162. Engagement

Working backward from the results, the reasons given by Xu Zheng and Fu Yuanqing when they simultaneously recruited her into their venture at the Stone Forest of Mount Yuyang did not hold water. At least one of them was false.

Combining this with what she had witnessed along the way, Lingyu was practically certain they were playing games. She had simply blundered right into it and acted as a pawn to shield them from public view.

Whose eyes and ears they were actually trying to evade remained unclear, but the most likely targets were Gu Hao and Mo Chen, the two they had left behind in the underwater grotto. This could be somewhat inferred from their shifting attitudes before and after.

If the ultimate conclusion of this affair had been her execution, it would have been absolute and flawless. She would have fulfilled her role as a pawn while accidentally discovering things she shouldn't have, making silencing her the optimal course of action.

The eerie part was that she had escaped safely.

Did Xu Zheng actually keep his word, or was reality simply not as complicated as she imagined?

Lingyu pondered for a moment, then decided to cast the thought to the back of her mind. She had previously forged a soul contract with Xu Zheng. As long as they did not turn on her and silence her, the ultimate truth had nothing to do with her.

Re-summoning her flying sword, she sped away.

She had better return to White Deer Temple first to avoid any mishaps.

Seeing that White Deer Temple was drawing closer and closer, Lingyu suddenly reined in her flying sword and halted mid-air.

"There is spiritual Qi fluctuation." She frowned and spread out her divine sense.

Although her early-warning ability fell short of Duan Feiyu's, she still had a slight edge over cultivators of the same rank. Before long, she detected the anomaly, her expression shifting slightly. As the sensation grew clearer, the terror on her face deepened.

"An army is attacking!" Lingyu muttered to herself, rapidly calculating in her heart whether she could make it back to the camp before the army struck.

Well, if she exerted her sword-flight to the absolute limit, there was still a good chance. Besides, she still had the Longevity Water on her; in a life-or-death crisis, she should use whatever she had. There was no time to lose—time to bolt!

A pale purple sword ray streaked swiftly across the sky, catching the attention of a demon cultivator not far away.

A white-haired man whose appearance was indistinguishable from a human's narrowed his eyes, broke away from the main force, and gave chase.

The white-haired demon cultivator's momentum was terrifying. The moment he sped forth, air currents swirled in the empty space, and the surrounding air was whipped into a frenzy, emitting a shrill screech.

Lingyu sensed it almost immediately.

"Good grief, another Core Formation demon cultivator!" Not daring to look back, Lingyu gritted her teeth and flew for her life. Just what kind of terrible luck had she run into? She had already been chased by a Core Formation demon cultivator once, nearly losing her life, and now it was happening again. This time, she didn't have any precious treasures on her; the defensive treasure given by Wei Wuyang had already been used up last time.

What should she do? Her earlier calculation had not factored in the flying speed of a Core Formation cultivator. Just as this thought crossed her mind, a powerful aura approached from not far ahead as well. After a brief start, Lingyu suddenly understood. The demon cultivator army had mobilized; how could human cultivators fail to respond? Most likely, it was the seniors stationed at White Deer Temple.

Her little life was saved! Overjoyed, Lingyu tossed a medicinal pill into her mouth and veered toward that powerful aura.

Finally, before the white-haired demon cultivator could catch up, a verdant green vine swept around, coiled tightly around Lingyu's waist, hurled her backward, and tossed her straight into the formation of human cultivators.

Two Foundation Establishment cultivators flying from the opposite direction reached out and caught her.

Lingyu straightened up on her flying sword and nodded in gratitude to the two of them. "Many thanks."

The white-haired demon cultivator and the vine had already clashed head-on. The demon cultivator clenched a fist bearing sharp blades and lashed out fiercely. The massive wave of air emitted a shrill cry as it surged toward them.

The vine danced in mid-air like a giant green python, colliding with the attack without retreating an inch.

"Boom!" With a deafening roar, all the Foundation Establishment cultivators were knocked back by the fluctuating air currents.

As the turbulence gradually subsided, Lingyu climbed up from the ground and saw that the one confronting the demon cultivator in mid-air was none other than Lan Muyang!

At this moment, Lan Muyang exuded an icy, ferocious aura, completely different from his usual gentle and steady demeanor.

As the head of the Disciplinary Elder and the commander of the Hall of War, how could he not have a bloodthirsty side? Now, facing the enemy, he bared his fangs.

The thick vine suddenly shattered into powder, but in the next instant, it converged and reunited, condensing into a seed. A droplet of water flew from Lan Muyang's fingertip, gently enveloping it.

Water nourishes all things, and a seed is brimming with vitality. Once the seed absorbed enough water, a crack appeared on its outer shell. Then, a trace of green poked its head out from the seed, sprouting tender shoots at a rate visible to the naked eye, growing stems and leaves, and shooting upward rapidly.

In merely a single instant, a single seed grew into a towering ancient tree, deeply rooted with lush foliage, standing proudly into the clouds.

This giant tree stood firmly in mid-air, and no matter how many times the white-haired demon cultivator threw his punches, they were all blocked.

A cold smile surfaced at the corner of Lan Muyang's mouth as he formed hand seals with both hands. Within a single breath, over a hundred hand seals were cast, his fingers moving so fast they blurred into afterimages. Then, he casually pointed forward.

A slender stream of water poured into the giant tree. The tree trembled slightly and suddenly burst apart, countless green leaves swarming toward the white-haired demon cultivator.

Though they appeared so verdant and lovely, they carried a biting, all-encompassing murderous intent that blotted out the sky.

Lingyu drew a sharp breath. Only now did she realize the astonishing scale of a battle between Core Formation cultivators! This gentle Uncle-Master Lan actually possessed such a murderous, awe-inspiring side!

The white-haired demon cultivator refused to be outdone. With a slight lift of his hand, the blades on his fists suddenly surged in length, snapping away with a loud clatter. One split into two, two into four, transforming into countless afterimages whose momentum was no less formidable than the leaves, rushing to meet them.

Within mere breaths, the two Core Formation cultivators had already unleashed a flurry of lethal moves.

Just as the deadlock formed, a nearly imperceptible cold light flashed among the green leaves, and an invisible, transparent fine needle silently zipped toward the demon cultivator.

Under normal circumstances, given her cultivation level, she would never have been able to spot this magical treasure. The only reason she recognized it among the thousands of leaves was because she had played with this item several times and was very familiar with its sheen.

Lingyu turned her head and saw, sure enough, Wei Wuyang standing not far away with a smiling expression, hands clasped behind his back as if he were merely watching a play, while actually executing a most insidious strike.

If she could spot it, the demon cultivator certainly wouldn't be completely oblivious. Noticing even what she hadn't seen, his figure flickered as he dodged the sneak attack of the flying needle.

Just as he thought he had evaded the needle and glared furiously at Wei Wuyang, a sudden chill struck his back. A fine needle easily pierced his protective spiritual light and drove straight in.

The white-haired demon cultivator was struck with terror. Clasping his palms together, he attempted to channel his Qi to force it out, only to find that the moment the needle entered his body, it turned into a freezing torrent, beginning to ravage his meridians and plunging ruthlessly into his Dantian.

"Ah!" The demon cultivator shrieked in agony as he plummeted from the sky.

Lan Muyang's giant tree timely uprooted itself, kicking him while he was down and smashing heavily into him.

Another figure flashed past at top speed, but was a step too late to save his life.

Wei Wuyang chuckled softly, opened his hand, and recalled his invisible fine needles one by one. This set of magical treasures was truly a marvelous tool for ambushing people.

"Humans—!" The newly arrived demon cultivator was flushed red all over, looking just like a boiled shrimp as he glared fiercely at Lan Muyang.

Lan Muyang's gaze remained steady as he once again formed hand seals. The giant tree condensed back into a seed, and this time, after growing a stem, it blossomed into a gigantic flower.

Fragrance filled the air, carrying an intoxicating perfume.

The demon cultivator's gaze fixed, and his eyes began to glaze over.

This flower actually possessed the power to bewitch the mind!

Just as Lingyu was watching in rapt fascination, a figure in white suddenly materialized beside her, asking in a casual tone, "Lass, you can somehow manage to go missing just running a regular mission. Your master almost thought you weren't coming back."

"Ah, Master!" Lingyu snapped out of it and hurriedly put on a flattering smile. "Disciple just returned and happened to catch you displaying your mighty divine power, effortlessly taking out a demon cultivator of the exact same rank. It was so majestic!"

Wei Wuyang chuckled lightly, his pretty face devoid of any smugness as he gave her a meaningful look. "It hasn't been long since we last met, yet your flattery skills have improved once again!"

"Hehe!" Lingyu didn't blush in the slightest. "A mere bit of flattery, as long as it brings Master peace of mind, it's worth it."

"Thick-skinned," Wei Wuyang said with an ambiguous smile, before continuing, "You've got a sturdy life. You actually survived encountering a Core Formation demon cultivator."

Mentioning this, Lingyu felt a lingering resentment. "Master, I almost lost my life, and you didn't even come to save me."

Wei Wuyang replied calmly, "Did you forget what Master told you beforehand?"

"..." Fine. No matter how nice her master usually seemed to her, at the crucial moment, he was utterly cold-blooded. When he said he wouldn't care, he really wouldn't care. If she died, it just meant she lacked the ability.

"Alright, we'll talk about this when we get back." With those words, his figure flickered and vanished right before her eyes.

Lingyu looked at Wei Wuyang, who was already engaging another Core Formation demon cultivator, and sighed. Ah, to be saddled with a master like this—she truly had no idea whether her luck was good or bad.

"Junior Sister Cheng!" A voice called out from afar. Lingyu turned her head to see Fang Xinyan flying toward her.

"Junior Sister Cheng, are you alright?" Fang Xinyan asked, her face full of pleasant surprise as she grabbed her and looked her up and down. "Are your injuries severe? Have you fully recovered?"

"I'm fine." Seeing her anxious look, Lingyu felt a tinge of warmth and quickly said, "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I'm doing great. My injuries are practically healed."

"That's good then," Fang Xinyan relaxed visibly. "When Junior Brother Qian and I fled back to White Deer Temple, we only found out you were the one being targeted. After reporting the soul-seizing incident, it drew the attention of the higher-ups, and the entire White Deer Temple was sealed off to root out traitors. That lockdown lasted quite a while and even sparked unrest, which only settled down a few days ago. Once the camp opened, Uncle-Master Wei immediately went out to look for you. After managing to track down those Qi Condensation cultivators and learning you were still alive, he finally set his mind at ease."

Lingyu was stunned. "So Master actually went looking for me..." Why hadn't he mentioned a word of it just now?

"Yeah, and he brought those Qi Condensation cultivators back along the way. They were all vague and muddled, only knowing that you left with the disciples of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect to handle some business."

Actually, Lingyu's departure from Mount Yuyang to follow Xu Zheng and the others to the Medicine King's legacy estate had only taken a few days. Looking back now, she had simply missed Wei Wuyang by a hair. That meant her master wasn't entirely cold-blooded; at least he had bothered to come out and look for her. Well, she would treat her master a little better from now on.

"Alas! I just happened to run right into their internal strife and got dragged into it. Once they realized I was a disciple of the Taiwhite Sect, they didn't dare do anything to me—they just dragged me along on a trip to the East China Sea." Lingyu had no intention of elaborating on the actual truth; she had promised Xu Zheng that anything concerning him would not be leaked. After all, she had sworn a soul contract.

"Then that's—" Fang Xinyan was about to speak when a fierce gale suddenly swept in from the side. She swiped backward, a silk ribbon sliding from her cuff to block the blow.

"We'll talk back at the camp." The Core Formation cultivators were fighting tooth and nail, and the two main armies had already collided head-on; there was no time left for them to reminisce.