Chapter 234: Diverting Trouble Eastward

Chapter 234: Diverting Trouble Eastward

Upon hearing the insults, Lu Yan remained silent and continued sipping his tea. The corpse puppet retaliated by throwing a concealed weapon, which shattered the man's teeth. The man fell to the ground in agony, nearly choking on his own blood.

The corpse puppet’s voice was cold and emotionless: "If you dare speak disrespectfully again, I’ll crush your skull!"

The few men nearby immediately stood up, their eyes filled with murderous intent. However, they could only hold back due to Lu Yan’s unpredictable abilities. They gritted their teeth and said, "Young Master, our Yellow Sand Sect has no grudge against you. You slandered us first and then injured our disciple. What is your intention? If you don’t give us an explanation, we will report this to our sect and request Lord Tan Yue to settle the matter!"

These last few words carried a veiled threat.

The Sword Sects of the world were led by Wu Wang, and among sword cultivators, Tan Yue held the highest respect, akin to the "Lord of the Immortal Alliance." Whenever there was injustice, he was called upon to mediate.

It was well known that the Yellow Sand Sect had been the Yellow Sand Sect for centuries before merging with Wu Wang Sect for protection, changing its name to the Yellow Sand Sect. Since then, their fates had been intertwined. Anyone who provoked the Yellow Sand Sect was essentially challenging the Wu Wang Sect, akin to digging one’s grave.

Before Lu Yan could respond, Liu Lianqing angrily shouted, "Pah! Even if Tan Yue comes, does he think his Wu Wang Sect is invincible?! Others might fear him, but not my Flying Star Sect! When did lackeys like you dare to bark at me?!"

Liu Lianqing’s fury was not without reason.

In theory, the top three sects should have been united, but since Wu Wang Sect suppressed the Demon Lord Fuguang a thousand years ago, it had gradually risen above the others, becoming increasingly tyrannical. It not only oppressed smaller sects but also sought to annex them.

Major sects could still defend themselves, but smaller ones like the Yellow Sand Sect had no choice but to merge with the Wu Wang Sect. With thousands of disciples now, they relied on Wu Wang’s power to act recklessly, often seizing treasures and merits from other sects during demon hunts. Conflicts often escalated into outright murder.

A few months ago, a group of inner disciples from the Flying Star Sect went to the Boshan Realm for training. They discovered a secret treasure, but it was stolen by the Wu Wang Sect. In the ensuing conflict, several Flying Star Sect disciples were severely injured. This blood feud remained unresolved.

The Flying Star Sect had repeatedly sought justice, but the Wu Wang Sect always sided with its own, forcing them to swallow their anger. Even this Sword Inquiry Conference was organized by Tan Yue, leaving all sects with no choice but to attend.

As the young master of the Flying Star Sect, Liu Lianqing’s status was different from ordinary disciples. Seeing the Yellow Sand Sect’s repeated threats, his anger flared, wishing to cut down these arrogant lackeys!

The man speaking was taken aback, clearly not expecting anyone to disregard even Tan Yue. He sneered, "Very well, the Flying Star Sect indeed has remarkable spirit. I will convey Young Master Liu’s words to Lord Tan Yue verbatim."

He then turned to Lu Yan: "That scholar, you keep saying that the Yellow Sand Sect imprisons people in the dungeons beneath Nine-Curved Mountain. Without evidence, if you can’t provide a clear explanation here, don’t blame us for being impolite!"

Everything needed a just cause. If Lu Yan couldn’t explain himself, they could return to their sect and request elders to deal with this troublemaker, without any objections.

Hate Hong was also anxious: "Master Lu, is there a misunderstanding? How could my father be in the Yellow Sand Sect?"

Lu Yan gently waved his fan. His deep purple eyes and fair skin made him appear androgynous and strikingly handsome. Despite wearing a simple scholar’s robe, he seemed out of the ordinary.

"If we talk about this, it’s a long story, related to a prophecy."

"During the Tianwu era, the sage calculated that a soul would descend from the Blood Sea Pool in the Goddess Nuwa’s realm, potentially helping cultivators reopen the immortal gates, shocking the three realms."

Lu Yan spoke deliberately, each word resonating deeply within everyone’s hearts. Almost everyone in the inn turned to look at him, their eyes glowing with intense interest.

For centuries, the cultivation world had been in turmoil over this prophecy. Who wouldn’t want to ascend to immortality? In a world where such opportunities were scarce, the soul was their last hope. Unfortunately, the sage who made the prophecy had long passed away, leaving the whereabouts of the soul unknown, leading to endless conflicts.

Now, as Lu Yan mentioned this prophecy, whether true or false, it sent everyone’s hearts racing.

"This soul is a divine artifact from the upper realms. Due to a crack left by Nuwa when she repaired the sky in ancient times, it fell to the mortal world."

Lu Yan’s voice was low but mysterious, drawing everyone closer, holding their breath to listen to his tale.

"So the soul is a divine artifact from the upper realms. No wonder the sage said it could help cultivators reopen the immortal gates..."

"I wonder where such a divine artifact might be..."

"Does this scholar know something..."

"Hush, don’t speak. Let’s hear what this young master has to say."

Everyone had forgotten about the Yellow Sand Sect, eager to learn more about the soul, regardless of its truth.

Lu Yan didn’t withhold information. He pointed his fan around the crowd and continued: "The soul broke into pieces when it fell, each piece representing a chance at immortality, scattered and obtained by different people."

This was a baseless claim. Ascension depended on individual cultivation and fortune. Many cultivators had ascended millennia ago without needing the soul. Yet, the sage’s prophecy had caused endless strife.

However, the soul wasn’t entirely useless. For example, one of the four Blood Chan Sect monks had achieved a physical Buddha because of a fragment of the soul hidden within. Unknown to others, Lu Yan had quietly taken advantage of it.

Someone impatiently asked: "Who obtained those fragments of the soul?!"

This question echoed everyone’s thoughts, and the attention on Lu Yan intensified tenfold. If looks could kill, he would have been pierced through.

Lu Yan looked at the speaker, smiling enigmatically: "Why don’t you tell us?"

The man had a sinister aura, clearly a belligerent type, with greed written all over his face. Seeing Lu Yan’s displeasure, he awkwardly sat back down, suppressing his anger.

Seeing no interruptions, Lu Yan continued: "Has anyone heard of Mo Yunjie from Leizhou? He was a local swordsman who once obtained a fragment of the soul. Unfortunately, news spread, attracting assassins. To protect his family, he fled alone with the soul fragment, disappearing without a trace. Few knew about this, and the ones who pursued Mo Yunjie were the Yellow Sand Sect!"

Lu Yan’s voice suddenly rose, and he pointed his fan at a young man in the crowd. Everyone instinctively looked, recognizing him as Fei Shi, the second disciple of the Yellow Sand Sect.

Fei Shi was shocked, his face turning red: "You! You’re lying! What does this have to do with me?!"

Lu Yan nodded seriously: "I never said it had anything to do with you. It involves your master, the leader of the Yellow Sand Sect, Sha Wanli. He led the pursuit of Mo Yunjie and imprisoned him in the dungeons beneath Nine-Curved Mountain."

Fei Shi’s face darkened: "Are you suggesting my master imprisoned Mo Yunjie to seize the soul fragment? Ridiculous! My master is reclusive and indifferent, and there are no dungeons beneath Nine-Curved Mountain!"

He turned to a woman in the crowd: "Lady Yun, when you visited Nine-Curved Mountain last year, did you see any dungeons?!"

The woman frowned slightly: "I explored the entire mountain and saw no dungeons."

Is this scholar making things up?

Lu Yan laughed, pointing at Fei Shi and shaking his head: "Foolish! Just because you haven’t seen it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Behind Nine-Curved Mountain is a forbidden area called the Sky-Connecting Well. Near the well is a stone tablet inscribed with ‘No straight path in Nine-Curved; the end of every curve is straight.’ Beneath the well lies a hidden dungeon."

Fei Shi stepped forward, shocked: "The Sky-Connecting Well is a forbidden area of the Yellow Sand Sect. Even my master rarely enters. How could an outsider know this?!"

Hate Hong glared at him, her eyes blazing: "So there really is a dungeon beneath Nine-Curved Mountain?!"

Fei Shi realized his mistake and stuttered: "But... But when I was young, I played near the well and never found any hidden mechanisms!"

"Fool, fool!" Lu Yan shook his head and sighed. "The pattern on the well wall is the Dark Yin Formation. You only needed to press down the half-broken brick in the center of the Bagua diagram and break the formation by following the directions of Heaven, Thunder, Water, Mountain, and Marsh. However, the water level pattern was missing a piece, and you were still young back then, so you wouldn’t have understood it."

*Swish!*

Fei Shi’s face drained of all color as he looked at Lu Yan as if he were seeing a ghost. This person not only knew about the forbidden area of Nine Twists Mountain but also knew that a brick was broken below the well wall and that the water level pattern was incomplete, as if he had seen it with his own eyes. This made Fei Shi break out in cold sweat.

Seeing Fei Shi’s expression, everyone understood immediately and pointed at him, cursing, "Your Yellow Sand Sect truly has some skills, claiming to be a prestigious and righteous sect, yet secretly doing such despicable acts of imprisoning people and stealing treasures. How shameless! Where is that old thing, Sha Wanli? Make him hand over the soul essence quickly!"

After all this cursing, the crucial part was the last sentence.

Fei Shi knew they had stirred up a hornet’s nest. His face turned red as he defended himself, "What soul essence? I’ve never seen it. Moreover, Master has always disliked killing. How could he do such evil deeds?"

A voice suddenly interjected, "He didn’t want to, but someone made him do it."

Fei Shi instinctively looked at Lu Yan. "Who?!"

Lu Yan’s tone was light as he dropped an enormous bombshell into the crowd:

"The Patriarch of the Unfounded Sect, Tan Yue!"

"Whoa—!"

The entire crowd was stunned.