Chapter 32

"Since Fellow Daoist Zhang has opened his Immortal Vein, we can now leave," Luo Xiao turned his head to listen to the commotion outside, finding no one approaching. It seemed they could take this opportunity to leave quietly.

However, Zhang Yan slowly and firmly shook his head and said, "We cannot leave yet."

Luo Xiao was taken aback and asked, "Why not?"

Zhang Yan's expression turned serious, and he said in a grave voice, "Du You's failure to open his vein will surely lead him to seek the culprit. If he learns that I have successfully opened my vein, he will certainly suspect something. A thorough investigation might expose our plan, so..." His voice became icy cold, "We must eliminate everyone here!"

His words were filled with a murderous intent, and Luo Xiao felt a chill in his heart. But after a moment's thought, he found Zhang Yan's words impractical. He sighed and advised, "Fellow Daoist Zhang, although your concerns are not without merit, this plan is too risky. Not to mention Du Bo, just the ten warriors and two Bright Qi stage cultivators by his side are not something we can handle."

Zhang Yan's eyes flickered, and he asked, "What if it were only Du Bo?"

Luo Xiao was taken aback, frowned, and thought for a moment before saying, "If it were only Du Bo... he is now exhausted and weak, and it's uncertain how much of his combat strength remains. If we can further drain him for two more days, I might be able to fight him with the two new magical treasures I have. Unfortunately, those twelve people are assisting him..."

She shook her head, feeling the hope was slim.

Zhang Yan smiled and lightly clapped his hands, saying, "In my eyes, those twelve are not a concern."

Luo Xiao sighed and said to Zhang Yan with a serious expression, "Fellow Daoist, although you have cut the golden lock and opened your vein, those twelve are not mere clay chickens or straw dogs. Can they be killed so easily? Especially the two Bright Qi stage cultivators, whose cultivation is still above yours. We have no chance of winning!"

Zhang Yan smiled slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist Luo, do not be anxious. I have a plan. We don't need to act ourselves; we can use Du Bo's hands to eliminate those twelve!"

Luo Xiao did not believe him at all, but when she saw Zhang Yan's confident smile, she could not help but say, "Tell me more."

Zhang Yan said, "Fellow Daoist, lean in closer."

Luo Xiao gave him a glare with a hint of annoyance in her eyes, smoothed her hair, and brought her smooth, jade-like ear close to Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan whispered a few words in her ear. Initially, Luo Xiao was indifferent, but gradually she became hesitant and uncertain, finally frowning in silence. Honestly, she could not be sure if Zhang Yan's plan would work.

Zhang Yan, however, was full of confidence and said, "Fellow Daoist, follow my plan, and it will surely succeed."

Seeing Zhang Yan's confident demeanor, Luo Xiao bit her lower lip and stomped her foot, saying, "I'll trust you this once. If it fails, I'll die with you, a pair of doomed lovers!"

Zhang Yan smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Luo, when you called me 'Fellow Daoist' before, it seemed forced, but now it sounds sincere."

Luo Xiao could not help but roll her eyes.

Zhang Yan said with a relaxed expression, "Although being a pair of doomed lovers is touching, wouldn't it be better to be free and happy like immortals? Fellow Daoist, relax. Do you think I would harm myself?"

Luo Xiao huffed and walked to Du You's side, unlocking the sealed meridians in his body one by one. Then, she turned her back to him and placed a golden dagger at his neck.

After being unconscious for two days, Du You finally woke up. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was startled, clearly realizing his situation.

With the golden dagger at his throat and unable to see his captor's face, his body trembled like a sieve, and he said in fear, "I am a descendant of the Du family of Helin. I don't know who you are, but we can talk. If you have any demands, the Du family will satisfy you."

Luo Xiao said coldly, "Oh, you can satisfy me? Then tell me, what secret techniques does the Du family use during the opening of the Immortal Vein?"

Du You's body shook, and he hesitated. Although the secret techniques were not the actual method for opening the Immortal Vein, they were passed down orally by family elders to make the process smoother. These techniques were the foundation of the family's survival, and outsiders were not allowed to know them.

Seeing that he did not speak, Luo Xiao pressed the golden dagger closer to his neck, and blood immediately flowed. Du You was terrified. He was just a young man who had never experienced such a situation. He still dreamed of immortality and did not want to die so easily. He hurriedly said, "Don't move, don't move. I will speak, I will speak..."

"If you lie, you know the consequences!"

Du You dared not be dishonest and immediately spilled everything he knew, like beans falling from a bamboo tube.

Luo Xiao, following Zhang Yan's instructions, asked many unrelated questions. Du You, unsure of the captor's intentions and not knowing their identity, did not dare to lie or deceive in the slightest.

When the questioning was almost over, Luo Xiao knocked Du You unconscious again and looked at Zhang Yan, seeking his opinion.

"From his performance, it seems this young man fears death and lacks resolve. He can be used for our purposes," seeing Du You's weak performance, Zhang Yan felt more confident. He narrowed his eyes and said, "Now, let's see how long Du Bo can hold out."

Two days later.

Du Bo took out the last bottle of pills from his sleeve and swallowed them all. A faint blue glow around his body intensified slightly. For four days, he had not slept, and the king clam continued to struggle, as if its energy was inexhaustible.

Du Bo did not dare to relax for a moment. If the king clam escaped, it would interfere with Du You's absorption of the mystic pearl. Minor issues like a mental breakdown were one thing, but a life-threatening injury was another.

Now, only Du Bo was left to contend with the king clam. The ten warriors, though they could take turns resting, could not persist like him. They all had unsteady feet and looked exhausted.

The two Bright Qi stage disciples, with the help of pills, were slightly better, but they also seemed unable to hold on much longer.

Initially, Du Bo estimated that Du You would absorb the mystic pearl in three days, but it was now the fourth day, and there was still no sign of movement. This made Du Bo uneasy.

Finally, at the appointed time, he could no longer hold back and shouted, "Nephew, are you well?"

After a short while, a voice like a wail came from inside, "Uncle Bo, I feel my cheeks burning, and my legs are stiff and immobile. I don't know why."

Hearing Du You speak, Du Bo breathed a slight sigh of relief but then frowned and said, "Nephew, this is due to the excessive power of the mystic pearl, causing the energy to stagnate and the heart fire to rise. Recite the 'Qi Descending Method' of the Du family. Strange, didn't your mother tell you about it?"

After a while, Du You's voice came again, "Mother did mention it, but I didn't pay much attention at the time. I only vaguely remember some parts, and I'm not sure if they are correct..." Then he loudly recited the method, but halfway through, he hesitated, as if he could not remember the rest.

Du Bo was silent for a moment, then said in a grave voice, "Nephew, don't worry. Uncle Bo will tell you another method, a secret technique passed down from your father. Remember it well, and don't miss a single word!"

He then recited the secret technique, which was usually kept confidential.

The two Bright Qi stage disciples were standing nearby. One of them seemed to realize something, and his face changed. Suddenly, he went mad, stopped suppressing the king clam, and ran towards the cave entrance.

However, before he could take two steps, a blue glow flashed and pierced through his chest, instantly taking his life.

The remaining people had various expressions. Some were confused, some were uncertain, and some were terrified, but all seemed to be in a state of turmoil.

Du Bo sighed inwardly, "I originally planned to let you live until I saw my nephew, but now... it doesn't matter. Killing one is the same as killing ten. I might as well kill them all!"

His eyes turned fierce, and the blue glow around him suddenly intensified. The surrounding people felt their breaths catch, as if something had struck the top of their heads. After a series of惨叫声，这些人全部头颅爆裂，倒地而死。

两只不断挣扎的贝王突然感到身上的压力一松，正要扑腾起来，蓝色玄光却卷了回来，将它们再次死死按在地上。

杜博胸膛剧烈起伏，呼呼喘着粗气，显然这番作为对他来说也是消耗极大。失去了众人的助力，他压制贝王愈加吃力，再下去恐怕就要伤及根基。他忍不住开口又问，“贤侄，刚才所说的法诀，可曾记得清楚？”

杜悠却没说话。

“贤侄？”杜博又问了一句。

等了半晌，就在他也感觉有些烦躁的时候，杜悠终于再次开口了，“博叔，我还有一处药力未炼化……”

杜博强忍住喉咙口泛上来的血气，想了想，涩声道：“再有一日，不可再拖了！”

“一日太短，博叔且宽心静候，至多再有两日便可！”

听到杜悠居然讨价还价，还不带商量的，杜博差点一口血喷出来，不禁苦笑一声，看来此番回去要用丹药调养个两三年才能恢复元气了。

而此时在洞府内，罗萧听到外面的惨叫声，确认那些人当真被杜博所杀时，她难以置信地说道：“真是如此？”

张衍却是一副早已料到了结果的模样，双手袍袖一振，道：“必会如此！”

别传心法才是一个家门的兴盛的根基所在，张衍知道，那些力士和明气期弟子也知道，所谓法不传六耳，今天他就是要借杜悠之口说出来，故意让这些人听到。

最为关键的一点是，这些人就算想有所回避都做不到。

因为杜博不允许！

杜悠原本来此是借贝王真露开脉，玄珠只是意外之喜，算起来应是凕沧派掌门之物，他们这是私心窃取，不问自盗，事后一定会想方设法遮掩，不让此事泄露出去，所以身边所带诸人尽在将要斩除的名单中，杜博怎么可能放任让这些人离开自己的身侧？

万一他们心生异心，向外侧的凕沧派弟子说起此事怎么办？

张衍最后说道：“我之所为，不过借势用力，使得杜博想做而未做之事提前一步罢了。”

话虽如此，但他却果真逼得杜博动手杀了这些人，而不用自己出一分力气。

罗萧又惊又佩，今天算是见识了一番张衍的心机智谋，不自觉中对他的信任又多了几分，不禁问道：“道友准备何时动手？”

张衍目光闪动了一下，微笑道：“不急，且再磨一磨此人。”

在接下来的三天中，每当杜博出声发问时，杜悠总有这般那般理由推脱。

终于，杜博发现不对劲了。

……

……

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After a series of惨叫声，these people all had their heads burst open and fell to the ground, dead.

The two struggling king clams suddenly felt the pressure on them ease and were about to pounce, but the blue glow returned, pinning them down again.

Du Bo's chest heaved violently, and he panted heavily, clearly exhausted from the effort. Without the assistance of the others, suppressing the king clams became even more difficult, and he feared he would soon be injured at the root. He could not help but ask again, "Nephew, have you remembered the method I just told you clearly?"

Du You did not respond.

"Uncle Bo?" Du Bo asked again.

After a long wait, just as he was starting to feel frustrated, Du You finally spoke again, "Uncle Bo, I still have one part of the medicine that hasn't been refined yet..."

Du Bo forced down the blood rising in his throat, thought for a moment, and said in a hoarse voice, "One more day, no more delays!"

"One day is too short. Uncle Bo, please be patient. It will take at most two more days!"

Hearing Du You bargain without negotiation, Du Bo almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He could not help but laugh bitterly, realizing that it would take two to three years of medicinal cultivation to recover his energy after this.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, Luo Xiao, hearing the惨叫声 and confirming that those people had indeed been killed by Du Bo, said in disbelief, "Is it really so?"

Zhang Yan, however, looked as if he had expected this outcome, and with a wave of his sleeves, said, "It will be so!"

The secret techniques were the foundation of a family's prosperity. Zhang Yan knew this, and so did the warriors and Bright Qi stage disciples. The saying "secrets are not to be shared with six ears" was true, and today he intended to use Du You's mouth to reveal these secrets, deliberately letting these people hear them.

The most critical point was that these people could not avoid it.

Because Du Bo would not allow it!

Du You had originally come here to open his Immortal Vein with the true dew of the king clam. The mystic pearl was an unexpected bonus, which should have belonged to the leader of the 凕沧派. Their actions were a private theft, and they would certainly try to cover it up to prevent the news from leaking out. Therefore, all the people they brought with them were on the list to be eliminated, and Du Bo would not let them leave his side.

What if they had other thoughts and told the 凕沧派 disciples outside?

Zhang Yan finally said, "What I have done is merely to use the situation to force Du Bo to do what he intended to do, but earlier."

Although he said this, he had indeed forced Du Bo to kill those people without lifting a finger himself.

Luo Xiao was both surprised and impressed. Today, she had witnessed Zhang Yan's cunning and strategy, and her trust in him grew. She could not help but ask, "When do you plan to make your move?"

Zhang Yan's eyes flickered, and he smiled, saying, "No rush, let's wear him down a bit more."

In the following three days, every time Du Bo asked, Du You always found some reason to delay.

Finally, Du Bo realized something was wrong.

...

...

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