Chapter 134: Sword Sect Journey

At the top of a towering ancient tree, three hundred meters high.

Wang Yu looked on, puzzled, at the cultivators climbing everywhere. Their uniform clothing and accessories left no doubt that they belonged to the same faction.

Their cultivation levels generally ranged from mid to late Qi Condensation.

The leader was a male cultivator at the mid-stage Foundation Establishment, with a distinctive mustache, fluttering robes, and a blue crown. His features were quite prominent.

"More than two hundred people... What are they looking for?"

In principle, he preferred not to interact with them, but they were too close to the karst cave where he was cultivating in seclusion, so he had to come out and investigate.

After some thought, Wang Yu suppressed his curiosity.

He turned away, bypassing the disciples' activity area, and prepared to find another place to cultivate. He didn't want any unexpected incidents at such a crucial time.

It was best to mind his own business.

This was not the time for curiosity.

However, life is full of uncertainties. As he was returning to the cave to gather his belongings, a flash of moonlight-white sword light suddenly appeared before him.

"Which fellow Daoist are you, and why are you skulking around here, spying?"

The voice was clear, but the tone was disagreeable.

However, the aura genuinely reached the peak Foundation Establishment level, and could even see through his invisibility spell at a glance. This was no ordinary individual.

Wang Yu's heart sank, and he reluctantly dispelled his invisibility spell.

"Fellow Daoist, this is where I, Wang, cultivate in seclusion. With such a commotion suddenly occurring, it was only natural for me to come out and investigate."

"Oh? Has Fellow Daoist Wang been residing here all this time?"

A gentle breeze suddenly swept past the moonlight-white longsword, and a tall, graceful woman with delicate curves materialized.

Her jade-like feet, clad in embroidered slippers, were shapely yet straight and slender. She balanced steadily on one foot on the sword hilt. My gaze traveled upwards.

She wore a moonlight-colored gauze dress adorned with lotus patterns. One of her snow-white, delicate shoulders was exposed, and her slender neck was as fair as frost. A faint, captivating fragrance permeated the air, making one unable to help but exclaim that she was truly an unparalleled beauty.

Her features were obscured by a hazy veil, a face-concealing artifact, so her true appearance couldn't be discerned. However, her overall bearing suggested that her beauty was certainly extraordinary.

Wang Yu was currently in a state where he had no such inclinations, so he merely glanced at her, feeling nothing in particular.

"Fellow Daoist, I, Wang, have resided here for several years and rarely venture out. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to accompany me to my cave dwelling for a look, how about that?"

He knew how to yield, and Wang Yu considered himself quite experienced in it.

When faced with a stronger opponent, yielding was not shameful.

"Very well. I have nothing urgent anyway, and it would be best if Fellow Daoist Wang can prove his claims.

"However, let me make something clear beforehand: your aura truly doesn't seem to belong to a good person. If you deceive Chang Xi, you will certainly experience the methods of a Sword Sect Emissary."

It was a blatant threat, but a Sword Sect Emissary? Wang Yu wasn't an idiot; he had learned a fair bit about the Taihu Lake cultivation world before coming, though not in great detail, he certainly knew a thing or two about Sword Sect Emissaries.

"Fellow Daoist Chang, please follow."

Wang Yu touched his left arm. After his breakthrough, he had reattached the Divine Power Corpse Arm.

In the orthodox cultivation domain, both corpse refinement and ghost manipulation were considered unorthodox paths. While not explicitly forbidden, very few practiced them, as those who ventured down these paths easily went astray.

This was also related to the overall environment of the Taihu Spirit Realm; without the corresponding cultivation resources and market, cultivators who accidentally stumbled upon these paths were prone to developing malicious thoughts and dark techniques.

As such, though not prohibited, these practices were viewed with discrimination, and their practitioners were regarded as potential criminals.

The corpse aura emanating from his left arm was quite obvious; it was impossible to hide it from Chang Xi, who could see through his invisibility spell.

If he had known this, he wouldn't have come out.

But that wasn't a realistic option.

Feeling helpless, he could only lead the way, taking the opportunity to gather some information.

"Fellow Daoist Chang," he began, "for the Sword Sect to suddenly send so many people, has something significant happened outside, or has a rare treasure appeared here?" Chang Xi frowned delicately, staring at Wang Yu vigilantly.

"You don't know?"

"I don't."

Silence fell again.

After a long pause, she didn't immediately answer Wang Yu's question. Instead, she continued to question him, aiming to confirm his identity.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, would you mind telling me your origins and which sect you belong to? If I can confirm your identity, I will tell you what you wish to know, how does that sound?"

"Very well."

Wang Yu nodded. He was, after all, a native of the Taihu Spirit Realm with a clean background; there was nothing he couldn't say. He just needed to slightly alter the sequence of events.

"My name is Wang Yu. I hail from a small city thousands of miles away called Shihu, which you probably haven't heard of. Decades ago, on the day of spirit testing, I was harmed by villains and sold to the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain as a spirit slave."

"Wait... a spirit slave?"

"Yes."

"Please continue."

Chang Xi's gaze was peculiar. She cultivated the 'Sword Heart Clarity Secret Record,' one of the seventy-two techniques of the Heavenly Void Sword Sect, which was a top-tier soul-refining secret art in the world.

While she was still a bit lacking in the ability to fully discern truth from falsehood by peering into people's hearts, seeing through a body cultivation Foundation Establishment cultivator was still effortless for her. This secret record not only helped her temper her spiritual sense but also greatly aided her sword cultivation.

In Chang Xi's eyes, Wang Yu was like a human-shaped furnace of evil aura.

He was shrouded in corpse aura, a gray-tinged black, faintly carrying a trace of death qi. His abundant vital energy lacked the usual warmth and masculine feel, instead being cold and malevolent, not at all like a good person.

Although his appearance was exceptionally handsome, every detail revealed characteristics distinct from ordinary people.

His silvery-white hair further added a touch of malevolence.

Wang Yu had no way of knowing what the Sword Sect Emissary thought of him, but discretion was the better part of valor, and his greatest strength was knowing when to be sensible.

So, he began to recount his story honestly.

Wang Yu didn't need to conceal the parts of his story that occurred in the Taihu Spirit Realm; he could simply tell the truth. However, for the events in the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain, he began to fabricate a tale.

"After the spirit testing, on the way to being transported to the Scarlet Kite Demonic Domain, not long after passing Black Mountain Pass, I encountered a group of vicious individuals. They killed those demonic cultivators and escorted us to a mountain stronghold.

"That stronghold was on the other side of the Black Mountain Demon Land, called 'Black Wind Stronghold.' I, Wang, was forced to cultivate the 'Life-Burning Demonic Art' to produce spirit sand for those rogue cultivators..."

After his fabricated tale, Wang Yu sighed.

"After some fortuitous encounters, I, Wang, risked traversing the Black Mountain Demon Land and luckily obtained a rare item and opportunity. Recently, I just broke through to Foundation Establishment using a body cultivation technique. I was planning to go to Shihu City to find my relatives when I then encountered you, Fellow Daoist."

Chang Xi found it difficult to discern the truth from the falsehood in this half-true, half-false account. However, she had the Heavenly Void Sword Sect's intelligence system at her disposal.

While following Wang Yu to the cave dwelling, she used a communication method to instruct her subordinates to investigate the Wang family in Shihu City and verify his identity. This would take some time.

Thus, on the way to the Fissure Cliff Cave, both remained silent.

Soon.

As the fissure cliff came into view, they arrived at their destination.

"This is the place, Fellow Daoist. Please enter."

Wang Yu deliberately dismantled the 'Eight-Direction Bewildering God Array' he had set up in front of her, slightly alleviating some of her doubts.

Inside the karst cave, the stone chamber where he had processed Wang Wu had already been destroyed. Only the small pond he had dug during his breakthrough remained on the open ground.

Chang Xi circled a few times, her spiritual sense sweeping through the area repeatedly. She found no issues, and there were indeed traces of someone having lived there for several years.