Chapter 219: Heavenly Dao Decree

So, after walking for another stretch, Ruan Xing chose a spot with fewer vines and reached out to tug on the thread attached to Shui Linglong.

Shui Linglong's gaze immediately turned vacant, and her body stiffened as she proceeded in the direction Ruan Xing had set for her.

She wanted to go and see that prison cell where they had once been held.

It was just that the passageways were intricate and complex, with vines or Demon Cultivators hidden in the shadows everywhere; she needed Shui Linglong as a front to lead the way.

No one came out to stop them along the way, and the vines on the road remained indifferent; it seemed Xie Yao did not use these vines to observe and communicate at all times.

The vines were like surveillance cameras installed in every corner of the Underground Palace without any blind spots, but the person in front of this surveillance was not watching it every moment—not to mention that Xie Yao had just experienced a shock and was currently in no mood to look at other matters.

Seeing that they were about to reach the cell that had once held her and Mo Cijun, a masked male Demon Cultivator walked out.

He looked at the group without speaking, yet projected an air of "strangers keep away."

Shui Linglong's footsteps also came to a halt.

The width of this cave entrance was very narrow, allowing only two people to pass side-by-side; with the masked male Demon Cultivator standing in the middle, the group had no way to get past.

The atmosphere seemed very awkward, but the masked male Demon Cultivator did not move to attack directly; presumably, he was also unsure whether Shui Linglong bringing them here was truly the Demon Lord's intention.

He simply waited for Shui Linglong to speak.

Ruan Xing felt a bit numb; she had never tried to control someone else's speech...

It wasn't that she couldn't control it if she really had to, but the voice, tone, and manner of speaking would certainly not be very similar, which would definitely arouse suspicion, and... what should she say? Sigh, there were so many vines around; if a fight broke out, as long as she didn't kill this Demon Cultivator in one blow, Xie Yao would definitely arrive at the scene at top speed.

Perhaps because the silence had lasted a bit too long, after a few seconds, a trace of doubt appeared in the eyes of the masked male Demon Cultivator.

Suddenly, a figure walked over from behind them.

"Chuan Nu, let them in to meet the person inside. The time limit is one quarter of an hour."

A young man in white walked over, wearing a gentle smile on his face, his voice clear and bright, his expression composed.

The masked male Demon Cultivator named Chuan Nu glanced at him, then stepped back and turned to the side to clear the cave entrance.

Xie Huai walked in first.

Ruan Xing and the others followed behind Shui Linglong, and once the whole group had entered, Xie Huai signaled for Chuan Nu to withdraw for the time being.

"Are you all looking for him?" Xie Huai walked to the front of the cell, looked at the person inside, and said in a calm voice.

Ruan Xing stepped forward and, through the sparse gaps in the green net woven from vines, saw Mo Cijun.

He was not yet dead, but he seemed extremely weak, his body even reaching a semi-transparent state; she did not know what kind of Magic Art Xie Yao had used on him.

Her gaze slowly shifted downward; the vines on the ground pierced through Mo Cijun's two ankles like shackles, and also like they were absorbing the bone and blood from his body as if breathing.

Ruan Xing asked softly: "He is here, with neither Spiritual Power nor the ability to repair the damage to his body and Soul Sea; living like this must be very painful, right?"

"Indeed, but he has always refused to reveal what the Demon Lord wants, so the Demon Lord can only keep torturing him." Xie Huai turned to look at Ruan Xing, "Do you also want to ask him something? Or do you want to save him? It's a pity, he has never admitted to being a member of the Hidden Sect, and the Demon Lord is very angry, having devoured most of his Divine Soul; even if you save him, he won't live for many more years."

Mo Cijun had once been a heaven-favored child, having reached the Transformation Stage at the age of seven or eight hundred, yet now he was suffering such torment.

Ruan Xing sighed sincerely: "He is truly loyal and devoted to the Hidden Sect, with a heart of pure sincerity."

"That's hard to say." A trace of pity flashed in Xie Huai's eyes, "Perhaps he is telling the truth and he is not a member of the Hidden Sect, but the Demon Lord does not believe him because his actions are too much like the style of the Hidden Sect."

It is also possible that there are people from the Hidden Sect behind him who did this on purpose, using Mo Cijun as a smokescreen to cover them up.

Then Mo Cijun was truly too pitiful.

"Do you know what the Demon Lord actually wants to know from him?" Ruan Xing asked.

Xie Huai chuckled, "I do. For thousands of years, the Hidden Sect has followed the will of the Heavenly Dao. Whenever the world of Cultivation is in turmoil, Hidden Sect immortals appear to set things right. It is said that in an Immortal-Demon War over five thousand years ago, that immortal lord who suddenly self-detonated while fighting the previous Demon Lord was a member of the Hidden Sect. You tell me, the Heavenly Dao is high above, and the lives of cultivators are like blades of grass; how can they communicate with the Heavenly Dao and follow the orders of the Heavenly Dao? Is there a Dharma Artifact for this, or some special technique? But in any case, what the Demon Lord wants is the opportunity to communicate with the Heavenly Dao."

The opportunity to communicate with the Heavenly Dao...

Ruan Xing remembered the Glazed Salamander in the Dragon Palace within the Lotus Platform Secret Realm; she wondered if the consciousness of the Heavenly Dao was still there.

Although she could not be certain, this matter might also become her bargaining chip.

Anyway, she didn't think there was anything difficult about communicating with the Heavenly Dao, because ever since she transmigrated, she had already communicated with the Heavenly Dao three times in just eight or nine years.

What was difficult was how to survive in front of the Heavenly Dao.

Fortunately, she had passed through all three times without any danger; perhaps the reason she had always been unlucky before was because she had used all her luck on the critical moments.

Ruan Xing suppressed the thoughts in her heart and instead asked a question she was more concerned about: "This should be a secret, right? You told me so easily, aren't you afraid of the Demon Lord's blame? Also, why were you following me just now?"

According to her understanding of Xie Huai, Xie Huai was a sensitive person who was both insecure and arrogant, and he had always been very cautious in his actions.

But now, as an Early Nascent Soul Stage cultivator, Xie Huai was so unguarded in front of her—who was ostensibly at the Transformation Stage—and had even sent Chuan Nu, the only one who could protect him in case of a conflict, to the outside.

Except for the fact that Xie Huai knew who she was, she couldn't figure out why, and she was very concerned about this point.

Xie Huai was stunned for a moment, then chuckled: "So you noticed."

"Yes, why?" Ruan Xing said.

"I am not afraid of the Demon Lord's blame; unless I defy her to her face, she will not kill me." Xie Huai said somewhat vaguely, "As for me following you, there is something I want to tell you."

His finger tapped lightly on his cheek, "I want to remind you that this Dharma Artifact is very special; it requires the user's essence blood to be dripped into it, and the reason you can use it directly is because I released all the permissions. I can feel my blood on you."

What he meant was...? That Mask Artifact that could conceal one's cultivation level!?

A trace of anger and absurdity suddenly welled up in Ruan Xing's heart.

No wonder Xie Huai had been so generous in giving her everything in his Storage Bag back then; she had even wondered if something was wrong with his brain.

So it was because he wanted to install surveillance on her! Her angry eyes questioned Xie Huai, and she gritted her teeth: "This is really great, isn't it? I saved your life, yet you plotted against me?"

Xie Huai's breath hitched, "I... I didn't mean to plot against you; it was you who insisted on taking that Dharma Artifact... Forget it, this matter is my fault for not explaining it clearly to you, but there is more I need to say. Besides me, the person who refined this artifact can also sense its traces. Therefore, there is a Demon Cultivator in the Northern Territory called Demon Lord Cheng Huan; you had best not appear in front of him. I only learned of this after I came to the Northern Territory."

Ruan Xing felt speechless.

She had already known about this in her last simulation.

But fortunately, the news Xie Huai gave her was that only he and Demon Lord Cheng Huan could perceive it, and Xie Yao could not.

Otherwise, that would have been the end of it. She rolled her eyes, "Got it. Anything else to say? Just say it all at once."

Don't leave her feeling uncomfortable with this lingering anxiety.

Xie Huai shook his head, "The quarter of an hour is almost up. You should go. I hope that the next time I see you, we can still chat as normally as this."

"I don't want to chat with you next time." Ruan Xing glanced at him sideways, "This Shui Linglong, I used special means to control her, but her perception is still there. Now that she has heard everything, what should I do?"

"Just kill it. That Chuan Nu outside won't take the initiative to speak to the Saint Demon Lord. As long as the Saint Demon Lord doesn't ask, today's events won't leak out."

"That doesn't seem right... She just used Xie Feng to trick Xie Yao, and before even leaving the door, she killed one of her Shui Linglong. To be so disrespectful, wouldn't Xie Yao be furious?" Seeing her hesitant expression, Xie Huai said, "If it's inconvenient for you, then I'll do it."

"Fine, then I'll leave it to you." Ruan Xing nodded readily, deciding to forgive Xie Huai for one minute for the act of placing a monitor on her.

Xie Huai took the Shui Linglong from Ruan Xing's hand, applied slight force with his palm, and Shui Linglong's neck tilted, losing its breath; afterwards, Xie Huai tossed it onto the vine net at the prison entrance.

"What are you doing!?" Ruan Xing was startled.

Xie Huai explained, "This is a type of plant raised by the Saint Demon Lord. The corpse can be thrown to it as fertilizer, leaving nothing behind. I've seen other Demon Cultivators do this before."

No, brother, do you really not know anything? Ruan Xing clutched her forehead, "Since it's raised by the Saint Demon Lord, don't you think it's possible that the Saint Demon Lord knows whatever it eats?"

"That can't be, would you care about what your Monster Beast eats every day if you raised one?" Xie Huai said, somewhat uncertainly.

The two exchanged a glance; Ruan Xing said no more and hurried out of the cave entrance.

If Xie Yao came later, there would definitely be a fight. She had to find a place convenient for maneuvering; otherwise, with the cave entrance being so small, if Xie Yao filled it with her vines, she would have nowhere to hide.

With two consecutive instances of Instant Movement, Ruan Xing appeared outside the passage just as she neared the exit of the Underground Palace.

As long as she wasn't in the Underground Palace, Xie Yao's vines shouldn't be able to exert much effect.

Relying solely on her cultivation realm and status at the Return to Ruins Stage, she wouldn't necessarily lose to Xie Yao.

Moreover, Xie Yao and Xie Feng practiced the same type of technique; both belonged to the sort of style that was fine for group fights but not for one-on-one combat.

However, she waited outside for a long time, and no movement came from the Underground Palace.

Until an incense stick's time had passed, a gray-clad old man emerged from the Underground Palace and said to Ruan Xing, "You have traveled a great distance to come to the Northern Territory Underground Palace. Guests are guests, and the Saint Demon Lord is magnanimous; this time, I will not hold it against you, but there will not be a next time."

"Where is Xie Huai?" Ruan Xing asked.

The gray-clad old man paused, "He is fine."

Ruan Xing lowered her eyes in thought.

What is going on?

Xie Yao isn't angry? Is it because the identity in the last Simulation was different from this one? Or is it because one of the two actions exceeded Xie Yao's tolerance?

To summarize briefly, last time Xie Huai released her prisoner, and Xie Yao was so angry she killed them both.

This time, Xie Huai helped a visiting partner see the prisoner and killed the subordinate who was guiding them.

From her perspective, the severity of the two was about the same; the only difference was that she had the bargaining chip of Xie Feng in her hands.

But Xie Huai was also fine... so it was impossible to figure out what exactly Xie Yao was thinking.

She did not doubt the gray-clad old man's words, because the gray-clad old man was the one who had raised Xie Huai from childhood and had gone to the Golden Terrace Secret Realm to meet him. If even he didn't care about Xie Huai's life in the Northern Territory, then likely no one did. Xie Huai had also once expressed that his feelings for that gray-clad old man were quite complex—both resentful and grateful.

The old man returned to the Underground Palace after speaking.

Ruan Xing turned her head to ask Xie Feng, who was to the side, "Analyze your junior sister's thoughts for me?"

"How would I know what she's thinking? A woman's heart is a needle at the bottom of the sea; it's impossible to guess." Xie Huai smiled strangely, "However, how do you know she is my junior sister? Thousands of years have passed; I fear only she and I know this now. Would she take the initiative to tell you this?"

"You and she have the same technique; can't I guess correctly?" Ruan Xing stretched out her finger and flicked him again.

Afterwards, she angrily ended the Simulation.

In Wuxu City.

Ruan Xing opened her eyes and punched Xie Feng in the face.

Shen Lingyun turned her head away to avoid looking, and Xie Feng bared his teeth and grimaced, saying, "Why did you suddenly hit me?"

"Nothing, my hands were itchy. I suddenly wanted to give someone surnamed Xie a punch."

Venting the resentment toward three people onto Xie Feng alone, Ruan Xing's mood was much calmer. She then said to Shen Lingyun, "I am going into the Northern Territory. If you feel uncomfortable, stay in the Storage Bag first."

Shen Lingyun nodded and entered the Storage Bag.

She brought Xie Feng to Xie Yao's Underground Palace.

The situation was the same as the last time. Since she had confirmed there was no danger, and even killing Shui Linglong hadn't caused Xie Yao to tear off the mask of civility, there was no need to conduct further Simulations.

However, upon seeing the figure quietly following behind her, she did not stop her steps, nor did she control Shui Linglong, but instead followed her straight out of the Underground Palace.

Xie Huai did not chase after her.

She seemed to have had a moment of realization.

The things Xie Yao cared about might have nothing to do with her at all.

The reason she was so angry in the first Simulation was perhaps because Xie Huai wanted to escape the Underground Palace.

She guessed this was related to Xie Huai's background. Xie Huai was born in Nanzhou; his father or mother must have escaped the Underground Palace and given birth to him outside.

All these guesses stemmed from the sentence Xie Yao once said: 'You are not like her at all.'

Perhaps only when Xie Huai left the Underground Palace would Xie Yao be angry enough to kill them both.

Sigh... she didn't know if Xie Huai would regret coming to the Northern Territory. Although he had struggled alone in Nanzhou and suffered every hardship, in the Northern Territory, he had lost his freedom.

Xie Feng had a listless expression, his head drooping.

Ruan Xing teased him on purpose, "What, did you and Xie Yao once have some story that had to be told? Looking like this in front of a former lover, do you feel embarrassed?"

"I'm not familiar with her." Xie Feng hurriedly denied, "Five thousand years ago, I was a majestic Demon Lord of a region, and she was merely a speck of dust on the battlefield. What kind of story could there be?"

Thanks to Man Rao Jin Tan for the tip~ Thanks to Leng Xue Xiao Xiao Hu for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to Lan Guihai for the monthly ticket~