Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao
Chapter 297 - 171: Are You Qualified to Set Terms?

Chapter 297: Chapter 171: Are You Qualified to Set Terms?

Zhou Yan saw Li Yunjin, and Li Yunjin sensed something as well, her gaze following over here.

Her eyes landed on Zhou Yan and after a brief pause, she withdrew her gaze, refocusing on the woman in white who had neither arms nor eyes.

She seemed to know something; her gaze carried a hint of inquiry.

But the woman in white did not respond to such an inquiring look; she did not even acknowledge it.

At this moment, the Void no longer exuded an air of despair; all the terrifying presences seemed to be absorbed and disappeared by the woman alone.

Calm was restored between heaven and earth. Other than Ji Tianxu and Zhou Yan, everyone uncontrollably found themselves in this domain.

This space had, at some unknown point, evolved the outline of Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City, and all Cultivators had appeared within the walls of the Ancient City.

It was as if a huge square had suddenly materialized, gathering all Cultivators here.

Outside, it was enveloped by the Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City.

And in the center, apart from a huge sacrificial platform, stood nine cold, dark yet shimmering blue halos of light rings, akin to doors leading to the Void.

"I am here only to seek an Ultimate, to heal the Dao injuries my Body of Destiny suffered many years ago, in order to achieve clarity in my determination and will. The Mingxin Mirror has nothing to do with me this time. I have never truly interfered, behaving within the rules."

At this moment, the first to speak was in fact Eternal Spirit Jia Yongheng.

As he spoke, he cast a deep look at Zhou Yan and Ji Tianxu, his eyes full of a resigned expression.

After he finished speaking, the woman in white whose eyes lacked pupils just stared fixedly at him, then nodded slightly and said, "You may leave."

"Thank you, thank you."

Jia Yongheng’s entire body shuddered, seemingly in disbelief; but after a moment, he bowed slightly and directly walked towards one of the nine Light Gates within the descended Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City.

After entering the Light Gate, Jia Yongheng disappeared, and with him, the Light Gate vanished as well.

"As for this matter, since you all have plans, my disciple will not take part."

Another voice emerged.

This voice came from the Void, authoritative but not oppressive.

Zhou Yan was very familiar with this voice because it was Yao’s voice.

His voice carried a trace of the Void’s Channel’s energy, wrapping around Qian Xi. Even though it was only a strand of energy, Qian Xi was slightly moved, her lips parted as the word "Master" nearly escaped her but got swept inside by this energy.

"Alright, you all may leave."

At this moment, the woman with severed arms looked more solemn, but there was still a hint of hesitation before she respectfully and proactively opened a Light Gate.

The door, engulfed by the wave-like energy of the voice, disappeared in an instant.

All the Cultivators witnessing this felt an even deeper chill in their hearts, realizing that probably few would be fortunate this time around because some of those with backgrounds and origins were now here, directly using Great Divine Power to take away those they cared for.

The rest, without backgrounds or Divine Skills, were likely to meet a dire fate.

Silence enveloped the scene.

But a moment later, the heavens and earth swelled with winds and clouds as abnormal energies descended.

Nine Phoenixes soared, slicing through the sky to descend.

This time, it was the women from the Holy Land. Each woman of the Holy Land was peerlessly beautiful but with a temperament as Cold Ice.

"The Holy Daughter lineage will not participate, being wrongfully framed and inadvertently entering this place," a chilling voice among the women said these words, a voice Zhou Yan found somewhat familiar.

Upon hearing this, he involuntarily turned his gaze there, and then his pupils sharply constricted—because the owner of this voice turned out to be his former Maid Ping’er!

Maid Ping’er, originally a petite and adorable little maid, now stood tall and slender, with a breathtakingly cold and unmatched demeanor that was unimaginable.

The attention Zhou Yan gave seemed to evoke a response in her; her delicate body shivered slightly, but she did not look at Zhou Yan.

Even if others couldn’t tell, Zhou Yan clearly saw that she was struggling to restrain something, with great difficulty.

At that moment, Zhou Yan understood.

Perhaps the whole world would treat him harshly, but Ping’er was still Ping’er; the bond of master and servant, this deeply emotional relationship, was incredibly deep-rooted.

But she was raised by the Holy Daughter lineage, backed by the Holy Daughter herself; she was not her own master and could not break the rules to take action. If she did, the outcome might not only be beyond his rescue but also doom dozens from the Holy Daughter lineage.

Inexplicably, Zhou Yan suddenly understood—it was as if their hearts resonated, or perhaps, at this moment, his soul had ascended to the same height as the heaven and earth, sensitively grasping this realization.

He comprehended not out of being manipulated, but out of genuine insight.

Thus, Zhou Yan’s heart settled down.

Even if the whole world betrayed him, Ning’er and Ping’er would never betray him; this fact was as deeply embedded as a brand in his bones.

Zhou Yan lowered his gaze, no longer looking at the now stunningly beautiful and unmatched little maid.

He did not want to cause her trouble.

"The Holy Daughter lineage, you may also leave."

The woman with severed arms sighed softly, slightly waving her hand; a blue halo suddenly enveloped these people, and the Cultivators of the Holy Daughter lineage all vanished. At the same time, the original seven blue vortex doors dwindled to six.

Another avenue of escape was gone.

An unnamed oppressive heaviness became stronger and stronger.

Heaven and Earth had also turned incomparably dark, with Sacrificial Heaven Ancient City enveloping everyone, causing extreme discomfort and a suffocating sense of gloom in their hearts.

Outside lay the Despair Abyss, already a place of desolation.

Here was yet another ancient city of blood sacrifice.

"Swoosh—"

A Gray Dragon, like a Divine being, descended.

This colossal Gray Dragon, with the power to shatter heaven and earth, was unspeakably terrifying.

As the Gray Dragon appeared and disappeared, a decrepit old man emerged from the dense Essence Qi cloud.

Crooked in stature, the old man’s eyes shone like two suns, terrifyingly brilliant and incredibly fearsome.

"Elder Ling, you..."

Seeing this person, Huangfu Jing couldn’t help but tremble, and suddenly tears poured down.

"Little Princess, I am sorry, it’s my fault. I thought bringing you here would break the Time Curse, but I didn’t anticipate..."

The old man sighed deeply, speaking sorrowfully.

"Elder Ling, it’s not your fault, it’s me..."

Huangfu Jing said with some difficulty.

Under such immense pressure, she had reverted to appearing like a five- or six-year-old girl, looking pitiful, yet her eyes still shone like those of a charming and beautiful young woman, filled with sadness and distress.

Her large, beautiful eyes were filled with endless pain and a sense of powerless resignation to fate.

"The War God Family... you may also leave. Though the War God’s glory has ended, he is still worthy of respect."

The woman in white with the severed arm spoke again.

"Elder... I... May I take away a drop of... Essence Blood from Zhou Yan?"

Huangfu Jing asked with a trembling voice, with a pleading tone.

"Taking his Essence Blood, do you intend to resurrect him using a secret technique? If so, even if he remains the same, Zhou Yan’s will might have vanished, and the resurrected would be nothing but an identical puppet. Rather than endure such pain, it might be better to emulate the Heartlessness of the Heavenly Dao and cultivate the Heartless Dao."

The woman in white stared at Huangfu Jing with her hollow eye sockets, as if seeing through all her thoughts.

Those eye sockets were deep and empty, sending chills down one’s spine and making one’s scalp tingle with fear.

The woman in white with the severed arm was incredibly beautiful, with features so exquisitely breathtaking that even other women would be charmed. However, making eye contact, Huangfu Jing felt a choking fear deep in her soul.

"I... I don’t know, but I just can’t bear... I really can’t bear the thought of Zhou Lingzhe just dying like this. I don’t know why... it, it hurts so much."

"This feeling, it’s without reason or cause, it just appears, and I can’t control it, just like how I... can’t control my fear towards you."

Huangfu Jing bit her lip, pouring out all her feelings in one breath.

All the cultivators watched her in astonishment, finding her somewhat incredulous.

But having said these words, Huangfu Jing felt much more at ease.

"The attraction between constitutions has reached such a degree. It seems, Zhou Yan, your ’Emotional Sword Dao’ has also reached a certain depth," said the woman in white after a moment of silence. Instead of answering Huangfu Jing, she turned to Zhou Yan and spoke.

Zhou Yan looked calmly at the woman’s empty eye sockets, meeting her gaze without a flicker of emotion.

After a moment, he spoke indifferently, "Before I fulfil your requests, I have two of my own."

"Do you believe you’re in a position to make conditions?" the woman in white asked with equal calm.

"Do you think I’m not?" Zhou Yan replied with a teasing smile.

"Fine, go ahead."

The woman in white conceded.

"Huangfu Jing, I’ve understood your feelings, but... please forget about me.

Even if I were perfectly fine and safe, there would be no outcome between us. I am a fickle man, drawn to beautiful women, with desire outweighing love.

You must already know this. And the Heart of Nature I’m cultivating exerts a special charm on women of the Huangfu Family, causing you to fall for me irresistibly.

Currently, I can’t stop this because I’ve only started to grasp the Heart of Nature and can’t cover up my own charm and aura.

Thank you for your love, thank you for still caring and trying to save me.

Among so many people, my relatives, friends, lovers, only you think to save me.

What virtue or ability do I possess, Zhou Yan, to be favored by you? Were it not for the Heart of Nature, I know we would have been nothing more than strangers. But since it has happened, I don’t want to die with regrets of leaving you owed."

Zhou Yan’s voice remained gentle as he spoke, his tone as tranquil as if he had seen through life and death.

At this moment, the hearts of all cultivators present were touched.