Chapter 768 - 443: A Delicate Situation

Zou Feng could tell that apart from the bloodline of the Golden-winged Roc, Yue Ya also possessed the bloodlines of other Ancient Holy Beasts. Because this bloodline was too thin, anyone else—even a Nascent Soul Old Monster—would be unable to discern it. At most, they would only sense that Yue Ya had a special constitution. However, having devoured the Golden-winged Roc, Zou Feng was able to detect this through the bloodline resonance between Ancient Holy Beasts. This also explained why Yue Ya hadn’t been infected and turned into a Medicine Man earlier, and why she could master the Five Poison Palm so quickly.

He mused that if her bloodline power could be further stimulated, they might even find more relics left behind by Ancient Holy Beasts. But naturally, Zou Feng wouldn’t trick a little girl. He laid out the pros and cons directly, letting Yue Ya make her own choice.

First of all, taking her as his disciple was set in stone. As for the choices she now faced, the first was naturally to have Zou Feng send someone to escort her back to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect. There, she would have access to abundant Cultivation resources. Plus, as his disciple, almost no one would dare mess with her, allowing her to cultivate in the safest environment possible. The second option was to follow Zou Feng deeper into the Northern Domain to hunt Tribulation Cultivators and, conveniently, act as a detector for Holy Beast bloodlines. The risks of this second choice were undeniably high, but the benefits were equally obvious: staying by Zou Feng’s side meant she could receive his direct instruction, skills, and guidance face-to-face. This would undoubtedly allow her to cultivate much faster than if she returned to the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.

With the two options laid out before her, Zou Feng didn’t hide their respective advantages and disadvantages at all. Yet, Yue Ya didn’t hesitate for a second, immediately choosing to stay by his side. Which choice was more beneficial to her wasn’t even a consideration; to her, staying by her master’s side was the only option that mattered. He figured it didn’t matter. In another two years, the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect would make a major move anyway.

"Let’s go!" Patting Yue Ya’s head, Zou Feng took the lead and flew toward the Holy Lotus. Lu Wu consciously acted as Yue Ya’s wings, taking off alongside her.

On the way to the Holy Lotus, Zou Feng vaguely sensed a faint gaze coming from somewhere in the void. He knew very well that this wasn’t an illusion; most likely, a Nascent Soul Realm Tribulation Cultivator had their eyes on him. Zou Feng immediately opened the List of Gods to check, only to find that no new Nascent Soul big shot had appeared on the list. Instead, the name of an old adversary was clearly rearing its head.

It was none other than Ink Ash Abyss, the very person who had chased him down and left him in quite a sorry state. This man was also a Nascent Soul Old Monster who cultivated the Path of Rebirth. As for why it was such a coincidence that he had been targeted again so quickly... it was because it was never a coincidence to begin with.

Back then, a wisp of Ink Ash Abyss’s Divine Soul had invaded Zou Feng’s sea of consciousness and was on the verge of a successful possession. However, the man could never have expected that Zou Feng’s sea of consciousness housed the List of Gods—a Magical Treasure so incredible that even he found it unfathomable. Thus, his scheme backfired spectacularly, and that wisp of Divine Soul was devoured by Zou Feng instead. But it was precisely because Zou Feng had devoured this wisp of Divine Soul that a mysterious connection was established between the two. To put it plainly, as long as the distance between them wasn’t absurdly far, Ink Ash Abyss could faintly sense Zou Feng’s presence. The gaze Zou Feng just detected stemmed from this very connection.

Yet, this wasn’t an oversight on Zou Feng’s part; it was entirely intentional. Having a wisp of his Divine Soul devoured, Ink Ash Abyss’s strength had been severely hampered, and he was eager to settle the score. After all, as long as he didn’t invade Zou Feng’s sea of consciousness again, he wouldn’t be suppressed by the List of Gods. If he could settle the score, the benefits would go far beyond just making up for the loss of his Divine Soul; he would also likely seize a supreme treasure for himself. The temptation was far too great; Ink Ash Abyss was probably already champing at the bit.

Therefore, knowing full well that Ink Ash Abyss would be watching him, Zou Feng had swaggered into the Northern Domain as a deliberate baiting tactic. He planned to rely on the current sheer lethality of the Xuanwu Poison Domain to counter-kill the weakened Ink Ash Abyss. It had to be said that making such a decision showed Zou Feng’s courage was swelling to the point of arrogance. But no matter what, it was an ironclad fact that Ink Ash Abyss had suffered a massive loss at his hands. So, there was simply nothing to fear. Who said he couldn’t spill the blood of a Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivator as a warm-up before taking down Gongyang Wuji?

Just as Zou Feng was about to steer the Holy Lotus out of Cheyue Country to find a more suitable battlefield for eliminating a Nascent Soul Tribulation Cultivator, Yue Ya unexpectedly gave his sleeve a timid tug.

"What is it?" Zou Feng turned back, confused.

Yue Ya pointed below the Holy Lotus at the citizens who were still showering Zou Feng with endless gratitude. "Master, they..."

Zou Feng finally understood what she wanted. She simply wanted him to look after these pitiful people a bit more. Although the root cause of the disaster in Cheyue Country had been eradicated, the remaining mess was no small matter. Moreover, with the full-scale invasion of the Tribulation Cultivators, similar tragedies were playing out almost every single day. Zou Feng was no savior; he couldn’t possibly stay behind to offer Universal Relief to all living beings. Furthermore, the only way to solve the problem at its root was to truly wipe out the Ninefold Celestial Court and the Yama Underworld, and then shatter the Celestial Number Divine Domain.

After pondering for a moment, Zou Feng’s heart ultimately softened under Yue Ya’s expectant gaze. If he left the current mess in Cheyue Country completely unchecked, it would indeed breed even more Tribulation Cultivators. After all, the three great Demon Immortals had experimented with far too many inhumane methods here. The Medicine Men alone were highly likely to plunge Cheyue Country back into chaos.

"Alright!"

Nodding at Yue Ya, Zou Feng didn’t need to explain anything further as he walked straight toward the bow of the ship.