"The Blood Alliance, actually there’s some detail I haven’t shared with you," Yue Dewen chuckled. "I was originally from the Blood Alliance’s interaction zone. I just left early."
"? Yue Shi is also from the Blood Alliance interaction zone?" Ounan’s eyes shifted slightly, showing surprise.
"I’m not just blowing smoke, back in the Great Spirit, I was considered to be doing quite well in all aspects. I had my moments of glory and strength, but now, I lost the desire for competition, and many things no longer matter," Yue Dewen laughed.
"Speaking of which, do you know the Blood King?" Ounan asked, with a hint of inexplicable expectation in his voice.
"I’ve heard of them. Actually, I used to mentor quite a few experts from the Great Spirit," Yue Dewen said, sinking slightly into memory.
Upon hearing this, Ounan’s eyes lit up.
Their current problem is, first, they cannot determine the true purpose of the Blood King and pull him in.
Secondly, they can’t directly deliver evidence into the Blood King’s hands. If Yue Shi has relevant connections...
Immediately, he quickly and carefully inquired Yue Dewen about many situations inside the Great Spirit in the past.
Knowing whether he was involved with Long’s group could be discerned with some understanding.
After all, the development of the Great Spirit, including the growth of Zhang Rongfang, the ancestor of the Blood King, can be traced.
At this point, as Ounan asked, Yue Dewen spoke naturally.
Many things are insignificant to the current Great Spirit and are completely unaffected.
So he talked without any burden. But he actually didn’t know that the Blood King was Zhang Rongfang, as those new adapters’ levels weren’t high.
Talking about the past, about serving as a National Master in the Great Spirit, mentioning disciples, his two apprentices, his romantic escapades, Yue Dewen suddenly realized that the time he served as Yue Dewen might have been his most enjoyable and comfortable days of his life.
Before that, he was always plotting to leave the canopy and seize the power of Spirit Flying Heaven.
After all, bypassing the Spirit Flying Heaven system is quite challenging.
Ounan sat on one side and listened quietly.
He held great respect for Yue Shi; during this time, everyone could see that Yue Dewen was genuinely and earnestly teaching the young people in the town.
Many new adapters, under his guidance, grew rapidly, and during times of trouble, many small techniques he taught saved several lives.
As he listened, Ounan solemnly proposed a point.
"Actually, I’ve just returned from the Blood Alliance myself, Yue Shi, do you have anything you want to send to your old friends there? I can help deliver a message next time."
Yuan City, the center of the Blood Alliance, is a diverse and comprehensive city where they could trace many things they needed.
This is why Ounan, having been there, understood that he might have to frequently deal with Yuan City in the future.
"Yuan City...." Mentioning this, Yue Dewen was suddenly interested.
He always heard from young adapters about how drastically the outside world had changed and how powerful and shocking the three major forces were.
He had never truly witnessed any of it.
But now, after hearing Ounan mention it again, suddenly a calm urge arose in his heart — a desire to see old friends.
"Speaking of which, the deficit in your body could be completely compensated for by becoming part of the Bloodline," Ounan pondered. "The recovery power of the Bloodline is incredibly strong, and you’d likely return to your original state in no time."
"Bloodline...." Yue Dewen also knew the name. He suspected it had something to do with Zhang Rongfang but wasn’t sure.
He had already collected detailed information about the growing Bloodlines outside.
"There’s no rush for now. I’ll move out once I’m better prepared." He paused.
"By the way, if you have time, when you go to Yuan City, could you check on my two former disciples and see how they are doing now?"
"It’s a small matter, but I reckon it will be a while before I visit Yuan City again," Ounan nodded in agreement.
"That’s alright, just remember," Yue Dewen smiled. The information he gathered came mostly from those young adapters, so he only had a basic outline of the outside world.
Now, taking interest in Yuan City sparked a bit of curiosity in his heart.
He suddenly felt an intense urge to learn about his old friends and what had become of them....
"And your two disciples’ names?" Ounan asked softly. "It would be better if you also told me their distinctive features or characteristics to identify them among people with the same name."
"That’s easy," Yue Dewen smiled, "One is called Zhang Qingzhi, an honest and reserved person, shy and sincere, but too obsessed with love and affection, leading to the neglect of other things."
"Zhang Qingzhi, noted," Ounan nodded. "Who’s the other one?"
"The other one... I don’t know how he’s doing now," Yue Dewen hesitated. "He’s somewhat special; I don’t even know how to explain it."
"Special?" Ounan’s curiosity was piqued. "In what way? His name?"
"Hmm... mainly it’s...." Yue Dewen frowned. "Mainly, I don’t know what he’s like now. He changes too quickly."
"The second disciple, his name is Zhang Rongfang. Compared to Zhang Qingzhi, he is extremely focused on strength and martial arts, indifferent to many other things. Because of this, his progress is terrifying, a combination of talent and effort. I can’t predict what level he has reached now."
"Zhang Rongfang...." Ounan remembered the name. Though it sounded familiar, he thought perhaps he had heard of someone with the same name elsewhere.
He thought nothing of it.
"Well then, Yue Shi, wait for my good news," Ounan stood up and headed towards his room.
He knew that he would return to Yuan City sooner or later. But next time, perhaps it wouldn’t be as secretive or embarrassing as before.
In retrospect, Yuan City hadn’t assisted Chana Tower in capturing them; this city, it seemed, was in a highly neutral position, not leaning one way or the other.
As long as you don’t damage the environment of the city or harm its residents, everything else doesn’t matter.
At his room’s door, Ounan reached out with the key, inserting it into the lock.
At that moment, a flash of lightning suddenly struck through his mind.
Zhang Rongfang... Zhang Rongfang!?
"Zhang Rongfang!!!?" he suddenly turned back, staring intently at a relaxed Yue Dewen sitting at the door.
"Could it be... Blood Immortal Ancestor Zhang Rongfang!?" He had heard this name multiple times in Yuan City.
Blood King, Blood Immortal Ancestor, Human Immortal Dao Master, Daoist Ancestor, etc., were all titles describing this person.
The more he thought about it, the more he found it odd. At once, he withdrew the key and returned to sit beside Yue Dewen again.
"Yue Shi, dare I ask if this disciple named Zhang Rongfang has any other distinctive features?"
Yue Dewen blinked and, without hesitation, shared quite a few details about Zhang Rongfang.
The more Ounan listened, the more Yue Shi seemed to be talking about the same person! His eyes began to light up as well.
Boom!
At that moment, a violent explosion echoed from the entrance of the gathering place.
Several Adapters guarding the entrance were instantly blown away by the massive blast.
But their strong physique allowed them to quickly regain balance mid-air. Once they landed, they charged toward the explosion site, sabers in hand.
The Adapters had exceptionally strong bodies, though not as formidable as those Spirit People with the Heart-Burning Furnace, they far surpassed ordinary people.
However, before they could get close, a purple light erupted again from the grey smoke of the explosion, spreading into a shield that swept over them in an instant.
Their bodies wriggled, muscles twisted, faces contorted, and their strength rapidly faded.
With a few thuds, these Adapters simply fell to the ground at first sight, their bodies beginning to grow bizarre outgrowths.
It was a sign of being polluted by evil radiation.
Even Adapters could be polluted, though it was much harder compared to Spirit People, as it was less targeted.
Yet now, just at a glance...
From the smoky remains of the explosion, a convoy of Evil Spirit Vehicles, emitting black smoke, slowly entered this Human Alliance underground cave.
From one of the Evil Spirit Vehicles, a tall woman covered in purple crystals, her long white hair flowing in the breeze, coldly stared at the town.
"By the command of Master Hong Xu, find those with bloodline, leave no one else alive."
"Yes!" Behind her, three more demons covered in purple crystals entered swiftly, their icy gazes sweeping over the cavern.
Ounan stood up, sensing something was wrong, and looked towards the direction of the explosion.
Teams were already rushing past him, heading full speed towards the entrance.
He quickly leaped to the opposite rooftop, taking a higher vantage point.
This time, he clearly saw silhouettes of black smoked figures slowly entering near the entrance.
Among them, there were several tall humanoid figures enveloped in purple.
"Demons..." Ounan’s heart trembled, having witnessed the terror of demons in the previous battle of the Secret Keeper.
As soon as his eyes focused on that side, the white-haired female demon sensed it and looked back towards him.
Their gazes locked.
"Found you..." The corners of the white-haired female demon’s mouth curved into a smile, and with a sudden crack beneath her feet, she shot towards Ounan like a rocket.
Ounan’s face changed dramatically. At most, he could deal with an Evil Spirit Horse, but directly crossing several levels to face a demon, possibly a high-level one, was impossible.
Thoughts raced in his mind; he had to leave this city. These demons and evil spirits were obviously targeting him.
If he couldn’t divert these monsters away, everyone in the town would die!!
Run!
With countless thoughts churning, Ounan turned and fled at full speed.
After just a few steps, he urgently grabbed Yue Dewen and started running away again.
Yue Dewen realized the urgency and also started running at full speed.
Ounan’s mind raced, thinking of a way to protect the town from the demon’s assault.
But no matter how hard he thought, no solution came to mind.
’Go to Yuan City!’ Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.
Yuan City forbids any conflict; only there could offer them sanctuary now!
If Yue Shi’s disciple was indeed that person.... then this might be the best solution!
*
*
*
Celestial Lotus Palace.
The intense grey light was once again forcibly suppressed.
Zhang Rongfang stood next to Zhang Zhenhai, gently supporting his unconscious wife.
"It’s over now...." He sighed with relief, looking at the distant Celestial Maiden.
"Did you understand anything?"
"Something is trying to emerge from Zhenhai’s stomach...." The Celestial Maiden nodded slightly.
These repeated impacts over days had given her some understanding of the grey light.
"What exactly is that thing?" Just observing from afar made her body ache, let alone Zhang Rongfang, who was blocking the grey light up close.
"I don’t know. Someone told me its name is Yi." Zhang Rongfang replied.
"Whether it’s White Eye or Yi, they both want to fully descend here. I’m trying to find the reason...."
Zhang Rongfang hadn’t finished speaking.
Suddenly, a blood light shot in from outside, landing at the gate of Celestial Lotus Palace.
In the blood light, Chang Yuqing, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, wearing a white dress, walked out swiftly.
She looked at the gatekeeper Chuanming.
"Is the Daoist Ancestor here? I have urgent matters to report!"
"The Daoist Ancestor is inside the palace. Let me report." Chuanming responsibly blocked the palace gate.
"No need. Come in, Yuqing." Zhang Rongfang’s voice echoed faintly from the palace interior.
Chang Yuqing quickly bypassed Chuanming, pushed open the palace gates, and strode in.
"Master, a quarter of an hour ago, someone sent a message. It’s from your master, named Yue, wishing to see you."
"Yue?" Turning around, Zhang Rongfang showed a trace of astonishment in his eyes. "Where is he?"
"The messenger is still here, but Yue is not in the city. He is at another location," Chang Yuqing explained quickly. "The other party provided a lot of personal information about you, so I reported it immediately."