Chapter 78

"Was there fruit on that piece of wood? I just consumed its divine soul; I didn't see any fruit." Lu Xiaodeng followed behind him, and upon hearing his complaint, she suddenly spoke up.

Ge Pi immediately stopped, turned around, and looked at her with shock, his lips trembling as he said, "It was actually you. We've been searching for its divine soul all along but couldn't find it. You actually found it and ate it."

Lu Xiaodeng patted his shoulder to comfort him, "Don't be upset. Anyway, there's a bright future waiting for you. The more you accomplish here, the more you'll be valued when you return."

"What kind of situation is this?" Already dragged into the mess, Ge Pi couldn't back out even if he wanted to. He could only lead her up the mountain path in silence, avoiding any disciples they might encounter.

Looking up at the not-so-tall mountain peak under the dark night, Lu Xiaodeng smacked her lips and said, "I never thought the Tianling Sect would have a Condensation Void Realm. It seems they've made quite a bit from selling spirit pets."

"This isn't a Condensation Void Realm. It's just a teleportation array. Normally, we teleport from the Immortal Lotus Lake to the cave, and when we come out, we're on this mountain. Don't think it's far away; it's actually not far from the Tianling Sect. If you fly, it only takes half an hour." Ge Pi explained. The kind of realm that burns crystal clusters, how could the Guiling Sect manage that? A teleportation array is enough, simple and convenient.

Although the place chosen by the Guiling Sect isn't far from the Tianling Sect, it's a piece of yin land, of lower quality, but it's still decent for them. It's surrounded by a forest full of decaying leaves and poisonous insects, with toxic gas floating in the air. There's nothing of value, so no cultivators would come here.

Occasionally, someone might wander in by mistake, but they are killed, and even their yuan shen isn't allowed to escape. They're afraid that cultivators flying overhead might see and come out of curiosity, so they keep the spirit protection array active. From the outside, it looks like a layer of dirty yellow smoke covering the area, making it seem like there's nothing there.

Fortunately, from inside the Guiling Sect, the yellow smoke isn't visible, otherwise, they'd have to live in a dim place all year. Cultivators of evil sects don't want to live in a perpetually dark and terrifying place, never seeing the sun. Even those who practice necromancy need to air out their corpses regularly to prevent a strong stench.

From Ge Pi, Lu Xiaodeng learned that most of the Guiling Sect's disciples usually operate within the Tianling Sect. They don't come here unless there's something to do. Ge Pi usually lived in the Tianling Sect and only came here temporarily after failing a mission in Taoxian City.

His master was originally the leader of the Guiling Sect but handed over the position to his junior brother to focus on advancing to the Spirit Transformation stage. Handling too many trivial matters left him no time to cultivate, so it was better to step down early.

Moreover, once he successfully advanced to the Spirit Transformation stage, his task would be to serve as the sect's treasure, occasionally releasing his aura to intimidate others. He wouldn't be involved in management, as it would diminish his mystique.

The Lincai Pheasant egg that Lu Xiaodeng wanted to find had caught the eye of Ge Pi's master, who was waiting for it to hatch and then take it as a spirit pet. The only chance to steal the egg was in the next few days; otherwise, there would be no opportunity.

"Your master, without the black wood fruit, still has the mood to take a spirit pet. It seems he has a broad mind." Lu Xiaodeng thought he was wrong. In such a sad situation, he should find a corner to cry and ignore the egg, making it easier for her.

"What are you talking about? My senior brother almost died. If he hadn't begged for mercy and shown some usefulness, he would have become a soul corpse by now." Ge Pi felt a chill down his back thinking about it. Fortunately, he wasn't the one leading the mission, or his master's hatred would have made death a better option. Being turned into a soul corpse and living as a puppet for life would be even worse.

Hearing this, Lu Xiaodeng asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why do I always hear that cultivators of evil sects love to kill, even their own disciples, and are all so irritable? Could it be from taking too many fiery pills?"

Ge Pi stopped, looking at her speechless, "We cultivate evil arts and often absorb souls. How can we have fiery tempers? This is just a matter of personal character. There are also friendly and loving fellow disciples. Not everyone is like that."

"But you can't deny that you are very handy at killing fellow disciples, with no pressure at all." Lu Xiaodeng didn't believe it. How could all the irritable people gather together?

"Who would think of becoming a cultivator of an evil sect if they were good? As long as they want to kill, anything can be an excuse. An irritable temper is the easiest to use. Once they kill, they never think of an excuse. It's the righteous sects that find it unreasonable and force a reason. In fact, what reason does a madman have for doing anything?" Ge Pi, who saw evil cultivators every day, understood better than she did. The surface-level stuff was just what outsiders imposed; they were only after power.

Lu Xiaodeng nodded thoughtfully. Indeed, such words were hard to understand. If she couldn't understand, she wouldn't bother.

Suddenly, Ge Pi in front of her stopped and waved to her. She quickly jumped into the bushes and crouched motionless. Two disciples of the Guiling Sect walked over. Fortunately, Lu Xiaodeng had already covered herself with branches, or she would have been exposed.

The two disciples saw Ge Pi and bowed, saying, "Little Uncle, why are you here so late?"

"I just returned from the Tianling Sect. I want to see Master but am a bit afraid to go. Although the failure of this mission was my senior brother's responsibility, I didn't help him, and I feel very guilty." Ge Pi wanted to get rid of them quickly, so his words were different from his usual attitude.

"Little Uncle thinking so much about Senior Uncle, he will surely be happy. We need to return to the Tianling Sect, so we won't disturb you." The two disciples exchanged glances, thinking that this useless Little Uncle was afraid of being scolded and was saying nice things. Unfortunately, Senior Uncle was punished, and he wouldn't give him a good face.

Ge Pi nodded with his hands behind his back, "Go quickly."

The two disciples walked past him and suddenly remembered something, turning back to say, "Little Uncle, we heard that the Lincai Pheasant egg is about to hatch. The Sect Leader True Immortal is going into seclusion to subdue it and won't see anyone after midnight."

"Understood." Ge Pi was very sensitive. Hearing this, he thought it was a reminder not to disturb his master, fearing that the bird might mistake him for its master. Although the reminder was friendly, he felt it was mocking him for being naive.

"Then we'll take our leave." The two disciples, having reminded him, turned and left down the mountain path.

He stood there watching them leave until they were completely out of sight, then turned to talk about the egg. Just as he turned, he saw Lu Xiaodeng already running out, staring at him, which gave him a big scare.

"What are you doing? What if someone finds out?" How could she just run out? Ge Pi almost died from fright. If they were exposed, he would be in trouble too.

Lu Xiaodeng asked, "Those two said the egg is about to hatch, and your master is going into seclusion?"

"Yes, if he's in seclusion, we can't get in, and it's almost impossible to get the egg. If not, you can try to lay another one. It's better than taking the risk." Ge Pi thought it was impossible to take the egg back and suggested leaving together. They could inform the righteous sects of their hiding place, which would be better than acting recklessly.

"There are no males, how can I lay another one?" Lu Xiaodeng realized that everyone had the same idea. When she said it, it didn't seem strange, but hearing it from him made her want to punch him.

Ge Pi was speechless, just looking at her without saying anything. He wanted to leave, but if his master found out he betrayed him, he would die a terrible death. He needed to find someone to protect him quickly.

"If the spirit protection array disappears, the toxins outside will come in, right?" Lu Xiaodeng looked at the yellow fog in the distance and asked.

"Of course. The toxins have accumulated over the years. Using spirit energy to protect oneself can only last a short while. We don't go there ourselves; we only act when someone intrudes. No one wants to get close." He knew this well, having lived here since childhood. The outer forest was a dead zone.

Staring at the forest for a long time, Lu Xiaodeng suddenly said, "Draw a map for me, marking everything here, including where everyone lives. Then go out and find the Ming Sect to earn merit."

Ge Pi was surprised, "The Ming Sect is also here to attack us?"

"Of course. The Ming Sect is the largest sect in your state. Do you think they would stand by while you wreak havoc here? Don't think only the young sect leader came; the Ming Sect's Spirit Transformation stage True Immortal is already here. You're in a tight spot now." She didn't know the Ming Sect's plans but assumed that a large sect like the Ming Sect would have Spirit Transformation stage cultivators. Even the Yunjian Sect had several, let alone a top-tier sect.

With the situation at this point, Ge Pi decided to completely abandon the Guiling Sect and join the righteous path. Without a word, he took out a spirit paper and quickly drew a map. His skills were poor, but it was勉强还能看看.

"This is the map of the Guiling Sect. The entrance and exit are either by breaking the spirit protection array or through the Immortal Lotus Lake." Ge Pi didn't ask what she planned to do here, fearing that if he spoke too much, he might be left behind to help. His cultivation was too low for such dangerous tasks.

"Understood, you can go now." Lu Xiaodeng put away the map, patted his shoulder, and a faint, light fragrance wafted over. The scent was very pleasant, something Ge Pi had never smelled before, much better than the female cultivators in the sect. He took a deep breath, but before he could savor it, he felt dizzy, swayed, and fell to the ground.

Lu Xiaodeng dragged him into the bushes, covered him with leaves, and buried him completely. She then patted the dust off her clothes and looked at the pile of leaves, saying, "Sorry, I don't know who you'll report to, so it's better to wait for me to come back and take you out together."

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