Chapter 153 Shock and Anger

Every morning, Yu Ye went to the lakeside to smash stones, and after midday, he returned to his cave dwelling to cultivate.

Having gradually grown familiar with Mu Sha, Shang Xin, and Hong Qiao'er, coupled with the chatty Dang Guiyi, his days passed plainly and peacefully. Right from the start of his entry into the immortal sect, his disciple life seemed remarkably smooth.

Another day arrived.

At the break of dawn, Yu Ye awoke from his seated meditation.

In the blink of an eye, seven or eight days had passed. Perhaps benefiting from the rich spiritual energy of Jishui Peak, his cultivation progress had improved slightly, along with other gains. He had already made initial attempts at the foundational techniques of the *Yunchuan Secret Manual* and learned how to discern a person's cultivation realm. Moreover, the Body-Lightening Technique and a few minor spells could now be cast with ease. All of this was thanks to the foundation the Flood Dragon's Shadow had helped him build; because the techniques he cultivated, such as the *Tiangang Scripture* and the Seven-Killing Sword Jue, were far too profound, his understanding and insights into cultivation far surpassed those of ordinary people, making the techniques of the Yunchuan Immortal Sect simple and easy to comprehend.

Waking up this morning, however, was not for smashing stones.

Yesterday, the manager disciple Mu Hu had informed them that at the卯 hour (Mao hour) today, a teaching master would be lecturing on cultivation techniques at the Technique-Exposition Cliff.

Indeed, today was the day for expounding the Dao and imparting scriptures.

Having cultivated for over two years, he had always relied on the Flood Dragon's Shadow to pass down techniques while he figured things out on his own. Now, with a rare opportunity for a senior figure to impart the Dao and dispel doubts, he naturally would not miss such a wonderful chance.

Yu Ye exhaled a breath of stale air and stood up.

Two night-pearls were embedded in the cave walls, emitting a faint glow. In an earthen jar in the corner of the room grew a stalk of wild orchid picked from the lakeside. The pearl's light reflected off the emerald green of the orchid, lending a touch of color and vitality to the humble dwelling.

Beside the orchid, on a stone table, rested a wooden plaque: *The Spirit Tablet of Yu Yao of Xingyuan*.

This was his father’s spirit tablet, which he had carried with him all along. He believed that one day, he would return with the token to the Yu Family Village in Xingyuan Valley and reunite with his mother.

Before the spirit tablet sat a jar of wine and two pottery bowls...

Yu Ye remained silent for a moment, then looked at the Beast-Taming Ring on his right hand.

After swallowing the spiritual stones, the demonic salamander had remained in a deep sleep ever since. As long as it didn't stir, it could just keep sleeping.

"Thump, thump—"

A knock sounded on the protective barrier.

Yu Ye removed the barrier and walked out.

In the misty morning light, Dang Guiyi stood outside the cave, cupped his fists in greeting, and sighed with emotion, "To think that I, old Dang, once severed demons and eliminated fiends to protect a region, yet here I am smashing stones." He then puffed out his chest and smiled cheerfully, "Heh, no stone-smashing today! Time to act like a true immortal sect disciple and head to the Technique-Exposition Cliff—"

Yu Ye sealed the cave entrance.

Several more people walked over—his fellow stone-smashing companions, Mu Sha, Shang Xin, and Hong Qiao'er. Ever since their chores had been assigned, the newly recruited disciples had formed new partnerships. The Yu family siblings closely associated with Gumu zi, Ming Ye, and others. Those assigned to gather firewood and fetch water formed a clique of their own. Birds of a feather flock together, and it was no different here.

The five of them walked down the mountain together.

Gumu zi and the others also appeared one after another, nodding to each other as a greeting. Meanwhile, even more figures emerged from the mountain forests and cave dwellings, gathering from all directions toward the Technique-Exposition Cliff.

"Ha, when we were suffering through hard labor, you hardly saw anyone. Today it's lively enough; they're all popping out of the woodwork."

Dang Guiyi muttered under his breath.

The number of outer disciples was vast, and usually busy with cultivation, they could only be seen on the first and fifteenth of every month. As for the grueling chores assigned to new disciples, that was a rule of the immortal sect and a different matter entirely.

Arriving at the midsection of the front mountain, the sky was just turning bright.

The Technique-Exposition Cliff was already packed with people.

Yu Ye, Dang Guiyi, and the other new disciples could only stand and wait in the distance.

As a red sun leapt out of the sea of clouds, heaven and earth instantly shimmered with brilliance. In that exact moment, three sword radiances swept across the sea of clouds, flying against the morning glow.

Riding the swords were three Foundation Establishment seniors. One of them was Xin Jian, while the other two were a woman in her thirties and a white-haired, bearded elder.

The three retracted their sword radiances and landed on the Technique-Exposition Cliff.

The disciples present rose as one and bowed in the manner of juniors.

Xin Jian nodded slightly and said, "It is mid-month once again. Today's morning lecture follows the old rules: Senior Brother Xiangxu will first impart the essential meanings of the Daoist methods. He has reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment with a profound realm; every single word he speaks is worth its weight in gold. Afterward, Senior Sister Moxiao and I will answer your questions and resolve your doubts."

Everyone sat down in succession.

Yu Ye, Dang Guiyi, and the others still stood in the distance to watch.

On the Technique-Exposition Cliff, three rush cushions were placed. The three teaching masters each took their seats. Then, the elder-like Xiangxu spoke up, "The Great Dao has no name, the greatest eloquence needs no words. As for the arts of immortal cultivation, they are guided by karmic affinity. To know the path ahead, one must ask those who have walked it. Today, let us discuss the methods of gathering and refining Qi..."

Xiangxu was a teaching master, so his realm was naturally extraordinary. The cultivation methods he spoke of all originated from the *Yunchuan Secret Manual*, sounding obscure and difficult to comprehend.

Yu Ye listened for a moment and gradually found it uninteresting.

Why did a simple foundational technique have to be described in such a profound way?

The one or two hundred people seated on the cliff, plus those standing and listening on the sidelines, totaled over three hundred disciples, all of whom were listening with rapt attention. Even Dang Guiyi was nodding his head rhythmically, looking as though he was benefiting immensely.

Yu Ye had no choice but to continue listening intently, yet still found himself unable to absorb it. In the end, he closed his eyes and feigned a posture of deep contemplation and realization.

Xiangxu lectured for a full hour before finally concluding. Next came the disciples seeking instruction on cultivation methods, which Xin Jian and Moxiao answered respectively. The questions and answers were simple and easy to understand, and for a time, the atmosphere became lively.

Another hour passed, and the morning lecture at the Technique-Exposition Cliff came to an end.

The three teaching masters departed on their flying swords, and all the disciples raised their hands in farewell.

Having stood for two hours, Yu Ye treated it as practicing breath-regulation and meditation. He heaved a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted and turned to leave, only to be pulled back by Dang Guiyi, who winked at him.

Ming Ye, Gumu zi, and the others stood to the side, politely yielding the path so the disciples on the Technique-Exposition Cliff could leave first.

"Hmph, the immortal sect respects seniority and regards the capable as superior. Even though we are all outer disciples, those people are a cut above you and me!"

Dang Guiyi was transmitting his voice to remind Yu Ye, his tone carrying a trace of grievance. His grievance didn't stem from the rules of the immortal sect, but rather from Ming Ye and Gumu zi, whose shrewdness and sophistication clearly surpassed his own.

Yu Ye didn't mind and silently made way.

Dang Guiyi's mouth still couldn't stay idle, and he muttered secretly, "Gumu zi is passable as a person, but he's hand in glove with Ming Ye, what a pity... Heh, that senior sister is quite beautiful, far better-looking than Yu Xing, Li Yun, or Hong Qiao'er..."

Yu Ye crossed his arms, his gaze lowered.

He didn't care whose appearance was pleasing; he just wanted to return to his cave dwelling as soon as possible.

Crowds of disciples walked past him, but one figure suddenly stopped.

Yu Ye's heart tightened, and he slowly raised his head.

It was a young woman in her early twenties, dressed in a cyan Daoist robe. Her figure was graceful, her skin as white as jade, her eyebrows like distant mountains, and her eyes like autumn water...

Yu Ye felt as though he had been struck by lightning, his eyes widening abruptly.

The woman was similarly struck with astonishment.

In her view, the youth before her still had his former appearance, save for the loss of childishness between his brows, replaced by a steady expression. He had also grown taller, his upright frame draped in a Daoist robe, with the iron plaque of an outer disciple hanging at his waist...

At the same time, Ming Ye, Gumu zi, the Yu family siblings, and others noticed the anomaly and turned their heads to look in unison.

Dang Guiyi also blinked his small eyes and urgently transmitted his voice: "Heh, never seen a pretty girl before? She's a senior sister, don't be impolite—"

Yu Ye snapped out of his daze, swept his gaze around, failed to find the person he was looking for, and immediately turned around, lowering his head to stride away quickly. As for the woman before him, he acted as if he hadn't seen her at all. The woman also recovered her composure in an instant, quietly walking away as if no one else was there, though her gaze remained fixed straight ahead, locked onto that familiar retreating back.

Uncomprehending, Dang Guiyi waved and shouted, "Hey, Junior Brother Yu—"

Ming Ye cupped her chin with her hand and smiled meaningfully.

Gumu zi shook his head blankly.

Yu Fei and the others wore enigmatic expressions...

Yu Ye returned straight to the rear mountain cave dwelling, paused briefly before the door, then stepped inside, sealed the entrance, and sat slowly on the ground, lost in silent aphasia. But a moment later, he fiercely slammed his fist downward.

"Thump, thump—"

The mattress was shredded, and stone fragments flew.

After punching a dozen times in one breath, he left a small dent in the ground.

Only then did Yu Ye stop, panting heavily, his thick brows knitted in anger and his eyes burning with fury.

Bai Zhi!

The woman he had just encountered turned out to be Bai Zhi.

He never imagined he would meet an old acquaintance within an immortal sect in a foreign land, yet she was right before his eyes, clear as day—it was unquestionably Bai Zhi.

Yet this reunion of old acquaintances brought no joy, only shock and inexplicable anger.

He still remembered asking her to meet him at Spirit Dragon Town, for which he had run day and night, solely for their agreement. In the end, he had fallen into heavy encirclement while she had vanished without a trace. Who would have thought that two years later, upon meeting again unexpectedly, she would appear in Qizhou, within the Yunchuan Immortal Sect?

Was his shock and anger because she broke her promise, or because she left without a word and came to Qizhou alone?

Neither.

Yu Ye did not understand romantic entanglements, nor was he a narrow-minded person.

His shock stemmed from the fact that Bai Zhi could not have come to Qizhou for no reason. Someone must have assisted her, and that person behind the scenes must be Chen Qi. Otherwise, as a lone woman, it would have been difficult for her to cross the vast ocean, let alone be accepted into the Yunchuan Immortal Sect and become a disciple. She had actually been secretly communicating with Chen Qi all along, while he had been kept completely in the dark.

And his anger was because Bai Zhi knew full well that Chen Qi had betrayed his master, destroyed the sect, and killed her own master, yet she was still acting in collusion with him.

That woman simply could not tell black from white, was driven entirely by greed, and possessed nothing more than a pretty shell!

To think he had once shared life-and-death hardships with her and entrusted her with his life, and she...

Yu Ye couldn't help but raise his fist again, only to angrily drop it, gripped by a wave of anxiety and unease.

Where Bai Zhi was, Chen Qi was sure to follow. The two of them entering the Yunchuan Immortal Sect was likely related to Bu Yi. Even if Bu Yi had not yet returned, the moment Chen Qi reported to the sect and leaked Yu Ye's true identity, death would be the only thing awaiting him.

One must remember that he had killed Nanshan and more than ten immortal sect disciples, an act entangled with the secrets of overseas treasures—how could the Yunchuan Immortal Sect ever let him off lightly?

His only options now were to find a way to escape the immortal sect, or, should escape prove impossible, prepare for the worst.

Yu Ye looked at the iron storage ring and the beast-taming ring on his hand. After a brief moment of thought, he drew out nine talismans, two sets of sinister-looking ghost-path formation flags, and two technique jade slips.

He did not like Ghost Cultivation, yet the formations and divine abilities of Ghost Cultivation possessed unique strengths. Before he could successfully cultivate the Divine Dragon Escape Technique, he had no choice but to borrow every means at his disposal, solely to cope with this sudden crisis...