Chapter 80: You Take the Stage After I’m Done, the Dust Settles, and the Truth is Revealed

One moment it was mountains and rivers, the next it was a land of yellow sand.

The sand dunes rose and fell, like they were covered in white frost under the moonlight.

After traveling together for a distance, Ning Xuan saw nearly two hundred camels waiting quietly on a distant sand ridge. Two of them were hung with many water bags and food.

Old Man Lan Yu’s expression was serious and angry. He mounted the foremost camel, with no intention of saying goodbye to the two of them again.

Instead, from beside the radical faction’s Cold Pond Granny, a young man with thin lips and sword-like eyebrows walked out and stood before the two, saying, “My name is A Sui.”

Lu Xuezhi said, “I recognize you. Senior Brother Qin told me about you. You are one of the only two fourth-grade experts of the younger generation in the Five Poisons Sect.”

The young man named A Sui clenched his fists, smiling to reveal his white teeth, and said confidently, “Not one of the only two fourth-grade, but the strongest fourth-grade of the younger generation. The other one… you don’t need to befriend.”

As he spoke, Ning Xuan felt an icy gaze, devoid of killing intent, cast from not far away.

The owner of this gaze was clearly the other young fourth-grade expert.

It seemed the relationship between these two was perhaps not bad.

A Sui pointed to the two camels loaded with supplies and said, “You two should leave quickly, no need to worry. The Shanmo Sect’s palace is right under our noses. We have a full grasp of how many demons are in that palace. There won’t be many variables.”

After speaking, he smiled confidently and at the same time, winked at Ning Xuan, giving him a look.

Ning Xuan was taken aback, then followed up, “If there’s a chance, when we come to Suizhou, my wife and I will have a good drink and chat with Brother Sui.”

A Sui laughed heartily, “I haven’t tasted the wine of the Central Plains yet. I’ll definitely come!”

After speaking, he suddenly fumbled in his robes and took out a booklet. The paper was rather thick, not the common white paper of the Central Plains, but a type of paper with texture, a primitive simplicity, and considerable toughness, bound with animal hide.

He looked at the booklet, handed it over with both hands, and said, “We didn’t have a chance to get acquainted in the inner village, but we will definitely have dealings in the future. This item is a record of my insights on the path of cultivation. I’m giving it to you two, and I also look forward to you breaking through the third grade and entering the fourth grade soon.

In the ancient records, our fourth grade actually has a name.

The Life-Establishing Realm.

This is also what the ancient books call the divide between immortal and mortal. Only by stepping into the Life-Establishing Realm and increasing one’s lifespan can one be considered to have truly begun cultivating.”

Ning Xuan took the booklet and flipped through it briefly. The ink was not new, and the recording times were clearly different. As for the content, he glanced at it and saw a sentence: A martial artist senses heaven and earth, momentarily forgets the small self, and obtains the true self, merging with heaven and earth. This is the Yang Soul Body. The completion of the Yang Soul Body is the initial stage of the Life-Establishing Realm.

There were also simple diagrams below.

He saw a small figure sitting cross-legged, opening its mouth to spit out a fiery red giant serpent. That giant serpent was not a physical entity.

Recalling the battle with Qin Shan Jun that day, Qin Shan Jun had spewed out a scorching breath that directly helped him increase his constitution by 0.5. He roughly understood what kind of realm this so-called “divide between immortal and mortal,” the initial stage of the fourth-grade Life-Establishing Realm, was.

The second grade was to build a foundation with flesh and blood, to forge one’s own yang qi;

The third grade was the first attempt to come into contact with the yang qi of heaven and earth;

This fourth-grade Life-Establishing Realm was to use “one’s own yang qi” as the seed of life, and the “yang qi of heaven and earth” as the womb, to then gestate one’s own Yang Soul Body.

More mysteries and obstacles within still needed to be explored slowly, but with just one glance, he already had a general understanding in his heart.

Once a martial artist had a Yang Soul Body, even if they were suppressed, they would not be afraid.

Though the body is suppressed, the Yang Soul Body is outside…

Presumably, the fourth grade was the realm where one could officially wrestle with the Taiyin Ghosts.

Ning Xuan hadn’t expected this surprise gain. He put away the booklet and said, “Many thanks.”

A Sui waved his hand, said, “Leave with peace of mind,” then turned and walked away.

Soon, the disciples of the Five Poisons Sect over there mounted their camels one by one.

Ning Xuan held the booklet and sensed it carefully. Feeling no abnormalities, he was about to put it away when a hand suddenly reached out from the side—Lu Xuezhi’s hand.

Lu Xuezhi snorted through her nose, “Hmm?”

Ning Xuan handed her the booklet.

Only then did Lu Xuezhi nod with satisfaction. She then pushed it back with her hand and said, “Keep it with you for now. Give it to me later when we rest.”

As she spoke, her usually disdainful and cold expression suddenly showed a bit of mischievousness. She leaned over like a little fox, her watery eyes glancing towards the departing camel caravan, and whispered, “Husband, why don’t we follow them and take a look?”

Ning Xuan was amused.

Even when his wife pretended to be a fox, she was a stupid fox.

He scanned his surroundings, then looked at the booklet in his hand.

That fourth-grade expert named A Sui just now had clearly come to genuinely befriend them. His purpose in gifting such a booklet was also so that he could contact them after he rose to power in the future.

The Five Poisons Sect had big problems, but there were also many people in the Five Poisons Sect who were not a problem.

Just now, A Sui had given him a look, saying “it’s all under our control,” and then said “leave with peace of mind,” as if hinting at something.

Clearly, everyone had their own plans and thoughts.

But without a doubt, the undercurrent beneath the Shanmo Sect was about to erupt completely. Everyone’s calculations would shift from the dark to the light, and this moment would be extremely dangerous. No one could guarantee they would survive.

And the stupid wife still wanted to go…

Ning Xuan swung himself onto a camel.

The conversation with A Sui had slightly improved his mood.

There were sober people in the Five Poisons Sect, and there were people making plans in places he couldn’t see.

However, he would not be careless.

He sensed for a moment and felt a perception locking onto him from the direction of the distant camel caravan. He knew that even if he continued to play dumb and not move, or secretly sneak back to the Five Poisons Sect, it would be useless, at least for now.

“Let’s go too.”

“Where to?”

“Back to the Central Plains.”

Lu Xuezhi immediately became sullen. She really wanted to ignore her husband and secretly follow them, to cause a ruckus at the Shanmo Palace and look for Senior Brother Qin. But thinking of the outcome of her previous arbitrary decision, she could only say angrily, “Fine, I’ll listen to you!”

And so, the two camels started moving.

After walking for a short while, Ning Xuan directly took the water bags and supplies off the camels, packed them into a large bag that he carried himself, then drove the camels away. He glanced south and said, “Let’s go this way.”

Although Lu Xuezhi was stupid, her stupidity didn’t mean she couldn’t recognize the way.

“South? Shouldn’t we be heading east to get to the Central Plains?”

“Right, we’re going south. I’ve checked the map and learned about the south. There’s a small place called Ba Country, separated from the desert by a mountain named Changya. The scenery of Changya Mountain is nice, let’s go take a look.”

Ning Xuan’s plan was to take a big detour through Changya Mountain to return to the Central Plains, instead of the predetermined western route.

He would rather spend more time taking a long way around than take a route that could be predicted.

However, he felt that doing so might still be useless.

If it were him wanting to ambush someone, he wouldn’t bet on which road they would take. After all, in this great desert, there were many paths to take; he couldn’t possibly set up a precise ambush.

The only way was to follow them, and then, once the time was right, strike immediately.

However, the good news was that he currently didn’t feel any tracking presence.

Nevertheless, Ning Xuan still rode the camel for a short while before driving it away, and now said, “Wife, don’t ask anything, just run! Run south! Run until tomorrow morning, then we can rest.”

Although Lu Xuezhi was quite angry that her will was not being followed, she was still willing to obey.

The two of them started running quickly.

Under the silvery moonlight frost, the two figures were like leopards, bodies low and arched, hunting, their speed extremely fast…

But this speed did not last long before it stopped with Ning Xuan’s halt.

Lu Xuezhi also became vigilant, sensing her surroundings.

She didn’t smell any demonic qi, but she heard an endless rustling sound. These sounds were definitely not accidental or a chance encounter, because they were surrounding them from all directions, from several li away. They originated from the ground, a buzzing cauldron of noise, clearly some kind of strange insect.

The sound of these tiny noises was like a tidal wave.

Ning Xuan stood his ground.

Since the enemy had appeared, he wouldn’t run around randomly, but would observe instead.

At this moment, he had also come to a sudden realization about the enemy’s methods.

Along the way, he hadn’t sensed any demonic qi because the opponent was controlling these strange insects from a very, very far distance.

The insects had no demonic qi, so no one sensed them.

But these insects had already formed a super-large encirclement, trapping him within it from the very beginning.

The only exit was the road from the Five Poisons Sect to the Shanmo Sect.

As long as he and Lu Xuezhi followed the Five Poisons Sect in that direction, they could leave the encirclement of these insects.

But… this was precisely the path he and Lu Xuezhi could not take.

Therefore, no matter which way they went, they would fall into the encirclement.

The moment they were forced to leave the Five Poisons Sect, they had already entered the encirclement.

Just then, a voice suddenly came to Ning Xuan’s ear.

“Husband, the second-grade Crane Pill I took allows me to fly for a while.”

Lu Xuezhi suddenly said.

She could carry her husband and fly out of this encirclement, but her speed would slow down after flying, and with nowhere to borrow force in mid-air, she would become a living target.

“Get on quickly. While I’m flying, you watch the surroundings.”

Lu Xuezhi urged.

And just then, the dense rustling sound grew closer. The desert under the moonlight was stirred up into a black fog. Looking closely, the black fog was actually composed of strange insects with wings and a metallic luster.

“We can’t fly anymore.” Lu Xuezhi bit her lip, then directly assumed a fighting stance. There was no discouragement or despair in her eyes; instead, they burned with a fierce fighting spirit.

“To catch the thief, first catch the king. For these insects to be able to surround us like this, there must be a person or demon controlling them. Husband, one of us will provide cover, the other will find the person behind the scenes and kill them.”

Lu Xuezhi quickly formulated another plan, then said, “You cover, I’ll behead.”

Ning Xuan finally discovered another one of his wife’s merits.

Besides being very likable to her elders, having a huge background, and having a straightforward personality, she would never whine when facing an enemy. At the same time, she would adapt to the situation and formulate one plan after another that, at least on the surface, had no discernible flaws. This was much better than Immortal Aunt Yaozhen.

Ning Xuan unhesitatingly summoned the [Gong Siji] Heavenly Demon Record, instantly raising his constitution to 29.99.

He released his perception, but still couldn’t sense the location of the insect controller.

Boom!

A golden light suddenly swelled, transforming into a Golden Body Bodhisattva.

The Bodhisattva grabbed Lu Xuezhi, held her in the palm of its left hand, and rushed rapidly south.

Using running to break through and baiting out the enemy during the pull was a basic combat sense.

The reason it was west was because Ning Xuan believed the enemy’s initial ambush focus was very likely in the west.

By heading west, he was more likely to encounter the insect controller.

In an instant, the Bodhisattva’s golden body collided with the buzzing black fog.

Immediately after, Ning Xuan felt his incense power decrease.

Looking again, my goodness, the surface of his Bodhisattva golden body had become pitted. Those strange insects were actually gnawing on the incense power.

The opponent had long known his information; this was a targeted ambush.

Swoosh!!

The Ruyi Saber flew out in an instant, one saber becoming a thousand, a thousand sabers circling his body.

If you see the enemy, go for a one-hit kill. If you don’t see them, show weakness. This was also basic combat sense.

Ding ding ding ding!

The sounds rang out.

Ning Xuan’s golden body, surrounded by the flying sabers, rushed for another thousand zhang. And just then, he suddenly felt that the number of flying sabers had decreased.

Paying closer attention, those strange insects not only gnawed on incense power, but also on the flying sabers. The extremely fast blade fragments were already covered with insects, gnawed into a pockmarked mess.

Ning Xuan was startled.

What kind of strange insects were these?

Nevertheless, he continued westward.

The golden body and the Ruyi Saber were damaged. The former could be replenished, which was fine, but the latter made his heart ache a little.

The two sides continued to pull back and forth for more than ten breaths. Just as Ning Xuan’s golden body and Ruyi Saber had suffered considerable damage, he finally heard the sound of a flute. The ethereal and strange flute sound was drifting gently over the frost-covered yellow sand.

Ning Xuan’s perception moved, landing in the direction of the flute sound.

He saw a black shadow.

He instantly gathered the remaining fragments of the Ruyi Saber and shot them towards the black shadow.

The black shadow, its position discovered, was not flustered. The ethereal flute sound suddenly became sharp and piercing. The sky-covering black strange insects were like two sky-covering giant hands closing in.

The Ruyi Saber plunged into the center of the dense strange insects.

Ch-ch-ch-ch!

Clang clang clang clang clang!

Bang bang!

Strange noises continued.

The Ruyi Saber disappeared at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The strange insects that had eaten the Ruyi Saber showed an even deeper black luster, which made the insects that hadn’t eaten it squeeze in even more desperately, as if the Ruyi Saber was an extremely delicious food.

Disappearing along with the Ruyi Saber was the Bodhisattva’s golden body.

The golden body was melting, corroding. When it was dozens of zhang away from the black shadow, it finally couldn’t withstand the gnawing. Its right arm fell off, and the Bodhisattva’s head also fell into the yellow sand with a “thud,” and was instantly covered with black strange insects.

And the left arm was also on the verge of collapse.

Lu Xuezhi’s figure suddenly moved. She positioned herself in the palm of the crumbling left hand, her sharp gaze fixed on the distant black shadow. After sensing that there were still many black insects between them, she gave up the idea of attacking from this distance and instead fell from mid-air with a boom.

As soon as she landed, she stomped hard on the ground. The ground trembled, and frost mixed with sand flew up.

“Hoo!”

She blew out sharply.

Toad Power.

She had chosen the Toad Power in the inner village of the Five Poisons Sect, and in these few days, she had actually practiced it to a decent level, at least usable in actual combat.

The frosty yellow sand instantly transformed into a huge shield, pressing towards the flute-playing black shadow.

The insects along the way were all sent flying.

Lu Xuezhi’s mind was clear. Her delicate body tensed, and she was about to continue rushing forward to execute her Great Python Bite.

But just then, she froze.

Because the shield formed by her Toad Power wrapped in yellow sand and frost had not been able to reach the flute-playing black shadow. The shield had already collapsed when it was only halfway there.

A dense mass of black insects still separated her from the black shadow.

Lu Xuezhi let out a delicate shout.

She didn’t care anymore.

She was going to charge straight in.

In a life-and-death battle, how could there be so much to consider? If she couldn’t retreat, then she would kill a bloody path! Her husband had already brought her this far; the rest was up to her.

And just at that moment, she suddenly felt her collar being grabbed by a hand, and then she heard a soft exhalation.

The exhalation was very light, but after it was released, it turned into a howling, violent hurricane.

The next moment, the desert between her and the black shadow was as if brutally crushed by the palm of a giant god. Yellow sand and frost danced wildly in the sky, forming one shield after another. Even those black insects were swept up by this power and became part of the shields.

Boom!!

Everything was cleared!

Lu Xuezhi was stunned, subconsciously turning her head in disbelief, and then saw Ning Xuan’s calm face.

Lu Xuezhi’s beautiful eyes widened, her small mouth opened, and her entire face was filled with bewilderment and stupor.

A hundred zhang was the distance for Ning Xuan to reveal his true intentions.

Since he had arrived, he would not be polite.

The next moment, in Lu Xuezhi’s eyes, the black shadow opposite suddenly began to walk stiffly and mechanically. The black shadow did nothing, just walked towards the two of them, as if being controlled by something.

At the same time, strangely, as the black shadow walked, the sand under its feet was still surging like a spring, rustling and arching upwards. It was obvious there was something unusual under its feet.

In the next instant, Lu Xuezhi covered her mouth in shock, because the husband by her side, who was clearly only at the second grade, had already rushed out. His figure fixed into several hundred forms in mid-air, then merged into one. An extremely explosive leg whip viciously lashed at the black shadow’s neck.

Boom!!

The black shadow didn’t move. Taking the full force, its body twisted. The revealed fox demon head and body were like a small tree bent over, instantly tilting and crashing to the ground, becoming an unrecognizable mass of flesh and blood.

The leg whip landed, smashing fiercely onto the arched yellow sand. Another heavy force exploded without a gap. This explosion was like a meteor falling into the vast sea, stirring up a monstrous wave. The sand waves parted like an angry tide, revealing a huge, stooped old figure beneath.

Wearing dried yak hide, with a curved spine and a fleshy hump, holding a cane with a tied bronze bell in his left hand—who else could this old man be but the image of the Shanmo Sect’s Hunchbacked Mountain Elder?

Bang!

The Hunchbacked Mountain Elder’s head was kicked askew.

Ning Xuan’s foot landed, and he kicked out continuously.

The Hunchbacked Mountain Elder was kicked out of the yellow sand, kicked into the air, and then, without any resistance, his golden body was shattered amidst Ning Xuan’s continuous explosive kicks, revealing a fat, silver rat demon within. Then, with another kick from Ning Xuan without any pause, it exploded.

Ning Xuan raised his hand and beckoned, but only managed to call back a few fragments of the Ruyi Saber.

Swish!

The fragments fell, dismembering the silver rat demon, which counted as a finishing blow.

These actions were completed in one go, filled with a sense of extremely fluid violence.

Immediately, Ning Xuan did not linger. He raised his hand and touched the blood of the two demons respectively.

Fox Demon, Life (Constitution) 20.

Rat Demon, Nature (Spirit) 21.

He closed his eyes slightly and instantly refined them.

During the refining process, he understood one thing: demons started to become weaker after entering the third grade, because all their power seemed to be simply piled up.

The rat demon had no other means; its incense golden body was just raised to the level of a third-grade power.

The fox demon had no breakthrough in its physical body. Its ability to control the insects was entirely dependent on that long flute magic treasure and a matching magic art—”Insect Taming Art.”

Ning Xuan quickly took the long flute magic treasure, refined it again, and then cast the Insect Taming Art.

The surrounding black fog buzzed and quickly flew over, drilling into the long flute magic treasure.

The long flute magic treasure looked to be just over a foot long, but inside it was a separate small space for an insect nest. In the insect nest, a huge black mother insect was constantly breeding small insects.

The small insects that had devoured the Ruyi Saber flew one by one to the black mother insect, and then spat out the blade fragments from their abdomens bit by bit, into the black mother insect’s mouth.

Ning Xuan glanced over it briefly, feeling emotional. At the same time, his understanding of the incense fire world deepened.

The treasure refining of the incense fire world was quite developed.

The main experts of the incense fire world were in the Buddhist Kingdom and the Daoist Court. These demons were just their vanguards.

The thought flashed by. Ning Xuan quickly tucked the long flute into his waist and casually named it “Insect Flute.”

This time, he had lost a Ruyi Saber but gained an Insect Flute. He didn’t know if it was a gain or a loss.

“Husband, you… you…” Lu Xuezhi looked at Ning Xuan foolishly, her little brain still processing the scene from just now.

Her husband had chosen the “spider” power, right?

But what her husband had just used…

…should have been four kinds of power.

Four powers in a chain, connected with extreme subtlety.

How was this possible?

Ning Xuan pulled Lu Xuezhi’s hand and said, “Stop spacing out, keep running south.”

A wave of fear washed over Lu Xuezhi’s heart.

Even if she had gotten close just now, she probably wouldn’t have succeeded.

Although she hadn’t seen how formidable the fox demon was, a terrifying rat demon was actually ambushing in the sand beneath its feet. No wonder the fox demon hadn’t moved; it was standing on top of the ambush itself, why would it need to move?

And the concentration of incense power emanating from that rat demon made her feel fear. It had clearly reached the third grade, yet such a rat demon was kicked to pieces by her husband in a few moves.

She gripped Ning Xuan’s hand even tighter, muttering from behind, “I’ll listen to you from now on.”

Although she was completely bewildered, she was also beginning to sense that something was wrong.

In this seemingly normal journey to the Five Poisons Sect, there seemed to be a deep and murderous undercurrent. So… where was the problem?

She didn’t understand where the problem was, but seeing her husband dragging her to run so urgently, she could also realize the seriousness of the problem.

However, she didn’t ask anymore.

Her husband seemed to be a little bit smarter than her, so it was fine to just listen to him.

The pale moonlight paved roads across the yellow sand.

The shadows of the sand dunes were like stark, jagged ghosts.

The night wind howled like wailing ghosts, foxes, and wolves.

Wisps and rolls of sand waves and snow waves intertwined, rushing, sometimes stopping, sometimes moving, ever-changing.

Ning Xuan suddenly stopped his steps.

Lu Xuezhi also hurriedly stopped.

At some point, an old man was standing under the moon not far away, leaning on a cane, looking at them from afar.

His figure was distorted and stretched long and slanted by the moonlight, like a ferocious midnight evil spirit.

The moonlight revealed the old man’s appearance.

He was actually kind and amiable, with crane-like hair and a youthful face. Lu Xuezhi saw it clearly. If it had been an hour ago, she would have happily shouted “Teacher,” but now… she couldn’t shout.

Her neck felt as if it were being choked by a dead person’s hand; she couldn’t utter a single word.

She only felt a chill all over her body, goosebumps rising in rows on her skin, and a strong sense of confusion, anger, and discomfort grew in her heart.

It was Ning Xuan who reacted quickly.

Ning Xuan smiled and shouted, “Teacher must be worried about us, so you specially came to see us off, right?”

“Heh…”

Old Man Lan Yu chuckled, “The back waves of the great river push the front waves…”

Lu Xuezhi was stunned. Old Man Lan Yu had said the same thing before when he was teaching the arts in the Five Poisons Sect. But at that time, it was encouragement and praise, but now it had a different feeling.

After speaking, Old Man Lan Yu added, “Xuezhi, in your heart, am I forever that teacher who single-handedly fought against the demon tide?”

Lu Xuezhi stammered, then suddenly said, “Teacher, shouldn’t you be on your way to the Shanmo Sect?!”

Old Man Lan Yu chuckled, “Don’t ask anything. Let’s go. I’ll take you to a place.”

Ning Xuan suddenly said, “Xuan Yin Fox.”

Old Man Lan Yu’s smile remained unchanged. He just nodded in approval, “You could even guess that? Heh, it’s Xuezhi’s good fortune to have found a husband like you.”

As he spoke, he seemed to think of something and added, “Xuezhi is always so fortunate, her fate is good.”

Ning Xuan said, “Then the one who went to the Shanmo Palace with the Five Poisons Sect was not you, but the Xuan Yin Fox in disguise.

Similarly, when Qin Shan Jun left in a hurry that day, he was also lured out by you.

The person who spoke by the swamp in the evening was also not him, but the Xuan Yin Fox as well.

You did this just to create an illusion that the reason Qin Shan Jun left in the evening was because he had investigated something during the day.

If not for this, many people would have noticed something unusual, because… there are not many people who can make Qin Shan Jun suddenly go out. And you are one of them.”

Old Man Lan Yu chuckled, his expression unchanged.

Seeing him tacitly agree, the image of the once powerful and respectable master in Lu Xuezhi’s heart began to rapidly collapse. She questioned, “Why… why are you willing to become a believer of demons!!”

Old Man Lan Yu looked at Ning Xuan and said, “Kid, you’re so good at guessing. Can you tell me why?”

Ning Xuan said, “Who said you have to become a demon believer to cooperate?”

Old Man Lan Yu was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, “Interesting! Interesting! You could even guess that! Truly interesting!”

He continued, “Shan Jun’s method of urinating on the Bodhisattva was something I told him, but… I am not a demon believer, so how could I have a flaw?”

Lu Xuezhi’s voice trembled, “You… you… since you are not a demon believer, why are you doing this?”

Old Man Lan Yu did not explain, but said, “Xuezhi, you are still too naive. Have you never thought of the possibility that the person who has been corresponding with you from beginning to end has always been me?

That’s why you didn’t notice.

That’s why you obediently walked into the trap.

Speaking of which, I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing that you married such a sharp-witted husband.

Originally, if you two had fainted in that oasis, the matter would have been over. It would have been nothing more than gaining the identity of a demon believer, but afterwards you would still enter the Five Poisons Sect to study. At that time, I would have truly taught you everything I know, and then you would have left safely and returned to the imperial court. Why… would it have to be like this now?”

He closed his eyes slightly and said, “I’ll give you two choices. One, obediently come with me for a trip. After it’s over, you will return to the imperial court unharmed; two, I’ll knock you out first, then drag you for a trip. How do you choose?”

The air was quiet, deathly still.

The whole truth had come to the surface.

All the dust seemed to have settled.

The mastermind behind the scenes stood here quietly, full of confidence.

Even if his prey had escaped the first trap, and the second trap, they would ultimately fall here.

The stories of bursting with blood in anger and turning the tables were, after all, only in fairy tales, ultimately unrealistic.

But…

A person’s background was not a fairy tale at all.

In just two or three breaths, the moonlit sky suddenly brightened.

This light was a dazzling gold, so brilliant it was as if the desert had suddenly welcomed the day.

The three of them subconsciously raised their heads at the same time, but also squinted their eyes at the same time, unable to look directly.

It was a terrifying palm that blotted out the sky and moon, descending from the heavens, glittering with golden light.

Old Man Lan Yu was stunned, his downcast pupils widened, revealing a look of disbelief. The next moment, his figure shot out like light towards Lu Xuezhi. At the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a huge, single-horned flood dragon emitting a scorching aura.

The long python was agile, and it shot out of the palm like lightning, then quickly coiled up towards the clouds.

In the next instant…

Bang!

Old Man Lan Yu was pressed firmly to the ground by the large golden hand, motionless. He did not struggle, did not scream, did not curse. Instead, he quietly closed his eyes, seeming to be manipulating some power, fighting in another battlefield.

But Ning Xuan and Lu Xuezhi were unharmed.

A rumbling sound came from the sky. It was a battle that Ning Xuan could no longer see, a fight that surpassed their comprehension…

But the fight still subsided quickly.

In the sky, following a painful cry from the single-horned flood dragon, Old Man Lan Yu, under the golden palm, suddenly opened his eyes, a hint of unwillingness in them.

Immediately after, the golden palm quickly shrank, grabbing Old Man Lan Yu fiercely, and then continued to transform into ropes, binding him.

A figure wrapped in a purple robe spiraled down from mid-air, looked down at the tightly bound Old Man Lan Yu, and said, “Long time no see.”

Lu Xuezhi looked at the purple-robed figure and said excitedly, “Mother!!”

At this moment, Ning Xuan was both surprised and not surprised at all. He bowed respectfully and said, “Your son-in-law, Ning Xuan, greets his mother-in-law.”

The purple-robed figure was a middle-aged beautiful woman, also with a cold and clear appearance, long legs, and a face that resembled a more mature Lu Xuezhi. The beautiful woman nodded at him and smiled warmly, “My name is Ruan Qingzhu, Xuezhi’s mother.”

After speaking, she beckoned again.

Lu Xuezhi ran to her side.

Ruan Qingzhu held her in her arms and said, “The human heart cannot contend with the number of years. When the end is near, one ultimately yearns to take another step. In the fourth-grade Life-Establishing Realm, one small realm increases lifespan by a sixty-year cycle. Deducting some scattered injuries and lost lifespan, your teacher should only have a dozen or so years left.”

Lu Xuezhi thought for a moment and said, “Then he is at the middle stage of the fourth-grade Life-Establishing Realm?”

Ruan Qingzhu said, “Correct. And it just so happens that due to the decline of the sect, many important resources have been snatched away by the incense fire world. So your teacher’s conscience has been tormented again and again, which is why he chose to cooperate with the demons, in order to exchange for a life-establishing wondrous item, to seek a breakthrough to the late stage and increase his lifespan by another sixty-year cycle.

Actually, his heart is not bad, and he can still be saved. I’ll take him back and have a look.”

Lu Xuezhi said, “That’s great.”

Old Man Lan Yu, however, was stunned, a strange and horrified look on his face. But before he could speak, the tightening golden silk rope suddenly extended much further, binding him completely, even sealing his mouth.

With a wave of Ruan Qingzhu’s hand, he floated up, and then quickly fell into the beautiful woman’s wide sleeve, disappearing without a trace.

“You still have companions in the Five Poisons Sect, right?”

Ruan Qingzhu said.

Ning Xuan nodded.

Ruan Qingzhu said, “Let’s go together, bring her back. This place is ultimately not a peaceful land.”

Immediately, with Lu Xuezhi leading the way, the three of them arrived at the entrance of the Five Poisons Sect.

With a wave of Ruan Qingzhu’s hand, the hidden entrance suddenly expanded into a conspicuous vortex.

Her figure moved, and she stepped into the vortex.

But suddenly… she was blocked.

Ning Xuan was stunned and also tried, but was also bounced back by a thick cover.

Ruan Qingzhu said, “The ancient sect’s mountain-sealing formation? When was it triggered? Forget it, it seems we can’t get in.”