Chapter 166 - 100: Man Has Eyes, Divine Techniques Are Blind

Chapter 166: Chapter 100: Man Has Eyes, Divine Techniques Are Blind

While the Divine Flow Sect was still wrestling with their troubles, Xuzhuang had already sped across ten thousand miles. Before long, the Celestial Waterfall Immortal Mountain of Yunlan Province came into view.

Xuzhuang descended from the clouds, heading straight for the main hall. As he stepped inside, he saw Daoist Zhang, who quickly stood and bowed. "Junior Martial Uncle Xu." He then glanced at Song Yuming and asked, "And who is this fellow Daoist?"

Xuzhuang nodded. "This is Fellow Daoist Song. He has now pledged allegiance to our True Form Temple."

Before Daoist Zhang could ask for details, Xuzhuang continued, "Later, Nephew, I’ll need you to fetch the sect’s Magic Contract for Fellow Daoist Song to sign."

Hearing this, a look of resignation crossed Song Yuming’s face. He could only cup his hands in a salute and introduce himself. "I am Song Yuming. It is a pleasure to meet you, Fellow Daoist."

Daoist Zhang was slightly taken aback. The name rang a bell, and a look of shock and uncertainty flickered across his face as he hurriedly returned the salute.

Xuzhuang paid no mind to their pleasantries. He took a seat, formed a hand seal for a spell, and sent out a flash of golden light. Then he gave another order, "Nephew Zhang, please summon Nephew Zeng as well. I have matters to discuss with both of you."

Daoist Zhang’s expression turned serious. "Yes, of course," he replied promptly, then called for a Daoist Child and sent him to fetch Zeng Quanfeng with all speed.

A short while later, Zeng Quanfeng arrived in a hurry and paid his respects to Xuzhuang. Xuzhuang, in no rush, gestured for him to sit and wait. Before long, Lieyun also entered the main hall and bowed with a semblance of proper decorum. "Master."

Xuzhuang nodded. "Lieyun, where are the two men?"

"Right here." Lieyun gave a sly grin, opened his mouth, and spat Taishi Zhe and Quan Youfeng onto the floor. Still bound by the Detention Technique, they landed with a THUD, lying as stiff and motionless as corpses.

"Taishi Zhe! Quan Youfeng!" Zeng Quanfeng cried out in shock. "Junior Martial Uncle Xu, what is this...?"

Xuzhuang replied calmly, "Today, Lieyun was ambushed by eleven people while out making it rain. These two were among them. You can interrogate them for the details, or you can ask Fellow Daoist Song."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Zhang, who was stroking his beard, paused his hand. "So Fellow Daoist Lieyun really was ambushed. Was this Young Master Chu Wei’s doing?"

Song Yuming adapted to his new situation quickly. He bowed and volunteered, "Your guess is correct, Fellow Daoist. A few days ago, Young Master Chu Wei gathered the ’Three Elders and Four Freaks’ along with three fellow Daoists from the Moyun Sect. He tasked me with coordinating them to ambush Fellow Daoist Lieyun..."

"What?" As Song Yuming recounted the details, Zeng Quanfeng clenched his fists and slammed one on the table. "The Divine Flow Sect and the Moyun Sect! They’ve gone too far!"

Daoist Zhang’s brows furrowed deeply. "If they do it once, they’ll do it again. As long as the insatiable ambitions of the Divine Flow and Moyun Sects are not extinguished, I fear our True Form Temple will know no peace."

At this, Daoist Zhang became deeply worried, and Zeng Quanfeng’s brows knitted together. Suddenly, a thought struck Zeng Quanfeng. "Junior Martial Uncle Xu, you brought these two back. Do you already have a brilliant plan?"

Xuzhuang smiled. "I wouldn’t call it a brilliant plan, but I do have a few ideas."

Zeng Quanfeng’s face lit up. "Please, enlighten us, Junior Martial Uncle."

Xuzhuang said leisurely, "What insatiable ambition? It’s simply that our True Form Temple has been weak for too long, attracting wolves and tigers to circle us. The only true path forward is to display our might."

"Display our might?" Zeng Quanfeng’s spirits lifted. "Junior Martial Uncle is right! These two failed in their ambush of our True Form Temple’s spirit beast and were captured by you. The True Form Temple can make an example of them with a public execution to send a message to the world!"

A chill went down Song Yuming’s spine when he heard this. He recalled Xuzhuang’s brutal efficiency—crossing ten thousand miles to crush Chu Wei into paste with a single strike. ’The True Form Temple’s members are all cut from the same lawless cloth,’ he thought. ’It’s a good thing I surrendered so quickly. Otherwise, I’d probably be one of those facing public execution.’

But Daoist Zhang shook his head firmly in disagreement. "Killing these two would only escalate the conflict between our True Form Temple and the Moyun Sect. It is not enough to be considered a display of might."

Xuzhuang nodded. "Nephew Zhang has a point. I didn’t keep these two alive for a public execution."

Zeng Quanfeng was taken aback. "Then how should we display our might? This nephew is slow-witted. Please, enlighten me, Junior Martial Uncle."

Xuzhuang pointed a finger at the two men on the floor. "These men attacked a spirit beast of the True Form Temple and were captured by us. The evidence is irrefutable," he said calmly. "However, for the sake of peace between our sects, I am willing to allow the Moyun Sect to ransom them back."

Zeng Quanfeng was utterly confused. "Why let the Moyun Sect ransom them? This..."

Daoist Zhang’s eyes shifted, however. He asked slowly, "I wonder, Junior Martial Uncle, what price are you thinking of for this ransom?"

Xuzhuang smiled faintly. "The ransom is for you two nephews to discuss. Whether it’s Spirit Veins, Magical Artifacts, or rare treasures from heaven and earth—if the Moyun Sect has it, you can ask for it."

At this, a glint appeared in Xuzhuang’s eyes. "After you two have decided and sent a letter to the Moyun Sect, remember to announce it to the world. Let everyone know that the True Form Temple has a just cause for its actions."

Hearing this, Zhang, Zeng, and Song were all stunned. Xuzhuang didn’t just want to make the Moyun Sect bleed; he wanted to utterly humiliate them!

Daoist Zhang frowned, troubled. "If we do this, will the Moyun Sect even agree?"

Zeng Quanfeng declared fiercely, "If the Moyun Sect refuses, then we’ll just publicly execute these two."

Song Yuming, however, fell into thought. ’If it comes to that, aren’t they just back to the first option?’

’Just as Daoist Zhang said, publicly executing the two from the Moyun Sect would do nothing but escalate the conflict. It wouldn’t be a display of might at all. In fact, from an outsider’s perspective, it would just make the True Form Temple look like they’re overestimating their strength—all bark and no bite. It would only further unite the Moyun Sect against a common foe...’

’Such a choice is utterly foolish. Would Xuzhuang really resort to such a poor strategy?’

A thought stirred in Song Yuming’s mind, and he looked toward Xuzhuang. He saw a profound look in Xuzhuang’s eyes as he replied calmly, "If the Moyun Sect refuses, I won’t make things difficult for them. Their Venerable simply needs to face me in a duel. If he loses, he will obediently hand over the ransom, take back his disciples, and give our True Form Temple a wide berth from now on."