it all up, genuinely starting to believe that his "vigorous efforts" were about to lead to some grand accomplishment.

He waved a hand grandly. "This is all thanks to the hard work of my Junior Brothers. At this rate, it won’t even take a sixty-year cycle for me to return to the Sect. When that day comes, I will personally report to my father about those who helped me today and have him take good care of you all."

Now Chen Qingyang understood completely. ’These people are only sucking up to him because they’re interested in his father, not him.’

’If he has such a powerful father, he might be carrying some potent Magical Treasure. If so, I might fail to kill him and end up getting hurt myself.’

’Either way, he has to die. But I can’t attack him head-on.’

’The Bronze Small Sword Master Yun Ci left me could kill an Essence Condensation First Realm cultivator in one strike. This guy is a Third Realm, so it’s not something to be taken lightly. I need to think of a gentler way to kill this man.’

"We humbly obey the Temple Master’s command! If you have any orders for us, we will go through fire and water to carry them out!"

The crowd below chanted in perfect unison. The precision of their response made it obvious this was not the first time they had performed this little ritual.

’A meeting like this will never uncover any real problems.’ Sure enough, as the meeting concluded, they were all still fawning over one another.

Chen Qingyang had his Conscious Fish continue to follow the young man. It was clear he was a man who craved pleasure. His room was the very picture of luxury, and four or five beautiful, scantily clad maids were in attendance.

The moment he entered, he threw himself down on a soft couch, his body sinking deep into the cushions. There was wine, fruit, and an array of gourmet dishes waiting for him.