Translator: CinderTL
"Gou Jun, this is all your fault!" Ye Bing hissed through clenched teeth, her eyes burning with fury.
Just moments ago, she had trusted Song Wen completely, revealing the secrets of advancing to Void Refinement without reservation.
Yet in an instant, Song Wen had brought mortal danger upon her.
He had clearly known all along that the Bodhi Spirit Core would attract disaster, which was why he had changed its name and tricked her into planting it on Ice Ling Island.
Ye Bing's fingers danced, conjuring rune patterns that she channeled into the array disk, desperately attempting to activate the formation for a final stand.
But Song Wen seized her right arm, interrupting her spellcasting.
"Immortal Maiden, you can't stop Du'e. Give up. When the time comes, seize any opportunity to escape." Song Wen transmitted these words through spiritual sense transmission.
With that, he soared into the air, flying toward Du'e.
Ye Bing glanced at her right arm where Song Wen had gripped it, the fury in her eyes gradually fading, replaced by a complex mix of emotions.
"Great Master, wait! Things aren't as you think," Song Wen called out as he hovered beneath the formation barrier's dome, facing Du'e through the barrier. His expression remained calm, showing no trace of panic.
"Oh?" Du'e raised an eyebrow, his gaze fixed on Song Wen with newfound interest.
He had never intended to kill the islanders swiftly, preferring to toy with them like a cat with a mouse, savoring their terror, desperation, and ultimate regret before their demise.
Otherwise, the colossal Buddha's Hand Seal would have already descended.
Song Wen's utter lack of fear piqued his curiosity.
"Then tell me, what is the truth of the matter?" Du'e demanded.
"The Bodhi Spirit Cores on this island did not originate from your temple," Song Wen replied. "As for the one who extorted you, great master, it was not us, but another party entirely."
Du'e naturally dismissed Song Wen's claims.
Outside the Dry Zen Temple, Bodhi Spirit Cores had long vanished from the Qicang Domain. The sudden appearance of so many cores on this island could only be connected to the stolen batch.
Moreover, the truth mattered little to him.
By killing Song Wen and his companions and retrieving the island's Bodhi Spirit Cores, he could prove that someone else in the Qicang Domain was secretly cultivating these cores.
This way, even if the extortionist leaked the stolen cores, no one would suspect they originated from the Dry Zen Temple.
But in the next moment, an expression of disbelief flashed across Du'e's eyes.
Song Wen extended both hands. From the palm of his right hand, corpse qi surged forth, coalescing into a small serpent that writhed in the air. His left hand crackled with Thunderlight, tendrils of electric energy darting in all directions.
Corpse qi and Thunderlight—yin and yang, evil and righteous—two diametrically opposed forces manifested simultaneously on Song Wen's body.
Du'e's brow furrowed, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.
"You... you're from the Divine Blood Gate?!"
Song Wen smiled faintly and nodded.
He appeared calm and composed, as if everything were under his control, but inwardly he breathed a sigh of relief. He had been genuinely worried that Du'e had never witnessed the miraculous power of the Corpse King's Rebirth Art.
"These Bodhi Spirit Cores originated from Veiled Moon Hall, not your esteemed temple, and have no connection whatsoever to the great master. You must have mistaken us for those who extorted you. Moreover, we are merely at the Divine Transformation stage. How could we possibly threaten a great master like yourself?"
Du'e remained cautious, neither fully believing Song Wen's words nor releasing the colossal Buddha's Hand Seal.
His gaze was like a blade, sharp and icy, locked firmly on Song Wen.
Every minute movement, every flicker of expression on Song Wen's face, even the fleeting glint in his eyes, didn't escape Du'e's notice.
Du'e sought to detect the slightest flaw in Song Wen's demeanor, even the smallest hint of unnaturalness that might betray the truth of his words.
Yet Song Wen remained composed and serene, his smile unwavering, his eyes calm as still water.
"Are you truly a member of the Divine Blood Gate?" Du'e demanded.
"Genuine article, guaranteed!" Song Wen replied.
"Then why are you hiding here? As far as I know, all visitors from the Divine Blood Gate are honored guests of the Veiled Moon Hall. Why would they allow you to dwell alone in this filthy, chaotic place?" Du'e pressed.
"This matter involves the Divine Blood Gate's secrets, great master. It would be best not to inquire further, lest... you invite trouble upon yourself!"
Song Wen deliberately emphasized the final words, a veiled threat hanging in the air, as if warning Du'e not to pry into matters beyond his concern.
Du'e found himself uncertain. Was Song Wen truly a member of the Divine Blood Gate? And more importantly, how should he deal with him?
His gaze swept across the surroundings before finally settling on the Bodhi Spirit Cores in the Spirit Field.
"Benefactor, where did these Bodhi Spirit Cores come from?" Du'e's earlier aggressive aura had vanished, replaced by a calm, almost casual tone, as if he were merely asking a passing question.
Song Wen replied, "Naturally, they originate from the Divine Blood Gate. For all major powers in the Qicang Domain, including your esteemed temple and the Veiled Moon Hall, these Bodhi Spirit Cores are strictly forbidden. However, for disciples of the Divine Blood Gate, they are nothing extraordinary."
Du'e's expression turned icy, his eyes as cold and piercing as those of a ferocious beast stalking its prey, devoid of any trace of a monk's compassion.
"You are no member of the Divine Blood Gate! Thousands of years ago, the Divine Blood Gate went to great lengths, expending immense resources, to eradicate Bodhi Spirit Cores from Qicang Island. Now, only my Dry Zen Temple cultivates them—not even the Veiled Moon Hall possesses any. How could they possibly allow a mere Divine Transformation Stage junior like you to cultivate them alone in this swamp?"
As he spoke, the massive golden Buddha's Hand Seal descended like a falling star, crashing down with thunderous force.
Boom!
The Buddha's Hand struck the formation barrier with earth-shattering force.
The barrier, as fragile as a clay pot before this terrifying force, shattered with a thunderous crash, dissolving into specks of spiritual light that scattered in all directions.
The Buddha's Hand Seal descended with undiminished power.
"Du'e, I am a core disciple of the Divine Blood Gate! How dare you attack me? Aren't you afraid of the Gate's retribution?" Song Wen shouted frantically as he plummeted downward, glancing back at the island below.
The dozen or so low-level female cultivators on the island couldn't withstand the divine might contained within the Buddha's Hand Seal. They had barely managed to endure under the protection of the formation barrier, but now they lay paralyzed on the ground, watching helplessly as the seal descended.
Ye Bing finally understood Song Wen's earlier words: "Seize the opportunity to escape!"
In her eyes, Song Wen was using his own life as bait, drawing Du'e's attention to create an opening for her to flee.
Her gaze fixed on Song Wen, who was rapidly falling but being relentlessly pursued by the Buddha's Hand Seal, she gritted her teeth and produced an earth-yellow talisman.
The talisman shattered, enveloping her in a faint, earth-brown light.
Then, a miraculous phenomenon occurred.
Ye Bing's figure swiftly sank into the soil beneath her feet, vanishing without a trace.
Yet the ground remained undisturbed, as smooth as before, as if a fish had slipped into water, leaving no ripple behind.
(End of the Chapter)
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