Chapter 379: Spitting the Truth After a Meal

"Strange, could there be another demonic cultivator performing rituals in Huai'an Village?" Everyone present gathered around the shriveled old man, utterly bewildered.

The Grand Elder subtly coughed, sending a telepathic message to Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye.

"I have some intelligence about Huai'an Village. According to the Immortal Sect's leader, he established a slaughterhouse in Huai'an Village, Liang Province, disguising puppets as villagers."

Dai Bufan manages the mission hall and intelligence on behalf of his master, but the true manager is the Grand Elder.

Although the Grand Elder usually enjoys building his own grave, he doesn't ignore everything. He's aware of events in the mission hall and the intelligence Dai Bufan possesses, including the confession of the Immortal Sect's leader.

Lu Yang: "..."

Tao Yaoye: "..."

Elder, you knew about Huai'an Village all along, and you just watched us run around?

The Grand Elder thought, *Wasn't I looking for the most spectacular way to make an entrance? How else could I find an opportunity if you didn't come to Huai'an Village?*

The Grand Elder had even envisioned Vice-Sect Master Shi making a move on Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye, and then, at the critical moment, he would appear reciting his poetic title to rescue them.

Unfortunately, the opportunity never arose.

It was the shriveled old man who finally gave him a reason to act.

The Grand Elder couldn't share the intelligence he had with Vice-Sect Master Shi, as it wasn't information the Heavenly Court Sect should possess and could lead Vice-Sect Master Shi to suspect their identities.

"Alright, having this ancient cultivator is still a gain; this trip wasn't fruitless," Lu Yang said proactively, indicating there was no longer any need to stay in Huai'an Village.

"Sect Master Shi contributed greatly during this process. How about we let you handle this person?"

Vice-Sect Master Shi couldn't believe his ears. The shriveled old man had clearly been captured by King Youming, yet he was being offered to him.

"This... isn't this improper?"

Lu Yang, with his hands behind his back, laughed heartily, "What's wrong with it? Our two sects are in a cooperative relationship; consider it a welcoming gift for our collaboration. Your Nine Nether Sect possesses more intelligence than we do, and the information you gather from this junior will be far more useful to you than to our Heavenly Court Sect."

Vice-Sect Master Shi nodded secretly. Indeed, their Nine Nether Sect held intelligence on other ancient cultivators, and combining that with the shriveled old man's information would allow them to better track the movements of ancient cultivators.

Information about ancient cultivators was crucial; it might even lead them to ancient treasure hoards and enrich their treasury.

The Heavenly Court Sect's indifferent attitude towards ancient cultivators indicated they simply didn't care much about them.

Just how terrifying was the Heavenly Court Sect's foundation?

Was Young Sect Master Lu's gesture meant to earn the Nine Nether Sect's favor, or was it a deliberate display of power?

Vice-Sect Master Shi couldn't discern Lu Yang's true intentions, concluding that he was indeed worthy of being the Heavenly Court Sect's Young Sect Master, as his profound thoughts were incomparable to those of his peers.

Understanding the implications, Vice-Sect Master Shi cupped his fists and thanked him, "In that case, many thanks."

The Grand Elder put away the brick-like object and handed the shriveled old man to Vice-Sect Master Shi.

"Drat, my perfectly good pillow is being used as a pillow!" the Immortal Fairy complained indignantly. She clearly saw that what the Grand Elder held was her immortal treasure, the Yellow Millet Pillow.

This was a spoil of war seized by the Dao Inquiry Sect when Master Liu and Master Gao, who ran a barbecue restaurant, invaded it. It could force people into slumber.

"Farewell!" Vice-Sect Master Shi took out his flying boat, sealed the shriveled old man's cultivation, tossed him onto the boat, and departed.

The Grand Elder took out an ink landscape painting from his sleeve. In the painting, a waterfall cascaded downwards. There was no sound from the painting itself, yet upon seeing this scene, Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye seemed to hear sounds in their ears.

The Grand Elder smiled, "This is a magical artifact I often use for travel, the 'High Mountains and Flowing Water' painting. It contains a universe within, a unique grotto-heaven. My fourth junior brother painted it for me."

Tao Yaoye hesitated slightly. She had never seen such a magical artifact and wasn't sure how to use it.

"Do we jump in?" Lu Yang recalled seeing Senior Brother Ji Hongwen, the Fourth Elder's eldest disciple, use a similar method.

"Indeed."

The Grand Elder jumped into the painting. Lu Yang and Tao Yaoye, mimicking him, also jumped in.

As soon as they jumped in, they heard the rushing sound of a waterfall. Looking up, they found themselves standing beside it, with water cascading from above, creating countless splashes.

They crouched down to examine the vegetation on the bank. The plants were vibrantly green, with water droplets still clinging to their leaves, making it impossible to distinguish them from reality.

Was this merely a painting, or was there another miniature world contained within it?

Seeing their astonishment, the Grand Elder was immensely pleased. He didn't intend to explain anything, instead manipulating the painting to fly towards the Dao Inquiry Sect.

"Oh, it's the Way of Painting. Who would have thought contemporary practitioners of painting still possess such skill?" The Immortal Fairy was slightly surprised. The Confucian Way of Sages had existed since ancient times, and in the ancient era, there were many great cultivators who studied the Way of Painting.

"Are these plants and landscapes real or fake?" Lu Yang asked.

"Fake, but very close to real. If the souls of plants were infused into them, they would become genuine. Such a technique was extremely rare even in our time."

"Does Fairy know the Way of Painting?"

The Immortal Fairy waved her hand dismissively, putting on an indifferent expression: "A minor path, only used by impoverished scholars. I wouldn't bother learning such things."

The Grand Elder seemed to recall something and turned to ask, "Speaking of the Way of Painting, I once saw a record in ancient texts. In antiquity, there were two immortals, one a demon immortal and the other a wood immortal. The demon immortal was imprisoned in a painting by the wood immortal, leading to a fierce battle between the two. Immortal light erupted, shocking the universe. Had it not been for the ancestors of the Dragon and Phoenix clans intervening to mediate the conflict, who knows how many stars would have been shattered. Several ancient texts record this event to varying degrees."

"Lu Yang, you're familiar with ancient history, have you heard of this?"

Lu Yang shook his head; it was his first time hearing of it.

Were the demon immortal and wood immortal the Qilin Immortal and the Years Immortal?

It was time to use his cheat.

"Fairy, have you heard of this?"

The Immortal Fairy thought for a moment, then brightened with realization: "I remember now! Once, after the Years Immortal finished my meal, he spoke the truth and mentioned this!"

"You've asked the right person; no one else would truly know!"

"...Putting everything else aside, why would the Years Immortal speak the truth after eating your food?"

The Immortal Fairy found it strange that Lu Yang would ask such a question and replied matter-of-factly, "Isn't that common? After eating and drinking their fill, they get drowsy. Ying Tianxian, Years Immortal, and others often become dizzy after my meals, slumping their heads onto the table, muttering. If you ask them anything then, they'll tell you everything, and they won't remember what they said afterward."

"Please continue."

The Immortal Fairy continued, "I don't bother learning the Way of Painting, but the Years Immortal was quite interested in it and had some skill. Even I found it hard to distinguish whether his drawings were real or fake. After all, he's a transformed Jianmu tree, standing at the pinnacle of plant spirits, and naturally has an affinity for paper."