Chapter 140

To this day, Yuan Ya still remembered the way Junior Brother Li Si had single-handedly ambushed Meng Xing—it was so crisp and decisive, without the slightest bit of hesitation.

By the time she returned after killing two Jin Dan realm cultivators, she saw Meng Xing's corpse lying at Li Si's feet like a dead dog.

Furious to the extreme, she had charged forward with her sword, hacking and stabbing with all her might, even tearing Meng Xing's Nascent Soul into countless fragments, completely avenging her Master.

It was a pity that he had suddenly left at that time, and she hadn't seen his face clearly. However, the scars on his face beneath the blood and mud, and his upright back as he left, had remained deeply etched in her heart.

That was a real man!

Seeing Yuan Ya actually reveal the demeanor of a young girl, Yan Xiao immediately became unhappy.

No, what is the meaning of this?

I saved you too back then, you know. Those Jin Dan realm cultivators were all killed by me, and in the end, I was the one who helped you undo your restraints and gave you a pill for recovery.

Is the difference really that big?

At this moment, Zhou Qing also scratched his head in some embarrassment, then looked at Yan Xiao.

Seeing this, Yan Xiao immediately crossed his arms over his chest and let out a cold snort.

"He had bad luck and died!" Yan Xiao said coldly.

Yuan Ya's smile froze instantly on her face, her body swaying involuntarily. The earlobes that had been slightly flushed from shyness now turned deathly pale.

Her hands hung limply at her sides, her eyes turned red, and tears swirled in her eye sockets.

"Ho... how is that possible... He, he was so powerful..." Yuan Ya's lips trembled slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief.

Seeing this, Yan Xiao felt a bit amused.

Yuan Shijie, oh Yuan Shijie, I am truly sorry. That little spark of love that just sprouted in you is likely to be ruthlessly extinguished by this basin of cold water I've poured.

To be honest, the current net worth of my Old Four is something even your Sect Master cannot compare to.

"Was it done by people from the Cangyan Dao Palace?" Following this, Yuan Ya's face was instantly filled with murderous intent, and in her eyes, it seemed as if two raging flames were burning, ready to burst forth.

This scene frightened the two of them into subconsciously taking a few steps back, their minds seemingly recalling the scene of her frantically tearing apart Meng Xing's Nascent Soul that day.

It truly had a powerful visual impact.

"Yes!"

"No!"

The two spoke almost simultaneously, then looked at each other, and hurriedly one shook his head while the other nodded.

"No!"

"Yes!"

Yuan Ya immediately stepped forward, staring fixedly at Yan Xiao, and said, "Is it or is it not?"

Yan Xiao subconsciously said, "He was killed by Song Yuan of the Cangyan Dao Palace."

Zhou Qing, standing to the side, hurriedly shook his head secretly at Yan Xiao—why are you saying this?

Hearing this, Yuan Ya was lost in a trance for a moment.

"So it was him. Right, he came to avenge Meng Xing. It's all my fault; I was the one who implicated Junior Brother Li!" Yuan Ya was full of self-reproach and regret.

Seeing this, Yan Xiao couldn't help but feel a bit sheepish; he truly hadn't expected Yuan Ya's reaction to be so intense.

Does having scars on one's face really make one that masculine? If I had known, I should have snatched those scar strips and applied them myself when Old Four took them out.

"I know where this Song Yuan is!" A moment later, Yuan Ya wiped her eyes forcefully, her eyes filled with chilling murderous intent.

Yan Xiao and Zhou Qing's eyes lit up, and they asked in unison, "You know?"

Yuan Ya nodded slightly and said, "I won't hide it from you. There is a secret stronghold of the Cangyan Dao Palace here in Youhuang City. Of course, this is something we discovered by chance half a month ago, which is why I was left here to keep watch."

"Just this morning, I saw with my own eyes that Song Yuan brought a group of people here. I have already sent the message back, and now it just depends on whether there are any experts from my Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong nearby who can be dispatched quickly to keep him here forever!"

Hearing this, Yan Xiao hurriedly asked, "Then specifically, how many Nascent Soul realm experts are there?"

Yuan Ya shook her head and said, "That stronghold is guarded extremely strictly. It is very difficult to see anyone come out on a daily basis, and to avoid alerting the enemy, we didn't dare to investigate deeply."

Yan Xiao, however, didn't care at all; instead, he was excited. In his view, as long as the person was here, everything else was not an issue.

"Junior Brother Zhou, has your internal heat dissipated? Compared to last time, there isn't that scorching feeling when I get close to you anymore. I've already arranged for a few junior sisters, thinking that after this matter is over, we'll go to the Taiqing Sect..."

"Yuan Shijie Yuan—" Zhou Qing hurriedly interrupted, then looked at Yan Xiao with a speechless expression.

Yan Xiao, however, kept winking at him.

Helpless, Zhou Qing had no choice but to truthfully state that he had already completely recovered.

Hearing this, Yuan Ya was astonished. She truly hadn't expected that in just a few months of not seeing him, Zhou Qing would have already recovered as if nothing had happened.

What truly good fortune!

"So, you are also here to find Song Yuan?" Yuan Ya finally understood why they had suddenly appeared here.

Yan Xiao's expression turned serious, and he said, "This trip is to avenge Brother Li Si."

After hearing this, Yuan Ya shook her head repeatedly, her face full of worry as she said, "Among the five great geniuses of the Cangyan Dao Palace, Song Yuan's status is even higher than Meng Xing's. Moreover, his cultivation has already reached the late Nascent Soul realm. Even if all of us here were added together, we would be no match for him at all."

Yan Xiao had only recently entered the early Nascent Soul realm, and Zhou Qing was only at the late Jin Dan realm and had only just recovered with great difficulty. Facing such an existence was undoubtedly like throwing an egg against a rock.

"Rest assured, we know what we're doing. Where is that stronghold?" Yan Xiao hurriedly asked.

It wasn't as if we haven't killed late Nascent Soul realm cultivators before; Old Four did it all by himself.

Now with me added, it should be easy.

"I cannot watch you go to your deaths. Wait a little longer; perhaps the experts from my sect are flying here as fast as they can right now," Yuan Ya advised.

Zhou Qing and Yan Xiao looked at each other.

Once your people arrive, we'll only be able to follow behind and watch; what kind of training would that be?

And with only one storage bag, it wouldn't be enough for everyone to split.

Just as Yan Xiao was about to say something, Zhou Qing spoke first: "That's fine too. Let's wait for the others to arrive before we act together; that is indeed safer."

Yuan Ya nodded with satisfaction and said, "That's right. Now our two sects are allies, and the Cangyan Dao Palace is our common enemy."

"Yuan Shijie Yuan is right. It just so happens that on our way here, we haven't even had time to eat. Why don't you be generous today, Yuan Shijie, and treat us to a meal?" Zhou Qing said with a laugh.

Yuan Ya immediately agreed readily: "That's a must. I happen to be eating upstairs anyway, let's go together."

Yan Xiao looked at Zhou Qing with full suspicion, but he didn't ask any more questions.

After finishing the meal, the two said their goodbyes, claiming they had other matters to attend to and would meet up again once they were done.

Looking at Zhou Qing walking the chicken, Yan Xiao finally couldn't help but ask: "No, what is your plan?"

Zhou Qing analyzed calmly: "In Yuan Shijie Yuan Ya's view, that 'Li Si' was so powerful yet was still killed by Song Yuan, so how could she possibly let us go to our deaths in vain? Therefore, she definitely won't tell us the specific location, and she might even worry that we would act rashly and alert the enemy."

After hearing this, Yan Xiao nodded thoughtfully, and soon, as if he understood something, he asked tentatively: "Are you planning to follow her?"

Zhou Qing nodded and said, "Didn't she say she stayed in Youhuang City to secretly monitor that stronghold? Since she's monitoring it, she must go to check on it frequently."

Yan Xiao's eyes lit up, and he soon coughed and said, "Actually, that's what I was thinking too. So you see, I didn't ask you much while we were eating. Old Four, I have to say, your brain is almost catching up to mine now."

Zhou Qing laughed: "Yes, yes, yes, my Third Zhou Shixiong is the smartest. I still have a lot to learn from him."

"That's for sure. How about you let me walk the chicken, Young Master Chicken!"

"If you mention that nickname again, I'm really going to get angry with you."

"Alright, alright, then Young Master Chicken?"

"Get lost!"

As night fell, a figure leaped and moved nimbly across the rooftops, completely unaware that two people dressed in night-traveling clothes were quietly following not far behind.

Until they saw Yuan Ya land in a courtyard, three people immediately flew out, bowed, and reported something to her.

Yuan Ya nodded slightly and set out again, staring intently at a villa in the distance.

Just at this moment, a faint spiritual sense suddenly swept toward the surroundings from the villa. Seeing this, Yuan Ya immediately left.

Not long after, on another rooftop, two sneaky heads poked out.

"Hiding in plain sight? Using such a large villa as a stronghold!" Yan Xiao clicked his tongue.

This reminded him of the time at the Yanyan City when the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong, who came to participate in the five-sect treasure exchange, rented a villa just like this.

Zhou Qing went in to find his chicken and happened to run into Cui Cui Yingying and the others soaking in the hot springs.

Things in the world are unpredictable; now, Cui Cui Yingying and the others were long gone, leaving no bones behind after the self-destruction of the two Soul Transformation realm cultivators, Ji Ying and Huang Xiu.

"What now?" Yan Xiao asked in a low voice.

Zhou Qing said, "Zhou Shixiong is smarter than me; I'll listen to Zhou Shixiong."

Yan Xiao: "..."

"The main thing is that we don't know what this stronghold is actually for, or how many people are inside. As it stands, those three disciples have low cultivation, so they can monitor it without raising suspicion, while Yuan Ya needs to leave to a certain extent to avoid exposure!"

Yan Xiao analyzed.

Zhou Qing nodded in agreement: "Zhou Shixiong is right."

Yan Xiao's old face flushed, and he laughed awkwardly: "Old Four, stop messing around. I'll listen to you."

Zhou Qing, however, said earnestly: "I'm not messing around. I really think you're right, Zhou Shixiong. But how can one catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den? Since Yuan Shijie Yuan Ya has already notified the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong, I assume they won't let a genius like Song Yuan off the hook either."

Yan Xiao naturally understood this too.

Now that Meng Xing was dead, if they lost another genius, it would undoubtedly be a heavy blow to the Cangyan Dao Palace.

"But isn't this too risky?" Yan Xiao couldn't help but worry.

Zhou Qing smiled: "Didn't we come out just to take risks?"

Hearing this, Yan Xiao was stunned for a moment, then smiled broadly.

"Let's go!"

The two quietly approached the villa and then nimbly leaped over the wall.

Fortunately, this villa had not set up any defensive barriers or the like, presumably to avoid attracting attention.

"Is it alright?" Not long after entering, while the two were hiding in a grove, Yan Xiao seemed to think of something and pointed at the old hen in Zhou Qing's arms.

Zhou Qing signaled that it was fine, because its beak had already been sealed with spiritual power and wouldn't make a sound.

Yan Xiao was relieved, and then the two dispersed to search separately.

The villa was not large, and after circling it once, the two met up again, both with looks of confusion.

Because the strongest aura in the entire villa was just an old man at the Foundation Establishment realm, who looked like the owner of the villa.

Besides him, there were no other cultivators.

But before they entered, there had indeed been a faint spiritual sense sweeping the surroundings.

"A cunning rabbit has three burrows. The crafty Cangyan Dao Palace definitely has a secret underground chamber like the one at my residence," Yan Xiao grumbled.

Zhou Qing couldn't help but look at him, feeling amused inside.

"I'm going to perform a soul search!" After saying this, Yan Xiao turned and left.

Zhou Qing had no choice but to wait quietly.

Not long after, Yan Xiao returned, looking sheepish and embarrassed: "That villa owner is just an ordinary old man; he knows nothing about the Cangyan Dao Palace. I gave him a pill as compensation for the soul search."

After hearing this, Zhou Qing fell into deep thought, and a moment later, he muttered: "This 'dove occupying the magpie's nest' is used well."

"How about we wait a little longer to see where that probing spiritual sense comes from?" Yan Xiao said.

That was all they could do for now.

Afterward, the two found a hidden spot and focused their attention on the surroundings.

About an hour later, that sense of being probed, which made one feel alert, indeed emerged again.

Zhou Qing used the "Void Realm Dharma Image" to completely transform his aura into that of an ordinary person, which made Yan Xiao feel envious.

But this technique was too difficult to cultivate; currently, only the Second Yuan Shijie and Old Four on Little Spirit Peak had succeeded in cultivating it.

He also hurriedly concealed his aura and quickly took out a talisman paper to stick on himself.

That spiritual sense swept over slowly but did not detect any abnormalities.

"Looks like the spiritual sense of a late Nascent Soul realm cultivator!" Yan Xiao said.

Zhou Qing felt the same.

If they truly encountered two late Nascent Soul realm experts, or even more, then their rash intrusion would indeed be too risky.

After all, they themselves were only at the early Nascent Soul realm; being able to contend with one late Nascent Soul realm expert was already extremely difficult.

"It seems to be over there!" Zhou Qing's soul was relatively powerful, and he keenly captured the source, so the two hurried over.

Not long after, they appeared in a backyard, where there was a pond that shimmered with ripples under the moonlight.

Several weeping willows were scattered around, making it appear quite tranquil.

"Could it be underwater? Isn't this like taking off one's pants to fart? Hiding in someone else's home while fearing discovery, yet secretly releasing spiritual sense to probe the surroundings, fearing others won't know their hiding spot," Yan Xiao criticized.

Zhou Qing said: "Could it be intentional? Is there a trap here?"

After being reminded by Zhou Qing, Yan Xiao's face changed; perhaps it really was.

"Should we retreat first?" Yan Xiao suggested.

After some thought, Zhou Qing looked directly at the pond in front of him and immediately performed the 【Daily Appraisal】.

Soon, lines of information were fed back.

【Pond: This is a seemingly ordinary pond, but it actually hides mysteries beneath. At the very bottom, there is a different world, where many cultivators who were secretly captured and used to refine human puppets are imprisoned.】

Seeing this, Zhou Qing didn't expect the stronghold to really be underneath.

Human puppets?

The half-section of the human puppet corpse that he and his Third Zhou Shixiong brought back had long been handed over by their Master to the Sect Master and the others for research.

But until now, they hadn't figured out the specific operating principles or corresponding methods of restraint.

However, one thing was certain: the prerequisite for refining such puppets was to plant those unknown arrays into the person's body while they were alive, causing them to slowly melt until they were completely integrated.

One must know that ordinary puppets generally give people a mechanical, cold, and dull sensation, but these human puppets from the Cangyan Dao Palace were refined using living human bodies and possessed extraordinary combat power.

Just like the half-section of the puppet he found, it was only severely damaged after multiple Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong disciples self-destructed, yet even so, after being recovered, it seemed it could still be used again, which was extremely eerie.

It was only through soul-searching Meng Xing that he learned that just the number of human puppets sent into the Qingyu Qingshu Qingshu Xian Zong that time was over four thousand, with the weakest being at the Jin Dan realm and the strongest already at the Soul Transformation realm.

Especially the Soul Transformation realm puppets; basically, each one possessed the terrifying combat power to fight three opponents at once, which was truly chilling.

Perhaps they could take this opportunity to find some relevant clues.

"Let's go down and take a look!"

After Zhou Qing finished speaking, he flicked his finger, made an oxygen mask for the old hen, and then leaped down.

He didn't want to go searching for the hen all over the villa again later.

Yan Xiao had no choice but to follow helplessly.

Truly, one with high skills is bold; he wasn't worried at all that this place was a trap.

How did you manage to learn half of the First Zhou Shixiong's ferocity and half of the Second Yuan Shijie's caution?

Entering the water, Zhou Qing felt like a dragon returning to the sea; a sense of joy welled up, and he felt as if he were perfectly integrated with the surrounding environment, like a fish in water.

Not only that, but he could also perceive some hazy things through the water flow, as if they were connected by heart.

"The amplification of this Four-Flower Gathering at the Crown is truly marvelous!"

Cultivating in moonlight, mastering both water and fire, and having reserves of spiritual power and blood energy—now experiencing them one by one, he felt he benefited infinitely.

"Slow down—"

Zhou Qing, who was diving continuously with a look of surprise, suddenly felt something and took out his identity token, only to find it was sent by his Third Zhou Shixiong.

Turning his head, he saw him holding the token and swimming over quickly, writing on it rapidly: 【No, when did your swimming skills get so good?】

Zhou Qing pointed at the water, and the water flow immediately formed the six characters: 【Born Swimming Saint Body】.

His Nascent Soul amplification was currently known only to his Master and the Second Grand-Uncle; since his Third Zhou Shixiong hadn't asked, he hadn't taken the initiative to mention it.

Such a strange scene completely shocked Yan Xiao.

In the water, seeing someone write with water, and yet he could see it—you tell me if that's not awesome.

【Good work, worthy of reward, teach me next time!】

Yan Xiao wrote back quickly on the identity token.

Zhou Qing had no choice but to nod.

Brother, actually there's no need for such trouble; we can just transmit sound since we're so close, and others won't notice.

Afterward, the two descended bit by bit. What they didn't expect was that although the surface of this pond seemed small, it was actually so deep inside.

After a full half-stick of incense, Zhou Qing suddenly pointed to the light ahead, and the two immediately became alert.

Just as Yan Xiao was about to write, Zhou Qing wrote with water: 【No barriers, rest assured】.

Now he was the king of this water; he could clearly perceive whether anything was hidden.

Following this, he closed his eyes and looked inside using the water as his eyes.

He was shocked to discover that there was a karst cave underneath, and the space was unusually large. Not far away, several Cangyan Dao Palace disciples were sitting together, eating and drinking, seemingly discussing something, laughing loudly from time to time with lewd expressions.

Zhou Qing opened his eyes, and the water flow surged, forming characters in front of his Third Zhou Shixiong.

【I'll go up first!】

After saying this, he slipped in silently. As he poked his head out from the other side, the guards nearby seemed not to have noticed him at all.

Until Zhou Qing climbed up and passed by quickly with his broken sword.

The few people looked at Zhou Qing with confusion until they died, not knowing when this person had popped out. How could they, with so many people, not have noticed at all?

Zhou Qing quickly moved the corpses of the few people to the other side and hid them, then pressed one hand on the water surface.

Soon, Yan Xiao climbed out.

He first looked around vigilantly and smelled a faint scent of blood.

"I say, you play with water quite well. Where are the corpses?" Yan Xiao asked.

Zhou Qing pointed to a dark corner not far away.

Yan Xiao hurriedly went over and rummaged through the few people.

Then he came over with a few storage bags and lowered his voice: "You've really become arrogant now; you don't even take money. Every little bit counts."

Zhou Qing nodded helplessly, indicating he wouldn't do it next time. In the situation just now, who would have the heart to care about these worldly possessions?

After tidying everything up, the two crept along the stone wall.

Before long, hair-raising screams suddenly came from ahead, and the two became alert instantly, approaching slowly and cautiously.

When they saw the tragic scene in front of them, they both couldn't help but gasp.

Even the old hen in Zhou Qing's arms seemed to sense that eerie aura, its head shrinking back sharply.

They saw ten iron cages standing grimly, each holding no fewer than thirty people.

These people were all at the Jin Dan realm, but at this moment, their eyes were empty and their faces dull, as if they had been soul-searched countless times, leaving only foolish shells.

Looking at their chests and abdomens, hideous and terrifying scars crisscrossed, which was shocking to the eye.

This made the two think of the scene inside that half-section of the human puppet earlier.

And Zhou Qing, through his appraisal earlier, already knew that these people were all cultivators secretly captured to be refined into human puppets.

It seemed that those arrays had already been planted in their bodies; when the time came, compared to ordinary puppets, these people would be even more agile and possess extraordinary combat power.

At the same time, on an iron rack on the other side, more than a dozen people were hung high like lambs waiting to be slaughtered. They were being cruelly disemboweled; red blood and white organs were being dug out wantonly, and some people were frantically stuffing inexplicable things into their abdominal cavities.

The screams of fate worse than death were coming miserably from their mouths.

And those Cangyan Dao Palace disciples dressed in red robes were working in an orderly manner: disemboweling, implanting arrays, roughly stitching, nourishing with medicinal water...

(End of chapter)