At this moment, Chu Weiyang secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the Danhe Valley Daozi Du Zhan seemed to lack any ulterior motives; he was somewhat simple-minded, yet still perceptive enough not to be foolish.
In the blink of an eye, their silent cooperation spared Chu Weiyang from much hassle regarding his footing.
As expected, when Chu Weiyang stepped forward to take the jade talisman, the Xuanjia Dao Soldier did not say anything further.
He understood the gravity of the situation, knowing that with the impending disaster, it was fine to offend anyone, but it was crucial not to offend the disciples of the Dan Sect. At a critical moment, a single precious dan could be the chance for survival.
With a flick of his hand, he took out another jade talisman and handed it to Miss Qinghe.
The Xuanjia Dao Soldier then sincerely clasped his fists towards Du Zhan, respectfully bowing before turning around and walking back across the waves.
Since Du Zhan began speaking, the Dao Soldier had not mentioned any edicts or talismans. Even after handing over two jade talismans, he had not arranged anything for Chu Weiyang and Miss Qinghe.
What Du Zhan said seemed to be tacitly acknowledged by the Dao Soldier.
Standing still, Chu Weiyang quietly held the jade talisman.
It wasn't until the Dao Soldier had completely walked away and vanished from sight that Chu Weiyang lifted the jade talisman, tentatively extending a thread of divine sense to probe it.
As expected, the moment the divine sense intertwined with the spiritual light, Chu Weiyang immediately sensed a change akin to that of a jade slip. A clear stream of spiritual light filled his mind.
Soon, points of bright light splashed forth, allowing Chu Weiyang to glimpse a series of hazy, indistinct characters. No matter how closely he examined them, he could never see those characters clearly. In no time, the jade talisman seemed to still be sensing the changes in the distant Dao rhythm, continuously adjusting the blurred characters.
Meanwhile, Du Zhan smiled as he looked at Chu Weiyang.
"Brother Chu, this jade talisman must be kept safe. May I ask if Brother knows that we cultivators receiving the Dao City talismans are not merely doing hard labor for nothing? This beast tide is indeed a disaster, but conversely, it is also an opportunity for some.
Guarding the Dao City and slaying demon beasts will all be recorded as merits. At that time, many precious materials that are hard to find in ordinary times, even secret techniques that are priceless, will fall within the scope of merit exchange, and can be spent in the shops of various sects.
It is said that this jade talisman is also a type of spiritual object related to formations and arrays, with the true mechanisms sealed within the Dao City. However, it is quite responsive; any cultivator within the Dao City can use the jade talisman to evaluate and calculate their merit rewards.
Brother just used divine sense to probe it; did you see those hazy characters? It is not yet the time when the disaster truly descends and the beast tide truly begins. When that time comes, the characters within this jade talisman will become clear."
As he spoke, perhaps thinking of some benefits, Du Zhan's smile widened, and his eyebrows danced with excitement.
"What I just said was not merely to placate the Dao Soldiers of Tianwu Dao City. In fact, I had such an idea myself—to place both of your identities under our Dan Sect. As a Daozi, I can still make this decision.
You must understand, when the disaster descends, countless cultivators will gather in the Dao City, and at that time, under the control of the Dao Soldiers, there will always be some tasks that are not rewarding, some that are risky, and some that will be in vain...
But if you are under our Dan Sect, not to mention that the Dan Sect is a crucial place during the disaster, and no one dares to offend it, just my identity as Daozi means I won't arrange any arduous tasks for you. Naturally, it will be easier, and you will still earn merits.
Even the same tasks arranged under the Dan Sect, if they pass through my hands, I could even report three points of merit more for you. The Dao City will turn a blind eye, and all these matters will be benefits!"
As he spoke, Du Zhan raised the Dan Sect jade talisman in his hand, slowly releasing a stream of spiritual light.
Chu Weiyang did not avoid it; instead, he actively lifted the jade talisman to receive the stream of spiritual light.
Seeing this, Du Zhan broke into a smile, his eyes nearly disappearing in delight.
"Brother Chu, the life-saving grace I owe you is unforgettable. This is not something that can be repaid with just a past kindness. The matter of the jade talisman is merely a small effort. Once we enter the Dao City, there will surely be further rewards!"
From this, it seemed that the seemingly naive Du Daozi still understood some human sentiments.
Hearing this, Chu Weiyang simply smiled calmly.
He did not refuse Du Zhan's goodwill, nor did he reject the Dan Sect's reward.
As their conversation ended, they drew closer to the dock. With the ship slowly advancing through the currents, when he looked up again, he could already see the outline of the coastal embankment.
At this moment, the first two waves had already crashed down before the crowd reached the Dao City.
Upon closer inspection, the originally intact embankment was not exactly broken, but there were clearly visible cracks and blemishes on the giant stones. On the stone path behind the embankment, many blue stones had directly shattered.
At this time, the people of the Dao City had no time to repair these minor details.
Large piles of nearly rotting ordinary demon fish corpses were stacked outside the city gate like small mountains, and further away on the seawall, there were still many unprocessed corpses, piled up on the embankment.
The blood, already turned dark red, flowed along the cracked surface of the seawall, as if the originally smooth stone surface had been coated with a layer of sticky oil. Just one glance made one feel filthy and uncomfortable.
In a fleeting glance, Chu Weiyang could even vaguely see some human shapes among the piled demon beast corpses.
Some were relatively intact, but others were destined to be incomplete.
Finally, looking at a group of Dao Soldiers still along the coastline, tirelessly dragging nets from the sea, many broken bodies of demon snakes were clearly visible in the large nets they struggled to pull.
Chu Weiyang murmured softly, and when he came back to his senses, the dock of Tianwu Dao City was already before him.
Meanwhile.
In the deep sea.
Above the Serpent Cave at the seabed, howling winds swirled with heavy water vapor. Within the layered mist, it seemed as if the air itself began to carry a heavy weight.
The water vapor, resembling white jade clouds, piled up in layers, and at first glance, it appeared as if the curtain of water vapor spanning the heavens and earth had transformed into nine layers of cloud steps.
At this moment, at the very top of the cloud steps stood a gaunt old man, draped in an eagle feather brown cloak, wearing a finely scaled silver robe beneath, leaning on a black wood serpent staff, standing atop the swirling water vapor as if he were amidst the sea of clouds.
The old man faced westward, seemingly gazing towards the direction of the Town Sea Seventy-Two Dao Cities.
Suddenly, amidst the swirling mist, a stream of spiritual light shot through the air.
As it approached the old man, he abruptly raised his arm, and with fingers of dry skin twitching, he lightly pointed at the spiritual light.
In an instant, the spiritual light scattered, and the area was suddenly filled with bright light. Following that, a hazy, indistinct voice emerged from within, sounding as if it were coming from half a world away.
Upon hearing this, the old man calmly nodded. When he spoke again, his voice was clearly human, yet it had a buzzing, tearing quality.
As his words fell, there was a long silence within the spiritual light, and the old serpent passed over this topic, continuing to ask.
As soon as he finished speaking, the hazy voice within the spiritual light immediately responded.
The old serpent then casually nodded and asked:
Within the spiritual light, the vague voice was somewhat sluggish:
The old serpent pressed on:
The vague voice within the spiritual light paused, as if pondering something, or perhaps avoiding the spiritual light while inquiring about someone. After a brief silence, the person finally spoke.
Upon hearing this, the old serpent chuckled softly.
This time, before the old serpent could finish his question, the vague voice within the spiritual light promptly responded.
Hearing this, the old serpent visibly relaxed.
He grinned, a rare smile appearing on his face, and at this moment, he squinted at the floating spiritual light.
Upon hearing this, the increasingly dimming bright light carried the person's increasingly vague voice.
Thus, the old serpent nodded in satisfaction, lowering his head to gently stroke the intricate serpent scale patterns on his black wood serpent staff. Finally, in a hoarse voice, it seemed he was comforting the vague voice within the spiritual light, or perhaps speaking to himself.