Chapter 179

"It seems the two Daoists truly found Wang Mou using this positioning crystal ball." Wang Yu didn't waste words; he pulled the white crystal ball from his sleeve.

Inside the ball, three small flames had clearly converged into one.

"So this device can indeed pinpoint our locations. But this item was found by my brother and me in the storage pouch of a true disciple of the Demon Luo Sect—did you also kill a true disciple of the demonic sects?" The young monk smiled lightly upon seeing this.

"How coincidental—I obtained this artifact from a true disciple of the Demon Luo Sect as well. It seems such positioning devices are either exclusive to true disciples of the Demon Luo Sect, or every demonic true disciple possesses one." After a moment's thought, Wang Yu replied thus.

"But what exactly does this device use to locate us?"

"My brother and I saw other disciples from the four sects at a distance during our journey, yet this device showed no reaction?" The young monk nodded, then asked with some confusion.

"I might know something about this. When I killed that Demon Luo Sect true disciple, he let slip a remark: anyone from our four sects who kills a demonic disciple will be marked with a blood aura signature, allowing the enemy to track us using this device."

"Of course, I'm not entirely certain whether this is true." Wang Yu frankly revealed everything he knew.

"Blood aura signature—so that's it. Brother, if I recall correctly, the Demon Luo Sect has a Golden Core elder who specializes in tracking enemies through blood aura." The young monk suddenly understood and immediately turned to his companion.

"You mean the Blood Smoke Elder of the Demon Luo Sect."

"That elder cultivates the Blood Sea Great Art, which indeed excels in blood aura techniques—but even a Golden Core elder cannot pinpoint enemies out of thin air, let alone track every single disciple from our four sects who entered the secret realm," the tall, thin monk replied slowly.

"Since the blood aura signature can only be implanted after killing a demonic disciple, it means the mark wasn't originally placed on us—it was placed on the demonic disciples from the three sects who entered the secret realm."

"Once they died, the blood aura signature somehow transferred automatically onto us."

"Moreover, the demonic sects' interference with the Kalana Key in the heartlands of our four sects is highly suspicious. Perhaps the two demonic keys were tampered with as well—perhaps that tampering is a prerequisite for this positioning technique." The young monk analyzed thoughtfully.

"Your reasoning, Daoist Yuan Ming, makes great sense. But this blood aura signature—what kind of powerful technique is it? I've tried every method I know and found no trace of the mark, let alone removed it." Wang Yu strongly agreed, then frowned.

"Heh, if this is truly the work of a Golden Core elder, it's no surprise we, as Qi Condensation disciples, can't detect it. We'll likely have to wait until this trial ends and return to our sects to have someone remove it."

"But until then, with these positioning devices, our four sects have lost the initiative. Even if we seize some of these devices, they're of little use—they can only locate our own, not the demonic disciples." The young monk's eyes flickered, then he chuckled.

"It seems the demonic sects truly prepared some tricks for opening this secret realm. Since we can't avoid them, there's only one path left: press forward." Wang Yu murmured as he pondered.

"Hah! Your words suit me perfectly, Daoist Wang. Even if these demonic brats have some tricks, how could they truly block our exorcising thunderous methods? I'd even worry if too few demonic disciples come looking for us!" The young monk clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

Wang Yu was slightly surprised by the young monk's boldness, but before he could speak further, the tall, thin monk suddenly turned to him and asked:

"I've met most of the true disciples of the Four Symbols Sect and remember their faces, but yours is unfamiliar. Have you only become a true disciple in the past one or two years?"

"Oh, I heard the Four Symbols Sect sent only two Qi Condensation true disciples this time. Are you one of them?" The young monk, upon hearing this, gave Wang Yu a half-smiling glance and added casually.

"You two are mistaken. I am not a true disciple of the Four Symbols Sect—I'm merely an inner sect disciple. The true disciples of my sect are ten times stronger than I am. I obtained this positioning crystal ball only through a small trick." Wang Yu replied without changing expression.

"An inner sect disciple? Has the struggle for true disciple status in the Four Symbols Sect become so fierce that even a disciple who killed a demonic true disciple is merely an inner sect member?" The tall, thin monk showed no expression on his face, but his words dripped with suspicion.

At this moment, Yuan Ming couldn't help but speak again:

"Now that you mention it, I'm even more curious about this 'small trick' of yours, Daoist Wang. How about we test each other's skills—"

"Yuan Ming, this is not the time for sparring. Daoist Wang, we'll take our leave now. If fate allows, we'll meet again deep within the secret realm." The tall, thin monk cut off Yuan Tong's words, grabbed the young monk's arm, gave Wang Yu a slight nod, and his lotus artifact trembled before shooting into the sky.

"Hey hey, this Daoist Wang is interesting—Brother, let me spar with him before we go—!" Distantly, through the air, came Yuan Tong's discontented muttering, then his light vanished completely beyond the horizon.

Wang Yu looked down at the crystal ball in his hand; near its edge, two faint blood-red lights still flickered—but after a short while, they too disappeared.

"About seven or eight li."

He estimated the speed of the lotus artifact and murmured to himself.

After several rounds of thought, he sighed, descended to the ground, and strode deeper into the mountains.

For him, since he couldn't avoid the demonic positioning devices, it was better to take the initiative and seize control.

Otherwise, if he kept hiding, he might wake up one day to find a horde of demonic true disciples ready to beat him to death together.

However, the direction Wang Yu advanced into the mountains clearly diverged from the path taken by the two Golden Temple monks.

On the other side.

On the lotus, the young monk still chattered incessantly to the tall, thin monk.

"Brother Yuan Ming, that Daoist Wang from the Four Symbols Sect clearly possesses extraordinary abilities—why not let me test him? With you here, who'd dare take advantage of us? Unless you fear I'll hurt him and damage relations between our sects? Fine—I'll hold back my strength during the sparring!"

"Shut up—I'm afraid you'll get hurt by him!" The tall, thin monk could no longer contain himself and snapped coldly.

(Too late tonight for a second update—everyone, go to sleep early, goodnight.)