At this moment, seeing Chu Weiyang's imposing aura, Du Zhan found himself at a loss for words.
Should he claim to be the true disciple of Danhe Valley? Yet this person before him was clearly a practitioner of the demonic path.
What if he had enmity with Danhe Valley?
But if he said he wasn't, he had just lured him here with his words, and perhaps this person would be even more ruthless than the three before him...
The damp mist enveloped in the swirling winds made the atmosphere heavy.
Especially for someone like Du Zhan, a true disciple from Danhe Valley, he could distinctly smell the rich, almost suffocating scent of blood emanating from Chu Weiyang.
He couldn't help but wonder how many lives this person had taken and how much blood he had stained along the way...
The more he sensed this, the more horrified and anxious Du Zhan became, unsure of what to say.
At that moment, the middle-aged man’s expression turned grim.
He scrutinized Chu Weiyang with a serious demeanor, but deep down, he was still unwilling to back down.
Gritting his teeth, he forced a sneer and spoke, “Fellow Daoist, everything must have its order. I have yet to finish my discussion with Daoist Du. Must we create unnecessary complications?”
Despite being intimidated by Chu Weiyang's overwhelming presence, the middle-aged man, who had previously shown great ferocity, now spoke with a tone of testing, hiding a knife within his words, yet still leaving room for negotiation.
However, he did not understand why the demonic path was called the demonic path.
From beginning to end, Chu Weiyang did not even glance at the middle-aged man.
Suddenly, a gust of demonic wind arose beside him, carrying with it a thick dust that, under the dim sky, revealed a myriad of colors.
Following that, amidst the fierce wind, the girl in the hood, Qing He, soared into the air!
In an instant, amidst the swirling mist and dust, Qing He’s cold and crisp voice rang out. “My master is speaking with someone. You blind fool, what right do you have to interrupt?”
As her words fell, without giving the middle-aged man a chance to respond, her water sleeves swayed like phoenix clouds, wrapping the three of them in the colorful dust that swirled in the demonic wind.
Meanwhile, Chu Weiyang continued to gaze at the so-called disciple of Danhe Valley, Du Zhan.
Du Zhan had been in a daze for quite some time, trapped in a life-and-death crisis, yet he remained so sluggish and foolish.
Such a person, could he truly be a disciple of Danhe Valley?
But upon reflection, this sect also practiced the path of internal and external alchemy, albeit with an emphasis on external alchemy.
Perhaps in such a path, character and virtue were secondary, and more importance was placed on a cultivator's talent in external alchemy.
Realizing this, Chu Weiyang instinctively furrowed his brows.
However, seeing the change in Chu Weiyang's expression, Du Zhan had a different thought.
Indeed, he was a person of the demonic sect.
I merely fell silent for a moment, and he lost patience.
That person only said a single sentence, and the woman beside him suddenly struck...
Looking at this woman’s movements, she must be a disciple of Baihua Tower, yet she referred to the cultivator before her as “master”...
The more he pondered, the more Chu Weiyang's lean and cold figure appeared to grow taller in Du Zhan's eyes.
At that moment, a chilling breeze swept past, causing Du Zhan to shiver.
He dared not delay any longer and cautiously addressed Chu Weiyang, “Dare I ask, fellow Daoist, I am the direct disciple of Danhe Valley, named Du Zhan! This is true and not false; my words will be validated by the karma and fortune! If you still do not believe me, I can swear an oath!”
His last words were directly ignored; such tricks were ones Chu Weiyang had already seen through.
Yet he believed Du Zhan's words because he too had caught a whiff of a rich medicinal fragrance.
The person before him seemed as if he had just emerged from a medicinal cauldron; if he were not a disciple of Danhe Valley, he must be an extraordinary sickly person who rarely appeared in a hundred years.
Thus, Chu Weiyang quietly nodded.
In his hollow eyes, a flicker of spiritual light appeared, accompanied by a surge of heavy emotions.
“I do not know that person's name, but back in the He Yuan market, when I was caught in a storm of despair, the shopkeeper of Huichun Pavilion generously gifted me a pot of Baicao Po Ya Dan, saying it was to help me forge a good relationship with the Alchemy Sect.”
Upon hearing this, Du Zhan's figure suddenly relaxed.
He trembled at the corners of his mouth, and in an instant, he felt an inexplicable emotion swell in his heart, stirring genuine sorrow, causing his eyes to redden as if he were about to shed tears.
Yet, Chu Weiyang's voice continued to resonate, calm and unhurried.
“I accepted that pot of Baicao Po Ya Dan. Today, Daoist Du, I wish to conclude this karma with your sect.”
As his words fell, Chu Weiyang's figure suddenly vanished into the overlapping mist.
Not only was it due to the rapid movement of the azure spiritual light, but also because of the cultivation of the Nine Faced Xuan Gui Tai Yi Spell, which made Chu Weiyang's presence increasingly ethereal.
In the next moment, following the direction of the azure spiritual light, a blurred figure leaped through the layers of mist.
When Du Zhan looked closely again, he saw three dark arrows slicing through the layered mist.
The poison and thick mist swirling around them, regardless of which kind of Dao technique's spiritual light, made Du Zhan's heart race with fear.
But this was not the end.
Within the vortex of demonic wind, as Chu Weiyang made his move, in the blink of an eye, the hazy dust dispersed.
Now observing more closely, he saw that Qing He had raised her hand, using her magical power to grasp three Qiankun Bags.
Looking again, the sea was stained red with blood, and the three corpses had already sunk silently into the deep sea.
Meanwhile, Chu Weiyang used a translucent round mirror to shine into the sea, and in an instant, three streams of gray light condensed into a torrent, flowing towards the round mirror.
Not only did the cooperation between the two appear remarkably harmonious, but the smoothness of their actions—looting, scavenging, and capturing souls—was so familiar and experienced that Du Zhan dared not continue to think further.
In that brief moment of observation, the three streams of gray torrents gradually became more solid under the illumination of the translucent round mirror, gradually revealing the dim light of true spirits swirling within.
What suddenly emerged was the mournful howling of souls.
Such demonic actions made Du Zhan shiver with fear.
At that moment, after carefully examining the souls within the round mirror, Chu Weiyang's lips curled into a faint smile, yet his hollow eyes turned to Du Zhan.
“Hmm, Daoist Du, helping others to the end, you are injured and may not be able to travel far. We two wish to go to Zhenhai Dao City to avoid this disaster. Daoist, where do you wish to go?”
“Fellow Daoist, in fact, even if we return to Tianwu Dao City, it may be difficult to avoid this disaster. Perhaps it is because you are rushing back from the outer sea. According to many elders and senior brothers in the sect, there may be a beast tide brewing in the outer sea.
Earlier, two waves have already swept through. If that is the case, the seventy-two Zhenhai Dao Cities may already be on high alert. According to the sect's records, at that time, the city lords of the seventy-two Dao Cities will issue Golden Core decrees, requiring all cultivators east of Baoping River to guard the Dao Cities.
At that time, the city walls of the Dao City will be the true frontline where human cultivators clash with the overwhelming demon beasts, while the outer sea will inevitably become a purgatory! Alas, I regret not heeding the elders' warnings, thinking of the spiritual herbs I planted on the island. This risky journey nearly cost me my life.”
At this moment, a lone boat sailed through the waves.
At the bow stood Chu Weiyang and Qing He side by side, while Du Zhan sat in the narrow cabin, rummaging through various bottles and jars from his Qiankun Bags, occasionally popping one or two pills into his mouth, while spilling out his thoughts like pouring beans.
Perhaps Du Zhan had realized that, recalling their past good fortune, Chu Weiyang had no intention of treating him harshly; perhaps the recent life-and-death calamity had truly shaken his Dao heart, making him increasingly restless and eager to find someone to talk to, to ease the surging emotions within.
Under Chu Weiyang's gaze, as he swallowed one precious pill after another, his complexion suddenly became rosy.
Seeing that his earlier words had elicited no response from either Chu Weiyang or Qing He, he thought for a moment and suddenly spoke again.
“I’ve come to understand that perhaps you do not fully believe in swearing oaths. That’s fine. When we reach Tianwu Dao City, the main hall of Danhe Valley is located right within it!
A life-saving grace, a great kindness that requires no thanks. At that time, our sect will surely express its gratitude! Since Huichun Pavilion can open in the markets of the north and south, you should know that our sect has never distinguished between the profound and the mundane, only recognizing kindness!
But at that time, there will inevitably be some formalities and pleasantries to exchange. It would be best for us to share our names. I have already mentioned my identity; I see this fairy must be a disciple of Baihua Tower, but I do not know your...”
Upon hearing this, Chu Weiyang did not show any anger at being probed about his background; in fact, he spoke as if it were a matter of little consequence.
“Hmm... I am surnamed Chu. As for my origins... in the Dao City, one must abide by the rules of the Dao City, and it has nothing to do with the rules of sharing names among the disciples of the sacred lands. You may simply consider me a loose cultivator from the Yuan Sect.”
Chu Weiyang spoke with certainty, but Du Zhan's face was filled with disbelief.
His eyes roamed back and forth between Chu Weiyang and Qing He without concealing his skepticism.
No matter how renowned Baihua Tower was, it was still a major sect of the Yuan Sect.
How could a major sect's disciple possibly defer to a loose cultivator from the Yuan Sect?
At this moment, as if sensing Du Zhan's thoughts, Qing He smiled gracefully, stepping behind Chu Weiyang and placing her hand on his shoulder.
From beneath her hood, a somewhat mischievous laughter emerged.
“This is a new business that Baihua Tower has recently planned, playing with such new tricks, the latest way to have fun in the gold cave. But who could have known I would encounter Senior Brother Chu, and thus be captivated by his talent, so I shamelessly insisted on following him, without asking for a single coin, and perhaps even offering more...”
Before she could finish her sentence, Qing He’s laughter became uncontrollable.
For her, this was perhaps a very new way to express many things she had often heard in the past but had never said.
Yet, as Qing He laughed, Du Zhan in the cabin seemed to believe it wholeheartedly.
Soon after, the admiration in Du Zhan's gaze towards Chu Weiyang transformed into awe.