Chapter 536: Chapter 536

Kunxu Realm, outside the "Holy Infant Valley".

Facing the mocking of the silver-haired elder with cultivation at the Ninth-Layer Golden Core stage, Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian furrowed their brows as they looked at him, without speaking a word.

Logically speaking, cultivators who have reached the Golden Core Stage seldom make enemies with their peers without reason, especially when Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian are so young and possess great potential.

Normally, seeing such a young pair of cultivators, one would at least refrain from using harsh words to provoke enmity, even if not trying to make friends.

Thus, before figuring out the silver-haired elder’s intent with his harsh words, the two wisely chose to remain silent, not easily angered to retaliate in kind.

"What? Did the old man say anything wrong? Do you two youngsters think you can covet the treasure of the Holy Infant Fruit with your level of cultivation? Truly laughable!"

Seeing the two remain silent, the silver-haired elder with the hooked nose slightly raised it, his eyes flashed with cold light, and continued his mocking without relent.

This time, Jiang Fengxian seemed unable to hold back, and furrowed her delicate brows, preparing to retort.

Just then, Zhouyang suddenly restrained her.

"Something’s off, this person is peculiar. I sense many unfriendly gazes secretly watching us. As long as he doesn’t make a move, we should ignore him and let him rant!"

Zhouyang secretly sent a reassuring message to the beauty, then released his Divine Sense, as strong as that of a Late-Stage Golden Core Cultivator, which swept through the surrounding mountain peaks like a fierce wind, "greeting" all those malicious gazes with its presence. Finally, he cast a deep glance at the silver-haired elder with the hooked nose, said nothing, and directly led Jiang Fengxian away, landing on a deserted snow peak dozens of miles away.

As for the silver-haired elder, he eyed the scene coldly, and with a snort, he ceased saying anything further.

Everything seemed as if it had never happened.

Then again, atop the snow peak, Zhouyang waved his hand and retrieved an array plate adorned with over a dozen array banners, setting up a grand array.

This array plate was a trophy he obtained from Beigong Bai Feng, with a grade as high as Tier Five Lower Grade, and it was an Ice Array, perfectly suitable for the current environment.

Now, Zhouyang deployed the array and activated it, instantly enveloping the entire mountain peak in a layer of white light.

To the cultivators outside the mountain peak, when covered by the array, the entire mountain became a hazy white, making it impossible to discern anything within.

The cultivators daring enough to come to "Holy Infant Valley" are all strong contenders. Their perceptive skills are sharp, easily identifying the array’s magnitude as being of the Tier Five.

Because of this, these individuals added another layer of caution towards Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian. Follow current novels on n0velfire.net

After all, such a Tier Five array, capable of being carried and deployed at will, is beyond the norm for regular Golden Core Stage cultivators to possess.

The fact that Zhouyang casually brought it out, coupled with his previous display of powerful Divine Sense, was a warning not to underestimate them due to their youth, mistaking them for easy prey.

Furthermore, on the snow peak, after setting the array, Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian established a temporary cave dwelling within and peacefully awaited the day "Holy Infant Valley" would open.

Meanwhile, during this period, Zhouyang concentrated on refining the artifact "Taiyin Soul-cutting Saber" that he acquired from Beigong Bai Feng.

Thus, half a month passed without the two emerging from the snow peak’s cave dwelling, and nothing noteworthy occurred outside.

Half a month later, a Sound Transmission Talisman unexpectedly flew into the snow peak’s array and was let in by Jiang Fengxian, who managed the array.

Shortly after, the snow peak’s array opened a passage, allowing an elegant and handsome middle-aged cultivator to enter.

Upon entering, the middle-aged cultivator, seeing Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian emerging from the cave dwelling, politely bowed and said, "Greetings, Fellow Daoists. I am Du Yunsheng from the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm. I apologize for my presumptuous visit."

"No matter, No matter, Fellow Daoist Du’s willingness to come to this harsh, snowy place is our honor. We welcome you!"

Zhouyang, with a smile, returned the courtesy and gestured, saying, "Outside is not fit for conversation, please, Fellow Daoist Du, come inside. I have prepared tea to welcome you."

Upon entering the cave dwelling, the three sat down; Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian didn’t rush to ask Du Yunsheng’s purpose. Instead, they briefly introduced their names and backgrounds, casually chatting with him.

However, despite the chat, Du Yuesheng didn’t take a sip of the prepared tea, clearly still harboring caution.

Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian seemed unperturbed and didn’t press him.

After nearly half an hour of talk, Du Yunsheng suddenly changed the subject and asked, "Do you two know why the Black Vulture Ascendant treated you with such harsh words?"

Zhouyang first paused, then calmly smiled and said lightly, "Black Vulture Ascendant? Fellow Daoist Du, do you mean that nasty old fellow? Vultures feed on carrion, and their breath reeks; the name suits him well!"

"Uh... Hahaha, Fellow Daoist Zhou is indeed a witty and extraordinary individual. If the Black Vulture Ascendant heard this, he’d be furious enough to cough blood!"

Du Yuesheng hesitated, then couldn’t help but laugh heartily, deeply amused.

Subsequently, without needing Zhouyang to inquire further, he proactively disclosed the underlying details.

"You two might not be aware, but the Black Vulture Ascendant is a Golden Core Elder from the Lingjiu Immortal Palace, a major sect in the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm. His character is notoriously ruthless, and he is infamously known for his malicious reputation across our Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm."

"If it weren’t for his cultivation being as high as the Ninth-Layer Golden Core, backed by the Lingjiu Immortal Palace, a major sect, and the fact that no one has managed to catch evidence of his misdeeds, he would have been dealt with long ago!"

"Moreover, this Black Vulture Ascendant was publicly defeated and humiliated by a young genius cultivator from the Donghua Continent Cultivation Realm, who was less than 400 years old, which made him look down on genius cultivators like you two, using every opportunity to mock and humiliate them to satisfy his vanity."

"It’s fortunate that you two didn’t pay him any attention at the time, otherwise he would have seized the chance to attack. You should know that before you, a Sixth-Layer Golden Core cultivator couldn’t stand his humiliation, defied him with a word, and ended up being severely injured in public, robbed of his Storage Ring, and had to leave disgracefully!"

After hearing Du Yunsheng’s words, Zhouyang couldn’t help but exchange a glance with Jiang Fengxian, secretly relieved that their choices at the time were correct.

Given the strength of him and Jiang Fengxian together, and their various trump cards, they weren’t necessarily afraid of Black Vulture Ascendant.

However, if they were to battle the Black Vulture Ascendant outside the "Holy Infant Valley," not only would it expose their techniques, giving other cultivators time to prepare mentally,

but even if their trump cards could kill Black Vulture Ascendant, it would still be somewhat counterproductive, directly affecting the subsequent contest for the "Holy Infant Fruit."

Zhouyang nodded in realization and then gratefully bowed to Du Yunsheng, thanking him, "If Fellow Daoist Du hadn’t enlightened us, Zhou and I might still be in the dark. Fellow Daoist’s warm-heartedness is truly a model for cultivators like us to learn from!"

After saying this, he showed a look of resentment and cursed, "Who would have thought that Black Vulture Ascendant, a dignified Ninth-Layer Golden Core cultivator, would be such a narrow-minded, insidious, treacherous villain!"

Du Yunsheng saw this and hastily took the opportunity to bow, saying, "To be honest, Fellow Daoist Zhou, a close friend of mine once offended Black Vulture Ascendant and mysteriously vanished. I’ve always suspected it was his doing, but have never been able to catch evidence!"

"The reason for my visit is, firstly, to prevent seeing you two trapped in the dark, unaware of being plotted against, and secondly, to make a pact with you two. If there is a chance to bring Black Vulture Ascendant to justice inside the [Holy Infant Valley] in the future, I hope you two will lend Du your assistance!"

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang’s eyes flashed with brilliance, and he exchanged a glance with Jiang Fengxian, quickly understanding from Jiang Fengxian’s look that her intention was to let him take the lead.

He felt a warmth in his heart and directly raised his hand to salute Du Yunsheng, "Fellow Daoist Du’s heartfelt desire for revenge is truly admirable! I believe that if your friend, in heaven, knew about this, they would be immensely gratified and would not regret their friendship with you!"

"Du’s principle in life is, ’Seek no remembrance from others, but seek a clear conscience.’ What do you say, Fellow Daoist Zhou?"

Du Yunsheng laughed freely, his face serene as he looked at Zhouyang, waiting for his reply.

"Good, good, what a ’seek no remembrance from others, but seek a clear conscience’!"

Zhouyang clapped his hands vigorously, applauding loudly, then he stood up, looked earnestly at Du Yunsheng, and said, "I have always admired those cultivators with noble character, and Fellow Daoist Du’s willingness to seek revenge for a friend, not hesitating to oppose a Ninth-Layer Golden Core cultivator, shows how noble your character is. It’s indeed a joy in life if I can join you in upholding justice for the Cultivation Realm, ridding it of a treacherous villain!"

"Wonderful! If I can have the assistance of you two, the great task can be accomplished! On behalf of my fallen friend, thank you both for your generous aid!"

Du Yunsheng also stood up excitedly, his face full of gratitude as he continuously bowed to Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian.

Next, as if to thank Zhouyang and Jiang Fengxian, and perhaps to deepen their dislike for Black Vulture Ascendant, Du Yunsheng voluntarily recounted some of Black Vulture Ascendant’s misdeeds and his adept methods.

For instance, forcibly taking beautiful female cultivators as concubines and tripod cauldrons, exterminating a Cultivation Clan for a Spiritual Object, and secretly harming peers over a verbal dispute... Such evil deeds painted Black Vulture Ascendant as an unscrupulous demon!

From a rational perspective, Zhouyang couldn’t believe Black Vulture Ascendant committed so many evil deeds and still freely mingled in the Cultivation Realm.

However, seeing Du Yunsheng’s indignant look and his ability to explicitly name various victims, Zhouyang couldn’t help but feel half-convinced.

Regardless, Du Yunsheng’s goal was achieved; at least Zhouyang did feel a stronger animosity against Black Vulture Ascendant, whose alleged misdeeds, if true, certainly touched upon many of Zhouyang’s taboos.

And seeing Jiang Fengxian with her furrowed brow and angry expression, it was clear she was also provoked by some of the misdeeds supposedly committed by Black Vulture Ascendant.

Du Yunsheng naturally noticed this, and it pleased him greatly, knowing his goal was finally accomplished.

Understanding when to stop, he did not say more about this subject and excused himself, claiming he had matters to attend to in contacting other "justice seekers."

"Fengxian, do you really believe what this Du person said?"

After sending off Du Yunsheng, Zhouyang returned to the cave, closed the door, and with his face restored to normalcy, started talking to Jiang Fengxian about today’s events.

"Does it matter whether I believe it or not?"

"Inside [Holy Infant Valley], there’s certainly unrest; since Du Yunsheng is willing to lead a force against evil, why should we oppose it?"

Jiang Fengxian’s eyes flashed with intelligence as she spoke her mind.

Upon hearing this, Zhouyang laughed.

Because he and Jiang Fengxian thought alike.

"Hahaha, who understands me? Fengxian does!"

He laughed heartily, looking at Jiang Fengxian with deep affection in his eyes.