Chapter 234: Concealment

Chapter 234: Chapter 234: Concealment

The moment the idea surfaced, Jiang Xu’s energy surged, his gaze instantly locking onto the remaining Demon Cultivators.

"Brother Zong, you take the strong ones, I’ll take the weak ones!"

Before Zong Ziqi could even process his words, Jiang Xu finished speaking and charged into the crowd of Demon Cultivators, beginning to slaughter the ones at the Qi Cultivation Realm.

When Zong Ziqi saw Jiang Xu cut down three or four Qi Cultivation Demon Cultivators in the blink of an eye, he had no time to wonder why Jiang Xu had suddenly gone back on his word to save them. He simply raised his sword and lunged toward the three remaining Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators.

Zong Ziqi had just used the Thunderbolt Breathing Technique, leaving him somewhat fatigued. Ordinarily, he would have struggled to handle even a single Demon Cultivator.

But now, bolstered by a host of auxiliary magic from Jiang Xu, plus the Concealing Breath Spell and the Spiritual Eye Technique, he was more than equipped to deal with these three ordinary Foundation Establishment Demon Cultivators.

What’s more, Yan Chunyu and the other two Foundation Establishment Female Cultivators saw their chance and joined the fray.

Within moments, all the remaining Demon Cultivators were summarily executed. Not a single one escaped.

Seeing that every last Demon Cultivator was dead, their bodies and souls extinguished, Jiang Xu breathed a sigh of relief. He dispelled the Concealing Breath Spell on himself and Zong Ziqi, revealing them to Yan Chunyu.

"Huh? You... and you! How can it be you two?!" Yan Chunyu blurted out in astonishment, her voice trembling with uncertainty, as if she were wondering if she was still dreaming.

When Jiang Xu and Zong Ziqi suddenly appeared before her, Yan Chunyu’s expression flickered with astonishment.

Her bright eyes widened, filled with utter disbelief, as if she had just witnessed mountains crumbling and the seas flowing backward.

Following the initial disbelief, a panic spread through her eyes like ripples from a stone tossed into a placid lake.

Yan Chunyu’s gaze flickered from Jiang Xu to Zong Ziqi and back again as she tried to confirm that what she was seeing was not an illusion. Her lips parted slightly as if to speak, but she couldn’t seem to find the right words to express the complex storm of emotions inside her.

She couldn’t believe these two familiar figures had appeared in such a situation. It was even harder to imagine how they had silently infiltrated an ambush so meticulously planned by the Demon Cultivators, let alone destroyed the Demon Array with such ease.

"Haha, we never expected to find you in this ambush," Zong Ziqi said, sheathing his Profound Dragon Sword and taking a few steps toward Yan Chunyu.

"It’s the Sect Elder!" one of the Foundation Establishment Female Cultivators beside Yan Chunyu exclaimed in shock upon seeing Zong Ziqi. "You’re alive! We heard that trio of villains ganged up on you. We all thought you were dead, but to think you’re still alive!"

"Ah, Elder Wang. It’s been a while! You’re not entirely wrong, actually. I was ambushed and nearly died. It’s only thanks to Brother Jiang, who risked his life to save me, that I managed to escape."

Zong Ziqi said with a smile,

"In fact, you all should be thanking Brother Jiang. He led the charge to kill Young Master Yellow Springs, and he’s the real reason you were saved. I was just the muscle."

At the mention of "Brother Jiang," everyone turned to look at Jiang Xu. The other two female cultivators’ reactions aside, Yan Chunyu felt deeply awkward.

Her impression of Jiang Xu was still stuck on him being a lowly Qi Cultivation Cultivator from the Early Stage. She never imagined that he would be the one to save her life here. ’How unpredictable the world is!’

"Thank you for saving our lives! We will do everything in our power to repay this tremendous debt." Yan Chunyu gave Jiang Xu and Zong Ziqi a solemn bow, and the two female cultivators beside her quickly did the same.

"No thanks are necessary."

Jiang Xu returned the salute.

"Our original goal was just to kill Young Master Yellow Springs. Running into you was a coincidence. And initially, we had no intention of saving anyone, so you really don’t need to feel indebted."

"No, we must keep things separate. The fact is, you saved our lives. It doesn’t matter if it was by chance or on purpose. We are not ungrateful people. Please, make any request you wish, and we will do our best to fulfill it!" Yan Chunyu shook her head, adamant about repaying the favor.

Hearing her say this, Jiang Xu stopped trying to refuse. He stroked his chin, his gaze drifting over her. The look made Yan Chunyu’s body go rigid and her heart pound with anxiety, terrified he might make some bizarre request.

"If you really want to repay us, then fine," Jiang Xu said slowly after a moment of contemplation. "After you leave, just say that you were the ones who managed to kill Young Master Yellow Springs. Don’t mention us at all. If you can do that, it will be more than enough."

"That’s it?" Yan Chunyu blurted out. "That’s your only request?"

"What other kind of request did you expect?" Jiang Xu asked, puzzled.

A little flustered, Yan Chunyu changed the subject.

"Why do you want to hide the fact that you killed Young Master Yellow Springs?"

"Don’t you know this is a huge accomplishment? The Sect will praise you and grant you massive rewards. They’ll invest more in your training, and your reputation throughout the Righteous Dao will skyrocket. These are all incredible benefits, both seen and unseen!"

"Jiang Xu, you might even become the Profound Origin Sect’s third rising star! Your future would be boundless!"

Although the rewards Yan Chunyu mentioned were tempting, Jiang Xu had already set his plans for the future, and returning to the Profound Origin Sect was not part of them.

And as for becoming a "rising star," Jiang Xu had no interest whatsoever.

Judging by the mortality rate of the Demon Sect’s "Ten Great Villains," the old saying about the nail that sticks out getting hammered down was clearly true. The more famous you were, the more likely you were to die.

The death rate for the "Ten Rising Stars" of the Righteous Cultivators was just as high as that of their Demon Sect counterparts. Jiang Xu had no intention of putting himself in that kind of spotlight.

"No, we don’t need anything else. You can take all the credit, it makes no difference to me. Brother Zong, any objections?" Jiang Xu asked.

"Me? Of course not. You call the shots. I’m sure you have your reasons."

Since they both insisted, Yan Chunyu had no choice but to reluctantly agree, even though she didn’t understand their reasoning.

"No matter how you slice it, I’m the one benefiting from this. Rest assured, if you ever need my help in the future, I won’t hesitate for a moment!"

Yan Chunyu repeated her solemn promise one last time before leaving Young Master Yellow Springs’s ambush site.

Yan Chunyu departed in a great hurry.

It wasn’t just that she was anxious to rendezvous with her companions; it was also because every extra moment she lingered, the more uncomfortable she felt.

She had been quite satisfied with herself recently.

She had broken through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, mastered a Secret Technique from the Ancient Liu Family, and become one of the ten rising stars of the Righteous Cultivators...

Everything had been going so smoothly for her. Yet today, she had stumbled badly and nearly been killed.

That would have been bad enough on its own, but to be rescued by two people she would never have dreamed of in a million years was another matter entirely.

The first was Zong Ziqi, a man she had long viewed with hostility and had always wanted to teach a lesson to, though she’d never had the chance for various reasons.