Fool

The flying boat parted the waves of fire, speeding along in rapid flight. Before long, they spotted an extraordinarily bright silver light darting swiftly through the sea of fire ahead. Qin Sang had seen this silver glow before; it emanated from Yan Wu's precious mirror magic tool. Since there were no apparent disturbances within the silver light, the other two pursuers evidently had yet to catch up with him. Seeing this, Yunyouzi put away the spirit bamboo flying boat. With Qin Sang taking the lead and Yunyouzi trailing slightly behind, they flew forward to intercept him. Startled by the sudden appearance of two figures directly ahead, Yan Wu was frightened out of his wits. Only upon seeing that they were Qin Sang and Yunyouzi did he assume Qin Sang was being pursued and hunted down by Yunyouzi. Without waiting for Qin Sang to explain, he flipped the precious mirror in his hand without hesitation, sending a beam of mirror light shooting straight toward Qin Sang. Then his streak of light veered sharply as he fled to the right. Yan Wu's first instinct was not to join forces with Qin Sang against the enemy, but rather to force Qin Sang backward to stall the pursuer, buying himself time to escape. At this, Qin Sang was caught between laughter and tears. He sighed inwardly, though he was not truly surprised. *Better a fellow Daoist perish than myself.* Such behavior was all too common in the cultivation world. Still, for someone like Yan Wu—who clearly could have teamed up with Qin Sang to slay their pursuer, yet reflexively tried to drag him in as a scapegoat—he was certainly a prime specimen among his kind. This had little to do with any past grudge between them. Qin Sang believed that even if he had been Wu Chen, Yan Wu would have done the exact same thing without a second thought. Seeing this, Yunyouzi let out a disdainful snort and instantly abandoned any intention of cooperating with Yan Wu, saying coolly, "Kill him." Qin Sang nodded, dodged the mirror light with a swift sway, and at the same moment light flared beneath Yunyouzi's feet. Drawing upon the flying boat's power, Yunyouzi caught up with Yan Wu effortlessly and barred his path. Believing his scheme had succeeded, Yan Wu had not even had time to rejoice before he found himself boxed in front and back by Yunyouzi and Qin Sang. Thrown into profound shock, comprehension finally dawned on him, and he shrieked, "You two are in league together!" Yunyouzi could not be bothered to waste words on him. He opened his right palm, and a jewel spun smoothly, radiating a lush emerald glow as it drifted toward Yan Wu, seemingly slow yet startlingly swift. Though the jewel appeared light as a feather, devoid of any destructive force, it filled Yan Wu with the looming dread of impending doom, painting thick terror across his face. He tried to retreat. At the same time, however, Qin Sang tapped the ebony sword lightly. The sword moved ghostlike and unpredictable, cutting off Yan Wu's retreat. Both Qin Sang and Yunyouzi were seasoned veterans. Whether the jewel or the ebony sword, both were rare treasures, and their pincer attack was executed in seamless concert. Yan Wu had no hope of escape. Unable to fend off both the front and rear, he failed to muster even a decent resistance before the ebony sword knocked the precious mirror from his grasp. Next, Yunyouzi's jewel flashed and vanished, slamming into Yan Wu's chest and shattering his heart. Yan Wu died on the spot. Yunyouzi formed a giant hand of spiritual power to grab Yan Wu's corpse. Suddenly, his expression shifted slightly, and he sent a voice transmission: "They're here. Brother Qin, go quickly." Without looking back, Qin Sang flew past Yunyouzi on his sword, plunging into the sea of fire, and then activated his Nine Dragons Heavenly Chariot Talisman to flee far away. Carrying Yan Wu's corpse, Yunyouzi stepped forward to meet the elderly man surnamed Gong and the man surnamed Yin, who arrived side by side. "Fellow Daoists, you've arrived a step too late. This humble Daoist shall accept the spoils." Yunyouzi smiled faintly, holding up Yan Wu's corpse to show them. With a swipe at the corpse's waist, he took the mustard seed bag and tossed the body aside. The two exchanged glances, their lips twitching in unison as they watched the corpse burn to ashes. "The other fellow was already eliminated by you, Daoist?" the man surnamed Yin asked tentatively. Yunyouzi nodded and replied casually, "The junior did not know what was good for him. This old Daoist tried hard to persuade him, yet he stubbornly resisted, leaving me no choice but to kill him. I had intended to spare both fellow Daoists the trouble, but not expecting you to take so long, I had to strike in haste, and the fellow nearly slipped away." Upon hearing this, the two sneered inwardly, thinking it was hardly a case of the opponent stubbornly resisting; more likely, the old bastard had coveted their treasures and struck ruthlessly without ever intending to take prisoners alive. According to their prior agreement, each would rely on his own means, and whoever found the spoils would keep them, with no interference allowed from the others. The mustard seed bags of two Foundation Establishment cultivators! The elderly man surnamed Gong's eyes flickered, and he chuckled softly. "I didn't expect that aside from your remarkable evasion techniques, your strength would be so formidable as well, Daoist—dispatching two opponents of comparable cultivation with such ease. Gong is full of admiration!" "A trifling trick, nothing more!" Yunyouzi narrowed his eyes with a smile, saying not a word about the spoils, and flew outward on his streak of light. The two looked at each other and shook their heads helplessly. Though their eyes burned with greed, they dared not force Yunyouzi to hand over the spoils for an equal share. In such a short span of time, Yunyouzi had slain two opponents in succession while emerging unscathed himself; his strength was truly unfathomable. *** Outside the sea of fire. With Yu Kong dead, the situation had fallen completely under Luo Xingnan's control. After listening to the report from the elderly man surnamed Gong, Luo Xingnan gave an indifferent nod and strolled over to Shangguan Lifeng, smiling complacently. "Well, kid, what did I tell you? The killer of your master was either Sheng Yuanzi or that old dog Yu! Among them, that old dog Yu was the most calculating, and it truly was him!" Shangguan Lifeng was heavily wounded, but after ingesting medicinal pills, his complexion had improved considerably. He coughed violently several times before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Rest assured, I will keep our agreement and remain at your disposal to repay you." Luo Xingnan laughed heartily, thoroughly satisfied with Shangguan Lifeng's attitude. His gaze then shifted to Wu Chen, and he said coolly, "Do you want to live?" Wu Chen nodded vigorously without hesitation. ... After Luo Xingnan and his party departed, the restriction regained its tranquility, the blazing flames burning as though they would last for eternity. Suddenly, a figure materialized from an ethereal blur into solid form—it was Ge Yuan. Before Ge Yuan could even steady himself, he saw a silhouette emerge from the sea of fire ahead and hastily raised his guard. "Fellow Daoist Ge." Qin Sang cupped his hands in greeting from afar and quietly took measure of Ge Yuan. He noticed that although Ge Yuan appeared unharmed on the surface, his aura showed signs of instability, which suggested his ordeal amid the serpent swarm must have been perilous indeed. Had Yunyouzi not helped him in secret, he likely would have perished in the serpents' jaws. "Has Senior Yunyouzi sent word yet?" "Not yet." Seeing that it was Qin Sang, Ge Yuan lowered his guard, shook his head, and asked about what had just transpired. Qin Sang recounted everything truthfully. Upon hearing that Luo Xingnan had suffered no losses and had even gained reinforcements, Ge Yuan frowned deeply, a faint trace of anxiety creeping into his expression. When Qin Sang went on to describe the plan he and Yunyouzi had formulated, a flicker of doubt crossed Ge Yuan's eyes, and he said in a heavy voice, "Luo Xingnan's faction is powerful; it's best not to clash with him! Those men are desperate outlaws and cannot be trusted. How do we know they won't help Luo Xingnan get rid of us first? We came here to gather herbs, not to throw our lives away!" Qin Sang glanced at Ge Yuan and said no more. The two waited in silence. Suddenly, Ge Yuan's face lit up with delight as he looked toward the blue flames to their left. "Let's go!"