Chapter 289: New Leader

Zhang Nuo had unleashed the "Pure Nether Divine Tree" once, and the Yin energy within his body was almost entirely drained; at this moment, he was nothing but an empty shell. However, his previous display of immense power had stunned everyone, and no one dared to underestimate this young cultivator again!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang! What a divine ability!"

It was unclear who had shouted first, but once the precedent was set, countless cheers and shouts of praise followed one after another!

The cultivators in the Zhai had perhaps been oppressed by Miao Chi for too long; the moment they saw him die, they felt as if they had suddenly seen the light, and everyone was releasing the emotions they had suppressed for so long to their heart's content!

"Fellow Daoist Zhang, you have truly rid our Zhai of a scourge! You are like our parents reborn!"

Some even knelt before Zhang Nuo, kowtowing repeatedly, which left Zhang Nuo at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and he hurriedly stepped forward to help them up.

Su Haizhen's beautiful eyes flickered, filled with excitement in their clarity. At this moment, an elderly cultivator approached Zhang Nuo, bowed deeply, and said:

"Little Friend has slain Miao Chi, which is equivalent to saving us cultivators who were oppressed by him. How about this, this old man has a proposal: would you be willing to serve as the Leader of our Zhai?"

In the current situation, as long as someone took the lead, everyone would agree. Just as the elderly cultivator had expected, as soon as his words were spoken, everyone immediately said in unison:

"That's right! Fellow Daoist Zhang, please be the Leader of our Zhai! We are willing to honor you as our superior!"

The voices of the crowd rose in waves. Zhang Nuo frowned slightly; he did not value this position of Leader at all. Aside from leaving this place, no temptation of power held the slightest meaning for him.

Just as he was about to refuse point-blank, he heard Su Haizhen's soft, beautiful voice transmitted directly into his ears.

"Agree to them! This will be of great help to us when we break out of here in the future!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Nuo turned his head to look at the young girl, only to see her also shouting along with the others. After thinking about it carefully, he realized what she said was right. He then cupped his hands toward the surrounding crowd and said loudly:

"Since everyone is so insistent, if Zhang Nuo were to decline again, it would seem a bit ungrateful! Very well! I shall temporarily serve as this Leader! However, if a person of great ability appears in the future, I will certainly step down and yield the position to the worthy!"

As for that last sentence, Zhang Nuo was merely speaking for the sake of appearances. At the bottom of this Mi Hai Vortex, who could possibly be his opponent now?

"Leader Zhang! Leader Zhang!"

Seeing that Zhang Nuo had agreed, everyone shouted his name in unison; the atmosphere was just like the New Year! After the affairs here settled down, Zhang Nuo moved into the Stone House that had previously belonged to Miao Chi. And Su Haizhen remained by his side, never leaving him for a single step.

After meditating for nearly a month to regulate his breath, the Yin energy in Zhang Nuo's body had recovered significantly. Just as he and the young girl were researching how to break the "Tianyi Water" Array, a cultivator walked in. Zhang Nuo looked up and saw that this person was none other than Diwu Yufu!

"Fellow Daoist Diwu, what brings you here?"

Ever since he arrived at the bottom of the Mi Hai Vortex, the first person Zhang Nuo had met was Diwu Yufu, so he felt a sense of familiarity toward him.

"Leader, I have come because..."

"What Leader or not? You may just call me by my name!"

Before Diwu Yufu could finish his sentence, Zhang Nuo interrupted him with a faint smile on his face, showing no airs of a Leader at all!

"Haha! I, Diwu Yufu, truly did not misjudge you! Fellow Daoist Zhang, you are not the same kind of person as that bastard Miao Chi!"

With a sudden loud laugh, this man revealed his true nature. Seeing that Zhang Nuo did not stand on ceremony with him, he felt much more at ease. Su Haizhen, standing to the side, was startled by Diwu Yufu's laughter, but she also knew that this man had a bold temperament and had only been restrained during these years under Miao Chi's oppression!

"Oh, I almost forgot the important matter!"

Diwu Yufu slapped his forehead as if he had remembered something significant. Zhang Nuo frowned; he had stayed in the Zhai for over a month and had never heard of any major events occurring. He narrowed his eyes and asked calmly:

"Fellow Daoist Diwu, what is this major matter?"

"Actually, it is not exactly a major matter. It is just that several years ago, when I was out, I discovered a water column shooting into the sky about ten thousand miles away. However, my cultivation was low at that time, and my Spirit Power was completely drained, so I had no ability to go near and see what it was. But based on my intuition, the existence of that water column might lead us out of this place! Since Fellow Daoist Zhang can now unleash divine abilities, why don't you take us to go and explore it?"

With an extremely solemn expression, Diwu Yufu told Zhang Nuo everything he had seen and heard. As soon as his voice fell, Su Haizhen smiled faintly on her pretty face, then turned to Zhang Nuo and said:

"It seems I am not the only one who discovered that place!"

When Diwu Yufu saw the young girl's expression, he was slightly stunned, and then he suddenly understood in his heart!

"So Fairy Su had also discovered it!"

Su Haizhen nodded slightly and, after pondering for a moment, said:

"Fellow Daoist Diwu, it is not that this young woman knew about this and chose not to tell you, but this matter is of great importance. Fellow Daoist Zhang and I do not have absolute certainty, so I ask that you keep this matter confidential! However, please rest assured, once we figure out a way to leave, we will not depart alone!"

If such a matter were to spread, it would certainly cause a huge uproar. Having been trapped in this godforsaken place for so long, who wouldn't want to leave quickly? This was exactly what Su Haizhen feared; if someone were to try to break through the "Tianyi Water" Array privately in order to escape and triggered the formation within, the array would change its state again, and at that point, breaking it would be even more difficult.

Although Diwu Yufu looked rugged, he was not a crude man. After Su Haizhen explained it clearly to him, he nodded gently. When he looked at Zhang Nuo, he believed their words without the slightest suspicion.

Zhang Nuo naturally possessed an honest and sincere appearance, and combined with his earnest expression, he appeared even more genuine and trustworthy!

"Fellow Daoist Diwu, rest assured! I will never leave you all behind!"

"On behalf of the fellow daoists in the Zhai, I thank you both!"

Having received the promise, Diwu Yufu's heart felt as if two windows had been opened; he had been trapped here for many years, and the stifling frustration in his heart was finally relieved.

"Since that is the case, I will not disturb you both any further. If you need anything, just let me know!"

Zhang Nuo nodded slightly and then watched as Diwu Yufu departed.

"It seems we must take them with us!"

Su Haizhen suddenly let out a long sigh, her white robes as pure as snow as she slowly sat down on a chair. Her slightly melancholy expression added a touch of beauty to her.

"Did Fairy Su not intend to take them with us?"

Zhang Nuo asked with some surprise, glancing at the young girl.

"Naturally, that is not what I meant, but breaking the 'Tianyi Water' Array is already headache-inducing enough, not to mention that we still do not know the situation inside the water column! In the entire Stone Village, only the two of us can use our cultivation; do you expect the two of us to take all these people out?"

The young girl rested her chin on her hand, speaking listlessly.

Zhang Nuo also took a deep breath at this moment. If it were just one or two people, he might be able to manage it, but taking so many people out at once was impossible. What kind of dangers were hidden within the water column was also an unknown! If they really encountered a crisis, he would barely be able to look after himself, let alone have time to care for others!

"What you say makes sense, but since Diwu Yufu could discover that place, I believe others in the Zhai must know about it too. Once word leaks out, even if we don't want to take them with us, it will be impossible not to!"

Looking at the array diagrams Su Haizhen had drawn on the table, Zhang Nuo also frowned deeply.

"Forget it! We will deal with future matters when they come; let's first figure out how to break the array!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit stifling, Su Haizhen smiled suddenly, walked to the table, and began to study the method to break the array again. Zhang Nuo was almost completely ignorant of such profound arrays, so he did not disturb her and sat quietly to the side to meditate and regulate his breath.

After a while, he suddenly felt some agitation in the palm of his right hand. With a thought, his expression couldn't help but turn ugly. Inside his palm, Miao Chi was still wrapped within the "Pure Nether Divine Tree". This person was truly worthy of being at the Nascent Soul Stage; having been trapped in the tree for over a month, he was still alive.

After lowering his head and pondering for a moment, Zhang Nuo raised his hand. A bloodstain opened on his palm, and a miniature tree grew out. In the middle of the tree, a person was firmly bound by the lush branches and leaves. This person was none other than Miao Chi!

"Zhang Nuo! If you have the ability, let me out and fight me again!"

Miao Chi's voice was very weak, almost inaudible. Even in such a predicament, he was still unwilling to admit defeat!

"Let you out? Are you joking? This precious tree just happens to need your powerful physical body as fertilizer; wait for death in peace!"

Recalling everything Miao Chi had done to him before, Zhang Nuo would not let him out no matter what!

"You..."

He had intended to curse Zhang Nuo a few times, but being extremely weak, he did not even have the strength to speak loudly; trapped in the entanglement of the 'Pure Underworld Divine Tree', he could not even accumulate a shred of Spirit Power in his body, and the incomparably powerful tree crown was devouring his physical body! Even an existence as powerful as him had no way to stop it!

"Forget it! Your Nascent Soul has already dissipated; you are simply no match for this tree!"

Zhang Nuo smiled faintly, as if doing it on purpose, revealing a smug expression.

"How do you know my Nascent Soul has dissipated?"

Only at this moment did Miao Chi somewhat understand why Zhang Nuo dared to openly challenge him; it turned out he knew about his Nascent Soul having dissipated! He had never mentioned this matter to outsiders, so how did Zhang Nuo know?

"Who did you send to kill me back then? Those who harm others will eventually be harmed by their own actions! You have only yourself to blame for being so vicious!"

After hearing Zhang Nuo's words, Miao Chi immediately thought of the black-faced man! He used all his remaining strength to shout:

"Zhang Nuo, I won't let you off even as a ghost!"

"As a ghost? Do you even have that possibility?"

With a cold, sinister smile, a black butterfly shadow flickered in and out of existence between Zhang Nuo's brows! When Miao Chi sensed the aura of the 'Hell Butterfly', his expression changed abruptly! A bone-chilling cold rose from his heart!