Chapter 436: Dealing with Emptiness and Winding Serpentine

“Please come out once you’ve had enough of watching.” When the blindfolded Patriarch interrupted Lan Die’s words, Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged glances but remained still. Such deceptive tactics are common in the martial arts world, and many naive youths have foolishly jumped out, inadvertently confirming the other party’s suspicions.

However, the blindfolded man then turned his head, directly facing the large tree outside the City God Temple, and spoke softly: “Friends on the tree, since you’ve been eavesdropping for a while, you should meet the host. It would be impolite to neglect proper etiquette and invite ridicule.”

Lan Die was startled and suspicious, following his gaze toward the tree canopy. She had been so careful on her way here—had she still been followed? Indeed, compared to the “Patriarch,” her abilities were still lacking. She barely survived the previous deadly mission thanks to the sacrifice of several powerful teammates.

Seeing that the so-called Patriarch had indeed discovered them, Meng Qi wiped his face, altering his appearance. A layer of crimson flames ignited around his body, concealing his features beneath the fire, while his clothes, hair, and skin remained unharmed beneath the flickering flames—an amazing sight.

Jiang Zhiwei quietly removed her mustache, altering her appearance as well.

“We apologize for the unexpected visit,” Meng Qi, still hidden in the tree canopy, projected his voice as a focused beam, carrying it over a long distance into the courtyard.

The sound did not leak at all, as if it had appeared solely in the ears of the Patriarch and Lan Die. Even someone standing between the tree and the courtyard would hear nothing unless they actively eavesdropped with sufficient power.

This level of control… both the blindfolded Patriarch and Lan Die exchanged glances, instantly recognizing the formidable strength of their opponent.

This technique might seem simple—many capable martial artists can project their voices—but to maintain such precision and clarity over a distance of more than ten zhang was truly astonishing.

Though the blindfolded Patriarch considered himself quite strong among half-step Beyond Heaven cultivators, even someone like Yin Lenghui, who had received direct teachings, could not match him. Yet, upon careful reflection, he realized he might not be able to replicate such effortless control.

Without opening his eyes, he moved his lips, producing a buzzing sound. From the air in front of the tree canopy, swarms of hornet-like insects emerged, their wings vibrating to form words:

“The stars shine bright, the night is cool. Why don’t you both come down and talk?”

Now closer, his voice remained tightly focused, only expanding in volume once it reached Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei’s ears, with no leakage whatsoever.

“I had intended to spar with you both, but the timing and location are unsuitable. Therefore, it’s better not to meet,” Jiang Zhiwei replied, her voice clear and sharp, like the gentle chime of a sword.

Meng Qi continued, laughing loudly: “Both of you are clearly formidable. If we were to get entangled, we might not escape so easily. Do you expect us to wait for Zuo Liushou and Yin Lenghui to arrive?”

Since Lan Die recognized the “Hun Tian Treasure Mirror,” they were likely connected to the cycle-walkers, if not cycle-walkers themselves. Thus, caution was necessary.

“Let’s not play games. You two are likely of the same kind as us,” the blindfolded man said, standing with his hands behind his back. “Since this is not a factional conflict mission, there’s no need for us to fight to the death. Why not speak openly and seek a mutually acceptable solution?”

The earlier sight of Meng Qi engulfed in flames confirmed his suspicion that they were among those using the “Hun Tian Treasure Mirror” and the “Yuan Shi Golden Scripture”—most likely cycle-walkers.

Still, it was only a strong possibility, not certain. Hence, he carefully avoided mentioning the Six Dao Cycle Master, knowing that a misstep could lead to annihilation, leaving him a laughingstock in the cycle world.

Cycle-walkers? Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged glances. The mention of factional conflict missions was something only cycle-walkers would know. This “Patriarch” and Lan Die must be cycle-walkers themselves.

This was insider knowledge, incomprehensible to outsiders even if overheard.

Seeing their silence, the blindfolded man continued: “Let me be honest first. We are not on a mandatory mission. Our main goal is to find the reincarnation of the Old Ancestor, Du Huaishang, and awaken him. We can ignore everything else.”

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei exchanged silent words before Meng Qi smiled lightly: “Unfortunately, our mission is to rescue Du Huaishang from captivity. It seems we cannot resolve this peacefully.”

He did not mention the assassination of Zuo Hanfeng. According to Wang Siyuan and Jiang Hengchuan, revealing their true intentions would place them at a severe disadvantage, making their every move transparent to the enemy. Since the other side was not an ally, they couldn’t simply believe their words. Thus, they chose half-truths and half-deceptions, leaving room for misdirection even if their plan failed.

“That’s not impossible,” the blindfolded Patriarch said calmly. “After all, you only need to rescue Du Huaishang. Surely you can’t protect him forever? Once your mission is complete, we can find him again. Also, we only aim to awaken his dormant reincarnation memories without harming him. If we succeed first, we can still hand him over for you to complete your mission.”

Meng Qi smiled: “Then let us each use our skills. Whoever reaches him first can later negotiate cooperation, seeing what price the other side is willing to pay.”

“Agreed,” the blindfolded man smiled.

Before he could speak further, Meng Qi asked directly: “I’ve seen much in my time, yet I’ve never encountered people like you. Who is this Old Ancestor?”

Hearing about reincarnation and descent troubled him.

“Hmph, ignorant yet unaware,” Lan Die scoffed. “Have you never heard of spirit possession? Invoking deities into one’s body?”

She didn’t mention the path of cultivating gu insects, as that was more common.

“So it’s spirit possession,” Meng Qi narrowed his eyes slightly.

The blindfolded man chuckled: “In the cycles, there are always many strange encounters. If you can obtain the ‘Yuan Shi Golden Scripture,’ we can surely find ways to communicate with our Old Ancestor, a ‘deity,’ helping Him revive and reincarnate, thereby gaining more benefits. Don’t look at us as if we’re strange.”

The ‘Yuan Shi Golden Scripture’ wasn’t available for exchange from the Six Dao Cycle Master, so the blindfolded man assumed they had gained it through some rare encounter—news of the ‘Yuan Shi Tianzun’ appearing in the Immortal Trace was still limited to a small circle.

“So, you established a secret sect using His power?” Jiang Zhiwei suddenly interjected.

The blindfolded man paused, then slowly nodded: “Indeed. Yin Lenghui was favored by the Old Ancestor, receiving His teachings, which allowed him to rise from obscurity to become a master of witchcraft and gu sorcery within just a few years. Mu An was the same, though he became a bug-man.”

He paused again: “Don’t speak too deeply when trust is shallow. If this cooperation goes well, we can discuss more details.”

“Agreed.” As Meng Qi uttered this word, the area around the large tree near the City God Temple erupted into roaring flames, blocking the courtyard’s view. By the time the flames died down, Lan Die realized the figure in the tree canopy had already vanished.

“Quite cautious,” the blindfolded man murmured softly, whether referring to Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei’s departure method or their reluctance to approach.

Lan Die pursed her lips, her beautiful face cold: “Truly, awakening Du Huaishang’s reincarnation memories won’t harm him?”

“I’ve never tried it before. How would I know?” the blindfolded man replied indifferently.

“Then just now…” Lan Die was slightly surprised. Moments ago, he had seemed so sincere, almost eager to sign a contract.

The blindfolded man’s lips curled slightly: “Since we couldn’t get them to come closer, we had to mislead them a bit. Or do you think they were being completely honest with us?”

He exhaled: “I hope Yin Lenghui completes his task soon. Then, no matter how clever they are, they won’t escape our grasp…”

As he spoke, his eyes suddenly snapped open, swirling with dark red like a sea of blood, filled with killing intent.

…

Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei took a long detour, changing directions repeatedly to shake off any hypothetical pursuers, before finding a secluded spot to restore their disguises.

“They must be cycle-walkers from this world,” Meng Qi suddenly said.

Jiang Zhiwei, who had been deep in thought, asked: “Why do you say that?”

“Our missions are quite conflicting. If this were normal, it should have been a factional conflict mission,” Meng Qi explained. “Since it isn’t, they must either have entered this world using Cycle Tokens, interfering with the mission like the previous ‘Myth,’ or they are local cycle-walkers, developing their own forces here like ‘Immortal Trace’ and ‘Myth’ in our world, thereby gaining more resources and merits.”

“Yin Lenghui and Mu An’s existence isn’t recent. They couldn’t have used so many Cycle Tokens to enter repeatedly. Therefore, the latter seems more likely.”

Jiang Zhiwei nodded slightly, finding Meng Qi’s reasoning reasonable: “I never imagined other worlds could produce cycle-walkers too.”

“The Six Dao can send us into other worlds, so naturally, they can bring people from other worlds,” Meng Qi wasn’t surprised. “That so-called Patriarch and Lan Die don’t seem to possess divine or demonic bloodlines. Perhaps they were discarded individuals in this world, and the Six Dao gave them a chance.”

Jiang Zhiwei frowned slightly: “Little monk, did you notice anything familiar about the scene in the Patriarch’s eyes?”

“The blood sea or the harsh landscape outside?” Meng Qi was puzzled by Jiang Zhiwei’s realization. “I certainly don’t recognize either.”

Jiang Zhiwei hesitated before saying: “In major sects, there are usually water mirrors displaying important locations and figures for disciples to recognize, preventing them from entering forbidden areas or offending dangerous individuals.”

I was an ‘abandoned’ disciple… Meng Qi’s expression turned slightly awkward.

“The harsh landscape and monstrous beasts in the Patriarch’s eyes resemble the southern wilderness,” Jiang Zhiwei’s expression grew serious.

“You mean the Old Ancestor is in the southern wilderness?” Meng Qi was stunned. Reality and cycles were intertwining again—what was going on?

Jiang Zhiwei exhaled, her expression grave: “That Old Ancestor bears a strong resemblance to the Blood Sea Rakshasa…”

“Blood Sea Rakshasa?” Meng Qi nearly shouted.

The leader of the Blood Robe Sect, ranked tenth on the Heaven List, the Blood Sea Rakshasa?

He had only recently achieved the Dharma Body and rarely appeared in the Central Plains, so Meng Qi didn’t know much about him.

“I’m only speculating,” Jiang Zhiwei said thoughtfully. “Perhaps the Six Dao Cycles are more deeply connected to our world than we imagined.”

“But does the Blood Sea Rakshasa need to reincarnate?” Meng Qi frowned in confusion.

This Dharma Body cultivator was not yet a hundred years old.

Jiang Zhiwei shook her head slightly, looking puzzled: “Not sure.”

“Forget it for now. Just be cautious around Lan Die’s group, try to mislead them, and seize the opportunity to assassinate Zuo Hanfeng,” Meng Qi looked up at the sky. “Oh, you seemed troubled earlier. What was it?”

Jiang Zhiwei gently bit her lip: “It’s nothing too serious. Just a decision I’ve made, which leaves me feeling a bit melancholy. I’ll tell you after the mission is over.”