Chapter 152: Step aside, let me handle this!

Chu Yang had once again witnessed the power of a "mixed bag"!

He never would have dreamed that two worlds could be connected in such a way.

Chu Yang took a deep breath and asked, "Senior Zi Xuan, I would like to know if there are still people living on the other side of the Ten Thousand Mountains."

Zi Xuan asked in surprise, "How do you know there are living beings on the other side of the Ten Thousand Mountains? That continent is called Shenzhou."

As expected!

Chu Yang continued to ask, "There should be sects similar to the Shushan Sect over there as well..."

Zi Xuan nodded and said, "That's right, there are immortal cultivation sects over there too. The largest one among them even has quite a deep connection with your Shushan Sect."

Chu Yang wanted to continue pressing for details, but Zi Xuan spoke first: "That is all I know. If you are interested, you might as well go back and ask Sect Leader Qingwei; he should be able to give you the answer."

"This past matter involves the reputation of the Nv Wa clan. No matter how wrong Linglong was, she was still a Saintess; she shares the same honor and disgrace as the Nv Wa clan. I hope you just keep this to yourself and do not spread it."

Chu Yang nodded.

Zi Xuan said solemnly, "With your skills, you are more than capable of coming and going freely in the Ten Thousand Mountains. Those so-called Barbarian tribes cannot pose a threat to you at all. The only thing you must be careful of is the Demon-Suppressing Ancient Cave—you must never go there!"

Chu Yang laughed, "Senior, rest assured. I have always been cautious in my work and would never do anything risky."

Zi Xuan continued to instruct, "You must memorize the things Ming Yuanqing gave you before you go to the Ten Thousand Mountains. The Barbarian tribes are not scary, but the poisonous creatures deep in the mountains are not to be trifled with. If you are even slightly careless, not to mention you, even Qingwei could end up in trouble."

Chu Yang sensed something unusual from Zi Xuan's demeanor and asked, "Does Senior intend to leave?"

Zi Xuan nodded with a sense of loss, "You have also seen Ming Yuanqing's attitude toward me, so there is no meaning in me staying here any longer. I must do something to atone for my sins."

Chu Yang cupped his hands in congratulations, "Congratulations to Senior for finally achieving enlightenment. May I ask where Senior intends to go?"

Zi Xuan was silent for a moment, her gaze gentle as she said, "Just as you said before, I am going to Yuzhou City to see Ling Er. I hope to compensate her with the maternal love I failed to give Qing Er."

"That is for the best. I hope Senior has a smooth journey and achieves what you wish for."

Chu Yang offered his most sincere wishes to Zi Xuan. He still believed that Zi Xuan had done nothing wrong in pursuing love; even if the Witch Queen Qing Er had sacrificed herself, the blame should have been directed at Bai Yue and the Water Demon Beast.

They were the true culprits.

Zi Xuan did not step into the Nv Wa Temple again but left without looking back. Although the Holy Spirit Bead was severely damaged, she still had enough magic power to rush back to the Central Plains.

Before he arrived, Chu Yang had already investigated; Bai Yue was not in the Nanzhao Kingdom at this time, so there was no need to worry about Zi Xuan's safety.

After seeing Zi Xuan off, Chu Yang walked into the Nv Wa Temple. The Nv Wa Goddess, who had been silent just a moment ago, suddenly spoke.

"Little friend, thank you for your help to the Nv Wa clan. Both Zi Xuan and Zhao Ling Er have benefited greatly because of you."

Chu Yang bowed and saluted, "Goddess, you are too kind. It is all my duty. The meaning of Shushan's existence is no different from that of the descendants of Nv Wa; both are to protect the land beneath our feet."

"Besides, Goddess, you exhausted yourself for the sake of protecting the human race back then, paying the price with your life. Now it is time for this junior to offer some repayment."

After saying this, Chu Yang felt a gentle gaze fall upon him.

"Then I will have to continue troubling you with the matters ahead."

Chu Yang nodded in agreement, sat cross-legged in the Nv Wa Temple, began to deduce his cultivation techniques, and waited silently for Li Xiaoyao to return.

A week passed.

The Nv Wa Temple suddenly shone with brilliant light. Li Xiaoyao's figure appeared from within the light. He looked dazed, but gradually regained his senses under Chu Yang's call.

"How do you feel?"

"Like a dream..."

"I know you think you were dreaming, but the Water Spirit Bead in your hand is real!"

Li Xiaoyao was shocked! He then couldn't help but take out the Water Spirit Bead to examine it, "I really didn't expect that the Water Spirit Bead was given to me by myself from ten years ago. I even gave a wooden sword in exchange."

"I kept saying I had no memory of my childhood, yet somehow a wooden sword appeared by my side."

Chu Yang patted him on the shoulder and asked, "The Nv Wa Goddess told you not to try to change the future. I imagine that with your personality, it was impossible for you to obey obediently."

Li Xiaoyao scratched his head and said, "I did do a few things, but since Brother Chu is still here, it means it must have been useless."

"At least you have self-awareness. Did you think the Nv Wa Goddess didn't know your thoughts? Everything was already destined!"

Li Xiaoyao sighed and said no more. Regardless of anything else, he only hoped that Zhao Ling Er would be happier.

"Let's go. Take your Water Spirit Bead and let's return to Shushan. I hope things go smoothly for Jingtian and the others as well."

Chu Yang flew his sword straight into the clouds, with Li Xiaoyao following closely behind. The two of them rushed back to Shushan at an extremely fast speed.

After this time-travel journey, Li Xiaoyao had clearly become stronger than before; one could only wonder what kind of difficulties he had encountered ten years ago.

Half a day later, the two could already see the full view of Yuzhou City. Chu Yang did not want to delay and took Li Xiaoyao directly to the location of the Demon-Locking Tower.

Xu Changqing and Jingtian were a step faster than them and had already been guarding beside the several elders for some time.

The Sword Saint on top of the tower saw the Water Spirit Bead in Li Xiaoyao's hand and his expression became spirited. With the four spirit beads Xu Changqing had collected earlier, all five spirit beads were now in hand.

Now, they only needed to channel the power of the five spirits to repair the Demon-Locking Tower's array.

As soon as Li Xiaoyao landed, before he could even speak, the Water Spirit Bead in his hand was taken away by Xu Changqing and handed to Sect Leader Qingwei.

"You are all good children. I did not trust you in vain. Shushan's crisis this time depends entirely on you. On behalf of Shushan, I thank you."

Chu Yang chuckled, "Sect Leader, why not provide something more practical? Li Xiaoyao and the others have been running around with us for so long, going to the God Realm and the Ghost Realm."

Qingwei stroked his beard, smiled, and nodded, "The rewards that should be given will not be lacking. You don't need a little rascal like you to remind me."

Chu Yang silently stepped aside and gave Li Xiaoyao a wink; the latter returned a look of gratitude.

Soon, the five people including Qingwei stood at each corner of the array. The five spirit beads were activated by spiritual power and slowly rose above the array.

The power of the five spirits surged out like a tidal wave, turning into rays of light that flew toward the Demon-Locking Tower.

The Demon-Locking Tower, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse, immediately became stable, and the broken walls were being repaired bit by bit.

After a while, the repairs suddenly became extremely slow, as if the progress bar of a download tool was stuck at ninety-nine percent.

Qingwei said with an ugly expression, "The internal array of the Demon-Locking Tower is severely lacking. Someone needs to go inside to repair these arrays so that the power of the five spirits can continue to take effect."

"This journey is a matter of life and death. Who is willing to go?"

Chu Yang didn't even think about it before shouting righteously, "Step aside, let me handle this!"

The Demon-Locking Tower was a good place; there were many talented people inside, and they spoke so nicely. Most importantly, it would allow the Demon-Eating Gu to have a full meal.

The Demon-Suppressing Sword was also a good item. Since Jingtian didn't want it anyway, rather than letting it stay in the Demon-Locking Tower forever, it would be better to let himself take it away.

Hearing Chu Yang volunteer, Qingwei did not nod in agreement immediately, revealing a hint of hesitation.

After Xu Changqing returned to Shushan, he had explained to him that Chu Yang might be the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu.

After understanding the whole story, Qingwei was also unsure of Chu Yang's true identity.

This disciple had gone from being unknown to soaring into the sky; his speed of improvement was comparable only to Jingtian, who was the reincarnation of the God General Feipeng.

Even the exceptionally talented Li Xiaoyao was a step behind.

Aside from being the reincarnation of the Emperor of Fengdu, there seemed to be no other reason that could explain it.

And...

That ancient sword had a mysterious origin; if one said it wasn't the magic treasure of the Emperor of Fengdu, I'm afraid few people would believe it.

Chu Yang smiled faintly, "Sect Leader, why do you hesitate? Could it be that Chu Yang is not considered a Shushan disciple and is not qualified to enter the tower?"

Canggu said with a worried face, "A-Yang, your identity is special. If something goes wrong, I'm afraid..."

Chu Yang shook his head, "Master, just because my identity is special doesn't mean I can't have an accident. Are the lives of ordinary people not lives? And what about the descendants of Nv Wa? Why can their lives be sacrificed?"

Canggu was so angry he trembled, "Nonsense! You know that's not what I meant!"

Chu Yang sighed, "Master, please don't be angry. I know your intentions, but among everyone present, who else is more suitable than me?"

Once these words were spoken, most people fell silent. Only Xu Changqing stepped forward and said decisively, "I am the senior brother; it should be me who goes to the Demon-Locking Tower!"

Chu Yang said proudly, "How is your mastery of arrays, Senior Brother? Are you sure you can repair the arrays inside the Demon-Locking Tower?"

Xu Changqing was stunned for a moment and suddenly speechless. He knew that for the past dozen years, because Chu Yang couldn't cultivate, he had spent all his time in the Scripture Library. When it came to understanding arrays, he was far inferior to Chu Yang.

"That is why I said the person most suitable to enter the Demon-Locking Tower is me. Sect Leader, Master, and fellow uncles, there should be no other objections now, right?"

Chu Yang's gaze swept over Qingwei and the others one by one, his expression calm, as if life and death were just a trivial matter.

"Since that is the case, then you go!"

Qingwei stroked his beard, his gaze deep.

"Your Uncle Sword Saint is sitting in command at the top of the tower. The great demons have all fled to the bottom, so entering from there is the safest."

Canggu walked to Chu Yang's side and whispered, "If things become impossible, just return the way you came. We will think of other ways. All five spirit beads have been collected; could there be anything more difficult than this?"

"Demon souls and demons are two different things. That sword of yours can restrain demon souls and evil spirits, but it may not be effective against demons. There is also a Demon-Suppressing Sword inside the Demon-Locking Tower. Try to find that sword first; it will make the work twice as easy."

Chu Yang felt a warmth in his heart. From beginning to end, only his master Canggu's attitude toward him had never changed. In the other's eyes, he seemed to still be that frustrated youth.

Just at this moment, Jingtian hesitated and walked out. Even though Tang Xuejian was dragging him, he still slowly walked to Chu Yang and said, "Brother Chu, Long Kui is very familiar with the Demon-Locking Tower. Why don't I go in with you?"

Tang Xuejian stomped her feet in anger and scolded, "He is a great hero, and you are just a shop assistant. In such a dangerous place, you would be the first to die if you went in."

Jingtian scratched his head, "But, if something happens to the Demon-Locking Tower, doesn't that concern the whole world? I didn't understand before, but now I do. I have a share of the responsibility here, even if I am just an ordinary person."

Hearing his logical reasoning, Tang Xuejian lost her reason to be angry and gritted her teeth, "If you go, I go too! As the young lady of the Tang family, could I possibly be inferior to you, a little shop assistant from Yong'an Pawnshop!"

Jingtian chuckled.

Once the two of them said they were going in, Li Xiaoyao and Lin Yueru couldn't sit still either, all clamoring to follow.

Xu Changqing started to get restless again.

Chu Yang only felt a splitting headache and quickly interrupted the noisy Li Xiaoyao and the others, "The situation in the Demon-Locking Tower is special; having more people won't solve everything. Don't add to the chaos."

No matter how they tried to persuade him, Chu Yang insisted on not taking anyone.

Just kidding, I'm going in to farm cultivation; if you follow, how am I supposed to farm? Amidst the noise, Chu Yang flew his sword to the top of the tower.

The Sword Saint didn't give him any instructions like Canggu or Qingwei did; he waved his hand to open the barrier.

Chu Yang jumped in through the gap and arrived at the top floor of the Demon-Locking Tower, the Sword Graveyard where the Demon Sword was sealed.

All around were scattered paper talismans, and the barrier on the high platform had also collapsed for the most part, leaving only ruins.

Chu Yang, who stepped through the ruins, did not enter the next floor but first entered the Soul Palace.

The Demon-Eating Gu on his body was not enough to clear out the entire Demon-Locking Tower.

Soul Palace.

Greeting the Immortal-Xia Chu Yang were still the Magic Chu Yang, but today there was also a Pirate Chu Yang.

The two looked excited, as if they had made some major breakthrough again.

Pirate Chu Yang took a deep breath and said, "I'll go first. Some time ago, because the research on the infinite energy engine stalled, Vegapunk turned back to researching lineage factor technology."

"He originally intended to change his mood, but he didn't expect to actually come up with something new. The latest technology can now perfectly combine the characteristics of living things and dead objects, creating an alternative organic life form."

"You know Spandam's western sword that ate the 'Elephant-Elephant Fruit', Funkfreed, right? That's an upgraded version of that situation. Now the scope is no longer limited to Devil Fruits; it can extend to other living things."

Immortal-Xia Chu Yang laughed, "For example, the Demon-Eating Gu?"

Pirate Chu Yang nodded, "Exactly. If it goes smoothly, we can transfer the characteristics of the Demon-Eating Gu to some kind of object and provide it with enough energy. In this way, we won't need to spend effort constantly replicating the Demon-Eating Gu."

Magic Chu Yang immediately followed up, "Since it's some kind of object, magic treasures must be included. Thinking it over, the magic treasure with the highest possibility of combining with the Demon-Eating Gu is..."

The three said in unison, "The Demon-Locking Tower!"

"Sealing demons, refining demons, and converting the cultivation they possess. If you add an almost infinite energy system, it's simply an automatic demon-refining device!" Pirate Chu Yang said until his mouth was dry, subconsciously licking his lips.

"This is true technology and ruthless work." Immortal-Xia Chu Yang sighed, "It's better to come early than to come at the right time. I am in the Demon-Locking Tower right now, preparing to repair the arrays inside."

Magic Chu Yang said excitedly, "Bring the camera robot in. You must record the arrays and structure inside. Once you come out, we'll refine one ourselves!"

Pirate Chu Yang smacked his lips, "This Demon-Locking Tower has finally been ruined by us from top to bottom."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 153 =====