Chapter Eighty-Nine: Going Back on One’s Word

Ling Yun strolled into the grand hall, and as he passed Li Mou, he let out a faint, cold snort. Li Mou lowered his head and followed him inside.

“Li Mou, can you tell me what happened now? How did you manage to provoke that lunatic Liu Qing?”

Li Mou glanced around nervously, hurried over to Ling Yun’s side, and whispered in his ear.

“That disciple from Divine Wind Academy possesses the Creation Cauldron!”

“Are you certain?” Ling Yun shot to his feet.

Li Mou nodded silently.

“So what’s the current situation?”

“The sect leader’s condition isn’t good. The entire Northern War Zone is in an uproar. And just now, there was word that Yao Ye has been gravely wounded and is missing. Chu Changfeng and the other two have all been injured to varying degrees, so Yao Ye wants…”

Ling Yun fell into thought. “What do you want to do? Speak quickly!”

Li Mou grinned slyly. “I want Song Qi to step forward, and for three reasons.”

Ling Yun eyed Li Mou suspiciously. “Reasons? Explain yourself.”

“Yao Ye is now in the primeval forest—the territory of the demon clans. They forbid anyone above the Spirit Communion stage from entering. With the aid of a divine artifact, no one in his realm can match Yao Ye. From what I’ve heard, he’s only at the Spirit Communion Heaven stage and hasn’t yet opened his domain.”

“Very well! I’ll leave this matter to you. Remember, don’t let that madman Liu Qing find out!”

“I understand. Rest assured, Sect Leader!”

Yao Ye barely managed to remain seated as he tended to his wounds for a long time. When he finally opened his eyes, he released his spiritual power, probing into the distance with confusion.

“They dare come again! Truly unafraid of death—how admirable.” Yao Ye struggled to his feet and made his way deeper into the forest. “Now is not the time for a direct confrontation,” he reminded himself, fully aware of his predicament.

He slipped away from the search parties, found a hollow in a tree, and concentrated entirely on healing his injuries. Before long, he opened his eyes once more, frowning deeply.

“What’s going on? How can they so quickly discover my hiding place?”

As he fled through the forest, Yao Ye pondered anxiously. “No, I must figure out what’s happening—otherwise, there’ll be no chance to recover at all!”

He reached the edge of a cliff and spied a concealed cave halfway up. Delighted, he leapt inside and carefully disguised the entrance before resuming his meditation in peace.

“What's going on? How did Yao Ye suddenly disappear?” The searchers gathered at the cliff's edge, looking around in confusion. Some broke off in groups of three or five to search the surrounding area.

“Mufeng, what’s the matter? Has your beast failed you?”

The young disciple Mufeng furrowed his brow. “Senior Brother Song! My gryphon sent an image before Yao Ye vanished—it was definitely this cliff. There’s no mistake.”

“Senior Brother Song, I think Yao Ye must have been frightened by our numbers and is hiding somewhere nearby. Why don’t we search the vicinity?”

“Senior Brother, Second Brother is right—I agree.”

Seeing the group united in opinion, Song Qi nodded. “Alright. For safety’s sake, let’s not reveal our affiliation with Cloudsky Sect. Understand?”

“Yes, Senior Brother!”

The group dispersed. Song Qi bit his finger in thought. “Could I have been careless?”

He shook his head. “Things are not so simple. Something feels off.”

After expelling the stagnant blood from his chest, Yao Ye’s face turned pale as he quietly considered his next move.

Given his current strength, he had no hope of crossing the entire war zone alone, yet the teleportation array his ancestor spoke of was nowhere to be found. Staring into the darkness ahead, he saw no ray of hope.

“I won’t resign myself to fate,” Yao Ye told himself, closing his eyes once again, unaware that the teleportation array was hidden right there, its presence masked by an illusion.

“Yao Ye, you cowardly turtle—if you’ve got any guts, come out!”

“Come out if you dare!”

Hearing the shouts and curses, Yao Ye sat in silent meditation, unmoved as if he were an ancient monk. Meanwhile, Song Qi’s group regrouped.

“Senior Brother, I really don’t understand—Yao Ye is acting like a turtle in its shell. Why does Master hold him in such high regard?”

“It’s because he possesses a divine artifact! All of you be careful—don’t let your guard down.”

The Second Brother shook his head impatiently. “I know, I know. Why do you always nag?”

“Second Brother, it doesn’t hurt to be cautious.”

Seeing the gravity on Song Qi’s face, the others fell silent.