Chapter 362: Pursuit and Kill

"Have all the disciples of the Sunset Sect perished?"

"That demon Zhu Wuyan is truly this cruel!"

"How did the demonic sect learn of the Sunset Sect's route and manage to ambush them?"

After a long while, someone finally spoke up repeatedly.

All of them either looked grim, or had dark expressions, some even showed shock and suspicion.

The agreed-upon four-sect joint mission had barely begun, yet one sect had already lost its cultivators.

This omen is truly unfavorable!

As Wang Yu was pondering which members of the Sunset Sect had perished—wondering if any of them were people he knew—Jin Ding Laozu waved his hand and said:

"Regardless of what happened to the Sunset Sect, since you've all arrived here, this mission must continue."

As for Zhu Wuyan, a mere demonic Foundation Establishment cultivator daring to act recklessly in Tianhe Prefecture, our Three Tianhe Sects will not let him leave alive—Wu Sha Valley's Kun Daoist has already taken personal action to pursue and kill him."

"Now, everyone follow me. When we reach the mission site, I'll reveal the full details. To save time, I'll use a treasure to transport you directly there."

No sooner had he finished speaking than golden light curled between the burly man's brows, and a miniature golden ding flew out, growing instantly into a colossal object five to six zhang in diameter as it caught the wind.

The giant ding hovered low in the air, glowing brilliantly golden, its surface inscribed with raised runes that, as it trembled slightly, overlapped and blurred into a chaotic mass.

The burly man shifted his body and leapt straight into the giant ding, then gestured to the others and ordered:

"Get on."

We're going somewhere else?!

This startled the cultivators of all three sects, but after a moment, Master Zhi Ming chanted a Buddhist mantra and led Yuan Tong and the other two onto the ding, stepping through empty air.

Zhuo Fan pondered briefly, then led the way by transforming into a gentle breeze and soaring upward.

Seeing this, the Tianhe Prefect and Luo Yiming also rose, white clouds forming beneath their feet as they floated over.

"Sister Yun, we…" Xuan Tianwu hesitated slightly and asked the woman in the red dress.

"Jin Qianbei carries my uncle's token—we need only obey orders. Come." Yun Caishang spoke coolly, flicked a finger seal, and shot forward as a streak of red light.

"Wang Didi, let's go too."

Xuan Tianwu sighed, gestured to Wang Yu, and rose into the air, his body enveloped in yellow light.

Wang Yu narrowed his eyes, formed a hand seal, and his body erupted in white flames, coalescing into a massive fireball as he followed after.

The golden ding resembled a giant golden vessel, its interior vast enough that ten people stood inside without feeling crowded.

The next moment, Jin Ding Laozu's actions caused Wang Yu and the other Foundation Establishment cultivators to subtly change expression.

He stomped one foot on the ding, and instantly a golden-hued barrier appeared around it, fully enclosing the entire vessel.

Those within the barrier found their spiritual senses completely cut off—unable to sense anything outside.

As the others stared in confusion, Jin Ding Laozu spoke calmly:

"For safety, I will use a secret technique to conceal our trail. You need not know the exact route—I'll release you once we arrive."

No sooner had he finished than his figure blurred and vanished from the ding, leaving only the nine inside staring at each other.

The next instant, the giant ding trembled slightly, then seemed to rise into the air, flying off in a certain direction.

"This mission is strangely secretive… interesting," Yun Caishang suddenly smiled sweetly, then walked to the side and sat cross-legged.

Xuan Tianwu stood nearby, frowning slightly.

"Does Jin Qianbei not trust us? Or…" Luo Yiming's face darkened as he tried to speak.

"Jin Qianbei being cautious is wise—didn't the Sunset Sect's disciples get ambushed and killed by Zhu Wuyan precisely because their trail was exposed?" Zhuo Fan spoke calmly, cutting off his junior's words, then sat down on the spot.

Luo Yiming opened his mouth, then swallowed the rest of his words.

The white-robed woman beside him glanced at Wang Yu, her eyes shifting, but remained silent.

On the other side, Master Zhi Ming, Yuan Tong, and the other three monks exchanged a few whispered words, then each took out a meditation cushion and sat down to meditate.

At this moment, Wang Yu turned to look at the inner wall of the ding behind him, his expression one of keen interest.

The chance to observe a third-rank treasure up close was truly rare.

Judging from the material patterns on the wall, the substance appeared to be the legendary third-rank spiritual material, "Xi Jin."

This material was said to form only within gold-elemental crystal veins located in spiritual veins of third-rank or higher—a single fist-sized piece weighed over ten thousand jin. He had only seen it described in texts; even the General Affairs Hall of the Four Symbols Sect did not possess it. Now that he saw the real thing, he would not miss this rare opportunity to observe it.

Had he not known this was a Jin Dan elder's treasure, as a second-rank alchemist himself, he would have been tempted to immediately pull out his hammer and chip off a small piece for study.

…

Fengyuan City, Tianhe Prefecture.

On a bustling street, an old man with gray hair, bent over and covered in wrinkles, sat on a low stool beside the road, a dirty rag before him bearing a dozen pairs of crude straw sandals.

The old man bowed his head, eyes dull and vacant, his frame unnaturally thin—as if a breeze could blow him away. People passed by constantly, yet almost none noticed him, and no one came to ask the price of the sandals.

At that moment, a pair of black cloth shoes suddenly appeared before his stall, and a figure wearing a gray conical hat stood directly before him.

"You forgot—you shouldn't come here at this time, and certainly shouldn't show yourself before me," the old man said without looking up, his voice dry as withered wood.

"Uncle Wu, I didn't want to find you—but what choice do I have? If I don't come now, my life truly won't survive in Tianhe Prefecture," the hat-wearer sighed helplessly, then removed his hat, revealing a young face with ordinary features but pale, bloodless skin.

At the same moment, a tearing sound pierced the sky—a streak of yellow light descended from above, circled once, and landed precisely on the eaves of a shop across the street.

The yellow light faded, revealing a middle-aged Confucian scholar with empty hands and a yellow gourd strapped to his back, gazing coldly toward the two.

Simultaneously, a chilling voice echoed in both their ears:

"I didn't expect Wu Daoist of the Black Soul Sect has secretly come to Tianhe Prefecture. As host, how could I fail to properly entertain you? Otherwise, other cultivators might say Wu Sha Valley has been disrespectful to fellow sects."

No sooner had he spoken than the scholar raised his hand, and several message talismans shot out, streaking in all directions before vanishing without a trace.