Three months ago
As the night deepened, the solitary boat remained still in the water for a long time.
Chu Weiyang sat at the bow, his gaze fixed intensely on Mo Daozhong, who stood swaying on the water's surface, shaking his head repeatedly.
From his mouth, a muddled voice continued to echo.
"Nine layers... on the Spirit Platform... Eight Treasures... in the Purple Mansion..."
"Transforming through a thousand tribulations..."
Perhaps the moonlight was too dim, or perhaps the poisonous qi had eroded Mo Daozhong's mind too severely.
At this moment, he gripped the scripture tightly with both hands, struggling to discern the words.
Either they were too muddled to read, or they came out in disjointed phrases, or he would remember the previous line but forget the next.
Yet, Chu Weiyang did not urge him to hurry, allowing him to attempt the recitation repeatedly.
Under his silent watch, a flicker of unspoken expectation passed through the depths of Chu Weiyang's eyes.
It seemed he was anticipating some peculiar and interesting outcome.
In this silent stillness, it had been a long time since Chu Weiyang had heard the voice of Chunyu Zhi in his mind.
After a while, while Mo Daozhong was still reciting, Chunyu Zhi's clear voice finally rang out.
"Do you cultivators of the demonic path inherently possess so many schemes? Heaven... how did you come to think of passing this method to Mo Daozhong?"
Listening to Chunyu Zhi's tone, it seemed her last shock was after learning of Miss Qinghe's plot.
It was as if she was witnessing another grand revelation.
In his heart, Chu Weiyang's voice remained calm, without any fluctuations.
"Miss Zhi, this is something you have repeatedly mentioned and warned me about. In this world, any sect with a lineage, if others learn it, there will always be some causal connection. When you alerted me back then, the first thing that came to my mind was indeed this scripture.
Initially, after killing Yan Jianming, I obtained this scripture from his Qiankun pouch. At first, I thought it was some marvelous method from Tingchang Mountain and even took interest in comprehending it for a while. Now that I think about it, this scripture must have been part of the scheme of the Old Mother of Danxia.
It makes no sense that someone has already slapped me in the face, yet I lack the courage to retaliate! No matter the difference in realms, this reasoning holds true! If she wants to crush an ant, she must be prepared for the discomfort of doing so!"
As he finished speaking, Chu Weiyang's voice turned cold.
Seemingly influenced by Chu Weiyang's mindset and sentiment, Chunyu Zhi's voice fell silent on the other end of the restriction.
Watching quietly, Mo Daozhong continued to recite in place, yet there was still no change.
Ultimately, with his cultivation level here, Chu Weiyang felt somewhat uncertain.
"Miss Zhi, what does this mean? Is it that cultivators outside of Tingchang Mountain cannot practice this secret method? Why does it seem he is already using his mind to recite, yet there are no results?"
Upon hearing this, Chunyu Zhi, having undergone the changes in the illusion, no longer concealed the secrets of the path of Tingchang Mountain and spoke candidly to Chu Weiyang.
"Do not underestimate this secret method; the Old Mother of Danxia values it greatly! It is said that the essence of this secret method is closely related to the core of the Old Mother of Danxia's Dao fruit. Therefore, while other methods may have some leeway, this particular method must not have the slightest error when it is written down!
The lack of change at this moment is actually the best response! It does not necessarily mean that the Old Mother of Danxia has not sensed it; rather, Tingchang Mountain is too far from here. Even if there is some sensing, it is likely difficult to respond. However, if she detects the leakage of the secret method, the entire Mo family will likely face disaster."
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang smiled and called out to Mo Daozhong a few times.
"Dao friend Mo, Dao friend Mo?"
At this moment, Mo Daozhong suddenly looked towards Chu Weiyang with a heavy hostility, his eyes half-open.
It was as if a person who had not closed their eyes for several days was suddenly awakened at the moment of impending sleep, that ferocity, that murderous impulse, almost a subconscious reaction.
But soon after, that fierce aura flashed away from Mo Daozhong.
He then became dispirited, and when he spoke, only a muddled, dreamlike voice remained.
"What... Chunyu Dao friend... what happened?"
Hearing this, Chu Weiyang continued,
"Look, now you have also practiced the method; we should say... shouldn't you pass this method back to Ba蛇 Island? How about using the jade slip to send a message?"
Upon hearing this, in his dazed state, Mo Daozhong could only nod slowly.
"What you said... makes... a lot of sense..."
As he spoke, Chu Weiyang half-forced a blank jade slip into Mo Daozhong's palm and supported his arm, pressing the jade slip against his forehead.
A few dim spiritual lights flickered.
Before Mo Daozhong could form the hand seal, Chu Weiyang, feeling uneasy, pulled the jade slip back out.
"Dao friend Mo, look, this method is what I passed to you; it is not that I have any other intentions. I just want to verify it for you, fearing there might be some oversight that would cause trouble for the island master."
In place, Mo Daozhong still only nodded absently.
"Good, this sentence... makes even more sense..."
As he spoke, Chu Weiyang carefully examined the content imprinted in the jade slip.
Seeing that aside from the content of the spell, there was nothing revealing Chu Weiyang's whereabouts, the young man finally felt relieved and once again placed the jade slip into Mo Daozhong's hand.
Almost like coaxing a child, Chu Weiyang patiently used the gentlest voice to persuade Mo Daozhong to activate the jade slip with the secret method.
He watched as a burst of spiritual light swirled around, wrapping the jade slip and carrying it away.
At the bow, Chu Weiyang finally let out a sigh of relief.
When he turned to look at Mo Daozhong again, his calm eyes already held a chilling light.
Yet the young man's voice remained calm.
"Dao friend Mo, what is wrong with you now? You haven't spoken."
In place, the waves of the sea had almost soaked most of Mo Daozhong's robe, yet he seemed oblivious, still shaking his head.
"I... I don't know, just... very tired..."
Thus, Chu Weiyang's voice became even softer, as if he were coaxing someone to sleep.
"Then sleep, have a good sleep, no need to be afraid, I am here watching over you. I am a cultivator from the Chunyu family of Dongshan; we have a bond of passing down methods. You must call me Dao friend, and I will guard you here..."
The hoarse voice scattered in the sea breeze, making it increasingly difficult to discern.
And in that gentle voice, Mo Daozhong seemed to let down his last line of defense.
He truly leaned back towards the sea surface.
At the moment of falling, his murmured, dreamlike voice still echoed.
"Good, good, Dao friend, as long as you watch over me, I can rest assured..."
Before he could finish, in the sea, a stream of dark light rushed past, wrapping around the water light and directly submerging Mo Daozhong's mouth and nose.
In an instant, he could no longer breathe, and at that moment, Mo Daozhong had lost too much clarity of mind, struggling violently as he gasped, causing even more dark water to flood into his lungs.
For a time, Mo Daozhong struggled intensely.
But Chu Weiyang's hoarse voice continued to sound.
"Sleep, have a good sleep; it is all a nightmare. Just wake up after a sleep."
As the words fell, Mo Daozhong indeed stopped struggling.
Wrapped in dark light, Chu Weiyang observed closely, and soon, dark blood flowed from Mo Daozhong's mouth and nose, dissipating in the sea, only to vanish completely with a few gusts of wind.
With a wave of his hand, the dark water scattered in place.
Only Mo Daozhong's dark blue face grew further away from Chu Weiyang's sight, until finally, he completely disappeared into the deep, rolling waves, buried in the depths of the sea.
Although his gaze remained fixed on Mo Daozhong, at this moment, another voice echoed in Chu Weiyang's mind, transmitting to the other side of the restriction.
"Speaking of which, Miss Zhi, what do you think the disciples of Tingchang Mountain will react when they discover the leakage of the spell? Who will come here to investigate? It can't be the Old Mother of Danxia, can it?"
Upon hearing this, Chunyu Zhi's voice responded decisively.
"It is hard to say who will come, but it is unlikely to be the Old Mother of Danxia. Among the great cultivators of the Golden Core stage, there are many tacit understandings and agreements. During ordinary times, unless necessary, the great cultivators from both sides of the Yusui River would not personally come to the outer sea, and the great cultivators in the outer sea would not easily venture inland.
Why bother thinking about this? In any case, the ones who will suffer are the Mo family of Ba蛇 Island. Even if they lose their minds, it won't affect the slightest bit of the quiet cultivation in the outer sea. Rather than pondering this, it would be better to hurry to the island cave that Mo Daozhong opened up outside and see what treasures he has hidden!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang couldn't help but laugh.
This was something Chunyu Zhi would never have said before.
Thinking of this, gently stroking the sword's body, Chu Weiyang couldn't help but praise, "Miss Zhi, this statement is quite reasonable; you... have truly made great progress, great progress!"
As the words fell, Chu Weiyang once again cast a hand seal, and the solitary boat sailed away with the wind and waves, swiftly leaving this place.
Tingchang Mountain.
At the high platform of the Dao Palace on the mountain peak, the Old Mother of Danxia sat in meditation, holding the Master Seal, lost in thought.
At this moment, within the tightly closed hall, a sudden gust of cold wind swept through.
In an instant, the Old Mother hurriedly opened her eyes, looking around in confusion, as if the incense candles arranged like stars were flickering erratically, some flames blazing brightly while others flickered weakly, almost extinguishing at any moment.
In such a play of light and shadow, it appeared as if an endless sea of stars was reflected on the walls.
After surveying the surroundings, the Old Mother of Danxia suddenly furrowed her brow.
From within her wide Dao robe, her dry, claw-like hand trembled as she raised it, lightly tapping on several joints.
It appeared she was calculating or divining something.
But as time passed, the Old Mother's frown deepened, and suddenly, in the next moment, her complexion turned pale.
In the following moment, before the Old Mother could catch her breath, her face abruptly flushed red.
It seemed her blood was surging.
In an instant, the Old Mother could no longer care to form seals or gestures, leaning back on the platform, one hand propping herself up while the other pressed tightly against her chest.
After a long while, she seemed to have regained her breath.
Amidst her slightly heavy breathing, as if recalling something, the Old Mother flicked her fingertip, and a stream of spiritual light shot out, flying straight across the hall, disappearing in an instant.
Not long after, when the Old Mother had completely calmed down and sat on the platform as if nothing had happened, the tightly closed doors of the Dao Palace swung open.
Looking towards the sound, it was Chunyu Zhi, or rather Chunyu Huai, stepping lightly with a graceful gait, awkwardly twisting her waist, entering the Dao Hall with a quick step followed by a slow one.
The Old Mother of Danxia looked calmly at Chunyu Huai.
But in Chunyu Huai's gaze, not only was the figure of the Old Mother reflected, but also a kind of indescribable shame and resentment.
Seemingly displeased by such a gaze, the Old Mother furrowed her brow.
"Good child, dear girl, you should not look at me with such eyes. It was your grandmother who saved you, who gave you another chance at life. If you cannot even appreciate this in your heart, what difference is there between you and your aunt?"
As her words fell, Chunyu Huai took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing the anger within, and when he spoke, his originally clear voice became neither male nor female, neither warm nor cold.
"Just say what you want me to do."
Seeing this attitude, the Old Mother furrowed her brow again.
"Look at how you are now, your eyes filled only with resentment. As for your thoughts, they are probably not as agile as before! What do you want me to do? Your grandmother wouldn't dare ask you to do anything! With your current mindset, you would likely ruin my affairs a second time just to feel satisfied!"
Chunyu Huai's repeated reactions seemed to truly infuriate the Old Mother.
She scolded angrily, but before Chunyu Huai could respond differently, the Old Mother suddenly stopped.
Then, she relaxed completely, as if all her energy had been drained.
Weary, she waved her hand towards Chunyu Huai.
"Go, go summon the elder of the Yan family, Yan Jianming's third uncle!"
Hearing the command, Chunyu Huai did not respond whether he would go or not, but simply turned and walked outside.
After a while, he arrived at the door, moving quickly and slowly.
Suddenly, he could no longer contain his laughter.
"Ha—ha—grandmother, you are old, you are old!"
Before he could finish laughing, a fierce wind swept in from behind, causing Chunyu Huai's face to turn pale as he staggered, hurriedly exiting the Dao Palace, no longer allowing the Old Mother to see his figure or hear his voice.
In place, the Old Mother merely raised her hand, gently rubbing her brow.
It seemed there were endless sighs, which finally turned into a whisper.
"Creating calamities..."