Chapter 33

Meanwhile, in Jiangyuan City, at the Cangnan Marquis Manor, in a secret room.

A middle-aged man, around forty years old, with black hair and beard, and a rather handsome appearance, sat on a wooden chair with his eyes slightly closed, seemingly dozing off. Three steps in front of him, Marquis Cangnan Liu Xiu, with his hair and beard both white, was speaking respectfully.

The middle-aged man appeared to be sitting casually, but if you closed your eyes and used your soul perception, you would find that there was no one on the chair, only a sword. This was a phenomenon that occurred when a sword cultivator reached a certain level.

After a long while, the middle-aged man suddenly opened his eyes, with a faint sword light flickering in his pupils, and said, "A hidden sect! No wonder Tianyimen and Bingxue Sect temporarily ignored Cangnan County and instead went to look for the nine Huaxia."

"Ancestor! I used this matter to buy time until you arrived. Otherwise, whether Tianyimen and Bingxue Sect would allow Cangnan County to wait for your appearance was really uncertain," Liu Xiu said respectfully.

The middle-aged man remained silent upon hearing this, frowning in deep thought. Liu Xiu did not dare to disturb him and stood quietly to one side.

After a dozen breaths, the middle-aged man took a deep breath and said with a serious expression, "The appearance of Huaxia Jiu, though it allowed you to successfully delay until I arrived, has also brought us a lot of trouble. If I'm not careful, I might even perish here!"

Liu Xiu's face changed drastically upon hearing this, and he exclaimed, "Why—why is that?"

The middle-aged man glanced at Liu Xiu and said, "This time, to save time, I didn't bring any helpers. With my strength, I can defeat the two elders of Tianyimen and Bingxue Sect, but this place is within their territory. If the two of them call for reinforcements from their sects, and more Out-of-the-Corporeal Realm experts come, I naturally won't be a match for them."

The middle-aged man waved his hand to cut off Liu Xiu's attempt to speak and continued, "Originally, with the prestige of our Ziyao Sect, even if I appeared here alone, the people from Tianyimen and Bingxue Sect wouldn't dare to risk offending our Ziyao Sect for the sake of Cangnan County. However, this matter involves the hidden sects in the Cangman Mountains. Ordinary cultivators below the Out-of-the-Corporeal Realm don't know about it, but Yu Kunshun and He Mingsheng should know. This hidden sect is involved in a major secret of the cultivation world, a secret that could cause a bloodbath. Therefore, the sects of these two people might be willing to offend our Ziyao Sect, or even kill me, to get what they want."

Liu Xiu's face turned pale upon hearing the middle-aged man's words, and he became extremely serious.

"Ancestor! If that's the case, why don't we just give up Cangnan County? I will gather the main family members and leave with you tonight," Liu Xiu said solemnly.

"Hmph! This matter isn't without a turning point. The people from Tianyimen and Bingxue Sect don't know I'm here. They are in the open, while I am in the dark, which is my greatest advantage. Moreover, the people from those two sects clearly don't get along and harbor mutual animosity. I can wait for them to weaken each other and then strike, preventing them from calling for reinforcements, or I can take advantage of the situation and gain the benefits of a third party," the middle-aged man said with a cold laugh.

Liu Xiu took a deep breath, knowing that his ancestor was probably already tempted by greed. He sighed inwardly and said, "Ancestor! What do you think I should do to assist you?"

The middle-aged man looked at Liu Xiu approvingly and said, "First, you need to control everyone who knows of my existence, and it's best to make them disappear to prevent any information from leaking. Then, you must fully engage with the people from Tianyimen and Bingxue Sect and try to stir up conflict between the two sects, making them attack each other."

Liu Xiu felt bitter in his heart upon hearing this but didn't dare to say anything. After agreeing, he respectfully left. However, he knew that besides himself, only the four army commanders knew about the ancestor's arrival. These four were loyal to him and had supported him for most of his life. How could he bring himself to harm them? But he didn't dare to disobey the ancestor's orders, so he was in a very conflicted state.

At this moment, a guard ran in hurriedly and said, "Marquis! Several immortals have appeared in the council hall and are asking you to come quickly, or they will kill everyone in the manor."

Liu Xiu's face turned ashen upon hearing this, and he cursed inwardly as he rushed to the council hall.

...

Three hours later, Huaxia Jiu had already left the encirclement in the Cangman Mountains and reached the outskirts.

Huaxia Jiu no longer had any reservations and directly used the Wind Walking Technique to bypass the beast tide, rushing towards the Cangman Plain.

The journey was relatively smooth. Along the way, many fierce birds and beasts attacked, but Huaxia Jiu easily turned them into ice with his Ice Arrow Technique, shattering them into pieces. Even a dozen flying wolf demons that he encountered were easily dealt with.

...

Deep into the night, the sky was filled with stars, and two bright moons illuminated the earth.

Under the moonlight, a figure rushed out of the Cangman Mountains and sped towards the Cangman Plain.

Upon reaching the Cangman Plain, Huaxia Jiu finally felt a great relief, having completely escaped the pursuit and obstruction of the fierce beasts and demons. However, after using the Wind Walking Technique and Ice Arrow Technique for a long time, more than half of his true essence in his dantian was depleted. He needed to find a safe place to recover his true essence.

At this moment, he suddenly felt that the ground beneath his feet was familiar. Upon closer inspection, he realized that this place was not far from Tang Family Town. A month ago, the mini camera installed on the highest building in Tang Family Town had transmitted images of this area to the electronic brain.

Huaxia Jiu's heart stirred, and he slightly adjusted his direction, heading towards the ruins of Tang Family Town.

After about half an incense stick's time, in the Dark God Temple beneath the Tang Family Town cemetery.

Huaxia Jiu sat on the altar, eyes slightly closed, and began to meditate to recover his true essence.

An hour later, Huaxia Jiu's true essence was restored. He opened his eyes and carefully examined the patterns and designs carved on the altar.

A month ago, when Huaxia Jiu saw these patterns and designs, he only found them somewhat strange. Now, besides the strangeness, he sensed a deep and profound aura. However, with his current level and knowledge, he couldn't discern the specific content.

Huaxia Jiu memorized the patterns and designs on the altar and then destroyed the altar and the temple, mixing them with the ruins of Tang Family Town, leaving no trace of the Dark God Temple. Only then did he leave Tang Family Town and head towards Jiangyuan City.

...

Time passed slowly, and the night gradually faded, with the sky turning a pale white.

In Jiangyuan City, at the Cangnan Marquis Manor, the council hall was brightly lit, the lights not having been extinguished all night.

Elder Yu Kunshun of Tianyimen and Elder He Mingsheng of Bingxue Sect sat in the main seats, seemingly dozing off. The four disciples who originally stood behind them looked slightly tired and coldly watched the others in the hall.

Liu Xiu, sitting at the lower end, appeared to be dozing off on the wooden chair, but in reality, he was constantly paying attention to Yu Kunshun and He Mingsheng while thinking about the task his ancestor had given him to stir up conflict between the two. He was secretly anxious.

Next to Liu Xiu, Xu Jianhong, with a pale face, sat on the ground, using martial arts techniques to quietly recover from his injuries.

In the middle of the hall, Tang Guanshu and the other nine people were huddled together, sleeping without any decorum.

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