Jiang Zuo then let Swordsman Beitian go. Nor did Swordsman Beitian want to linger. He had to go practice the Northern Celestial Seven Swords. Besides, the nearby mountain peak was his, so he needed to have his people evacuate first.
Others might not believe it, but he chose to trust him.
Even if it turned out to be false, the worst that could happen was a little ridicule.
In any case, he’d been secretly mocked plenty of times ever since he started raising the Sure-Hit Egg.
He was much more open-minded about things now. Perhaps it was because he had gone out and seen more of the world.
Or perhaps his encounter with Po Xiao had subtly changed him. Or maybe it was seeing Jian Shisan’s Sword Dao that had left such a deep impression.
In short, he wasn’t quite the same person he used to be.
It was as if he had found a true sense of pride. All outward appearances were nothing but vanity.
Jiang Zuo soon appeared near the Secret Realm. The area seemed to have stabilized, and people had even started trading nearby.
Wherever people gathered, a marketplace was bound to spring up.
Since it was a rare opportunity for so many to gather, people would inevitably sell off things they didn’t need in exchange for something useful.
This was a common enough practice.
The marketplaces weren’t large, however. It mainly came down to getting the Sword Cultivation Lineage’s approval; otherwise, no one would be allowed to set up a stall.
Jiang Zuo glanced around and, to his surprise, spotted someone.
The man, who had been hawking his wares, spotted Jiang Zuo in the same instant.
The expressions on both their faces soured.
They were likely thinking the exact same thing.
’No wonder a disaster is about to strike this place. Of course it is—he’s here.’
Jiang Zuo, however, was much calmer. He walked over. "Didn’t you say you were going to the Spiritual Control Sect?"
"And didn’t you say you weren’t going anywhere?" the man retorted.
This man was none other than the Daoist.
Jiang Zuo picked up a round bead from the Daoist’s stall and said, "I had a change of plans."
With that, he tossed a Third-Grade Spirit Stone over.
The Daoist’s brows furrowed. "Your wife is here looking for you," he said immediately.
Just then, Jiang Zuo picked up another round bead—the first was black, and this one was white.
"I’m wearing a mask today," he said, his expression unchanging. "It doesn’t matter who shows up."
’That’s right. Even a Tier Seven would have trouble seeing through his mask, let alone Su Qi. It shouldn’t be a problem.’
’Besides, this Daoist had a history of this sort of thing. It was hard to tell if he was bluffing.’
He then tossed another Third-Grade Spirit Stone to the Daoist.
Jiang Zuo was about to pick out another item, but the Daoist grabbed his hand. "Young friend, I’m running a small business here. Please, show some mercy."
"This humble Daoist is destitute, just trying to make a living with this small enterprise."
Jiang Zuo didn’t bother trying to pick anything else. As the Daoist was speaking, he was already packing up his wares, one step short of bolting.
"Come to think of it, how are you everywhere?" Jiang Zuo asked suddenly. "Don’t tell me you’re the one who brought the Curse Bead and the Purification Bead out of the Secret Realm. Did you cause this whole mess?"
The Daoist froze at Jiang Zuo’s words, then said with a solemn expression, "Young friend, if you want to condemn someone, you can always find a charge. This humble Daoist roams the world, bestowing good fortune upon countless destined individuals."
"I would never bring disaster upon the world."
"What’s more, combining the Curse Bead and the Purification Bead only allows one to control the Curse Power to a certain extent."
"Their true purpose is for cultivating the Supreme Body Technique."
"Surely you know this, young friend?"
Jiang Zuo nodded. "I know. It’s just that I see you so often, it feels like disaster follows you wherever you go."
The Daoist’s face darkened. "The feeling is mutual. This humble Daoist thinks the exact same thing about you, young friend."
Jiang Zuo: "..."
’I’m just an ordinary person. What does any of this have to do with me?’
But before Jiang Zuo could retort, the Daoist had already fled.
Jiang Zuo could only let it go.
Jiang Zuo had always known this Daoist was anything but simple; he just had never been able to discern anything concrete about the man.
This made Jiang Zuo rather curious.
Of course, it was nothing more than simple curiosity.
He had no intention of actively investigating the matter.
Jiang Zuo then approached the Secret Realm. It was located inside a deep, enormous pit.
The moment Jiang Zuo saw the pit, he was absolutely certain.
’This is the territory of the Master of Curses.’ He could still remember its aura, even now.
’Those had been relatively carefree days.’
’Jiu Xi couldn’t get anywhere near the core back then; her Cultivation wasn’t high enough.’
’At first, she kept forcing her way in, constantly trying to make her presence known to me.’
’Then she disappeared for a few months, I think.’
’The next time I saw Jiu Xi, she had slaughtered the Master of Curses.’
’Her rate of improvement was truly terrifying.’
Jiang Zuo knew how terrifying the Master of Curses was. If the power here were allowed to erupt, the entire mountain range would be annihilated.
’At least, that’s what happened in my past life. The entire mountain range became part of the Cursed Land.’
Just then, Jiang Zuo took out his phone and sent a message directly to the group chat: "You all had better stay out of the Sword Cultivation Lineage’s Small Secret Realm."
Chi Xue Child: "[Surprised Emoji] You’re there, Fellow Daoist Po Xiao? What happened?"
Liuyue Xue: "I can’t get in touch with Yiyi."
Chi Xue Child: "Come to think of it, I haven’t been able to reach Blade Master Hai Bian since this afternoon, either."
Po Xiao: "There’s an anomaly in the Secret Realm. They were likely sucked inside. The Cursed Land is incredibly dangerous. Going in is basically a suicide mission. Even the Sword Cultivation Lineage will have a hard time surviving. Do as you see fit."
Demon Cultivator Mo Yan: "Need a custom Clothes Tomb? Group discounts available, plus a reduction for your first order."
Liuyue Xue: "I’m the one who paid your medical bills. Do you want to learn how to speak properly?"
Demon Cultivator Mo Yan: "You’re the one who beat me half to death! You should’ve paid my medical bills in the first place. Lately, I’ve been thinking about selling your candid photos to make some money."
A moment later, Liuyue Xue posted again: "Alright, I’ve dealt with Mo Yan. Don’t worry about her escaping and making a mess."
Chi Xue Child: "..."
’Mo Yan had it coming.’
At that moment, Chen Yi sent a message: "The Holy Land’s liaison just contacted us. They want to see if our sensory abilities can affect what’s inside the Secret Realm."
Jiang Zuo paused for a second before sending a message.
Po Xiao: "And what happened?"
Chen Yi: "We tried it. We can just barely perceive what’s inside."
Po Xiao: "Give me a general rundown of the situation inside when you can. I’m about to head in myself."
Seeing Chen Yi agree, Jiang Zuo kept his phone out and undid the shielding on Duan Qiao. There shouldn’t be any signal inside the realm.
But with Duan Qiao, a signal was guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the others in the group chat were conflicted.
Chi Xue Child: "Liuyue Xue, are we going or not?"
Liuyue Xue: "Didn’t Fellow Daoist Po Xiao say it’s incredibly dangerous? You want to go get yourself killed?"
Xiao Xiaomo: "Or maybe to collect Blade Master Hai Bian’s corpse?"
Chu Qing: "Elder Po Xiao is going in, so it can’t be that big of a problem. We might even get some benefits out of it."
Demon Cultivator Mo Yan: "Of course we’re going! We can witness the destruction of the Sword Cultivation Lineage with our own eyes, record it, and then sell the video. We’ll definitely make a killing."
Liuyue Xue: "Where’d you get the money to be popping pills?"
Chi Xue Child: "She’s with me. She hasn’t learned anything useful, but she’s definitely learned how to swipe things."
Chi Xue Child was filled with bitterness just thinking about it.
Liuyue Xue: "..."
Then Liuyue Xue realized some of her Spirit Stones were missing.
Those were her Spirit Stones! The ones she had saved for so long, the ones she couldn’t even bear to use herself!
This time, she was absolutely going to kill Mo Yan.
Demon Cultivator Mo Yan: "You think you can do whatever you want just because you’re pretty? In your drea—jfja’;sd+-@#￥%_+"