Chapter 2002: Rebellion

As the signal flare was fired, the women all breathed a sigh of relief. These flares could immediately emit a piercing warning sound, ensuring that others in the cult would rush to their aid. No matter who the intruder was, they would have no choice but to retreat under such circumstances, and the women would naturally be out of danger.

However, their smiles quickly froze. Why wasn't the expected sound of the signal flare heard?

They instinctively looked back, only to find that the surrounding air seemed distorted. The ball of fire from the signal flare hadn't shot out; instead, it had stopped just a foot from the arrow tube.

But even at this short distance, a piercing sound should still have been heard.

They could visibly see ripples around the ball of fire, which must have been the warning sound waves.

But those sound waves seemed to be grasped by an invisible giant hand, forcibly held in place, and unable to spread out.

What kind of divine skill was this?

Those who could serve as guards in this place were not ordinary disciples; they immediately realized they had encountered an utterly unresistible enemy.

They instinctively wanted to run, but soon saw a man's face. He had such an ordinary face that they wouldn't have given him a second glance if they'd met him on the street on a normal day. Yet, at this moment, they were utterly terrified.

And then… there was nothing.

The women's bodies went limp, and they collapsed to the ground.

With a casual flick of his hand, Zu An caused the signal flares and the sound waves they emitted to collapse into a black dot, which then vanished into thin air.

Fortunately, he had been prepared, otherwise it would have been quite troublesome.

Suddenly, his heart stirred. He looked up and saw a beautiful figure standing by a window on the second floor, watching him warily.

Zu An's heart filled with joy. He lightly touched his toes and flew to the second floor, calling, "Honglei."

To his surprise, Qiu Honglei cautiously retreated several paces. A short blade quietly slid from her sleeve into her palm. "You're not Fang Biao. Who exactly are you?"

She naturally recognized Fang Biao of the Yin-Yang Sect, but he couldn't possibly possess such cultivation.

Only then did Zu An realize he hadn't removed his disguise. He quickly reverted to his original appearance, and his voice returned to normal. "Honglei, it's me."

"Is it really you?" Qiu Honglei was still somewhat wary. After all, many in the Demonic Cult knew unique techniques, and others could naturally disguise themselves as Ah Zu. However, this person seemed to have no flaws in his appearance.

Zu An was a little speechless. He instantly flashed behind her and embraced her, giving her a casual pinch. "Are you sure now?"

Feeling his familiar aura and recalling some small secrets between them, Qiu Honglei's tense body finally relaxed. She hugged him with a mixture of surprise and joy. "Ah Zu, am I dreaming?"

Her embrace was so strong, as if she feared he would suddenly slip away.

Zu An tenderly stroked her hair. "Honglei, I came too late. I let you suffer worry and fear..."

He hadn't finished speaking when Qiu Honglei's emotions surged. She immediately stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

All the longing of lovers reunited after a long separation was poured into this single kiss.

After a long while, their lips parted. Qiu Honglei's cheeks were flushed. She gently bit her lip and playfully chided, "Your kissing skills have improved considerably. I wonder which girl you've been practicing on."

Zu An was speechless.

The divine kisses from Chuyan and Manman earlier had naturally elevated his skill level, but of course, he dared not say this aloud.

"How did you get here?" Fortunately, Qiu Honglei wasn't truly angry and quickly changed the subject.

"I couldn't get in touch with you all this time," Zu An explained. "I was worried something had happened to you, so I came to check."

They sat on the edge of the bed, and Qiu Honglei nestled into his arms like a kitten. Hearing his words, she smiled sweetly. "It seems our hearts are truly connected. We are indeed in some trouble now. Oh, and why did you disguise yourself as Fang Biao? That guy is the worst."

Clearly, having been in the cult for years, she was very familiar with the character of those from the Yin-Yang Sect.

"Because I didn't know the location of Qiu Chi, I had to find a way to sneak in..." Zu An roughly recounted the events of the past few days.

Qiu Honglei felt a little apologetic. "It's my fault. I should have told you earlier how to get to the main altar. Then I wouldn't have caused you so much trouble."

Zu An smiled slightly. "You can't be blamed for this. These past few days, I've learned that your cult's disciples take a blood oath when joining, vowing not to reveal the secrets of the main altar to others. Otherwise, their souls would be destroyed, and they would suffer the punishment of ten thousand worms gnawing at their hearts."

This is why, after hundreds or even thousands of years, the location of Qiu Chi has never been revealed.

Qiu Honglei said with a smile, "It can't be revealed to outsiders, but you're not an outsider. I originally thought I'd tell you after we were... *cough, cough*, after we were officially together."

Seeing her face flushed with blush and her charming, enchanting appearance, Zu An couldn't help but hug and kiss her again.

Fortunately, after a while, he remembered their important matter and reluctantly pulled away from her lips. "Honglei, what exactly happened to you all? Those guards outside just now seemed to be holding you under house arrest."

Hearing him mention this, Qiu Honglei also regained some clarity. "Actually, I'm still quite confused. About half a month ago, after I finished my seclusion, I found that everything was a bit off. I couldn't even see my master."

"At first, I thought she was going into seclusion and didn't pay much attention. But later, I noticed many people secretly watching me. I originally planned to contact some of Master's confidantes, but I found that all the elders, hall masters, and others loyal to Master had been dispatched to places far from the main altar under various pretexts. That's when I realized something big had happened."

"So, ignoring what the guards said, I directly forced my way into Master's seclusion chamber, only to find that she wasn't inside."

"Where did she go?" Zu An's heart skipped a beat as he quickly asked.

Qiu Honglei shook her head slightly. "I didn't know then. Later, the Yin-Yang Venerable learned of it and rushed over. He originally intended to subdue me, but he didn't expect that I had learned the Heaven and Earth Offering Dance. He realized the danger and quickly told me to stop, choosing instead to negotiate with me."

Zu An's heart stirred. The Heaven and Earth Offering Dance was the first of Immortal Monarch Baopu's seven techniques, possessing the unfathomable power to communicate with heaven and earth. Fortunately, Honglei had acquired this for self-defense in the last secret realm; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. It was known that the Four Venerables of the Demonic Cult were all figures as famous as Yun Jianyue, and all possessed Grandmaster abilities.

"Initially, I didn't want to talk to him," she continued. "But he unexpectedly produced an item belonging to Master, claiming my master was in their hands. Worried something might happen to Master, I decided to hear them out."

"Yue... *cough, cough*, your master fell into their hands?" Zu An's expression subtly changed.

Qiu Honglei shook her head slightly. "Probably not. Given Master's abilities, the Yin-Yang Venerable doesn't have that capability. Based on my subsequent investigations and deductions, Master is probably trapped by them somewhere. They can't capture Master for now, but Master also can't get away for now."

Zu An couldn't help but exclaim, "You actually found out so much information!"

Qiu Honglei spread her slender hand, and a yellow talisman emitting red light quietly floated in the air. "Have you forgotten the red glow talisman you gave me last time? I later secretly dealt with a few people who were monitoring me and used their souls as a sacrifice to activate this red glow talisman. I originally wanted to find Master's location, but that place seemed to be obscured by something, so I couldn't find the exact position. But the only thing I'm sure of is that she's still within the main altar's territory."

"So you agreed to marry Fang Biao, hoping to find out your master's whereabouts from them?" Zu An asked with a stern expression.

Qiu Honglei smiled and cupped his face. "Oh, my, you look so cute when you're jealous."

Zu An grunted in displeasure.

At this moment, Qiu Honglei explained, "Don't worry, how could I actually marry that guy? I just wanted to temporarily stabilize them and use this time to gather more information. What I just told you, that's what I found out during this period."

Zu An's expression improved slightly. "Given your master's cultivation, the Yin-Yang Venerable absolutely couldn't be her match. Who else is involved?"

He was intimately familiar with Yun Jianyue's cultivation. Her current combat power was such that she could defend herself even against an Earth Immortal. In time, becoming an Earth Immortal would be within reach.

The Yin-Yang Venerable was merely a Grandmaster; how could he possibly deal with her?

"You're right, it's certainly not just him," Qiu Honglei said, a hint of coldness appearing in her eyes. "If I'm not mistaken, the Vice Cult Master, Lu Sanyuan, is also involved."

"Lu Sanyuan?" Zu An's heart stirred. There were two most famous people in the Demonic Cult: the Cult Master, Yun Jianyue, and Lu Sanyuan, the leader of the "Righteous Army."

To some extent, the imperial court was more apprehensive of Lu Sanyuan.

After all, in recent years, he had led a hundred thousand rebels, roaming everywhere, and had defeated countless imperial army encirclements.

Qiu Honglei hummed in affirmation. "Lu Sanyuan is the Vice Cult Master and also the Sect Master of the Ruthless Dao. His position in the cult has always been transcendent. Originally, Master didn't mind coexisting peacefully with him and even actively cooperated and supported his Righteous Army."

"But last time in Purple Mountain, Master suddenly discovered that Lu Sanyuan had led a large army to the vicinity to cooperate with other factions against Zhao Hao, and she, as the Cult Master, knew nothing about it beforehand. She had originally intended to investigate this matter thoroughly upon her return, but unexpectedly, that Lu fellow struck first."

"I just didn't expect that the Yin-Yang Venerable would also be drawn to his side. You must know that the Yin-Yang Sect has always been on good terms with our Heavenly Demonic Sect."

Zu An's expression was peculiar. "I'm afraid it's not just the Yin-Yang Sect. I see that many within your Heavenly Demonic Sect have also been won over by them, like Elder Xi."

He then recounted what he had just discovered about Pan Qiaoqiao and Elder Xi.

Qiu Honglei's expression changed. "Pan Qiaoqiao has always been jealous of me, believing she was no worse than me in any aspect, yet couldn't become the Saintess simply because Master was biased. I didn't expect her to dare betray the Heavenly Demonic Sect."

Her thoughts raced, and she gradually came to an understanding. "It must be that for years, my Master has been restraining the Yin-Yang Sect, forbidding them from forcibly abducting good women, and at the same time, imposing various restrictions on the Heavenly Demonic Sect's rules. This led to their discontent, so they readily joined Lu Sanyuan."

Zu An stood up and said, "Since we know who the culprits are, let's go confront them directly."

Qiu Honglei quickly pulled him back. "No, we still don't know Master's exact situation. If they're cornered and do something to Master, it'll be troublesome."