Chapter 387: Goodbye Taihu Noble Lady (Transition Chapter)

Wang Yu had previously taken note of the Demon Luo Cult's whereabouts.

Qingyuan City, the only city in southwestern Fengzhou, is very close to Yeqiongzhou. It can be reached by heading south from Qifeng Pass. Wang Yu had paid attention to it when he teleported from the Blood-Eyed Demonic Dragon's cave to the desolate city. Although he found nothing at the time, intelligence from several informants in Fengzhou, combined with the Demon Luo Cult's activity patterns, suggested that Qingyuan City was very likely their core stronghold in Fengzhou. Its geographical location was ideal for both invasion and retreat. Being remote and lacking powerful cultivators, it was perfectly suited for clandestine operations.

Traveling at full speed, Wang Yu headed north, reducing the journey to just three days.

Inside Qingyuan City, employing his mid-stage fourth-tier divine sense and the Ten Thousand Miles Tracking secret art, he conducted a thorough, carpet-like search.

Finally!

A few breaths later, a restaurant specializing in spirit food came into Wang Yu's view: Liuxian Restaurant.

The token given to him by the noble lady of Taihu back then proved invaluable. Upon simply presenting it, a server immediately led him to a secret room, where the manager produced a specialized communication artifact. It resembled a pair of jade ear pendants, capable of connecting to its counterpart.

"Thank you."

He made an effort to appear courteous. After the server departed, the jade pendant artifact, accompanied by spiritual energy fluctuations, conjured a phantom image in the air. Though she wore a veil this time, he could still discern the familiar eyes and brows of the woman from before. Both remained silent as their gazes met.

Soon, the other party spoke first.

"Fellow Daoist, have you thought it through?"

Wang Yu was slightly surprised.

"I'm surprised the noble lady still remembers. I haven't properly thanked you for the matter with the Five Poisons Old Demon."

"It's merely reciprocity. You guided me, and I assisted you. Now that you've used that token, do you intend to join the Demon Luo Cult?"

"Yes and no." Wang Yu nodded, opened his Human Seed Pouch, and released only Li Mingsheng, then explained, "Do you want this young friend, Li?"

The woman opposite immediately showed surprise and thanked him.

"Thank you greatly this time, Fellow Daoist. You've been an immense help."

"You're welcome."

The dazed Li Mingsheng immediately burst into tears upon hearing the familiar voice. Seeing the Taihu noble lady's spiritual energy phantom, his knees buckled, and he slid to the ground, wailing uncontrollably.

"Sister Lei, help! The Crimson Kite region is no place for a person to be! Where are you? Quick, tell my brothers to come and get me..."

Lei Yao opened her mouth, a helpless expression on her face. "Uncle Li and I are outside Qifeng Pass. You've caused a great disaster this time. Do you know how many fellow disciples died because of you?"

"I—"

"I'm sorry, I just wanted to prove myself too much."

"It's too late for apologies now. When you return, Uncle Li will make you understand."

Upon hearing this, Li Mingsheng nearly collapsed. Now that he was out of mortal danger, he finally had the presence of mind to consider how to avoid the severe beating awaiting him.

At this moment, Lei Yao turned to Wang Yu and said apologetically, "Please bring this scoundrel over, Fellow Daoist. I'll arrange for people from Liuxian Restaurant to guide you through the Northern Broken Realm Mountains, taking a detour through the Demon Cat clan's territory."

"Demon Cat clan?" Wang Yu raised an eyebrow, recalling Jin Miaoshan's third-tier civet cat. Jinmanlou and Tianbaoge, as mercantile organizations, had always maintained neutrality. They conducted business in both regions, and the Demon Cat clan was also an affiliate of Jinmanlou. Their trade extended deep into the Broken Realm Mountains, even reaching the reclusive demon races. Perhaps it wasn't so surprising after all?

"No need to be polite; I will bring Li Mingsheng."

"However... you're also at Qifeng Pass?"

"Yes. When you arrive, I'll find a way to provide you with satisfactory compensation."

"Then you'll have to go to considerable expense."

"No matter, Li Mingsheng's father will pay."

The remote conversation concluded. Li Mingsheng immediately offered an awkward smile, now completely trusting Wang Yu, and bowed respectfully. "Senior's great kindness is something this junior will never forget."

"All right, let's go." This time, Li Mingsheng voluntarily entered the Human Seed Pouch, eager not to cause further trouble.

Through these interactions, Wang Yu realized that Taihu had considerably more warmth and humanity than Crimson Kite. Despite the high-pressure environment, it was clearly a more suitable place to find like-minded companions. Perhaps his experience back in his hometown of Shihucheng had just been an anomaly?

Next, Wang Yu followed the Liuxian Restaurant staff through an underground passage to leave Qingyuan City. In less than half a day, he found himself deep within a towering, dense forest. The North-South Broken Realm Mountains, the most magnificent range in the Ice Prison Realm, diagonally bisect the continent. Given the Ice Prison Realm's history, it's highly probable they were artificially created. Of course, Wang Yu merely entertained the thought.

With a guide, the dangerous Broken Realm Mountains became safe to navigate. Without encountering any trouble, they successfully detoured for a considerable distance. They arrived at the opposite side of the Ironstone Forest, where the army of the Thunderflame Temple from the Taihu Spirit Domain was encamped.

In the sky, five war artifacts, Cloud Soaring Warboats, floated silently. These powerful weapons were all fourth-tier battle vessels. While less agile than Nascent Soul cultivators, their area-of-effect attack capabilities, extreme single-target damage, and defensive barriers all surpassed those of typical Nascent Soul cultivators. Their power was staggering.

The Thunderflame Temple's direct deployment of five such vessels clearly indicated that True Monarch Yang Lei had gone to great lengths and considerable expense to mobilize them, especially since he himself was only a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator. His authority alone should not have been sufficient for such a deployment. Saving just one Li Mingsheng seemed excessively extravagant. For a rescue mission, a solo infiltration of Crimson Kite would have been more effective and significantly less costly. If the intention was a surprise attack, trying to take Qifeng Pass by surprise would still be met with precautions from the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect. Theoretically, the success rate would be quite low, unless... there were multiple traitors. Otherwise, the possibility was too remote.

He didn't need to guess wildly; he would soon learn the full story. He followed the guiding cultivator and ascended to the leftmost Cloud Soaring Warboat. Wang Yu's mind stirred.

In the center of the deck stood the noble lady of Taihu, whom he had recently seen through a projection, and a reddish-faced middle-aged man. The man wore a crimson robe adorned with lightning patterns and had a goatee, exuding an imposing air even without showing anger. Their eyes met, and they instantly discerned each other's cultivation levels.

"This one is Wang Yu, greetings, Fellow Daoist Yang Lei."

"Fellow Daoist Wang."

When he had previously interacted with Lei Yao, he had introduced himself as "Wang." For now, he could only use a false name.

After they exchanged bows, Lei Yao looked surprised. She first scrutinized Wang Yu's youthful appearance, that of a boy around ten, then considered their use of the "Fellow Daoist" address. After thinking for a moment, she said, "When I saw your spiritual phantom earlier, I sensed something was amiss. I didn't expect Brother Wang to have taken on this form, let alone to have already surpassed me and advanced to the Nascent Soul stage... Please forgive my impoliteness."

"It's nothing. I merely had a small fortunate encounter."

"There'll be time for pleasantries later, Fellow Daoist. As for my son..."

"Here."

As the Human Seed Pouch opened, Li Mingsheng and a group of seven or eight people streamed out. True Monarch Yang Lei's eyes widened, and two bolts of crimson lightning shot forth from them. True eye-borne lightning! The lightning struck Li Mingsheng, causing him to foam at the mouth on the spot. Though his body was in pain, his expression clearly showed complete relaxation, even a touch of relief.

"—Rebel son! Now get up, you unfilial wretch!" The reprimand, like a clap of thunder, made everyone in the group stiffen in fear. Several of them turned visibly pale.

"Uncle Li... we..."

"Why are you still here? Your parents must be beside themselves with worry."

Evidently, this group comprised not only the noble-born Li Mingsheng but likely several other dissolute young masters and their personal attendants, prompting more thoughts in Wang Yu's mind.

After dismissing everyone, True Monarch Yang Lei lifted Li Mingsheng and flung him towards the entrance of the vermilion pavilion at the rear of the deck. Given that the Cloud Soaring Warboat was nearly a thousand meters long, this was no gentle toss. Only then did he turn back to Wang Yu and speak.

"My apologies, Fellow Daoist, for allowing you to witness that scene."

"No matter, every family has its own difficulties."

While musing, True Monarch Yang Lei produced twenty top-grade spirit stones and handed them to Wang Yu. This quantity was nearly half the value of a high-grade fourth-tier magic artifact. It was undeniably a valuable gift!

"Fellow Daoist has only recently formed your Nascent Soul, so I imagine you are in dire need of top-grade spirit stones for cultivation. Please accept these as a gift."

"Then I, Wang, shall not decline your generosity."

Accepting the generous gift, Wang Yu couldn't help but regard the other with newfound respect. He was indeed in severe need of top-grade spirit stones; even with these twenty, he still faced a deficit of nineteen. He also possessed two Frozen Demon Spirit Stones and one empty top-grade spirit stone. Once this deficit was covered, his cultivation speed should significantly improve. The prerequisite, of course, was to find a fourth-tier spirit vein for secluded cultivation.

With this matter settled, True Monarch Yang Lei went to discipline his rebellious son, leaving only Wang Yu and Lei Yao on the deck. The two exchanged a smile and walked to the edge of the deck, standing there. Gazing down at the vast Ironstone Forest and Qifeng Pass standing opposite, Lei Yao suddenly spoke.

"I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Lei Yao. How should I address you, Brother Wang?"

The re-introduction of this topic made Wang Yu quite suspicious. He had just stated it, could it be that...

"I almost forgot, Brother Wang already mentioned it."

As their eyes met, Wang Yu clearly perceived an intention to probe, and he instantly understood. Lei Yao knew him, specifically his identity as Wang Yu. She had even equated the two identities; otherwise, she wouldn't have asked again without cause.

After a moment of silence, Wang Yu ventured, "It seems Fellow Daoist is aware of my background. If that's the case... and you still wished for me to come, do you have something you wish to entrust me with?"

"No." Lei Yao tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze distant as she spoke. "People from Crimson Kite would think that way. Your mindset is already quite similar to theirs, but I still believe Brother Wang is different."

As she uttered these words, the atmosphere immediately grew somewhat peculiar. Moreover, Lei Yao had even investigated his origins in Shihucheng, indicating that she had informants within the Reverse Spirit Blood Sect, possibly even residing on Cold Blood Peak. Her network was truly well-hidden.

"Many demonic cultivators are forced to take dangerous paths for survival. Even in the Taihu Spirit Domain, countless individuals risk secretly crossing into Crimson Kite, abandoning righteous cultivation for demonic practices. Fellow Daoist, do you know why?"

"Lack of cultivation resources?"

"That's part of the reason. More significantly, it's due to those sanctimonious hypocrites among the Seven Righteous Sects, who preach benevolence and morality but act with utter depravity."

Wang Yu remained silent; he had witnessed this firsthand. Even the top disciples of the Sword Sect, the foremost righteous sect, these individuals at the pinnacle of power, manipulated moral standards, cloaking all their actions under the guise of justice and righteousness. A significant reason he abandoned Taihu was precisely that experience.

"What do you think?"