Chapter 135: The Silent Treatment
"Huff, huff, huff..."
Wen Yulong was panting heavily, so he sat down to catch his breath.
Chu Liang handed him a cup of water and said, "Junior Brother Wen, you worked so hard. You must be exhausted."
"No... I'm fine." Wen Yulong waved his hand, brushing off Chu Liang's concern as unnecessary. "It's just that I haven't practiced this sword technique for long, so I haven't figured out how to execute it efficiently. But with more study and practice, I believe... I can do it easily and skillfully."
"I think condensing the Crimson Lotus Bead to form the Ghost-Slaying Sword of Divine Light is an ingenious idea. You've done enough; don't make things more difficult for yourself," Chu Liang urged.
He was really afraid Wen Yulong's Orb Lamp Sword Technique might end up only being good for looking flashy when he's confronted with enemies. His enemies would surely laugh themselves silly then.
All those greater and lesser ghost kings and the like probably wouldn't even be able to see such a grand performance in the underworld.
"If you don't like that feature, then you don't have to use it for now. But my advice is to be prepared for any situation," Wen Yulong advised.
He'd finally calmed down and was breathing normally again.
"Hehe," Chu Liang uttered with a small smile.
Sensing Chu Liang's lack of interest, Wen Yulong sighed and lamented inwardly about how it was so hard to find a like-minded friend.
Nevertheless, he decided to stop dwelling on this matter and instead picked up the green leaf lamp.
Wen Yulong said, "As for the Divine Fire form, there's nothing special about it."
He channeled his foundational qi into the green leaf lamp, and a ball of divine fire burst out from the Crimson Lotus Bead again. It leaped and danced on the green leaf lamp, resembling a real lamp that was blazingly bright.
"This Crimson Lotus Divine Fire is extremely effective against ghosts. If even a wisp of it makes contact with an ordinary ghost, the ghost would be burned until there's practically nothing left," Wen Yulong explained.
Chu Liang immediately gave a word of praise, "Excellent."
The fact that there was nothing special about something Wen Yulong had created made this item very special. Chu Liang was quite moved by this.
When he thought about the two forms in detail, he realized that both the Ghost-Slaying Sword of Divine Light and this Lamp of Divine Fire were pretty impressive.
Well, as long as you ignore the halftime show...
"I guess I didn't let you down," Wen Yulong said with a smile and handed the green leaf over to Chu Liang.
Then Wen Yulong took out the robe that had been made using the Aura-Concealing Muslin.
He explained, "It wasn't much of a challenge to make this Aura-Concealing Robe. It was very simple to make. I added a little enchanted inscription that alters your voice and conjures a shadow that veils your face, so you don't have to use your skills to conceal them."
Wen Yulong handed the robe over, and Chu Liang immediately put it on.
The size and cut were just right; the robe was a perfect fit. It even had details like a cinched waist and slim fit, which were much better made than in ordinary clothes.
Chu Liang pulled the robe's hood over his head, and a dark shadow appeared, veiling his face as expected. His vision, however, remained unhindered by the shadow.
"Junior Brother Wen, your workmanship is really good. If you stop cultivating in the future, you can become a tailor," Chu Liang expressed with a laugh.
He didn't sound like himself though; his voice had turned into the deep and raspy voice of an old man. The voice changer was a very thoughtful feature.
With this Aura-Concealing Robe, Chu Liang could screen his aura from others and better conceal his presence when he participated in activities involving the diabolical sects. The robe could become a great help to him.
He was now fully prepared for his trip to the Southern Bastion Mountain.
"Sigh." Chu Liang took off the Aura-Concealing Robe and put it away. "You always go all-out whenever you make enchanted tools for me. I really don't know how to thank you."
Wen Yulong replied sincerely, "Senior Brother Chu, if you really don't know how else to thank me, you can always pay me more."
"It's getting late." Chu Liang's expression suddenly turned cold. "If there's nothing else, you should head on back. My teacher will wake up soon.
"And she bites[1]."
...
It was nighttime. Raindrops fell to the ground with a persistent pitter-patter.
Chu Liang was asleep as the murmur of rain reverberated outside his window.
Then his eyes snapped open. He had been awoken by a sudden shake of the Soul Subjugator Token.
That wasn't surprising at all though. After all, a cultivator's divine sense was still quite alert even while they were asleep, and Chu Liang had been thinking about the token before he fell asleep.
His divine sense sank into the Soul Subjugator Token. Once inside, he saw large golden words floating in the air.
[Sixtieth]: "I have arrived at the outskirts of Southern Bastion Mountain."
[Fifty-Ninth]: "Already? The Guider commanded us to assemble within seven days, but only three days have passed since then."
This idler... He replied instantly even though it's the middle of the night. Does he never go offline?
Nevertheless, Chu Liang had no time to waste on criticizing that guy.
Chu Liang immediately started to form a plan.
Should I set off too?
Each Guider had three Fiends under them, and each Fiend had three Soul Subjugators under them. According to this chain of command, each Fiend would probably assemble their small teams before gathering together as a larger group.
That meant the arrivals would be staggered. If so, Chu Liang thought it would be best to arrive there second. He needed to face a member of this diabolical sect alone.
If Chu Liang were to succeed in disguising himself as one of the sect members, then he could consider establishing relationships with Fifty-Eighth and the other members of the Dark King Sect.
And well, if the disguise fails, I can just call Esteemed Teacher to capture the sect member and then squeeze some information out of them.
Furthermore, it would be easier to make up the whereabouts of one person. It wouldn't arouse much suspicion even if that person were to disappear.
[Sixtieth]: "I have been active in the area all this time. Nothing's happening right now, so I just decided to come here."
[Fiend]: "You got there too early. I still need a day to deal with some matters. I'll rush down to Southern Bastion Mountain afterward. If you guys get there before me, you can gather on the outskirts first."
Chu Liang saw the Fiend's reply while contemplating what he should do.
Some of the members of the Dark King Sect were underground cultivators who wandered the world, while others were seemingly ordinary people with families and jobs. However, the latter group would commit evil deeds in secret, so it was pretty normal for the Fiend to have many things to deal with if he were part of the latter group.
Coincidentally, Fiend's late arrival meant Chu Liang would have the opportunity to meet the Sixtieth alone.
So, Chu Liang sent a reply.
[Fifty-Eighth]: "I'll be there early tomorrow morning. Where should I go to find you?"
[Sixtieth]: "Look for Wolf-Tail Forest, which is located on the left foothill of the Southern Bastion Mountain. There's a pile of black stones at the entrance of the forest. You can find me by following the black stones."
[Fifty-Eighth]: "All right."
[Fifty-Ninth]: "I'll probably arrive tomorrow night. It seems like there will be some time before we'll have to meet up with the Guider. Should we head out somewhere together? Let's have some fun. We'll go have a meal in the city at the foot of the mountain."
[Fifty-Ninth]: "My treat."
Chu Liang and Sixtieth had just agreed on the secret signal for the meeting. Then Fifty-Ninth jumped out again and even suggested having a get-together. He'd done the same thing last time too.
Chu Liang didn't know a lot about how the members of this diabolical sect usually interacted with each other, but it certainly didn't seem like they were that close. He didn't know how to respond, so he just stayed silent, watching to see how the others would respond.
However, no one said anything.
Fifty-Ninth got ignored.
He was ignored for a long time.
After quite a while, new messages appeared again.
[Fifty-Ninth]: "Haha, it seems everyone's busy..."
[Fifty-Ninth]: "Being busy is good."
Seeing Fifty-Ninth's lonely string of messages, Chu Liang suddenly felt a little sympathetic toward him.
In a place where everyone is very indifferent and you're the only one who is cordial and excited, you throw out invitations that everyone ignores... In the end, you even smile apologetically to make the situation less embarrassing for you...
My heart aches just thinking about it.
1. When money is involved, Di Nufeng's the most ferocious beast at Silver Sword Peak. XD ☜
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l