Chapter 102

"En... Envoy..."

The old man, kneeling on the ground and trembling, didn't even dare to breathe loudly.

This person was none other than the notorious Bai Laosan of the 'Six Demons of Yunling'.

However, this fierce bandit, who was notorious in Yunling Prefecture, couldn't even speak clearly under the pressure of the black-robed person.

"I knew I shouldn't have held too many expectations for you trash."

The black-robed person looked at Bai Laosan, who was kneeling on the ground, with cold eyes.

That gaze was like looking at an ant about to die.

His aura shifted slightly, and a wisp of extremely yin and cold killing intent silently permeated the air, shrouding the entire peak in an invisible chill.

"Gulp..."

Bai Laosan, shrouded by this killing intent, felt as if the blood in his body was about to freeze; his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an invisible hand, making even beating difficult.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and he couldn't help but swallow, the sound exceptionally clear on the silent peak.

He instinctively wanted to flee, but his legs felt as if they were filled with lead; he felt as if he were nailed to the spot, unable to move even a finger.

Just at this moment.

"Hehe, Envoy, I don't think this is a bad thing."

An obscure and indistinguishable voice came from behind, carrying a hint of casual composure.

The voice was neither high nor low, yet it was like an invisible blade that gently sliced through the stagnant air.

A person dressed in purple robes, whose face was also hidden, walked behind Bai Laosan unhurriedly.

The next instant.

Bai Laosan felt the killing intent that had been shrouding him dissipate abruptly, as if a great mountain had been moved away.

His whole body relaxed, the frozen blood in his body began to flow again, and his heart pounded violently; he gasped for air, looking as if he had just been fished out of water.

He looked back, and a look of excitement at having survived a disaster appeared on his old face, which was scarred like a centipede: "Boss!"

Indeed, the newcomer was none other than the most mysterious great demon of the 'Six Demons of Yunling', Purple Boss.

The purple-robed person raised his hand slightly, signaling him to be quiet.

Those eyes hidden in the shadow of the hood looked calmly at the black-robed person in front, without fear, without fawning, only a bottomless composure.

The purple-robed person stood in front of Bai Laosan like an invisible wall, isolating that killing intent.

"Oh?"

The black-robed person sneered in a hoarse voice, his cold gaze falling on the purple-robed person, carrying a hint of scrutiny and intrigue: "Why do you think it's not a bad thing? I didn't expect you to shield this trash under your command."

"Envoy, that is not the case."

The purple-robed person smiled in an obscure voice, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger:

"Your blood sacrifice failed, and you couldn't determine the specific location; isn't it just right to let these small fry below help find it?"

The purple-robed person paused slightly, the corners of his mouth hidden in the shadows seeming to curve, his voice carrying a hint of ambiguous mockery:

"Or is it..."

"That you don't have the confidence to take the secret treasure from the hands of these small fry."

As the words fell, the peak fell into a brief silence.

The black-robed person stared at the purple-robed person for a moment, his cold gaze like two invisible blades, trying to dissect the other's disguise and see what was hidden beneath that composure.

"Stop using such provocation to excuse your subordinates."

He sneered in a hoarse voice, but did not get angry, merely slowly withdrawing his oppressive killing intent.

"However, you did say one thing right."

He turned around and looked back at the dark mass of people below the mountain.

"Letting these small fry help find it will indeed save a lot of trouble."

At the foot of the mountain, over a thousand outer-sect disciples were gathered in a dark mass, heads moving, the buzzing sound of discussion like a tide.

Who didn't have a dream?

Many were already beginning to fantasize about finding extinct spiritual herbs in the ruins of the previous dynasty, taking them in one gulp, and from then on changing their destiny to become martial arts giants.

Wang Siyi was one of them.

She followed closely behind Liu Yiyi, inseparable, her pretty little face full of irrepressible excitement.

She leaned into Liu Yiyi's ear, lowered her voice, and spoke rapidly:

"Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi, do you think we will find some great opportunity in these ruins of the previous dynasty, and from then on punch the deacons and kick the elders?"

Liu Yiyi swept a cold glance at her, her gaze like a cold pool in winter, calm and unruffled, with no intention of responding to her at all.

But Wang Siyi was completely unaware, becoming more and more excited as she spoke, her voice unconsciously rising a few notches:

"Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi, when the time comes, we'll deal with that true-transmission disciple Jin Hai first! Then we'll see if that slut Xu Qinghuan still dares to..."

Seeing her becoming more and more outrageous.

Liu Yiyi finally spoke, her voice crisp, neither salty nor bland: "You must call me Xu Xu Shijie Liu, do not call me Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi!"

"Oh..."

Wang Siyi pursed her red, small mouth in grievance.

"It seems Xu Qinghuan didn't come."

Jiang Ye carefully examined the outer-sect disciples below.

After seeing Liu Yiyi, he had thought Xu Qinghuan would come too.

However, after searching for a long time, he didn't see Xu Qinghuan's figure.

Clearly, she hadn't participated in this operation.

Jiang Ye's thoughts turned, and he understood.

That girl Xu Qinghuan was naturally afraid of death; it was normal for her not to dare to come.

"If she didn't come, it's a bit of a pity."

Jiang Ye sighed secretly in his heart.

His temper these past few days seemed to have grown a bit high again.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the outer-sect disciples at the foot of the mountain had arrived one after another, lining up neatly in several formations on the open ground, waiting for the Elders' orders.

Over a thousand people gathered in one place, a dark mass, yet very quiet, with only the faint sound of rustling clothes and the occasional irrepressible cough.

"Since everyone is here, I will say a few words and make arrangements."

Hua Qingshui stepped out with a smile.

His voice was not very loud, but it blew into everyone's ears like a breeze.

"The number of outer-sect disciples dispatched this time is 1,600, and the number of Embracing the Pill Realm martial artists sent from the five inner-sect peaks is ten."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone gently.

"This Mount Tai'an is truly vast; to speed up the search efficiency, my idea is to divide the outer-sect disciples into ten teams, with 160 people per team, and each Embracing the Pill Realm martial artist will be responsible for one team."

"What do you all think?"

After speaking, Hua Qingshui looked at the group of Embracing the Pill Realm martial artists.

"Elder Hua's arrangement is appropriate!"

Xie Tang was the first to respond, his face full of respect.

Jiang Ye and the others looked at each other, had no objections, and nodded one after another.

Although the two Elders of Golden Star Peak had cold expressions, they did not voice any opposition.

Hua Qingshui nodded slightly, his smile still warm: "Then let's arrange it this way, however..."

His tone shifted slightly, becoming more solemn: "If any outer-sect disciples in your team get injured, I will hold you accountable!"

"Yes, Elder Hua."

Everyone responded in unison.

Only Zheng Feng was tangled, hesitating for a moment before biting the bullet and stepping forward: "Elder Hua, your two daughters haven't returned yet..."

"Oh?"

Hua Qingshui waved his hand with a smile, looking light and airy: "Those two girls, it's fine, don't worry. They have their own sense of propriety."

Zheng Feng opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but was swept by Hua Qingshui's smiling gaze, and the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back. He could only retreat helplessly, praying in his heart that those two grand-aunts wouldn't cause any trouble.

Subsequently, the outer-sect disciples began to divide into teams, waiting for the selection of the various Embracing the Pill Realm martial artists.

"Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi, we must not be picked by the Elder of Golden Star Peak."

Wang Siyi shrank behind Liu Yiyi, whispering, looking like a shivering little quail: "I heard that the people of Golden Star Peak have bad tempers and often beat and scold people; following them will be a disaster..."

In fact, not just her, most of the outer-sect disciples didn't want to be in the same team as the Elders of Golden Star Peak.

Those two cold-faced gods of death stood there, and just that sharp aura alone was enough to make people unable to breathe; who would want to run into the blade's edge?

Not long after, an old man in gray robes with white hair came unhurriedly to the front of Liu Yiyi's team.

He had a thin face, peaceful features, and his aura was steady and restrained, without any sense of sharpness.

"I will be responsible for you all."

He smiled faintly, that smile carrying a hint of the gentleness unique to an elder.

It was none other than Jiang Ye.

Since Liu Yiyi was here, he would certainly take extra care.

Wang Siyi let out a long sigh of relief, whispering excitedly behind Liu Yiyi:

"Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi, this seems to be Elder Jiang of Tianyang Peak! I heard that he wiped out the Black Wind Stronghold single-handedly a while ago; he is very powerful!"

"Also, this old man doesn't look as fierce as the Elder of Golden Star Peak."

"Following him, we shouldn't have to suffer..."

Just as she was speaking, Wang Siyi was slightly startled.

She didn't know if it was her imagination, but she felt that Elder Jiang had looked at her with hidden meaning; the gaze was extremely fast, flashing and disappearing, yet it made her feel inexplicably guilty.

Did he hear her whispering?

Impossible!

Her voice was clearly very soft...

She shrank her neck, not daring to make another sound, and honestly hid behind Liu Yiyi.

Soon, the teams were assigned.

The team picked by the Golden Star Peak Elder all had bitter expressions, as if they were going to the execution ground, their footsteps even becoming heavier.

"Speed is the essence of war; everyone, let's start acting immediately!"

Hua Qingshui waved his hand with a smile.

"Yes, Elder Hua!"

Everyone responded, and with their respective disciples, they began the search operation in a grand manner.

For the next few days, Jiang Ye led the 160 outer-sect disciples under his command and launched a large-scale search on Mount Tai'an.

Although it was said he was leading the team, he basically didn't move much.

He threw the task of command to Chen Lili and comfortably became a hands-off manager.

Chen Lili did a great job, managing those hundred-plus people so well that they obeyed her every command.

During this time, Zheng Feng's long-awaited sister, Zheng Hui, was finally sent back by the two Hua sisters of Profound Water Peak.

That girl had been taken to play by the two Xu Xu Shijie Sisters for several days; she returned with a glowing face, excited and chattering non-stop, scaring Zheng Feng so much that he feared his sister had been led astray.

Because Zheng Feng often came to chat with him, Jiang Ye also got to witness Zheng Hui's extraordinary sense of smell; it really wasn't just for show.

Although the ruins of the previous dynasty hadn't been found, this girl, relying on her nose, had managed to dig out several precious medicinal herbs of considerable age in the deep mountains and forests.

Things that others couldn't find even with their eyes wide open, she could sniff out and find.

Seeing this, Jiang Ye felt his heart heat up, and he couldn't help but sigh secretly: This Zheng Hui is really useful; he even wanted to raise one.

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

But Mount Tai'an was too vast, with overlapping peaks, crisscrossing gullies, and ancient trees reaching the sky, blocking out the sun.

The Tianqing Sect had invested so much manpower, and 1,600 disciples scattered into this vast mountain range were like stones entering the sea, not even stirring up a splash.

Let alone the ruins of the previous dynasty, they hadn't even found a decent clue.

Night fell, and there were dots of campfires in the camp; the disciples sat in groups of three or five, the excitement on their faces long replaced by fatigue and disappointment.

Jiang Ye sat on a blue stone, looking at the dark mountain shadows in the distance, his aged eyes full of contemplation.

The night was deep, and the campfires in the camp gradually extinguished, leaving only a few piles of embers flickering in the darkness.

Liu Yiyi closed her eyes, her breathing steady, yet she was unable to fall asleep.

Tonight, she always felt something was wrong, a feeling of being watched that made her unable to sink into sleep.

She turned over, just about to force herself to calm down, when her peripheral vision caught a glimpse of Wang Siyi beside her, her small face flushed red, holding it in like a cooked shrimp, looking at her expectantly.

"Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi... I want to relieve myself, could you accompany me..."

Wang Siyi's small face was flushed red, and she spoke with a hint of unspeakable embarrassment, her voice as thin as a mosquito's.

A rare hint of helplessness flashed across Liu Yiyi's cold face.

She stared at this little girl curled into a ball for a long time before spitting out a few words from her lips: "Are you still a martial artist?"

She really found it hard to imagine that this little girl in front of her was also a martial artist with Hidden Force strength.

"It's too dark in the mountains, I'm scared..."

Wang Siyi lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed.

Liu Yiyi turned over, not wanting to deal with her.

After a while.

"Sigh."

Accompanied by a helpless sigh, Liu Yiyi got up after all.

"Xu Xu Shijie Yiyi, you are so good!!!"

Wang Siyi's flushed little face was full of excitement, and she hurried to follow.

On a blue stone not far outside the camp, Jiang Ye sat cross-legged, his eyes slightly closed, his breathing long.

When those two figures left silently, he slowly opened his eyes.

"In the middle of the night, what do they want to do?"

He frowned, feeling a bit uneasy.

In these deep mountains and forests, although nothing had gone wrong these past few days, who knew what was hidden in the shadows.

His figure flickered, and he followed silently.

Liu Yiyi, having finished, stood up slowly, and the corner of her eye suddenly caught a glimpse of something under a large tree not far away, a corner of something exposed, half-covered by a few fallen leaves.

The moonlight shone through the gaps in the branches and leaves, just happening to illuminate that small corner.

Her heart stirred, and she walked forward carefully.

Crouching down, she brushed away the dead leaves, and a booklet came into view.

On the cover were written a few ancient characters—

"Canglan True Water Qi-Nourishing Method"!

Liu Yiyi's cold, beautiful eyes suddenly narrowed to needle points, and her breathing even stalled.

Qi-Nourishing Method?!