Chapter 198: Why Is Everyone From the Hidden Sect?

Just as Ruan Xing could not help but want to do something to break the equilibrium.

On the fourth day, something different finally occurred.

The masked Demon Cultivator did not deliver food, but instead opened the Green Vine Net to let Mo Cijun go out alone.

"Where to?" Mo Cijun asked.

The masked Demon Cultivator did not speak, merely watching Mo Cijun with an indifferent gaze, waiting for Mo Cijun to come out of the room.

After Mo Cijun went out, the Green Vine closed, leaving only Ruan Xing behind.

At this, Ruan Xing was not particularly worried.

Xie Yao did not want Mo Cijun to die; sooner or later, Mo Cijun would return to the cell, and she could just ask him what he had experienced then.

She planned to wait one more day; if Mo Cijun had not returned by nightfall, she would end the Simulation.

Who would have thought that not long after Mo Cijun left, a young man in green robes walked over in a hurried manner.

With a wave of his hand, he opened the Green Vine.

He said in a low voice, "Come with me."

Having said that, he reached out to pull Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing took a step back to dodge him, "Aren't you afraid I'll seize you to threaten the Saint Demon Lord?"

"What are you pretending for?" the man sneered impatiently, "Do you think this trick is useful against the Saint Demon Lord?"

After finishing, he added urgently, "Ruan Xing, I want to save you, don't waste time."

"Why?"

From the moment she saw that gray-robed old man, she knew Xie Huai was also here and that they would meet sooner or later.

It was just unexpected that after Xie Huai recognized her, he did not tell the Saint Demon Lord, but instead wanted to come and save her.

This was the reason she temporarily trusted Xie Huai for now.

Because if Xie Huai told Xie Yao that she was Ruan Xing, then after making the connection, Xie Yao would absolutely not let her live.

According to the style of conduct she had displayed, she had already devoured any Demon Lord who did not obey her; it was impossible for her to engage in any schemes of deception or substitution for a small character like Ruan Xing.

Therefore, Xie Huai appearing before her could only stem from his own volition.

Xie Huai was silent for a moment, then said, "You saved me; I owe you a life."

"Wasn't that a transaction? I saved you in exchange for you letting me leave the Golden Terrace Secret Realm; the transaction was already completed, we owe each other nothing," Ruan Xing said.

She did not believe that someone like Xie Huai had any good intentions.

Seeing Ruan Xing was stubborn, Xie Huai organized his words and quickly summarized the current situation for Ruan Xing, "Do you know about the Hidden Sect? According to rumors, the Hidden Sect, one of the three great sects, is mysterious and powerful; no one knows where they are, yet no one is unaware of their reputation. Whenever a major event occurs in the world of Cultivation, people from the Hidden Sect will step forward to act in the name of the Heavenly Dao, while in ordinary times, they hide in various places throughout the world."

He took a slight breath and continued, "Third Floor Master Mo has represented Wanbao Tower in walking among the various Demon Lords of the Northern Territory for hundreds of years. The Saint Demon Lord suspects that Third Floor Master Mo is a person from the Hidden Sect, so she first locked him up for three days to grind down his temperament. Today she is going to interrogate him; if he refuses to admit it, she will kill you."

Xie Huai opened with a massive piece of gossip.

The Hidden Sect was indeed low-key; Ruan Xing had never really heard their name, and could not even name any famous experts among them.

Yet she was often suspected by others of being from the Hidden Sect. Of course, those people suspected it but never truly asked, as regardless of whether it was true or not, asking would only alert the enemy.

"Kill me?" Ruan Xing was stunned, "What does that have to do with me? I am not a person from the Hidden Sect."

"But you are currently a person of Wanbao Tower, brought into the Northern Territory by him. The Hidden Sect upholds the righteousness of the Heavenly Dao and bears the name of saving the world. Killing you can not only serve as a warning to others, but also affect his Dao heart."

"What if he really isn't a person from the Hidden Sect?" Ruan Xing asked.

"That is a matter for the Saint Demon Lord to consider," Xie Huai said, "I only want to let you leave the Northern Territory before she kills you."

Currently, Xie Yao did not know her name.

In Xie Yao's eyes, she was just a follower brought into the Northern Territory by Third Floor Master Mo, an insignificant add-on.

"Fine," Ruan Xing said, "One last question, how did you know I was here?"

Since being forcibly 'invited' over by the gray-robed old man on the first day, they had only seen Xie Yao once, and then there was that mute-like masked Demon Cultivator.

They had never seen anyone else.

No one had asked for her name, and her current appearance had nothing to do with her original look.

Even her age was different.

It was impossible for Xie Huai to have learned she was here from someone else.

"I guessed," Xie Huai pursed his lips and pointed to the clothing draped over Ruan Xing, "I didn't know it was you at first, but I came to take a quiet look at you today, and seeing this garment, I was certain it was you. You really like this cloak, don't you? It's just fabric used by ordinary mortals, yet you couldn't bear to throw it away even when it was damaged back then."

Ruan Xing looked at the black cloak draped over her body.

When entering Wuxu City, Mo Cijun said they should be low-key, so she found this cloak from her Storage Bag and draped it over her dress.

However, her focus was not on this, but she asked incredulously, "So the idea and plan to save me were also impromptu?"

Xie Huai nodded with a stiff face.

"It's really hard for me not to suspect you have ulterior motives when you're like this," Ruan Xing sighed.

Xie Huai felt a bit stifled upon hearing this and wanted to turn and leave, but gritted his teeth and restrained himself.

"Do you think I am a person who fears death?"

Ruan Xing nodded without hesitation: "Yes."

Xie Huai choked, withdrawing the words he had originally intended to use to persuade Ruan Xing.

In a trance, he thought he had returned to the days in Nanzhou when he was angered half to death by Ruan Xing every day.

But it was not Nanzhou anymore.

He was in the Northern Territory.

It only took him a second to come back to his senses, and Xie Huai continued, "Your current cultivation is stronger than mine. If I don't send you out of the Northern Territory after you come with me, you can take me to die with you at any time."

Xie Huai seemed to have become a different person.

Didn't he originally hate being controlled and interfered with?

The arrogance that seemed to be hidden in his body had all vanished.

Could the Northern Territory really be so grueling? But Ruan Xing still agreed, "Fine."

Let her see what exactly Xie Huai wanted to do.

Walking out of the cell wrapped in Green Vine, Xie Huai breathed a slight sigh of relief seeing that she had finally agreed.

He then turned and gestured for Ruan Xing to follow him out.

The walls of the surrounding passageways were entirely covered in silent Green Vine.

The eerie glow made one feel flustered inside.

They soon arrived at a fork in the road, and Xie Huai skillfully led her to turn, appearing extremely familiar with the passageways in the Underground Palace.

"Have you stayed here for a long time?" Ruan Xing asked abruptly.

"Just about," Xie Huai replied, "Ever since I returned to the Northern Territory these past few years, I've lived here and rarely gone out."

Ruan Xing was somewhat surprised, "Then what about your grand ambitions?"

What difference was there between Xie Huai staying in the sunless Underground Palace and being in prison?

It was just that his range of movement was a little larger than her cell.

Xie Huai whispered: "The Saint Demon Lord does it for my safety. With my current cultivation, it is very easy to encounter danger in the Northern Territory. The Saint Demon Lord said that once I reach the Nascent Soul Stage and have the strength to call myself a Demon Lord, I will be able to enter and leave the Underground Palace freely." "The cultivation speed of Demon Cultivator techniques should be quite fast," Ruan Xing said.

"I am already at the Golden Core Late Stage now. The Saint Demon Lord says that at the latest, in eight or nine years, I can reach Nascent Soul."

The two of them just treated it as idle chatter to ease the tense atmosphere.

However, after turning through another passageway, Ruan Xing finally sensed that something was wrong.

When she entered the Underground Palace, the perceived distance from the entrance to the cell was only about one kilometer.

She suddenly said: "Why haven't we encountered a single Demon Cultivator after walking for so long?"

"The Saint Demon Lord does not like to be disturbed, and they are also afraid of the Saint Demon Lord; if they happen to run into her when she is in a bad mood, they will be eaten. However, there are Demon Cultivators near the exit; just be careful and follow behind me in a moment..."

As Xie Huai spoke, he also stopped his footsteps.

He murmured, "No, it's too quiet. Although I haven't been to the entrance much, the entrance shouldn't be this quiet."

"All the passageways here look the same; how are you so sure you haven't gotten lost?" Ruan Xing questioned.

Xie Huai's complexion turned pale in an instant.

He turned his head back abruptly.

The Saint Demon Lord Xie Yao, who usually lay lazily on her couch and rarely moved, was standing at the turn they had just passed.

Her eyes, which seemed as if they could never wake up, lifted slightly and looked toward Xie Huai.

"Saint Demon Lord..." Xie Huai's voice trembled slightly.

"I gave you your name," Xie Yao said, uttering a baffling sentence, "It's a pity you are nothing like your mother."

She leaned against the wall as if she had no bones, and the Green Vine slowly writhed, wrapping around Xie Huai's body and gradually tightening, making him unable to breathe.

"Saint Demon Lord, spare me..." Xie Huai's face was full of agony, his voice weak.

"Truly disappointing," Xie Yao sighed.

A crisp sound of bones shattering rang out.

Xie Huai's head hung down limply.

The Green Vine returned to its original place, and Xie Huai's corpse fell to the ground; his expression of panic and pain was completely frozen.

A gray figure walked over from the other end of the passageway and stood behind Xie Yao; a look of sorrow flashed in his murky eyes.

Ruan Xing stared wide-eyed at the scene before her.

She had always thought that Xie Huai and Xie Yao had some special kinship.

She never expected that Xie Yao would actually lay a hand on Xie Huai.

As expected of a Demon Cultivator with thin family ties... those who go against her will must die.

Xie Huai's corpse was very close to Ruan Xing, and she could feel that there was no life left in that body.

If Xie Huai were at the Nascent Soul or Transformation Stage, he might have been able to have his Divine Soul escape and attach to a Spirit Tool, or find someone for Possession.

But he was only at the Golden Core stage.

Once dead, it was over.

Ruan Xing was somewhat confused.

But before she could figure it out, Xie Yao's gaze had already turned to her, and she said calmly: "So you are Ruan Xing."

【Simulation Ended】

Looking at Mo Cijun, who was waiting for her answer, Ruan Xing pretended to scratch her head to touch her still-existing head.

She took a breath, still feeling lingering fear.

"Is it that hard to decide? You've always wanted to know the formula for the Longevity Pill; you don't cherish the opportunity when it's given to you," Mo Cijun raised an eyebrow.

"No, no, I don't have the fortune to enjoy it," Ruan Xing waved her hands, "I won't go, and I won't ask about it anymore in the future."

Mo Cijun looked her over with surprise.

How did she change her mind after less than a few seconds? But since she didn't want to go, it didn't matter.

Mo Cijun nodded and said casually: "Since that's the case, just pretend I never said anything."

"That won't do," Ruan Xing shook her head, "Even if I don't go, you are still going to the Northern Territory, right? So I must advise you not to go."

Mo Cijun laughed in spite of himself: "Why advise me? Although the Northern Territory is dangerous, I know what I'm doing. Thank you for your good intentions."

Seeing that Mo Cijun didn't take her words to heart, Ruan Xing stopped talking.

Xie Yao's suspicion was not groundless; if Mo Cijun was truly a member of the Hidden Sect, he had many reasons why he had to go to the Northern Territory.

Then nothing Ruan Xing said would be of any use.

Giving one piece of advice was already doing her utmost; the two of them didn't have much of a friendship anyway.

In any case, Ruan Xing did not intend to continue simulating the route to the Northern Territory. She knew almost everything she needed to know. Although she didn't understand what Xie Huai was up to in the end, it didn't matter anymore. As long as she didn't go to the Northern Territory, she wouldn't fall into Xie Yao's hands.

Mo Cijun left.

Ruan Xing stayed in the small courtyard provided to her by Wanbao Tower and began to ponder the matter of her cultivation technique.

One month after Mo Cijun left, she passed her seventh year in the world of Cultivation.

Mo Cijun had not yet returned, and even the expression on Cen Zhong's face had become heavy.

Within Wanbao Tower, Mo Cijun played an irreplaceable role.

If he truly could not return, the turmoil Wanbao Tower would have to endure would be unimaginable.

By comparison, whether Ruan Xing could inherit the mantle of the Second Floor Master and bring benefits to Wanbao Tower already seemed less important.

It was just that Ruan Xing was also helpless and at a loss regarding this.

After the New Year passed, there was still no progress on the matter of the cultivation technique, yet Ruan Xing already had to set off and leave Canghai City.

Between this year and next, an event would occur.

That was that Qintai He was going to reach the Nascent Soul stage.

But the day of his Nascent Soul would be the day of his death; Qintai He had helped her a lot, and she could not watch him die without saving him.

Since she now had the ability to save Qintai He, and anyway there was still some time before Xie Yao attacked the Central Province, the matter of the cultivation technique was not urgent for the moment.

After telling Cen Zhong, she set off.

Wanbao Tower was currently shrouded in dark clouds, and Cen Zhong had no heart to manage her affairs at all; she had already finished refining all the Fifth-Tier Pill materials she had collected over these past few years.

By the time she and Qintai He reunited.

Another seven or eight days had already passed.

"During this time, have you been in contact with the Peak Master?" Before they had time to catch up, Ruan Xing asked the question she was most concerned about right now.

Qintai He was surprised at first, then a look of guilt appeared on his face, "I have not. The distance is vast, and the information from the Sect Jade Token cannot necessarily be transmitted accurately. Moreover, I... you can just consider it as me being timid about returning home; although my Master does not blame me, I still dare not face my Master."

Ruan Xing lowered her head and thought for a moment, "Are you about to reach the Nascent Soul stage?"

Qintai He nodded, "Yes, but I am not ready yet. It will probably take about another year. Before the Nascent Soul stage, I will definitely go back to see my Master."

"Then reach the Nascent Soul stage early; start your seclusion now," Ruan Xing said.

"What do you mean?" Qintai He was bewildered.

Thanks to Maple Leaf A Touch of Red ouo for the tip~ Thanks to Maple Leaf A Touch of Red ouo for the monthly ticket~