Chapter 567: I

His eye twitched as he looked at Xu Xing standing before the Mountain God Temple, and took a deep breath:

"When did you discover me, Dao Brother?"

"The moment you entered this realm," Xu Xing replied.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Huo was taken aback.

He was a True Immortal who governed the Dao of Deception, and this avatar had entered concealed within a single doubt of his own disciple.

He was formless, intangible, traceless, unseen.

Yet Dao Brother not only knew he had entered this world, but waited specifically along his inevitable path…

That was absurd!

Thinking of this, Huo's tone grew serious:

"Dao Brother's cultivation progress is truly extraordinary."

"That's not quite right," Xu Xing said, stepping away from the Mountain God Temple and toward the roadside. "I merely kept watch over your disciple, and thus noticed a few traces."

Huo's method of stealthy entry was indeed masterful—impossible to detect without intent.

But if one paid attention, faint traces could still be found.

Huo: "..."

So you knew I'd come in all along?

You never believed a word I said before!

Is my word so untrustworthy?

Xu Xing continued:

"My Sword Intention Spirit Body has been in this realm for some time, and I've come to understand its customs and folkways. Let me show you around—consider it a chance to experience this world's ways, how about it?"

"..."

You came here to intercept me—how could I refuse?

"Then I am in your debt, Dao Brother."

"Dao Friend, you are too kind."

Thus, the two departed together.

Soon, faint voices drifted from ahead.

"By the way, Dao Brother, isn't the task you gave my disciple a bit too simple?"

"Not at all—this realm has its peculiarities. Didn't you notice?"

"Heh, it's rare to venture out—take your time to learn."

If you saw everything at a glance, wouldn't that rob you of much pleasure?

The two walked farther and farther, their voices fading until they were utterly inaudible.

Some time after they had left.

Inside the Mountain God Temple.

Bright sunlight streamed through the curved trails of incense smoke, falling upon the faded altar.

On the altar, a porcelain plate dusted with grime held spoiled offerings.

Because the realm's deities dwell permanently in the world and are unbound by divine laws, their divine might manifests openly—no living being dares offend them.

Behind the altar stood a majestic statue: a golden helmet on its head, brocade robe and golden armor on its body, wielding an axe capable of splitting mountains.

Standing on one foot, eyes blazing with fury, it radiated solemn authority.

Merely gazing upon it inspired awe.

Upon closer inspection, one could see its face was identical to that of the deity Huo had casually slain.

Yet now, a terrifying jagged crack ran through the entire statue.

Faint golden incense smoke seemed to seep slowly from the fissure.

At the same time, a strange, intoxicating fragrance spread through the temple.

After an indeterminate length of time.

Boom—

A thunderclap split heaven and earth as a handsome young man in purple robes appeared inside the temple, a thunder mark on his forehead and a long purple sword strapped to his back.

Seeing the crack through the statue, his expression darkened, scales faintly forming along his eyelids.

Yet no matter how he channeled his divine power, he could only perceive blurred shapes.

"How dare you!"

A cold snort echoed through the small temple, causing the faint golden incense smoke to tremble, as if thunder rumbled through the air.

He flicked his hand, sending out a bright yellow talisman.

He imprinted the temple's condition into it with his divine awareness.

Xiong Xiong!

As flames appeared out of nowhere and burned the talisman to ash, the information within was transmitted back to the sect.

Having done this, he swept his sleeve and gathered the scattered incense smoke.

"Hmph!"

Such meticulous planning was clearly premeditated!

He would see.

In this Thousand Sun Prefecture, who had the audacity to harm his Thousand Sun Sect's guardian deity?

……

……

The other side.

Beside a stream in the dense forest, Xiao Fan quietly waited for the few fox-eared girls who had been frightened to recover from their terror.

His expression was calm and indifferent, unmoved by the piercing screams.

After quite a while.

Upon discovering that Xiao Fan had made no out-of-line moves, the screaming gradually subsided.

A fox-eared girl who looked relatively mature, with a fuller figure than the others, covered her front and hid behind a rock, mustering her courage to ask:

"Wh-who are you?! M-my master is Elder Mo Ling of the Qianyang Sect!"

This person had been able to approach silently, so his cultivation was certainly above theirs.

Her powerful spiritual intuition even made her feel the immense pressure emanating from the man before her, like a boundless ocean beneath the sunlight.

Vast and calm.

Yet the undercurrents hidden within were chilling.

She couldn't even be sure her trump card would work……

"Are you human? Or demon?" Xiao Fan asked.

Human?

Or demon?

The question left the many fox-eared girls somewhat slow to react.

"Wh-why are you asking that!"

A smaller fox-eared girl, with a trace of childishness still lingering in her features, retorted, then immediately retreated behind the rock and dared not show her head.

"Human? Or demon?"

His tone remained calm.

But with that single utterance, a terrifying pressure of magic power instantly spread outward, making Shanhe lose its color and the stream cease to flow.

Everything between heaven and earth seemed at that moment to turn into black and white, completely drained of color.

Seeing this, the fuller-figured fox-eared girl who had spoken first went blank in her mind……

A Foundation Establishment grand cultivator?

Or a Jin Dan great power?

Soon, under the influence of a strange force, she uncontrollably began answering Xiao Fan's question.

"My name is Qian Liu'er, I'm from Sanhua County of Qianyang Fucheng. At seven I passed the 'Immortal Selection' and entered the Qianyang Sect. I cultivate the 'Spirit Illusion' lineage of the Qianyang Sect, and my Dao-protecting guardian god is the great god 'Qinggu'……"

Facing the supreme divine ability personally transmitted by Elder Gu Mo — 'Spirit Disorder'.

Qian Liu'er, who was only at the second layer of Qi Refining, had absolutely no power to resist. Even the restriction the Qianyang Sect had placed on her divine soul when she first entered the sect had completely lost its effect.

Three minutes later, all the strange phenomena vanished.

Qian Liu'er, who had spilled every detail about herself and the other fox-eared girls, stared at Xiao Fan in terror, her heart filled with shock.

Xiao Fan, meanwhile, stood quietly in his previous spot, mulling over the information he had just obtained from Qian Liu'er.

Qianyang Fucheng, Immortal Selection, Dao-protecting guardian god……

He couldn't tell anything for now; it seemed he would need to keep investigating and obtain more information.

Thinking this, he looked again at the fox-eared girls hiding behind the rocks, their eyes full of terror.

"My apologies for the offense just now; please forgive me."

His tone was utterly sincere.

He also took out several jade bottles and set them on the ground.

"Ten Purifying Spirit Pills, which can purify and enhance Qi Refining spiritual power; thirty Origin-Nourishing Pills, which can aid one in breaking through to enter the Dao. Consider these an apology to you all." "Please change your clothes as soon as possible and come with me to the Qianyang Sect."

"I have a few questions I would like to ask your Sect Master."

Having said this, he cupped his hands in a salute and turned to walk aside.

Seeing Xiao Fan simply walk away, the few fox-eared girls exchanged glances, feeling somewhat bewildered, even more unable to fathom what Xiao Fan intended to do.

"Senior Sister…… he……" one fox-eared girl couldn't help but speak up.

Qian Liu'er's mind was also a mess at this moment, but seeing the others' panic and unease, she could only force herself to appear calm.

"Everyone, let's do as this senior says for now."

This mysterious senior's background was unknown.

But……

He was clearly far more powerful than they were.

If he truly harbored ill intentions, they could only let him do as he pleased. The sect……

Should understand!

……

……

Outside Qianyang Fucheng.

A great river named 'Hidden Dragon'.

Legend had it that a true dragon within the river had devoured an old god and ascended to godhood, only to be subdued by a master of the Qianyang Sect and taken as the sect's guardian god. From then on it presided over all matters of summoning clouds and rain within Qianyang Fucheng, commanding the ten thousand water veins of the entire prefecture.

On the river's surface, ships came and went without pause.

On the deck of one large ship among them stood a figure of ordinary appearance and gentle temperament, holding a transparent jar the size of a palm in his hand.

Inside the jar, a slender creature was swimming about restlessly.

"Hidden Dragon……"

With a flick of his finger, he lightly tapped the jar, startling the slender creature into a panic.

Huo tilted his head to look at Xu Xing beside him.

"Don't worry, Dao Brother, I won't touch that Thousand Sun Sect."

"Up to you. It's your disciple's trial anyway." Xu Xing said casually.

"Really?"

"Naturally. I'll only deduct the Ascension Points from the mission reward proportionally."

"..."

Fine, fine.

Although his well-behaved disciple was hardly lacking in cultivation resources, what his master gave and what he earned himself were ultimately different things.

The latter would feel more accomplished!

"I'll just keep my hands off."

A master who cherished his disciple like this was truly rare in the world...

With a sigh in his heart, Huo continued to look at the transparent jar in his hand—or more precisely, at the slender creature within.

Its entire body was a deep, mysterious black, with a single straight horn growing from its forehead, only two claws beneath its belly, and a smooth tail, much like an ordinary snake.

This was the 'Hidden Dragon' of this river.

It was called a dragon, but that was really just slapping gold on its own face—at its core, it was nothing more than a flood dragon.

Its realm was late-stage Jin Dan.

Relying on its powerful physical body, it could even match a slightly weaker peak Jin Dan.

Of course, this only represents the cultivation level of this world's cultivators!

"Its bloodline is impure. Even after another hundred years of cultivation, there's only a sliver of hope to transform into a true dragon. But for the cultivators of this world, it's quite a decent creation."

Huo tossed the jar in his hand.

Although this little flood dragon was far inferior to those great demons he had slain in the Xuan Realm, in a world where the highest level was only Nascent Soul, it was already quite formidable.

Even the rumored tale of Thousand Sun Sect cultivators subduing it was a lie.

Back then, this little flood dragon had devoured the old god and ascended to the divine throne, and Thousand Sun Sect had planned to subdue it.

They sent out seven Jin Dan cultivators from the sect, sealed off a hundred miles of water veins, and laid down the Grand Tiangang Demon-Subduing Formation, but the result was...

They still couldn't beat it.

If it hadn't been wary of the 'Yongyao Sect' behind Thousand Sun Sect, and hadn't dared to use heavy hands, there might well have been some casualties.

In the end, it was still a peak Jin Dan from Yongyao Sect who came, promising that all the myriad water veins of Thousand Sun Prefecture would be under its dominion, and one-fifth of the incense offerings from Thousand Sun Prefecture would be given to it—only then did it sign the contract.

However, although this little flood dragon had become Thousand Sun Sect's guardian god, taking charge of all the myriad water veins within Thousand Sun Prefecture, and holding the divine office of commanding clouds and rain...

Because today's gods were no longer bound, it did things entirely according to its own whims.

Sometimes, when it took the fancy, it would even raise floods, demanding the sacrifice of young boys and girls without end.

And all of this was simply because it found it amusing...

Just as he was thinking about how to deal with this little flood dragon, Huo suddenly raised his head and looked forward along the river.

A large ship was slowly sailing toward them. Like the one they were on, it was a three-story pleasure boat.

At the bow, a handsome youth in a golden dharma robe stood with his hands behind his back, a golden sun embroidered on his right shoulder, and a bright golden light gleaming between his brows.

Before they even drew close, rolling waves of heat swept over, causing even the air to visibly distort.

One figure after another leapt swiftly from both sides of that large ship, streaking toward the ship Xu Xing and Huo were on.

"Dao Brother, if they're picking a fight with me, it shouldn't be excessive for me to fight back, right?" Huo said with a smile.

Think of something and it comes—didn't this opportunity just arrive!

"..."

If you truly didn't want them to see you, could these people possibly discover you?

"Dao Friend, please do as you wish."

As the two spoke, a pot-bellied fatty burst out from the cabin door, accompanied by several pale-faced guards—it was the owner of this ship.

He kept wiping the sweat streaming from his forehead, bowing and scraping:

"This mortal Cheng Yun greets the various Immortal Masters! Immortal Masters, let's talk this over!"

Only after the Thousand Sun Sect cultivators who had landed on the deck first seized control of the ship did the youth in the golden dharma robe lightly tap his foot and float over gracefully.

His gaze swept over the people on the deck.

This included Huo, holding a transparent jar with an innocent expression, and Xu Xing, carrying a crimson longsword on his back.

The youth's gaze paused on Xu Xing—or rather, on the longsword behind Xu Xing—then shifted away without a trace.

"I am Zhengyang, true disciple of Thousand Sun Sect. Today, our sect's guardian god has been killed, and I have come specifically to apprehend the murderer."

His voice echoed across the deck, and everyone's heart chilled; they held their breath one after another, not daring to make another sound.

Then, that Zhengyang pointed directly at Xu Xing, his tone cold.

"Take him down."

Although he wasn't certain either, that sword was clearly extraordinary—take him down first and worry about it later.

In this Thousand Sun Prefecture, his Thousand Sun Sect was heaven!

With the Yongyao Sect as backers behind them, what person in the world was they couldn't afford to offend?!

Xu Xing remained unmoved. Just as those Thousand Sun Sect cultivators were about to swarm forward...

"Um..." Huo stepped forward, saying with an innocent face, "You've got the wrong idea. Actually, it was I who killed your guardian god."

Such fun couldn't be snatched away by Dao Brother!

The cultivators' movements froze, and they hurriedly retreated backward.

Even Zhengyang felt a chill in his heart, and immediately took out a transmission talisman, gripping it in his palm, ready to crush it at any moment.

In his heart he let out a wail.

No way—he had really run into one!

This was a ruthless man who dared to kill a Dharma Protector god!

Watching the wary expressions of the crowd, a faint smile surfaced on Huo's face:

"Although you've mistaken the person, this Dao-brother of mine is a very magnanimous person."

A gentle voice echoed across the deck.

Everyone present, apart from Xu Xing, whether cultivator or ordinary person, felt their physical bodies separate from their consciousness at that moment, completely unable to move.

This time it was more than just a startle in the heart.

Everyone was terrified, a chill rising in their hearts.

Realizing he had kicked an iron plate, Zhengyang struggled desperately to trigger his life-preserving trump card, yet he could not move in the slightest.

It was as if his consciousness and body were no longer in the same dimension.

"And I am not only magnanimous, but also very generous, so…"

Huo pushed the jar in his hand forward a little.

"I have decided to bestow upon you a great fortune!" (End of chapter)