Chapter 82: Forced to Think More

"I haven't heard Master Yijing was injured…" The soldier was taken aback by Chen Daochang's question, gave an evasive reply, then immediately steered the topic back—

"Father Shi is currently injured and unconscious; the nuns and priests also suffered serious wounds and have been sent to the clinic. But the priest said this incident was the work of a demonic cultivator—he had been using Feng…"

As he spoke, the soldier suddenly noticed Feng Xue, his expression stiffening slightly. Feng Xue, the untroubled transmigrant, merely waved his hand carelessly and said:

"Go on."

Seeing Feng Xue's attitude, the soldier's thoughts were unclear, but the xuan cultivators who knew a bit of Wangqi art could see Feng Xue's clear spiritual radiance—they immediately relaxed, for they had no confidence in facing the thunder art that had descended from the heavens!

"The priest said the demonic cultivator used the lingering thunder aura from Feng's old residence to set up a 'Demon Summoning Ritual.' The 'demons' appearing recently in the county were his creations. When Father Shi discovered him, the demonic cultivator was in the midst of controlling the ritual. After defeating them, the demonic cultivator fled…"

The soldier rapidly recounted what he had heard from the injured priest. Hearing this, Chen Daochang frowned and said:

"Was the demonic cultivator injured? How severe was his wound?"

"No, the priest said the demonic cultivator was extremely powerful—he defeated Father Shi in just a few moves. Their barrier and the sutras used to reinforce it only held a moment longer, but not enough to injure him at all!"

As the soldier spoke, his unease was palpable. Chen Daochang lightly tapped his finger; with the flow of spiritual power, a rune was drawn in the air, then dissolved into a soothing force that drifted onto the soldier.

The soldier felt as if bathed in spring breeze—his tension and unease gradually faded. After this small display, Chen Daochang turned to the county magistrate and the companions who had spent the entire night traveling without lifting a hand:

"This matter is strange. Normally, after defeating a cultivator, a demonic cultivator wouldn't pass up the chance to drain their primordial energy for cultivation—especially one who has shown such power, who wouldn't fear reinforcements…"

"Perhaps the opponent sensed the battle here? If the demonic entities were summoned by him, then the earlier loss of control was likely just an accident caused by Father Shi's sudden appearance. If so, he must be nearby—even watching us right now!"

A younger xuan cultivator spoke up. Everyone immediately snapped to attention, Wangqi art flaring up in all directions—but no trace of the demonic cultivator could be found. Only the lingering thunder aura still stung their spiritual senses.

"Regardless, let's go check that place first—at least make sure nothing troublesome remains." Compared to others' unease, Chen Daochang now felt as if a heavy stone had finally landed—he was far more at ease now that the opponent had revealed himself, rather than having searched endlessly without result.

"Huff… huff… What… what happened?"

Only now did Master Yijing arrive, his face weary. His patrol route was far away, and he had not cultivated the Divine Footway technique—he had run all the way, placing great strain on his aging body.

Seeing Chen Daochang about to speak, Deng Gu Niang knew that once he opened his mouth, he'd inevitably bicker with Master Yijing. To save time, she took over: "Let me explain to the master. Since the master isn't good at traveling, and we need someone to investigate here, we two will handle it."

Seeing this, Chen Daochang didn't let his mockery of his old rival interfere with the matter. He selected four xuan cultivators and headed toward Feng Xue's old residence.

The county magistrate was astute—he knew Feng Xue had just fought, and the other xuan cultivators, fearing they might hurt the young Daoist's pride, hesitated to advise him. So he spoke up:

"This old body is tired. But with a demonic cultivator nearby, could you gentlemen spare a moment to escort me?"

Hearing the magistrate say "you gentlemen," several sharp-minded xuan cultivators immediately gathered around. Feng Xue, naturally, went along with it—first he tidied up his personal belongings as usual, then, under the pretense of escorting the magistrate, was escorted by several dao-initiated cultivators to the magistrate's home, and then "accidentally" delivered to the guesthouse.

…

Leaving Feng Xue's smooth journey aside, Deng Gu Niang, after recounting the events to Master Yijing, began searching the courtyard. Master Yijing, upon hearing the account, forced himself to focus—he wasn't good at pursuit, but excelled at defense. He sat cross-legged before Feng's three-story house, chanting sutras, a faint Buddhist light rippling outward.

Deng Gu Niang and the remaining xuan cultivators, feeling the protection of the Buddhist light, relaxed slightly and began carefully inspecting the house.

"Strange! Though the thunder aura lingers heavily, the interior shows little damage. Could such power truly have dispersed the demonic entities?"

Compared to ordinary xuan cultivators, the outsider cultivators like the Outrider Immortals—especially the Grey Immortal, famed for "digging holes"—had deeper knowledge of earth qi and malevolent energies. Thus, while other xuan cultivators were still awed by Feng Xue's clean, sky-tearing golden thunder, she was already questioning whether the demonic entities had truly been destroyed.

But considering Feng Xue's earlier performance, she felt it should be fine. Caught in this contradiction, Deng Gu Niang could only suppress her doubts for now, exchanging thoughts with the Grey Ninth Grandfather residing in the spirit tablet, while tracing the local earth veins for hidden traps like yin veins or malevolent energy nodes.

Yet no matter how she searched, she found no trace of Li Maolin—for at this moment, he had already followed Feng Xue to the vicinity of the guesthouse.

He was deeply conflicted. On one hand, Feng Xue's displayed power, though formidable—even stronger than most dao-initiated cultivators—his chaotic techniques and ill-timed spell usage looked nothing like those of a reputable sect disciple. The great demon's strength also seemed no more than that of a ten-year cultivator. This made him unavoidably suspicious of Feng Xue's true identity.

But on the other hand, he was in the midst of a human calamity, and dared not test it—what if all this was coincidence? What if Feng had simply developed a new technique for experimentation, and the great demon had deliberately held back, merely acting as backup?

These two thoughts alternated repeatedly in Li Maolin's mind. If it were the latter, fine—but if the former, considering how often this boy had casually dropped brilliant, profound theories in conversation, he had reason to suspect Feng's lineage was far more than just one sect's tradition. He'd even believe Feng had discovered a Daoist canon buried by some ancient dynasty!

If it were merely one sect's legacy—even a secret transmission of the Shenxiao Sect—he wouldn't be overly interested unless he could secure the Shenxiao Jade Pure King. But every time he recalled Feng Xue's occasional theories, his heart stirred.

"Watch more! Watch more!"

Feeling the sweet aroma once again seeping from the guesthouse, he gritted his teeth and vanished into the darkness…

(End of Chapter)