Chapter 303: Senior Brother Dai, This Time No Matter What Happens, I Won't Be Surprised Anymore

"Is this Wendaotong Sect?" Qin Yanran exclaimed, standing before the sect's mountain gate.

As one of the five great immortal sects, Wendaotong Sect was extraordinarily active in the cultivation world. Even cultivators like Qin Yanran, who rarely left home, had heard of its renowned name and great feats. Its continuous acts of vanquishing demons and upholding justice were clear testaments to its power.

Even her mother, Su Yiren, praised Wendaotong Sect's strength profusely, suggesting it might be the most powerful among the five great immortal sects.

After passing through the sect's protective formation, she could distinctly feel the difference between this place and the outside world. The temperature and humidity were artificially regulated to optimal levels, and the spiritual energy concentration had significantly increased, almost comparable to that of her own home.

It was important to note that her household consisted only of her and her mother, Su Yiren.

As a powerful Integration Stage cultivator, Su Yiren had only managed to elevate the spiritual energy concentration of a single mountain to this level.

But Wendaotong Sect, spanning a hundred thousand miles, had a spiritual energy concentration similar to her home's. This was truly formidable.

"Is this the legacy of one hundred and twenty thousand years?"

As three men and one woman entered the mountain gate and passed through a bamboo forest, the gurgling river flowing through it rippled. The water surged upward, forming a river spirit.

"Stop, Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, who have you brought into Wendaotong Sect?"

The river spirit, holding two axes—one gold and one silver—glared unkindly at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou.

The river spirit served as Wendaotong Sect's defense, preventing nefarious individuals from entering.

For instance, when the two vice-leaders of the Undying Cult entered Wendaotong Sect previously, the river spirit did not stop them because Yunzhi had secretly instructed it not to intervene. Otherwise, even with Lu Yang leading them, the two vice-leaders of the Undying Cult wouldn't have been able to get past the gate.

"This is Qin Yanran, Junior Brother Li's relative," Lu Yang introduced generously.

"Relative?" The river spirit eyed the slightly flushed Qin Yanran suspiciously, then looked at the oddly expressioned Li Haoran.

"I have information on all Wendaotong Sect disciples. How have I never heard of Li Haoran having a relative named Qin Yanran?"

Li Haoran thought to himself, "I didn't know two months ago either."

Lu Yang briefly explained, "It's like this: you should know that Junior Brother Li has a fiancée."

The river spirit nodded.

"Junior Brother Li's fiancée has a daughter, who is Qin Yanran."

The river spirit was stunned.

Meng Jingzhou's eyes lit up when he heard the river spirit mention having information on all Wendaotong Sect disciples. Without thinking, he blurted out, "Then you must know Senior Sister's age..."

Lu Yang suddenly became alert, reacted swiftly, and kicked Meng Jingzhou flying, interrupting his question. "If you want to die, don't drag everyone down with you!"

"Li Haoran, is what he said true?" Based on experience, the river spirit couldn't completely trust Lu Yang's words.

Li Haoran hesitated, then nodded, "It's true."

The river spirit regarded Li Haoran with solemn respect and allowed the four to pass.

"Go in. You know the sect's rules; some areas are off-limits without permission."

The first place the four arrived at was the Mission Hall. After all, their initial purpose for leaving the sect was to complete a mission. Although some unexpected events occurred, they had ultimately completed the mission.

"Niece, please wait by the entrance. The Mission Hall is a special place; you can't enter without permission from an elder-level figure," Lu Yang told Qin Yanran apologetically.

Qin Yanran waited at the entrance of the Mission Hall. As a new face, passing disciples instinctively glanced at her. Being thin-skinned, she found this torment unbearable, her toes curling so tightly she felt like she was digging holes.

Suddenly, two figures caught Qin Yanran's attention.

"Senior River Spirit said Senior Brother Lu is at the Mission Hall. Come on, let's go ask him for some pointers!"

"Senior Sister Tao, there's no need to rush. We'll eventually run into Brother Lu if we wait at the Tianmen Peak entrance."

The man and woman approached the Mission Hall, conversing as they walked.

"Oh, a new face," the woman said, spotting Qin Yanran, whose hands and feet seemed awkwardly placed. She approached her warmly to greet her. "My name is Tao Yaoye, and this is Mang Gu. Who are you?"

"Senior Brother, we're here to report our mission," Lu Yang told the senior brother on duty at the front desk.

"The female ghost mission in Ancient Locust Town, right? Please wait." Behind the senior brother were stacks of files. He turned and skillfully pulled out a thin file from the very bottom. Oddly, even though he pulled a file from the very bottom, the mountain-like stacks above remained completely undisturbed, not budging in the slightest. Lu Yang keenly noticed that the files weren't piled on top of each other but were suspended in the air. They were just so close together that they appeared as stacks at first glance.

Lu Yang submitted the account of the events, Mayor Fan's certificate, and the documentation proving the female ghost's harmlessness. The senior brother, having long served at the Mission Hall's front desk, was experienced and knowledgeable. While using a female ghost as a gimmick to boost local economic development sounded outrageous, he knew that Mayor Fan's actions were not unprecedented. Such matters, however, couldn't be widely publicized and were therefore rarely known.

"Junior Brother Lu, regarding your request in the report to register the three female ghosts with Wendaotong Sect, someone will conduct an on-site investigation shortly."

Wendaotong Sect vanquished demons and monsters, but it didn't kill every single one it encountered. For those who hadn't harmed anyone, the sect would register them after ensuring they had no history of causing harm and posed no danger, to prevent them from being harmed by righteous cultivators who couldn't discern right from wrong. Should any righteous cultivators insist on eliminating Xiao Qi and the three ghosts, they would only need to present Wendaotong Sect's registration certificate, and the cultivators would, understandingly, withdraw.

"Your report also states that the three female ghosts absorbed Yang energy under someone's instruction. What's the meaning of this?"

"This matter concerns the Demonic Cult; I need to report it to Senior Brother Dai," Lu Yang said seriously.

"Please wait, then. I'll inform him."

"Lu Yang and the others want to report to me again?" At this moment, Dai Bufan's body was shrunken and enveloped by a colossal water sphere. He wasn't alone in the sphere; there were also demonic beasts like sharks, whales, and octopuses, baring their sharp teeth and glaring menacingly at Dai Bufan. Upon hearing that Lu Yang wanted to see him, he extricated himself from the water sphere, his body returning to its original size. He opened his mouth and swallowed the water sphere along with the ferocious demonic beasts. This was one of his combat techniques: he could drag enemies into the water sphere and have the aquatic demonic beasts tear their bodies apart.

"Let them in."

Dai Bufan mused that this time, in addition to Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, Li Haoran was also present. Could it be that this situation was related to the Nine Nether Cult? "How is it that these two always get involved with the Demonic Cult whenever they go on a mission?" Dai Bufan wondered, suspecting it was a case of birds of a feather flocking together, with Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou being mutually attracted to the Demonic Cult.

However, no matter what Lu Yang reported this time, he wouldn't be surprised. What else could it be? At most, they had successfully joined the Nine Nether Cult.

Lu Yang and the two others found Dai Bufan, and Lu Yang honestly confessed: "Senior Brother Dai, the three of us have founded a new Demonic Cult."