Chapter 160: Escape

After calming down, many things became clear!

For example, why had the old man set up the Nine Yang Array recently?

He Ping hadn't known before.

But now, he had some suspicions.

The Nine Yang Array can dispel yin evil.

That's what the old man himself said.

Then the question arises: the Grand Void Temple has been standing for centuries—when did it ever have yin evil?

Where was the yin evil?

Why dispel it at all?

It was here all along!

Soul usurpation!

Soul usurpation is a yin evil act; if not stopped, the yin energy would surge straight out from the Grand Void Temple.

Then every disciple of the Grand Void Gate would know the Ancestor was performing soul usurpation!

How terrible would that be?

Now, with the Nine Yang Array, all escaping yin energy vanishes completely.

So that's what the Nine Yang Array was for!

And more!

In the left side hall, the old man had prepared all kinds of elixirs—from Foundation Establishment to Nascent Soul, except for the Breakthrough Elixir, everything was there.

I originally thought they were meant for me, He Ping.

But now it's clear—they weren't!

They were meant for himself.

Why?

Because after the Ancestor performs soul usurpation, he'll inherit my cultivation base—only Foundation Establishment Level One.

And I'm a Five Element Spirit Root; my cultivation absolutely depends on elixirs.

That's why he prepared so many elixirs.

This immortal old bastard!

Damn it!

He keeps talking about benevolence and morality, claiming he won't usurp anyone's body or pass on the terrifying Grand Void Great Mystery Scripture to his own son.

No wonder he didn't pass it to his own son!

He was planning to do this vile deed himself.

By the way!

This old bastard must have mastered the 【Grand Void Great Mystery Scripture】, but he isn't a Five Element Spirit Root—how could he have mastered it?

He Ping remembered: he'd said before that a cultivator without a Five Element Spirit Root must devour another's spirit root to master the Great Mystery Scripture.

This…

That means this old bastard once devoured someone else's spirit root.

He was never a good man.

Go…

Flee!

I must flee.

And quickly.

But here's the problem:

How do I flee?

He Ping lay on his meditation mat, beginning to think carefully.

I can't flee blindly.

If I run in panic, won't I just be a lamb walking into the tiger's mouth?

The terror of a Nascent Soul cultivator is beyond others' imagining.

I must devise a detailed plan!

He Ping closed his eyes and thought deeply.

One day!

Two days!

Three days!

After three full days of thought, He Ping devised a plan nearly perfect.

He left the main hall, turned into a streak of light, and landed on Xiuzhu Peak!

Again, the 【True Spirit Hall】.

"Brother, what urgent matter? Hurry up and tell me—you're driving me mad…" Zhao Linger, hearing He Ping said it was a matter of life and death, grew frantic.

But He Ping revealed nothing, only said: "Go get Xu Kunlun. I'll tell you both then!"

"Alright!"

Zhao Linger ran out again and brought Xu Kunlun into the True Spirit Hall.

She shut the hall's doors and activated all the arrays.

"Brother, Sister… I'm in mortal danger—I've come to beg for your help!"

"Don't ask me why."

"Just do exactly as I say!"

…

Afternoon!

He Ping arrived at the Elder Wuwei's hall.

"You're a rare visitor!" Elder Wuwei stared at He Ping, a cold sneer forming on his face: "The old bastard is in seclusion—what decree are you here to deliver?"

"Speak."

"Is it to order me to kill myself?"

A faint killing intent flickered over Elder Wuwei.

He Ping smiled and said: "He… isn't in seclusion."

"What?" Elder Wuwei asked: "Not in seclusion? Then what is he doing?"

"I don't know!" He Ping said: "He's set up a massive array inside the Grand Void Temple!"

"I don't know what he's planning."

"But I'm certain it has nothing to do with seclusion."

Elder Wuwei's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you telling me this?"

He Ping said: "Because I'm afraid—you fear the old man will pass the 【Grand Void Great Mystery Scripture】 to me. But I'm afraid too."

"To be honest, I don't want to cultivate that thing."

"Why?" Elder Wuwei said: "That's the very thing everyone dreams of—cultivate it, and you'll be invincible under heaven!"

"Even my father, who wasn't even a true Five Element Spirit Root, already dominated the Daoxuan Alliance!"

"If you cultivate it, your future is limitless!"

He Ping shook his head. "That's exactly what I'm afraid of!"

"Once he passes it to me, after he's gone, you'll kill me the moment you get the chance!"

"Right?"

He Ping's cold gaze fixed on Elder Wuwei.

Elder Wuwei burst into loud laughter: "So you're not as virtuous as you seem? Clever boy!"

He Ping said: "So I don't want to die."

"Here's the key to enter the Grand Void Temple!"

"Go in yourself—talk to the old man!"

"Tell him I willingly gave it up!"

Elder Wuwei stared at the several tokens in He Ping's hand. "You're not lying to me, are you?"

He Ping said: "What could I possibly lie about?"

"Lure you into the Grand Void Temple so the old man kills you?"

"Would the old man kill you?"

"Don't tell me you lack even this much courage?"

"Hahaha…" Elder Wuwei laughed loudly: "Is there anything I dare not do?"

"He Ping… wait. If this succeeds, I'll let you keep being the Grand Void Gate's little Ancestor!"

"I'm off!"

Elder Wuwei took the key to enter and exit the Grand Void Temple, turned into a streak of light, and landed on the square before the Grand Void Temple.

Meanwhile, He Ping had already flown away on his sword, then casually landed on a mountaintop and slapped the 【Invisibility Talisman】 onto his body with a snap.

He stood utterly still.

His entire body instantly dissolved into nothingness.

Then came the waiting.

Patient waiting.

Waiting for a message.

He Ping had predicted the message would arrive half an hour later, but he never expected it to come this quickly.

After just a stick of incense burned, a beam of message-light landed before him!

The message-light came from Xu Kunlun, and carried only one phrase: "I saw the Ancestor..."

"Huh..." He Ping drew a deep breath, then leapt up, jumping from the nameless peak into the ten-thousand-zhang abyss, and took to the skies on his sword, flying in the opposite direction from Xu Kunlun.

He flew at an extremely low altitude, barely brushing the mountain ridges.

This way, he would not draw anyone's attention.

When he reached about fifty li from Grand Void Gate, He Ping abandoned sword-flight and swiftly pulled out a green flying vessel: the Cloud-Piercer!

Click!

Click-click...

He inserted five spirit stones into the Cloud-Piercer's stone slots.

All were mid-grade spirit stones!

Then the Cloud-Piercer shot into the sky at an unmatched speed, growing ever more distant.

After flying for half a day, he judged he had surely put ten thousand li between himself and Grand Void Gate, and finally exhaled in relief.

The old bastard had not followed.

Perfect plan—escape accomplished!