Chapter 1993: Suddenly Like a Spring Breeze Overnight

Zu An's heart sank. It seemed the two women had indeed run into trouble.

However, the information he'd gathered suggested that this incident was likely localized and unknown to most of the cult members.

This made it seem more like an internal conflict among the higher ranks.

Zu An tried to pry for more information, but unfortunately, Hu Pangzi didn't know much. Fearing suspicion, Zu An couldn't press him further.

At that moment, Hu Pangzi handed him a jade token. "Brother Lu, take this. After nightfall, wait at the pier next to the town."

"What's this?" Zu An asked, examining the jade token. He could faintly sense the fluctuation of runes on it, though they seemed quite simple.

"This is an identity token for those successfully selected into the Holy Cult. You'll need it to board the ship later. The recruitment of disciples isn't over yet, so you can walk around and explore. I'll see if I can still trick... *cough*... recruit a few more disciples," Hu Pangzi quickly corrected himself.

Zu An was speechless.

Since he also wanted to scout out other areas, he cupped his hands and took his leave.

He walked around the hall, making a mental note of the disciples from various sects.

It was clear that the Emotion Suppression Path and the Yin-Yang Sect were the most influential. They had the most disciples, and their cultivation levels were relatively higher.

The other sects were weaker in both cultivation and numbers.

Besides the Tomb-Raiding Path, the Sky-Rending Sect was in the direst state. It also had only one disciple managing recruitment, and that person's cultivation was much lower than Hu Pangzi's. Almost no one approached him.

It seemed the split of the Phantom Pavilion had indeed severely weakened the Sky-Rending Sect.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He noticed a black-clad youth heading towards the Sky-Rending Sect's recruitment station, seemingly intending to join.

The youth's skin was pale, as if he hadn't seen sunlight in years. His entire being was like a sheathed sword, incredibly sharp. Although he wore artifacts that concealed his cultivation and aura, they couldn't fool Zu An now.

This black-clad youth was very strong!

He was stronger than several core disciples in the hall, such as Fang Biao of the Yin-Yang Path, Senior Sister Pan of the Heavenly Demonic Sect, and Hu Pangzi of the Tomb-Raiding Path. Only Li Feiqing of the Carefree Path might be qualified to fight him.

With such formidable cultivation, why would he apply to be a demon cult disciple?

Despite his curiosity, Zu An didn't linger. Though the youth was strong, he was merely an outstanding individual among his peers. Compared to the top masters of all ages Zu An had encountered, he still lacked a certain level of refinement.

He left the hall and headed straight to the pier next to the town. Logically, in such high mountains, one would expect streams or small rivers with swift currents. Instead, what lay before him was a wide, expansive river.

Zu An examined it closely. This wasn't something drawn by the Carefree Venerable; it was a real river.

Could the legendary Qiu Pool be located by the river?

Or perhaps within this vast river itself?

As he was pondering, he suddenly heard the sounds of a chase and struggle from a short distance away.

Zu An turned his head. It turned out to be Fang Biao of the Yin-Yang Path and several of his subordinates cornering Zhang Zitong.

Seeing Zhang Zitong's flustered and embarrassed appearance, her face flushed, Zu An frowned. How had this woman managed to become a Silver-Badge Embroidered Envoy in the first place?

In a flash, the pursuers and the pursued arrived before him. Although this spot was secluded, there were still a few people around, who all looked on curiously.

A disciple of the Yin-Yang Path glared at the onlookers. "Our Third Young Master of the Yin-Yang Path is handling business. Those who don't want to die, get lost!"

The faces of those who had initially wanted to watch the spectacle changed. Everyone here knew of the Yin-Yang Path's notorious reputation, especially that of their Third Young Master, who was infamous for his bullying and reckless behavior. Fearing to offend the Yin-Yang Path, the others didn't dare stay to watch and quickly vanished.

Finally, only Zu An remained, standing out conspicuously.

By now, Fang Biao was leisurely approaching, fanning himself. His eyes ogled Zhang Zitong, his face filled with lewd intent. "As expected of long legs, you run so fast! If this river hadn't blocked you, it wouldn't have been easy for us to catch up."

"I'm from the Heaven and Earth Sect. Aren't you afraid of offending the Heaven and Earth Sect by doing this? Retreat quickly, and I can pretend nothing happened today." Zhang Zitong gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling rapidly. A fine sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead, making her look quite hot.

Fang Biao burst out laughing. "It seems you haven't completed the Heaven and Earth Sect's assessment yet, so you're not a true disciple. Besides, even if you were, this young master has decided on you today. Do you really think the Heaven and Earth Sect would fall out with my father over a mere female disciple like you?"

Zhang Zitong's heart sank. It seemed there would be no peaceful resolution today.

At this point, the two subordinates from earlier spotted Zu An nearby. "Young Master Biao, it's that kid again. These two might be involved."

Hearing this, a hint of killing intent flashed in Fang Biao's eyes as he looked at Zu An. "You brat, I spared your life in the main hall earlier, but you insisted on seeking death by getting close to her."

Rage value from Fang Biao: 444,444...

Zhang Zitong also recognized Zu An then and felt a twinge of apology. "Run! I'll hold them off for you!"

Zu An sighed. "I told you not to team up with me; it would definitely invite all sorts of trouble. It seems I was right."

Zhang Zitong's face flushed, but she quickly said, "What's the point of saying that now? I'll bear my own consequences. I won't implicate you. Hurry and leave!"

"Looks like there really *is* something going on between you two," Fang Biao sneered. "Then all the more reason not to let this brat go."

He waved his hand. Since Zu An hadn't moved, over a dozen subordinates had already surrounded the two.

Seeing this, Zhang Zitong glared at Zu An. Why was this kid so foolish? Now escaping was impossible.

At this point, Fang Biao said, "Beautiful lady, why don't you stop resisting and serve this young master well? How about I let him go then?"

Zhang Zitong spat. "Bah! It's none of my business if this fool doesn't run. Kill him if you want; don't think you can use him to threaten me."

Zu An secretly nodded. This woman wasn't completely self-sacrificing.

Honestly, her "rescuing" him out of righteousness on demon cult territory earlier had been quite unwise; otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten into this trouble now.

"Is that so? Anyway, neither of you will escape today," a sinister smile flickered across Fang Biao's face. "Later, I'll have my way with you right in front of him. Your reaction then will tell me if you two truly have something going on."

Zu An was speechless.

This guy was truly vulgar and shameless.

Zhang Zitong's expression also turned cold. "Do you think I kept running because I couldn't beat you?"

"Otherwise?" Fang Biao suddenly felt a bad premonition.

Zhang Zitong suddenly flicked her wrist, and a silver long whip extended from her sleeve. "I was worried about being seen by other demon cult members and didn't want to expose my true cultivation. Your biggest mistake was driving away the people nearby just now."

As soon as she finished speaking, the long whip, like a venomous snake, instantly appeared before Fang Biao's throat.

Zu An's eyes narrowed slightly. He had noticed before that this woman's cultivation was much higher than that of an average silver-badge envoy, but he hadn't expected her to be holding back even more.

On second thought, it would be strange if she weren't concealing her cultivation, given that she was an undercover agent for some unknown power within the Embroidered Envoys.

Fang Biao was greatly alarmed, but as a core disciple of the Yin-Yang Path, he reacted swiftly, pulling one of his pickpocket-like subordinates in front of him as a shield.

The whip's tip instantly pierced the subordinate's throat, erupting in a mist of blood.

However, Fang Biao seized this opportunity to swing his fan and slipped in close along the underside of the long whip. He naturally understood that against a long weapon like a whip, being kept at a distance meant passively taking hits.

Unfortunately, Zhang Zitong's wrist was incredibly flexible. The long whip in her hand moved like a silver dragon emerging from the sea, filling the air with its blur. Fang Biao could never get close. Instead, he took two lashes, screaming repeatedly, with two deep bloody marks appearing on his body.

At this point, the other subordinates reacted. They all drew their weapons and attacked Zhang Zitong. Fang Biao was the beloved son of the Yin-Yang Venerable; if anything happened to him, none of them would survive.

With this, Fang Biao finally had a slight chance to catch his breath. However, even with a dozen or so people, they were still being overwhelmed by Zhang Zitong.

Zu An's lips curled into a slight smile. This woman's acting skills were truly impressive; he had almost been fooled himself, thinking she was quite foolish.

Just as he was about to turn and leave, a cloud of pink smoke suddenly drifted towards them.

Zhang Zitong's face changed. She quickly covered her mouth and nose with her arm, but the opponent's timing was perfect, precisely when she was taking a breath, so she still inhaled a bit of the sweet scent.

She immediately felt her vital energy surging within her, and her body grew warm. Her expression drastically changed, and she hastily pulled back her long whip to guard herself.

At this moment, Fang Biao burst into laughter. "Beautiful lady, do you think this young master, the dignified Third Young Master of the Yin-Yang Path, is truly so incompetent? Martial arts aren't my strong suit; these concoctions are where I excel!"

"Covering your mouth and nose is useless. This 'Eighteen Degrees of Spring Breeze' has been specially modified by me. As long as it touches your skin, it can infiltrate your body." Fang Biao's grin at this moment was wider than an AK's muzzle.

Zu An's expression was peculiar. Eighteen Degrees of Spring Breeze?