"Marquis Nanlong is connected to the Tianji Gate? Fellow Daoist Yun, you never mentioned this before!" The old woman's expression shifted slightly as she asked, while the black-faced man also showed a look of shock and anger.
"Did I not? Perhaps this old man was simply careless and let it slip. In any case, my old friend here hasn't truly joined the Tianji Gate. If you two are still concerned, you're more than welcome to join our sect. Once you become elders of the Ghost Spirit Gate, the Tianji Gate won't be able to lay a finger on you!" The old man surnamed Yun smiled faintly and spoke in an unhurried manner.
"Hmph! This old woman is already at such an age. I have no interest in being bound by anyone's rules anymore." The old woman let out a cold snort and flatly refused.
"I've grown accustomed to my lazy ways and likewise have no interest in joining your sect." The black-faced man furrowed his brows slightly and said calmly.
"What a pity! If you two were willing to join our Ghost Spirit Gate, it would surely give our sect a tremendous boost. I won't force either of you fellow Daoists. All that matters is that we kill Marquis Nanlong here — the Tianji Gate won't truly stand up for a dead man. It's just a pity that even though I've known Marquis Nanlong for over a hundred years, he kept his mouth shut tight about Devilfall Valley — not a single hint leaked. All I know is that somewhere in the hidden cave dwellings near here, there's a route map that Ancestor Cangkun used when entering and exiting Devilfall Valley. If we follow this map, our safety would be greatly assured. So when we give chase in a moment, don't destroy his Nascent Soul right away. I'll use the Soul Search technique to see if I can extract any more useful information." The old man was not angered by the two's refusal; instead, he casually shifted to a different topic.
"But what if the route map happens to be inside the jade box that the Han kid took? That could make things rather difficult, couldn't it?" Wang Tiangu said with a worried look.
"That's easy enough. At worst, we simply lay it all bare — let every sect in Tiannan know about it. When that happens, forget about the Righteous and Demonic factions — even the Heavenly Dao Alliance will come demanding the map. Then we can fish in troubled waters. A mere Luoyun Sect thinks it can hog the treasures of Devilfall Valley all to itself? Let's see if they've got such an appetite! Compared to that route map, I'm far more interested in whatever news about Devilfall Valley is locked inside Marquis Nanlong's head. Even if everyone ends up knowing how to enter Devilfall Valley, as long as we have that information, we'll still hold a major advantage." The old man surnamed Yun said slowly.
"If it really is that unlucky, then we'll have no choice but to go that route. But before that, we could always try to buy back the route map from him at a price. After all, nothing in this world is beyond trade — even if we've already made enemies of each other." After a moment's thought, Wang Tiangu offered his own view.
"Heh heh! Junior Brother Wang speaks more reasonably than this old brother of yours. But speaking of which, that kid's abilities are truly bizarre. Is he really about the same age as our Nephew Wang? From what I've seen of his combat experience, he's far more cunning than us old fogies — even Fellow Daoist You fell for his tricks. In a one-on-one fight, I'm not sure I could handle him either." The old man surnamed Yun let out a long breath and murmured.
"I asked Chan'er about him. This person was originally just an ordinary disciple of the Yellow Maple Valley, and his cultivation was indeed only at the Foundation Establishment stage. As for why he's suddenly skyrocketed to such extraordinary power — that remains unclear. But if this kid hadn't been far more formidable than we ever imagined, and hadn't stirred up trouble, how could we have let Marquis Nanlong escape so easily with our combined efforts?" Wang Tiangu's eyes flickered, revealing a trace of vexation.
He was clearly recalling how Han Li had attacked them with the black mountain peak and then deployed the Grand Mystic Divine Restriction to block them at the end!
Hearing this, the old woman and the others could only smile bitterly.
"Speaking of which, let's go back and release Fellow Daoist You from his seal first. With his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, he should still be saveable. Also, I'm somewhat worried about my nephew. The black-red light blade that the Han kid released just before leaving — it looked somewhat like my own Demonic Blood Slash! I wonder if it caused any serious damage!" Wang Tiangu continued with another suggestion.
"Fair enough. We can't sense them right now anyway, so let's go back and check on things first. Once my friend Marquis Nanlong's concealment technique wears off, we can still catch up in time." The old man surnamed Yun nodded in agreement.
With that, the group summoned their flight lights once more and soared into the passage.
In the blink of an eye, they returned to the ruins of the Yiji Pavilion. They found Yan Ruyan half-crouched there, looking completely at a loss, while Wang Chan lay face-down on the nearby ground, motionless.
"What happened? Was Chan'er hit in a vital spot?" Wang Tiangu asked, his voice turning cold the moment he saw the scene. Remarkably, even now his tone remained exceptionally calm.
"No, but my husband's legs..." Yan Ruyan said hesitantly, a trace of anxiety showing on her face.
Wang Tiangu stepped forward a few paces and looked. His brows knotted tightly.
Wang Chan's legs had been severed just below the knees, and the two severed calves lay beside him. Strangely, not a single drop of blood had been spilled.
"My husband and I had already activated the protective blood mist of the Blood Spirit Great Technique, but I have no idea what secret art that person used. It was impossibly fast — reaching us in the blink of an eye — and the blood mist couldn't obstruct it in the slightest. My husband barely managed to leap halfway up, dodging a waist-level slash. But his legs..." Yan Ruyan said helplessly.
"Since that's the case, why didn't you use a technique to reattach his limbs right away? You should know that spell." Wang Tiangu asked darkly.
"I tried several limb-rejoining techniques, but for some reason they had absolutely no effect — the limbs simply wouldn't reattach. Although no blood was flowing from the cuts, a wisp of dark energy gathered at the wound and refused to dissipate, no matter what I did! That's probably why the spells failed, and it's also why my husband lost consciousness." Yan Ruyan knitted her delicate brows uncertainly.
"Oh, that's quite possible. With the two of you joining forces plus the protection of the Blood Spirit Great Technique, how could ordinary attacks possibly harm you? Let me take a look." Wang Tiangu's expression softened as he focused his gaze on Wang Chan's wounds.
Sure enough, at the wound sites on Wang Chan's severed legs, a faint wisp of dark energy flickered in and out of sight.
Wang Tiangu raised a hand, dark light flickering across his five fingers, and gently clawed toward the dark energy. A pea-sized ball of black qi materialized out of thin air at his fingertip.
He had originally intended to casually burn away this evil energy with his true fire, but after a sudden thought occurred to him, he patted his waist with his other hand, and a small bottle appeared in his palm.
Wang Tiangu wrapped the faintly black qi wisp with his spiritual power and guided it into the bottle's opening.
With a soft whoosh, the dark energy was sucked into the bottle, which was then carefully put away.
It seemed that Wang Tiangu intended to study this substance later, so as to gain some understanding of Han Li's techniques.