Chapter 122: A Reunion (Please Subscribe)

"Fellow Daoist? Is something the matter?"

Fang Su noticed the unusual behavior of the person behind him. Like Liu Ding, this man had an exotic appearance and a chilling aura, yet this did not arouse his suspicion. After all, the transformation Lu Qian had undergone was vastly different from his true self, and his current appearance also differed from the one he had worn at the Tongyou Temple.

Lu Qian snapped out of his daze and laughed, "Oh, my apologies, my mind wandered for a moment. This place of yours is truly remarkable; if I had come here alone, I would never have found it."

"This is the Dark Street," Fang Su explained with a smile.

The Dark Street was a type of construction-based sorcery. When cities were built, designated individuals would carve out a specific area, concealing it with secret arts to house ghosts, spirits, and demons, thereby preventing friction with the mortal population. This was how the Dark Street came to be. Not every city had one; they generally existed only where practitioners gathered.

"Come, please follow me," Fang Su said, turning to lead the way as the group followed closely behind.

Ahead lay a dim, narrow alley shrouded in a thin mist. Cold moonlight filtered through the thick, dark fog, casting a sliver of light onto the path. At the end of the alley stood a three-story stilt house. Red lanterns hung from the eaves, casting a crimson glow that stained the ground below. The building faced them squarely, its vermilion doors like the maw of a bloodthirsty beast.

As the doors slowly creaked open, a wave of bustling noise surged forth: laughter, jeers, the clatter of bowls and chopsticks, and the scraping of chairs. The hall was packed with patrons, most with bizarre appearances—ox-heads and horse-faces, young boys and zombies. Aside from those from the Tongyou Temple, there were various rogue cultivators present.

The moment Fang Su entered, people flocked to greet him.

"Deacon Fang is here!"
"Greetings, Deacon Fang. Do you remember me?"
"Oh my, what a rare guest!" a still-charming procuress hurried forward.

This was the territory of the Tongyou Temple, and as one of the Eight Great Deacons, it was only natural for everyone to curry favor with Fang Su.

Lu Qian scanned the room. The quality of these rogue cultivators was mediocre; most were at the Fetal Breath stage, a few at the Qi Refining stage, and only one or two possessed profound auras, likely at the Spirit Cultivation level. Their strength was nowhere near that of the Myriad Phenomena Island; Lu Qian alone could have wiped them all out.

"Bring out your finest dishes," Fang Su laughed.

As they took their seats, a waiter poured them each a glass of deep blue liquid. The drink emitted wisps of vapor that coalesced into the shape of a sorrowful young maiden, her eyes lingering on the guests as she gazed back at them. Fang Su took a deep breath, inhaling the vapor, then drained the glass in one gulp.

"Ah, this Ghost Tear Wine is truly exquisite," Fang Su sighed in satisfaction.

Lu Qian did the same, downing the cup. A cooling chill swept through him, instantly clearing his mind and solidifying his Yin Spirit. Afterward, various spiritual delicacies and medicinal treasures were served. While not exactly rare, they were local specialties. The cities under the Spirit Garden were mostly hubs for supplying spiritual food and fairy herbs. If he guessed correctly, this must be the territory of the Quiet Master.

With fine wine and beauties nearby, Lu Qian had no heart for enjoyment. His mind drifted far away. The aura of his Blood-Seal Dao Soldiers was becoming increasingly frequent. This place was barely three hundred miles from Tongquan City—could it be Xie Han and the others? The aura of the soldiers was chaotic and flickering, occasionally vanishing entirely; it seemed they were in danger.

A hundred miles outside Tongquan City, in the depths of a dark, dense forest, a figure leaped back and forth with incredible speed. The figure wore a black cloak and had a petite frame, her slender physique barely visible beneath wide sleeves. Moonlight caught her hood, revealing only a small, fair chin. Behind the woman followed several black-scaled, long-toothed Dao Soldiers.

*Whoosh!*
*Boom!*

A bolt of Yin fire flew out, exploding beside them. Dust and debris scattered as the emerald fire engulfed several soldiers.

"Black Eagle!" the woman cried out sharply.

Her hood slipped, revealing a delicate, refined face. Though her features were soft and beautiful, her eyes were resolute, giving her a heroic air. Had Lu Qian been there, he would have recognized her as Xie Yue, whom he had not seen for many days.

*Screech!*

A piercing cry echoed from the sky. A human-headed monster hawk with a wingspan of over ten feet shrieked, spitting out a gale of cyan Yin wind to destroy the incoming fire. But the number of Yin fire bolts in the sky was overwhelming, and they moved with blinding speed. Like falling stars from a galaxy, they rained down and exploded before the monster hawk.

*Boom!*

The monster hawk was struck, coughing up blood as it nearly plummeted to the ground.

"Sister!" Xie Yue chanted an incantation, and five emerald fireballs appeared around her, rising into the air to block the incoming barrage.

The smoke cleared below, revealing a fierce-looking water python Dao Soldier and two subordinates who had survived.

"Cough, cough... Young Miss, I am fine," Black Eagle spat out blood.

"Heh heh, don't struggle, beauties. Why not just surrender and become my cultivation vessels? I won't treat you badly," a lecherous male voice echoed from the void.

A massive, oppressive aura descended, growing closer by the second, weighing on everyone's hearts like a heavy stone.

"Black Eagle, take the others and block the pursuers. Spare no cost," Xie Yue commanded coldly.

Her words signaled that she was sacrificing Black Eagle and the others to buy time. Xie Yue was as ruthless and selfish as ever. Once turned into Dao Soldiers, their loyalty to Lu Qian was absolute, but she would sacrifice anyone if it served her master's interests.

Black Eagle's expression remained unchanged as he knelt and saluted. "Take care, young misses!"

With that, he turned resolutely and charged toward the enemy.

*Bang!*

An explosion sounded, and the presence of Black Eagle and his men vanished entirely.

"Damn it! Don't let me catch you, or I'll make you little bitches learn the meaning of cruelty!" the man's furious voice rang out from above. The delay had bought them some distance, but the pursuer’s cultivation was clearly superior; catching them was only a matter of time.

"Damn it, and we had finally gotten news of Master," Xie Yue gritted her teeth, filled with frustration.

They had been fleeing for a long time. They had stumbled upon the Fish-Dragon emblem of the Weiwu Escort Agency and followed the clues to its headquarters, where they learned from Xie Han and the others that their master was on Myriad Phenomena Island. Crossing the river required three hundred Dharma Coins, so they had been staying there to cultivate and save up. Inevitably, this led to killing others for their treasures. A few days ago, a Spirit Cultivation practitioner had taken a liking to their beauty, wiped out the Weiwu Escort Agency, and had been hunting them ever since. If not for the fact that he wanted them alive, they would have perished long ago.

As the two women fled, Lu Qian, on the other side, had just finished his meal.

"Fellow Daoist, you should rest at the inn for a while. It won't be too late to leave tomorrow," Fang Su said with a smile. Even though the man was a rogue cultivator, he maintained the proper courtesies.

"Don't worry, the guest rooms here are set up like small caves, complete with gathering arrays and concealment arrays. You needn't worry about being disturbed," the waiter added.

"What do you think?" Liu Ding looked at Lu Qian.

Liu Ding wore a smile, but he was in a foul mood. This trip had given him a taste of the arrogance of the great sects. It was clear that their interests were aligned and cooperation was the best choice, yet the other side maintained an attitude of "my way or the highway," disdaining to discuss details.

"That will do. One night won't change much," Lu Qian laughed.

The aura of his Dao Soldiers had diminished further, and he was anxious to go and investigate. It wasn't that the soldiers were irreplaceable—with his current level of cultivation, he could produce dozens more just like them—but talent was hard to come by. He was sitting on over two hundred thousand in funds and dared not spend them recklessly for fear of being discovered. He needed people to manage his affairs and handle the laundering of his illicit gains. The scheming Xie Han, the ruthless Xie Yue—even the slightly lesser Xie Yue and Black Eagle were rare talents. Mo Chou, coming from a humble background, was too narrow-minded and could only serve as a maid.

Back in the quiet room, Lu Qian sat cross-legged. His Yin Spirit quietly left his body, possessed a passing bird, and flew several miles before transferring into a paper doll. His Yin Spirit hovered in the sky, gazing toward the direction of the flickering auras, then sped toward them. He moved with such velocity that he often arrived before the sound of his movement could be heard.

*Boom!*

Another explosion of Yin fire. Xie Yue finally reached her limit and fell heavily to the ground. Xie Yue's dantian was drained of its last bit of true energy, and she slumped powerlessly against a large rock.

A beam of light descended from the sky, revealing a dwarf in yellow Taoist robes, his face covered in pockmarks. The man had a wretched air, and the moment he landed, he cast a spell to freeze the two women in place.

"Little beauties, I've finally caught you," the dwarf Taoist sneered.

"Just you wait, Master will avenge us!" Xie Yue hissed.

"Master? What master?" The dwarf Taoist laughed as if he had heard the greatest joke. "Even your master would have to kneel and kowtow before me! Hahaha!"

With that, the Taoist tossed out a rope, intending to bind them.

*Whoosh!*

Suddenly, a gust of Yin wind blew the rope away. A Taoist in black robes appeared before the two women, his features refined and his eyes clear.

The Taoist smiled lightly. "I heard someone wanted me to kowtow?"