Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 249 - 130 A Beam of Tao Light

Chapter 249: Chapter 130 A Beam of Tao Light

"Zhou Lingzhe, please come this way."

After a sigh of relief, Hou Caixuan spoke respectfully.

Zhou Yan nodded his head but did not immediately leave. Instead, his gaze remained gravely fixed on the people below as he solemnly said, "I’ll say this again, I, Zhou Yan, am none other than Zhou Yan himself, not anyone’s puppet or Ding Furnace. I swear on the brand of my lifebound soul, not a single word is false! Having said this, does anyone believe me?"

Zhou Yan looked around the circle of people, even Hou Caixuan did not step forward at this time.

Not a single person stepped forward, nor did anyone meet Zhou Yan’s gaze.

Clearly, no one believed him.

"Well then, I’ve got my answer. Let’s go."

Zhou Yan muttered to himself, and in that moment, it seemed as if he had made a significant decision.

He turned to leave but his subconscious sensing power lingered for that instant.

In that moment, he faintly felt as if everyone, including Zhou Gucheng, had heaved a sigh of relief with a strange smile appearing on their faces.

A slight chill went through Zhou Yan’s heart as he seemed to suddenly grasp something crucial, yet for the moment he couldn’t recall what it was, which caused him a bit of inexplicable irritation.

But he did not dwell on it. Instead, he silently followed Hou Caixuan to an ancient tower within the Heavenly Mountain Mansion.

Behind him, Zhou Gucheng and the others dispersed after his departure, not following any further.

Now, only Hou Caixuan and the woman dressed in white like snow were by his side.

"At this point, I still don’t know the name of the beautiful Domain Master. Could it be that the City Lord despises me, Zhou Yan, so much that you won’t even leave a name?"

Zhou Yan said with a teasing and somewhat unruly tone.

"Zhou Lingzhe jests. I am Gongcheng Diewu, a name too humble to be remembered by Zhou Lingzhe," the woman in white slightly furrowed her brows but answered respectfully.

"Gongcheng Diewu? I’ve heard that in Heavenly Mountain Prefecture, there is a young swordsman, as solitary as a wolf, cold and powerful, who has returned from beyond the realm. His name is ’Gongcheng Qingyang.’ May I ask what relation he has to you?"

Zhou Yan asked thoughtfully.

"To think that Zhou Lingzhe would even know of such matters. To not deceive Zhou Lingzhe, that person is indeed my younger brother. Many of the ancient books also originated from him. Furthermore, it was because Fairy Cai Xuan knew that Zhou Lingzhe was devoted to collecting ancient books that we were able to assemble these."

Gongcheng Diewu explained.

"I see."

Zhou Yan nodded and asked no further.

In reality, his heart felt even heavier.

Among the geniuses that had appeared, only a batch were familiar to him. But in truth, there were many geniuses hidden away, such as Huang FuZhan and Gongcheng Qingyang, who returned from outside the realm. He had heard much about them on his way here, and unexpectedly, they had all gathered here.

"Zhou Lingzhe, this is the reward for this time, you may review it first."

Gongcheng Diewu extended her slender jade fingers and took out a Qiankun Ring, handing it to Zhou Yan at that moment.

Clearly, she was well aware of Zhou Yan’s character, knowing that once he had agreed to something, he would not go back on it.

Therefore, even by offering the reward in advance, she had no worries at all.

More than that, such an approach would likely leave a favorable impression on Zhou Yan, so why not do it?

Zhou Yan was acutely aware of these actions but did not utter a word about it.

He accepted the ring, his Spiritual Sense swept through it, and he was inwardly startled. Indeed, they had not deceived him; the ring truly contained many top-tier ancient manuscript fragments.

Without saying another word, Zhou Yan clenched the ring in his palm, then with a thought, extracted its contents into the Purple Flame Void and sent them into the Purple Flame.

Indeed, after acquiring a great number of ancient manuscripts, the Purple Flame’s aura noticeably improved quite a bit, and the flame began to grow more vigorous.

The sign it was fading had temporarily vanished entirely, and the Purple Flame started to become more vibrant. Most of the ancient books had minimal effects, but among them, a few golden fragments had an exceptionally great effect!

As the golden fragments were consumed bit by bit, Zhou Yan faintly felt that his understanding of the Undying Rebirth Technique’s Cultivation Method deepened.

It seemed that these objects recorded ancient and profound secrets.

Simple sensing made Zhou Yan feel as though, with the burning of the Purple Flame, the secret within the ancient books was gradually revealing itself.

He had an indistinct feeling that if he truly obtained enough ancient books and golden pages, he might uncover the secrets of the Ancient and Tai Chu eras!

This was an inexplicable feeling that once emerged, could not be erased.

But at this time, Zhou Yan did not probe deeper. His Spiritual Sense merely touched and retracted without further thought.

Proving that these ancient books had real effects and that they benefited Yanyan was enough. Since there was no deceit on this matter, he, Zhou Yan, had nothing to worry about regarding the City of No Tears.

Life and death, he had seen through it all; the Path of Invincibility, too, did not allow him to shrink back.

"Good, I am very satisfied with the items. Rest assured, once I meet Elder Wan, I will do my utmost to cooperate with you to save Wuhen Spirit and Eternal Spirit."

"In that case, nothing could be better. Zhou Lingzhe, please."

Gongcheng Die Wu’s face relaxed a bit, as if getting to this step was incredibly difficult, but she had finally made it, as though all her efforts were not in vain.

This expression, the things that instantly came to light, Zhou Yan saw all of this, but he still didn’t show anything.

He was very calm.

These people did not underestimate him, but after all, he had truly fused with his master’s memories, so his understanding of many things was definitely beyond what these people could imagine.

Their every move, every glance, could reveal some information, while Zhou Yan could understand all this body language.

Gradually, Zhou Yan felt that he had gained the upper hand.

It was a sudden feeling of control, strong, direct, and real.

"Playing with fire will get you burned, huh? Let’s see what tricks you play."

Deep in Zhou Yan’s spirit, he thought this, but on the surface, his mind was devoid of any thoughts.

He also knew that at this time, even some superficial mental activities could possibly be grasped by others.

...

Flowers wither, flowers scatter.

Beneath the old, withered trees, an elder stood like a lonely crane.

With deep and serene eyes, he watched the flowers dance between heaven and earth, seemingly discerning the trajectory of the Tao.

When Zhou Yan arrived, he had already seen the elder from afar.

This elder was none other than Elder Wan of the Emperor Sword Wuji lineage, a man of fierce character, genuine, and without a hint of falsehood.

"Zhou Lingzhe, you’ve come, haha, come here, I’ve been looking for you for a long time, and at last, I have seen you."

The elder’s wrinkled face, like tree bark, revealed a smile filled with joy.

His smile was ugly, but it was warm and conveyed a sense of benevolence.

He looked even older, yet behind the aged appearance, his strength had grown deeper and stronger.

Zhou Yan could feel the man’s unfathomable strength, but he still showed a smile, nodded, and said, "Elder Wan."

"Yes, come here. I have not disappointed you with that girl and that boy; I’ve kept them safe for you. As for others, I cannot do much. Now, it can only be this way."

Elder Wan gave a wry smile as he spoke.

As he spoke, Gongcheng Die Wu and Hou Caixuan, both dressed in white as snow, respectfully withdrew from the place.

Seeing these people leave, Elder Wan sighed softly, but from that breath of a sigh, a special colorless light flew out.

Once this light appeared, Zhou Yan distinctly felt a slight change in the world around him, but it was incredibly hard to detect.

Zhou Yan knew his own strength, if even his soul could barely notice it, then nobody in this world, or at least no one here, would know of this change.

"Zhou Lingzhe, it’s been quite some time since we met, I can’t believe you’ve reached the Peak Realm of the Sword Spirit Three Heavens, I am envious of such talent, truly remarkable."

Elder Wan sighed repeatedly, and while he spoke these words, his spirit suddenly fluctuated and conveyed a different message, "Zhou Yan, the Primordial Magnetic Pole Light is in the Despair Abyss of the City of No Tears, but you mustn’t go there; they have learned my secret and want to use your body as bait! It is all a grand conspiracy because someone already knows of your true inheritance, but with the Power of Reincarnation and Saint-level experts present, they cannot descend, so they want to use the Primordial Magnetic Pole Light...

I have blocked the Heavenly Mechanism for a moment, but time is of the essence, and it is dangerously close to being discovered!

Now, don’t trust anyone’s words blindly, including what I will say to you later!

You must hurry away, go as far as you can, make sure not to get involved in these troubled waters...

Remember, you must remember!!!"

Elder Wan instantly transmitted this mental fluctuation, and then that trace of binding aura disappeared.

Elder Wan still wanted to smile, somewhat emotionally, "Let’s not talk about this. Seeing you at the Peak State of the Sword Spirit Three Heavens, I too feel reassured.

This time, in the City of No Tears, the Eternal Spirit and Wuhen Spirit have fallen into it; only you, Zhou Lingzhe, can enter the Ancient Array of the Despair Abyss.

In my opinion, so as not to let the geniuses from beyond our domains obliterate our hopes, we should set aside temporary grievances and face the external experts first."

"It doesn’t really matter who you are, sadly they didn’t listen to me; they prefer to inflict mutual destruction. Sigh. In my view, no matter who you are, as long as you have the will of Zhou Yan, you are Zhou Yan, and no one can deny that! But they are too obsessed."

Elder Wan sighed, and then proceeded to say, "Zhou Lingzhe, this time, I will also go with you to the City of No Tears, I am proficient in a Secret Technique that could save your body from destruction at a crucial moment, so you can fight with all your might."

Elder Wan’s words were in stark contrast to the message he had transmitted through his spirit.

The spirit instructed him to flee from the place of trouble, while his words invited him towards the Despair Abyss.

These words were contradictory.

Upon reflection, Zhou Yan felt a flash of realization, and some previously unclear parts started to become clearer at this moment.

In that instant, he also recalled something he had forgotten before. Then, combining the two, it was as if a path of light appeared before him.