Translator: CinderTL
The Giant Flying Ship sped forward, covering hundreds of miles before finally coming to a halt.
Ye Bing, who was piloting the ship, found a mountain cave and instructed everyone to enter.
"We'll rest here for a while before continuing," she announced.
At that moment, Wei Qian once again turned on Song Wen.
Pointing a finger at him, Wei Qian roared, "Gou Jun, you dared to deliberately lead demon beasts toward us! You're courting death!"
With that, Wei Qian moved to strike.
"Senior, spare me!" Song Wen cried out in terror. "How could this junior dare to plot against you? I merely happened to encounter you three seniors while fleeing!"
"What kind of coincidence is that?" Wei Qian sneered. "You suddenly abandoned us during the battle with the demon beasts, then inexplicably returned. How do you explain that? I bet you tried to escape, but then realized that staying near three Divine Transformation Stage cultivators was the safest option. That's why you came back after leaving."
Song Wen had indeed done exactly as Wei Qian described.
However, his motives were not as Wei Qian claimed. He had his own reasons for acting that way.
"Killing him would be a waste," Xiao Ying interjected. "Let's keep him around. He might still be useful later."
"Keeping him alive is just inviting trouble," Wei Qian said. "We might as well kill him and be done with it."
Ye Bing interjected, "Fellow Daoist Wei Qian, Fellow Daoist Xiao Ying has a point. Let's keep him alive for now."
Perhaps due to Ye Bing's superior strength, or for some other reason, Wei Qian acted somewhat subservient in her presence. Seeing that Ye Bing also favored sparing Song Wen, he immediately changed his tune.
He turned to Ye Bing, gazing at her peerless beauty with a hint of flattery in his eyes.
"Since Immortal Maiden Ye has spoken, we'll spare his life."
He then turned to Song Wen, his expression instantly turning icy.
"Gou Jun, Immortal Maiden Ye is merciful and spares your life. Hurry up and thank her!"
Song Wen immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed deeply.
"Many thanks, Senior Ye! Many thanks, Senior Wei! Many thanks, Senior Xiao! This junior will forever remember your kindness in sparing my life and repay it with utmost loyalty."
Ye Bing replied calmly, "None of us are bloodthirsty. Gou Jun and Yan He, if you two lead the way properly through Rotting Miasma Ridge, we will ensure your safe departure afterward. We never break our word!"
Song Wen and Yan He responded in unison, "Yes, this junior will remember."
Ye Bing nodded slightly and continued.
"Yan He, you haven't fully mastered the Demon Breath Seal I taught you. A faint trace of your aura still leaks out. You need to cultivate it diligently until you can completely conceal your presence. Gou Jun, you must also practice this technique to prevent any residual aura from attracting demon beasts."
Ye Bing flicked her wrist, tossing a jade slip toward Song Wen.
Song Wen caught the jade slip and probed it with his Spirit Sense, confirming it contained a cultivation technique called the Demon Breath Seal.
Whether cultivators engaged in combat or soared through the skies, any use of their Spiritual Power inevitably leaked traces of their aura. These lingering traces, like footprints in the air, could be easily tracked by others.
The Demon Breath Seal's purpose was to disguise this leaked aura, making it resemble that of a demon beast. This bore some resemblance to Song Wen's Two-Faced Buddha technique, but the two methods differed fundamentally.
The Two-Faced Buddha disrupted the leaked aura, making it untraceable. The Demon Breath Seal, on the other hand, disguised the aura.
The latter method had a significant drawback: the sudden appearance of a demon beast's aura could easily arouse suspicion.
However, within the Rotting Miasma Ridge, the Demon Breath Seal would suffice. After all, the ridge teemed with demon beasts, making the presence of their aura perfectly normal. Moreover, Ye Bing intended Song Wen and Yan He to use the Demon Breath Seal primarily to deceive the demon beasts themselves. Even the most intelligent demon beasts rarely possessed the cunning and treachery of humans, making them easily fooled.
To activate the Demon Breath Seal, one also needed a demon beast's Inner Core.
Song Wen glanced sideways at Yan He and noticed she was indeed holding a demon beast's Inner Core in her right hand.
He withdrew his gaze and continued studying the Demon Breath Seal's cultivation technique.
The Demon Breath Seal wasn't difficult to master. Song Wen estimated he could fully comprehend it within half an hour.
When he reached the final section of the technique, Song Wen's brow furrowed slightly.
At the very end, Ye Bing had deliberately left a message:
[Gou Jun, when the opportunity arises, if you help me deal with Xiao Ying, I will not only ensure your survival in the Rotting Miasma Ridge but also grant you one request.]
Song Wen couldn't help but feel surprised.
Xiao Ying had claimed Ye Bing was her close friend.
Moreover, Xiao Ying had helped Ye Bing evade Jiang Lanruo's pursuit and successfully board the Qicang Flying Ark.
Yet Ye Bing wanted to kill Xiao Ying!
What puzzled Song Wen even more was that Xiao Ying's cultivation was only at the mid-stage Divine Transformation realm, while Ye Bing had reached the peak of the Divine Transformation realm. Defeating the former should have been a simple matter for her, so why would she seek help from an outsider?
And to make matters stranger, the person she was asking for help was Song Wen himself, a mere peak nascent soul cultivator.
If she wasn't even confident in defeating Xiao Ying, how could she be certain I could help her?
Could there be some hidden motive behind this?
Since Ye Bing had sought my help, had she also approached Wei Qian and Yan He?
The jade slip contained only this cryptic, fragmented message, leaving Song Wen utterly confused.
He subtly glanced at Ye Bing, his gaze barely perceptible.
As if sensing his attention, Ye Bing turned to meet his eyes.
Their gazes locked in the air.
However, Ye Bing showed no further reaction. She merely gave Song Wen a fleeting, indifferent look before closing her beautiful eyes and entering a meditative state to regulate her breathing.
Song Wen abandoned his thoughts, lowering his gaze to the jade slip in his hand, feigning deep contemplation of the Demon Breath Seal.
Three days later, Ye Bing abruptly rose and declared, "Everyone, it's time to move on."
Wei Qian concurred, "Our Spiritual Power has fully recovered. It's indeed time to depart."
As for Xiao Ying, she said nothing, merely rising silently to her feet, tacitly agreeing with Ye Bing's words.
Song Wen and Yan He, naturally lacking the authority to voice their opinions, could only rise silently as well.
Outside the cave, Ye Bing summoned a small flying ship and invited Xiao Ying and Wei Qian aboard.
Xiao Ying waved her hand, and two ropes shot out, coiling around Song Wen and Yan He's waists.
Staring at the rope coiling around his waist like a living serpent, Song Wen spoke up.
"Senior Xiao, might we request that you not bind us? Fellow Daoist Yan He and I are of meager strength. Without the protection of you three seniors, we would never escape the Rotting Miasma Ridge. Therefore, we have no intention of fleeing. We implore Senior Ye to see this clearly."
Xiao Ying replied, "These ropes are not meant to restrain you, but to ensure your safety. As you two lead the way, you may encounter sudden demon beast attacks. These ropes will allow me to rescue you from danger in time."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1252. [+2]
🔑Read upto Ch1068 for FREE visit the pinned post on my p@treon to learn how!🎉
💥Translated (6) Series, (4.6K+) Chapters, (6.7M+) Words.