Chapter 286: Waiting for My Eldest Martial Sister to Emerge from Seclusion

Tang Luo looked at Haotian: "What do you mean? As a monk who has left home, this humble monk harbors compassion, acts on Heaven's behalf, punishes evil and promotes good, delights in helping others — it is my bounden duty, nothing more."

"..." Haotian felt that what was said had absolutely nothing to do with the Monk Xuanzang before his eyes.

"Judging by Daozhang's expression, you seem a bit angry." Tang Luo looked at Haotian and said, "Is it that you don't want to inform this humble monk of the information and whereabouts of those yaomo guiguai rampaging in Dayou?"

"Absurd." Haotian let out a cold snort, "You want me to inform, so I just inform?"

Leaving aside that informing others of the yaomo guiguai information that Longya Daomen currently cannot handle is a humiliating matter.

Those jingguai, to a large extent, also signify precious materials.

Whether for alchemy or artifact refining, they can potentially provide help, equivalent to an undeveloped small treasure vault.

Once the Grand Elder emerges from seclusion, the vault can be opened to take treasures; how could it be easily disclosed to others?

It can be understood as a rare, possibly unique world boss spawning in the wild in a game; a major guild would definitely not let the news leak out for outsiders to know and share a slice of the pie.

"Then Daozhang means you want to fight?" Tang Luo slightly flexed his fingers, voicing the words Haotian had just kept in his heart but dared not speak.

"Uh—"

Haotian froze for a moment, then reacted, "You think my Longya Daomen would fear you?"

Can't back down! I am a Taishang Elder!

"I think... probably." Tang Luo glanced at Yuxuanzi.

As a spectator who witnessed the entire city watching the destruction of Huanxi Temple, at this moment Yuxuanzi's face changed drastically; he instantly turned into a peace dove, blocking Haotian: "Elder! Calm down!"

"Look." Tang Luo said.

Haotian was fuming with rage, yet he truly did not dare to turn hostile and attack Tang Luo.

Although he was not a spectator of the Huanxi Temple destruction event, after he emerged from seclusion, Yuxuanzi and the others had already informed him of the situation at that time.

Giving Haotian a bit of a clue in his heart; he wasn't a fool, he naturally understood he was no match for the Monk Xuanzang before him.

Nor would he deceive himself into thinking Huanxi Bodhisattva never entered Golden Core; this monk merely got lucky and destroyed the Three Giants of Huanxi Temple.

People like that certainly exist, but he, Haotian, was not one of them.

"Wait for my Eldest Martial Sister to emerge from seclusion..." Haotian muttered, extremely aggrieved, I'll go tell my "dad".

"Qinglang?" Tang Luo asked.

The Taishang Grand Elder spoken of by Yuxuanzi and the others should be Qinglang, the rare genius disciple of Wuyapai back then.

With her aptitude, talent, and brilliance, achieving Golden Core now would not be an unexpected matter.

Look, even this guy Haotian is approaching Golden Core.

"Exactly!" Haotian raised his head, face full of pride, "Back then Eldest Martial Sister invited you to visit our Wuyapai; you must still remember. Yet now you come to intimidate my Daomen?"

Hah, found a place to counterattack.

Tang Luo looked at Haotian with sympathy, raised his hand; Yuxuanzi and Haotian both instantly tensed, nearly attacking on the spot.

Fortunately, the situation seen (described) that day did not appear.

Tang Luo's palm merely passed over Yuxuanzi and landed on Haotian's shoulder, patting twice; he said to Yuxuanzi: "Guoshi, let us go to the other side to talk."

"Oh, alright." Yuxuanzi let out a breath, discovering his forehead was covered in sweat.

Just now, for an instant, he truly thought Tang Luo would make a move.

As for Haotian, he stood in place, desperately telling himself not to go weak at the knees, not to collapse.

The moment the palm rose, Haotian's vision blurred as if he saw a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

He completely failed to understand why a monk who claimed to harbor compassion would emit such terrifying killing intent — intent even he, a powerhouse nearing Golden Core, could not withstand.

The impact of that killing intent alone stripped Haotian of all power to resist.

Watching Yuxuanzi and Tang Luo leave to talk on the other side, their figures about to vanish from sight.

Haotian finally regained his courage and suddenly shouted loudly: "You wait for me, my Eldest Martial Sister is about to emerge from seclusion!"

Finished speaking, he hurried away without looking back.

"... Second Elder, you must not stir up trouble!" Yuxuanzi couldn't hold it in and blurted out, not knowing if the hastily departing Haotian heard.

Clearly he used to be a very mature, steady person.

Despite liking to look down his nose at people, given the other's status, position, and strength, it was not unacceptable.

How come now he acts like an unlucky child?

Thinking carefully, the day Master Xuanzang entered Wuyapai's mountain gate, these Taishang Elders seemed to be precisely at the age of dancing with tied hair — childhood.

Was it Master Xuanzang's appearance that made Second Elder directly return to his age back then?

No, it seems even younger than his age back then.

"Second Elder just emerged from seclusion; perhaps his state of mind is unstable." Yuxuanzi dryly explained to Tang Luo.

He couldn't very well say "Master, you bullied my Daomen's Taishang Elder into a child."

"No matter. Guoshi, just inform this humble monk one by one of all the difficult yaoguai." Tang Luo didn't haggle with a child, very magnanimous, "Best to have very detailed haunt locations, appearances, and such information."

"Please rest assured, Master; I will certainly hold nothing back." Yuxuanzi said, "Just daring to ask one thing: Master needs this information to..."

"This humble monk plans to leave Zhongdu in a few days, wander everywhere performing chivalrous deeds, slaying yaomo, removing demons, and converting the treacherous and evil." Tang Luo said.

Yuxuanzi froze, then rose in solemn respect, stepped back and bowed: "Master's heart embraces all under heaven; you are a truly enlightened high monk. We measured a gentleman's heart with a petty man's mind — truly shameful."

Originally still guarding against Master Xuanzang acting against their Longya Daomen, never expected the other party to actually possess such lofty integrity.

After removing the tumor of Huanxi Temple, choosing to go to Dayou to slaughter and convert the rampaging yaoguai.

"This humble monk merely does it for a bit of merit power." Tang Luo spoke the truth.

Not speaking falsehoods, Tang Xuanzang obtained quite a lot of the information he wanted from Longya Daomen; two days later, Kongming planned out the "Conversion Route."

Tang Luo carried a "As If I Were Personally Present" token, allowing him to execute first and report later, convert whomever he wished, and command local Dayou officials to assist — a gold medal of "orders the world, none dare disobey" — one man, one dog, left Zhongdu.

What Haotian longed for in his heart, the thought of "wait for my Eldest Martial Sister to emerge from seclusion and beat you to death," did not come true.

Qinglang was still in seclusion.

Jin Gang and Tang Yuhan also obtained the identities of Youyi Tiqi and likewise left the capital.

As expected, for gods and demons walking the world, discovering enemies, charging in and killing them is the mission-completion mode everyone is more familiar with and prefers.

Many manifestations of wisdom are also wisdom in combat.

————

Niujiacun.

A village that appears perfectly ordinary on the surface, but most of the villagers inside do not bear the surname Niu; they bear the surname Wang, and no one knows why it is called Niujiacun.

According to the information Tang Luo had on hand, two months ago Niujiacun frequently went to nearby towns to report to the authorities.

They said many strange things had appeared in the village — for example, the water drawn from the well was red blood-water.

At night they often heard eerie, strange weeping sounds, leaving people in a state of panic.

Nearby cultivators and Youyi Tiqi also went to investigate, but found nothing.

About a month ago, the villagers of Niujiacun stopped coming to report, and everyone thought the matter had quieted down.

But soon people went missing near Niujiacun, and then twelve men — two squads of Youyi Tiqi — and a cultivator also went missing.

Niujiacun instantly became a terrifying forbidden zone that ordinary people could not approach.

The village's location is actually not considered too remote; reaching a relatively bustling nearby town takes only half a day's journey on foot.

Its sudden transformation into a dangerous place naturally reached the capital and became a matter neither major nor minor.

In Tang Luo's journey of deliverance, it counted as a relatively early location needing to be visited for deliverance.

Tang Luo also did not alert local officials; during these days he directly delivered those demons and monsters, only seeking out local officials to give instructions when a situation required cleanup.

Having them handle the wrap-up work.

"Gouzi, do you sense it?" Tang Luo asked.

Arriving near Niujiacun, before even seeing the village, a faint mist enveloped the surroundings.

It looked very thin, yet one could already not see the scene a few meters away, as if entering a completely different world.

"Meow." Xiaotianquan responded; she smelled some scents.

Blood, decay, rot, mixed with threads of a strange fragrance, like some kind of attraction, an "invitation" urging comers not to leave but to go deeper into this faint mist.

Tang Luo had come precisely to resolve this matter, so naturally he strode toward the center shrouded in mist.

Soon the surrounding mist dispersed, but the scene also underwent a strange change.

It no longer resembled the Niujiacun area "in the mortal world," but became a place with the feel of deep mountains and old forests, exuding gloom; clearly there were many lush trees, yet they projected a sense of desolation and ruin.

"Trees formed from yin qi." Tang Luo reached out and pressed his hand on a nearby tree; the feel in his hand was not that of an ordinary tree.

It was more like pressing against a cold block of ice; for an ordinary person, touching it for a while longer would make their whole body turn cold and even stiff, yin-cold qi entering the body.

At the very least a serious illness; with Dayou's medical conditions, those of weak constitution might not recover.

"Feels like quite substantial merit." Tang Luo stroked Xiaotianquan's head on his shoulder and continued deeper.

After a while, he faintly saw traces of a village.

As expected, it was Niujiacun; unfortunately it was empty of people, much like the uninhabited village when Tang Luo and the others entered this world.

But it was not dilapidated; if some people came, it would be a normal, vibrant village.

Proving the villagers of Niujiacun had not been gone for too long.

"Sniff around, see if you can find the culprit—" Tang Luo brought Xiaotianquan to the wellhead; perhaps they could smell some scent.

Follow the trail up and deliver them.

He had only spoken halfway when, with a "creak," a tightly shut wooden door was flung open.

"Save—"

The newcomer met Tang Luo, who had just turned around; the joy on his face instantly vanished, replaced by shock and resentful malice, which then immediately disappeared, replaced by a delighted smile, "Master Xuanzang!"

It was none other than Wei Chengen, who had entered the mission world together with Tang Luo and the others, then parted ways with Kong Ming and the rest in the capital.

"Benefactor Wei." Tang Luo naturally remembered this person; his face bore a faint smile, but his words made Wei Chengen's heart skip, "Seeing this poor monk, your heart brims with towering hatred — why force a welcoming countenance?"

"……"

Wei Chengen's smile stiffened for a moment, "Master, what do you mean by this?"

In his heart he thought: Could this monk know the mind-reading technique?