Chapter 101: Mysterious and Unfathomable, Past and Present; Clarity on the Honghu Dongfu [4k]

Not long after sitting down, a burst of red mist billowed, the wind whistled, and Chifeng Wang became the second to arrive here.

Then, wind and thunder surged, frost-white light erupted, and Meng Huai followed.

Just as Meng Huai landed on a lotus leaf to sit, in mid-air, there were bursts of bat phantoms flying and screeching, intertwined with black and red clouds of smoke.

Suddenly, it dove down a dozen zhang, twisting left and right like a tornado; inside was a red-eyed black bat about ten zhang in size.

Upon landing, it shook its body and transformed into human form—a sinister-looking man—who laughed, "It seems I have arrived late!"

The sound was strange, like the wailing of an infant.

It was none other than Mingxue Wang, whose true form was a blood-sucking bat.

Before those seated could respond, a laugh was heard from the air, "Not late, not late! I was even a step later than you!"

Splash—the water rippled like surging waves; amidst the clouds, water, and light, a cyan-blue halo rippled like water, spreading in all directions.

It suddenly retracted, revealing a burly man with a striking elephant trunk; as he walked, he made a rumbling sound, interspersed with the roars of dragons and elephants.

"Greetings to Yunting Xianzi, greetings to Dragon Lord, and to everyone else~"

This Longxiang Wang spoke in a muffled voice; after arriving, he greeted everyone he saw, his long little trunk swinging back and forth, wearing a smiling face.

After the two had settled into their seats.

A flow of black and white energy swirled, glowing with brilliance, and a lazy voice sounded: "Why has everyone arrived so early? It is this younger brother who has been negligent toward you all. My apologies~"

A chubby figure appeared, rubbing his sleepy eyes and apologizing profusely.

The man looked quite wealthy; were it not for the cyan robe embroidered with the Taiji Yin-Yang Diagram, which brought a touch of elegance, he would be indistinguishable from the son of a rural landlord.

As everyone took their seats, Yunque Wang said with a beaming smile: "Everyone, you all met each other yesterday. Today, I would like to introduce a fellow Daoist to you."

Having said this, she turned to the side and bowed to the void beside her; a wisp of misty water emerged, bubbling and rising, then folding downward in a straight line, condensing without dispersing.

Then, golden light erupted, shooting upward, lush with cloud energy; rosy mists rose all around, with faint, mysterious sounds, very fine and small, and then the strange phenomena retracted.

A large white turtle appeared, floating on the lake, silent and motionless. Sitting atop it was a person wearing a Xiaoyao Crown and draped in Dharma robes, with narrow, long eyes and lips as thin as a blade, holding a scroll in his hand that rustled even without wind.

The scroll was suffused with divine radiance, the Divine Light long and continuous, with uneven ripples like fine scales, and seal characters appearing and vanishing, deriving hexagrams.

"I am Gu Huojin, greetings to all you Demon Kings!" The newcomer said with a beaming smile, cupping his hands in a salute. But behind him, mysterious energy rose, continuous and unending, his thick aura condensed but not released.

Mysterious, powerful, and difficult to see through.

Fang Longye narrowed his eyes and said playfully: "Could it be that you are the true organizer behind this treasure hunt, fellow Daoist?"

This mysterious visitor smiled slightly, shook his head, and explained: "Dragon Lord has misunderstood! I was only approached by Yunque Wang a few days ago; my status is the same as everyone else's."

Seeing the corner of Fang Longye's mouth curl into a cold sneer.

Knowing that he scoffed at this explanation, Gu Huojin shook his head.

He said bluntly: "Dragon Lord is overthinking it. It is true that I possess some strength. But who let Yunting Xianzi misjudge the Dragon Lord's strength?"

His words were pointed, showing no regard for the change in Yunque Wang's expression.

Fang Longye's mind raced, and then he chuckled: "Interesting, very interesting!"

He then asked Yunque Wang directly with a smile: "Presumably, Xianzi was also very conflicted when you decided to invite this fellow Daoist, right?"

After Gu Huojin finished his explanation, Fang Longye understood immediately.

It stood to reason that this mysterious Human was invited by Yunque Wang specifically to curb him, this powerful dragon crossing the river.

Since it had already been brought into the open, Yunque Wang no longer hid it, shaking her head and laughing: "I did indeed have such small thoughts, but this fellow Daoist actually approached me on his own before that~"

On the surface, she was calm and indifferent, but inside, she was cursing Gu Huojin incessantly.

She really wasn't bluffing; this Gu Huojin had indeed approached her on his own from the start, directly stating her secrets and hoping to explore the treasure with her.

As a result, seeing that he was too mysterious and powerful, and looking like someone not easy to deal with, she had directly declined.

Later, she and Jin Feng misjudged Fang Longye's strength and provoked a powerful dragon. After much thought, she decided to bring this mysterious figure back into the fold.

With two powerful dragons crossing the river facing each other, they would just happen to check and balance one another. Yet she had not expected that this Gu Huojin would directly put her intentions out in the open.

The wind suddenly rose, blowing wrinkles across the pool.

Fang Longye looked at the indifferent expressions of the several demon immortals around him, waved his hand with a smile and said: "Everyone has secrets; I do not care about Brother Gu's background, as long as there is sincerity."

Then, he changed the subject: "However, Yunting Xianzi, now that we have all gathered, you should finally reveal the details of this Taiyi Realm Cave Abode you mentioned, right?"

"That's right, Yunting Xianzi, since you want to share this opportunity and fortune, you cannot keep being evasive when the time comes. How can you expect us to feel at ease signing the contract?" Mingxue Wang was the first to chime in, his voice sinister.

"Indeed, although Meng Huai also understands Yunting Xianzi's concerns, since it involves the Taiyi Realm, it would be better for Yunting Xianzi to lay out all the information she knows."

"Exactly, let us study it together! At worst, we can let you take a larger share of the harvest. Hiding things like this is really not straightforward. Truly the style of a female demon!" Longxiang Wang swung his trunk, looking impatient.

……

"Ding-dang——"

Yunque Wang activated a small Jade Bell atop her celebration cloud, silencing everyone's speech.

She looked around at the demon immortals, smiled, and said: "You are all overthinking it; I would never let you act like blind men. It is just that the matter is of great importance, and it was inconvenient to speak more before. It was not an intentional concealment."

Her voice changed, like a crane in the clouds, melodic and winding, resonant and impassioned, naturally evoking a sense of mystery and making it easier for people to believe.

"The information I know is all here. Please, everyone, take a look~"

After speaking, jade beads appeared, spinning around, flying around the crowd a few times, and finally landing in front of everyone.

Fang Longye noticed that only Gu Huojin did not have one in front of him, and he shook his head inwardly.

It is truly said that only women and small men are difficult to raise; she was already trying to undermine him.

Ignoring the composed Gu Huojin, he immediately let his divine sense sink into the jade bead, and the information regarding the Honghu Dongfu flowed into his mind.

"So that's how it is~"

This senior Honghu of the Taiyi Realm was not a being from Beiju Luzhou, but a subordinate of one of the First Emperor's retainers.

This Cave Abode ruin was merely his temporary resting place, much like the inheritance site of that previous Green Jade Sword Butterfly.

Fang Longye was slightly disappointed, because in this way, the value of this Cave Abode ruin was not as great as he had imagined.

Moreover, perhaps the most valuable items had already been taken by someone else.

He looked at the smiling Yunque Wang.

This opportunity and fortune of the Cave Abode ruins was not something she had earned herself, but rather inherited from her ancestors.

The true first group to set foot here and gain something were none other than the mother of Jin Feng—that person whose name was often heard but whose face was never seen—and the mother of the Yunque Wang before him, two close friends.

It seems the Swan bloodline carried by his good friend's mother must have been obtained from these Cave Abode ruins, right?

"I only know this much in detail. However, I think this fellow Daoist of the Human Race, who was able to come knocking from the very beginning, must know some other secrets, right?"

Yunque Wang's eyes rippled as she looked at this mysterious person who called himself Gu Huojin with a beaming smile. Gu Huojin chuckled lightly, causing the surrounding Dao Patterns to flutter and the halo of light to sway.

"I do indeed have some information that I should naturally share with you all. I imagine those of you with some years behind you all know of the heaven-shaking great achievements of our Human Race back then.

The Human Dao's crusade against the heavens was certainly not the affair of our Human Race alone. Under the command of the First Emperor, many of the ten thousand spirits and ten thousand clans who were willing to follow in his footsteps were assembled.

This Swan senior was one of the members sent by the Phoenix Clan. As a vanguard general, she followed the Immortal Qin army, scouring mountains and seas, and destroying mountains and temples. Who knows how much wealth she accumulated.

Even if this ruin is merely one of that senior's stopover points, there are still many hidden treasures within. Therefore, you need not worry about the issue of gains."

Then, he paused before speaking again: "At the same time, it is precisely because this ruin is only a stopover for that senior in Beiju Luzhou that it surely lacks the tight defenses and overlapping dangers of a true Taiyi Realm Daoist temple.

In terms of gains, one can obtain the hidden treasures of a Taiyi Realm existence, and in terms of risk, one does not have to face a true Taiyi Daoist temple. For juniors like us who are only in the True Immortal Realm, it could not be more suitable."

After Gu Huojin finished speaking, he remained silent, took out a verdant Wine Gourd, sipped it slowly, and observed the reactions of the group of Demon Clan immortals, including Fang Longye, with great interest.

The group of Demon Clan immortals compared Yunque Wang's information with his, and discovering that it was indeed as Gu Huojin had summarized, their breathing instantly became rapid.

Then, even the seemingly honest and simple-minded Iron-Eating Beast Lu Zhu and the always reckless Longxiang Wang had their gazes, along with the other Demon Clan immortals, turn toward Fang Longye.

Big boss, go for it! It's time to fight over the distribution of benefits. You take the lead, and we will follow closely behind. If we don't compete now, when will we? However, Fang Longye, looking at his nose and his heart, sat cross-legged in silence, appearing as if he had fallen asleep.

Heh!

Fang Longye thought to himself, "They really take me for a sucker. I hinted in and out of our conversation that we should jointly restrain this Yunque Wang, but I never said I would directly step onto the stage to be used as a spear for you all."

Fang Longye did not speak, and for a moment, there was silence.

The reason was simple: among the people Yunque Wang had chosen, except for Fang Longye, whose strength she had misjudged, and the uninvited Gu Huojin, she could easily manipulate the rest.

These were people Yunque Wang had carefully selected. Under her calculations, gathering this group of Demon Clan immortals who had decent strength but would not pose a threat to her was just right for exploring the treasure.

Even if it meant piling up human lives, the Array Restriction of the ruins could be broken. By the time they actually entered the ruins, there would likely not be many people left.

If Fang Longye and Gu Huojin hadn't stirred up trouble, how would these Demon Clan immortals have dared to compete with Yunque Wang over the distribution of benefits? Whatever she said it was, that's what it would be.

"Heh~" Yunque Wang scanned the room and chuckled, "Our Demon Clan has always valued the survival of the fittest. Among the eight of us here, in all fairness, I believe everyone acknowledges the strength of the Dragon Lord and this fellow Human Race Daoist."

Speaking of this, the sound of clashing metal rang out behind her, and her voice became impassioned, "I am untalented, but I wish to be the third person after these two. If there are any objections, we can settle it with blades and spears. Yunting Xianzi will accompany you to the end!"

For a moment, no one answered.

"Alright!" Fang Longye yawned and said lazily, "Yunting Xianzi is, after all, the organizer of this treasure hunt. I will give the Xianzi some face. You shall be ranked with me and fellow Daoist Gu, sharing sixty percent of the spoils. The remaining forty percent will be split equally among you all. How about that?"

"We shall naturally follow the Dragon Lord's words."

"The Dragon Lord handles matters fairly; I have nothing to say."

For a time, everyone agreed.

"And you, fellow Daoist?" Fang Longye looked at this mysterious Human Race member who gave him a sense of crisis in his spiritual perception.

Gu Huojin smiled slightly, "I was only able to participate because of the Dragon Lord. Naturally, I will follow the Dragon Lord's words."

Fang Longye looked at Yunque Wang and smiled, "Yunting Xianzi, you must remember that you owe me a favor."

Afterwards, the group drafted a detailed contract, each took an oath, and after a round of feasting, they returned to their respective residences on Fuyao Mountain.

In the courtyard.

The leaves hung like curtains, and the pine cast shadows in the moonlight.

Inside the hall, sandalwood incense curled.

Fang Longye ate a spirit fruit, took a sip from the teacup handed to him by Hu Qiuyue, and felt the massage pressure from Ao Ying behind him change.

"What? Is there something you don't understand about how I handled things today?"

"Master, your wisdom is clear! I..."

"Didn't I say? No need to call me Master anymore; just call me Great King." Fang Longye put down the teacup and waved his hand.

Ao Ying agreed, but she felt unwilling in her heart. Compared to the title of Great King, she would rather call Fang Longye Master. A servant is much closer than a subordinate.

"Great King, your insight is brilliant. Actually, for those five Demon Clan immortals, it would have been enough for you to allocate twenty percent of the harvest for them to split. After all, their strength is really not that great.

The remaining twenty percent could have been split fifty-fifty with that Human Race cultivator whose background is unclear.

That way, you would at least have obtained one-third of the hidden treasures. Otherwise, to come out on this trip and only get twenty percent is too demeaning for you."

Fang Longye shook his head and laughed. This is the limitation of social hierarchy~

These second-generation descendants are sometimes a thousand times more ruthless than ordinary people, and sometimes they are a bit naive.

"Do you think those spoils will all end up in their hands after the treasure hunt is over?"

Seeing her look puzzled, Fang Longye smiled, "The contract signed for this treasure hunt will expire as soon as we leave the ruins."

"So?"

"Why do you think I brought you along?"

Fang Longye saw her stunned expression and explained, "Of course, we never do anything treacherous. But what if someone decides to rob me?"

Fang Longye did not think that everything would be fine once the spoils were distributed in the ruins.

These Demon Clan immortals who knew their own strength was insufficient but still accepted Yunque Wang's invitation and agreed to cooperate in the treasure hunt were not that simple.

There might be companions hiding in the dark, acting as hunters!

In any case, he did not believe that the Cave Abode ruins of a Taiyi Realm existence would fail to attract the covetous eyes of some powerful people.

The sentence he said to Yunque Wang earlier, "You owe me a favor," did not just refer to the care in the distribution ratio.

With him and Gu Huojin there, who knows how many covetous gazes they helped her attract.

She should just be secretly happy!

"A forty percent share determines the level of effort these few demon immortals will put into the treasure hunt ahead."

"Anyway, after all the twists and turns, I believe what I end up with will be more than the two percent share agreed upon."

Thinking of the intentions of Chifeng Wang and Mingxue Wang that he had previously probed.

Fang Longye smiled slightly.

For this trip to the gathering, only Ao Ying, a True Immortal, was accompanying him on the surface.

In the shadows, the entire Cave Abode, except for Jinghuan who was guarding the home, had dispatched all its True Immortals, along with elite soldiers and strong generals.

Of course, he swore to the heavens that he absolutely had no intention of pulling off a few big jobs beforehand.

Unlike some demon immortals who are deep in schemes but shallow in cultivation, unable to even hide their thoughts and ideas.

And they call themselves veterans who have been immersed in this Dharma! First chapter today~ Thank you all for your support! (End of chapter)