Chapter 623: Sanzhen and Wangchuan

Zhao Yan stared at the faint blue mark on his left arm bearing the character "Jiang," and a flood of thoughts surged through his mind.

He was no fool, so he quickly recalled the information the elder behind the girl by his side had revealed not long ago.

If anything were to prevent him from continuing to wait for his senior sister's revival, it would most likely be these sudden appearances of Sanzhen Sect members—and the timing matched perfectly.

'So that's how it is.'

With this realization, Zhao Yan felt a sudden clarity.

It seemed necessary to deal with those Sanzhen Sect members here and now; after all, due to the existence of the Sanzhen Pursuit Seal, even if he escaped now, he would eventually be hunted down by Zhaoshang Sect.

But launching a direct attack outright didn't suit his usual style—he should probe first. Who knew if this generation of Sanzhenfa Sect had any freaks like his old friend?

With his current strength, if such a scenario truly arose, he might have to place all his hopes on the girl beside him—or rather, on the elder behind her.

After a brief moment of thought, Zhao Yan spoke in a calm voice: "You're Bai Xiaoxiao, correct? There's something you need to do."

"After this is over, I'll take you as my disciple."

Since the owner of the script's identity had been preliminarily verified, and given the girl's genuine talent, he could indeed consider passing on the 【Wangchuan Art Academy】 to her.

Of course, this was merely an empty promise for now—he'd need to meet those Sanzhen Sect members first.

But if among them truly existed a monster like that old friend of his,

No—no need for that level. Even if they possessed only Great Divine Power, or even Middle Divine Power seekers, he'd likely be unable to handle them.

'Looks like I still need to leave some backup plans.'

As this thought flashed through his mind, Zhao Yan tore off a strip of his sleeve and bit his fingertip, beginning to inscribe the details of the 【Return-to-Heaven Blood Body】 upon it.

Not long after, a scrap of cloth covered in tiny crimson blood characters appeared in his hand.

Zhao Yan casually handed it to his Return-to-Heaven Blood Body, gesturing for it to hide the rag bearing the supreme legacy of the 【Wangchuan Art Academy】.

Having finished this, he spoke calmly: "You know where I've hidden it. If anything unexpected happens, I hope you'll use its contents to properly guide this girl."

"If she can inherit the name of the 【Wangchuan Art Academy】, that would be best."

Here he paused briefly, then added wearily: "But if she doesn't wish to bear the karmic burden of the 【Wangchuan Art Academy】, I also hope you'll choose a worthy successor for me—the reward will be the 【Return-to-Heaven Blood Body】."

Zhao Yan believed the owner of the script would understand his meaning.

He did this precisely because of the man's mysterious, elusive concealment technique—if the script hadn't appeared before his eyes, he wouldn't have even sensed a third person was present.

As Zhao Yan fell silent, the alleyway grew still.

After a brief pause, a barely perceptible script suddenly appeared before his eyes.

【Yes.】

Seeing this, Zhao Yan exhaled in relief.

At that moment, Bai Xiaoxiao spoke up: "What exactly would you like me to do?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yan sighed, then spoke Extremely solemnly: "I need you to send this thing to the Wu family to find two items for me."

"One is a talisman resembling tortoise shell."

As he spoke, a phantom tablet shaped like tortoise shell materialized in his hand, its center bearing a rare cultivation rune.

After briefly displaying it, Zhao Yan prepared to tell the girl the second item.

But before he could speak, he noticed her expression had changed strangely.

Bai Xiaoxiao, recalling the phantom tablet she had just seen, felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Where had she seen it before?

She frantically sifted through her memories, trying to trace the source of this recognition.

After a moment of recollection, Bai Xiaoxiao remembered exactly where she had seen that tablet.

Back in Heishan Village, the little boy Gao Haoguang had always carried one nearly identical to it!

'So Zhao Shu is looking for Gao Haoguang and his group?'

But before Bai Xiaoxiao could reach a conclusion, Zhao Yan's voice pulled her back to reality: "Have you seen this before?"

The Supreme of the Wangchuan Art Academy frowned slightly as he watched the girl's shifting expression.

After a moment's hesitation, Bai Xiaoxiao nodded and admitted: "I have seen it."

She then recounted everything she knew.

After revealing all to Zhao Yan, she asked: "What do you want with Gao Haoguang and his group?"

Even though Bai Xiaoxiao didn't know the history of hatred between the Sanzhenfa Sect and the Wangchuan Art Academy, she could now sense something ominous.