Chapter 138: Just Take Action

"Miss Luo Yao, do you know a lot about the Dark King Sect?" Chu Liang asked, "I know very little about it, but we could share whatever information we have."

Ultimately, Chu Liang was happy to find out that Luo Yao was Sixtieth.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

The Valley of the Three Absolutes might not have a very good reputation among the righteous cultivators, but it was still ranked in the Divine Nine and the Terrestrial Ten. Amid all the bad guys from the Dark King Sect, Luo Yao was Chu Liang's unshakeable ally of good.

The two of them put their hoods back on and returned to the cave. They were now able to converse more easily than before.

"I don't know much about it either..." Luo Yao answered. "All I know is only know that the Violet Gold Marquess' subordinates are managed in levels. Violet Gold Marquess only manages the Guiders and doesn't know much about the Fiends. Likewise, each Guider only manages the Fiends under his command and is unfamiliar with the Soul Subjugators.

"However, those holding positions as superiors do not have much contact with their subordinates. They usually meet only once a month at the Soul-Gathering Meeting to offer fresh souls to the Violet Gold Marquis. Apart from this, they don't communicate much."

"That makes it quite convenient for us to infiltrate them," Chu Liang replied.

"Yes, the only one who may realize we're fakes is the Fiend who manages us," Luo Yao said. "So, as long as we find a way to get rid of him after entering the mountain, there's no one else who would notice we're not who we're claiming to be."

After some thought, Luo Yao told Chu Liang, "Some of the divine skills used by my sect are similar to those of the Dark King Sect, such as skills for controlling ghosts. So, it is relatively easy for me to pretend to be one of their members. But once you make a move, it's unavoidable that you'll be exposed for having skills from a different cultivation legacy. You must do your best to keep your identity concealed."

"I understand."

Of course, Chu Liang had already taken that into consideration. He knew he would have to play it by ear and adapt accordingly.

"Additionally, my sect's elders want me to remain undercover for as long as possible for this mission," Luo Yao said. "The fact that the Southern-Route Guider has mobilized all of so many people must mean that they've found something valuable enough in the Southern Bastion Mountain that's worth the risks associated with assembling all of his subordinates. We intend to wait until after they've acquired the item before making a move to capture all of them together. Before then, do your best to keep your identity secret."

Chu Liang nodded. "I will."

The plan that Luo Yao's party had wasn't much different from his own, so it wouldn't be a good idea for him to let Luo Yao know that his teacher was waiting outside too. Doing that could cause an internal conflict. The best course of action was to wait until the valuable item was found. Then, once Chu Liang's teacher and Luo Yao's elders showed up, they could decide among themselves who would be taking the item.

Nevertheless... Chu Liang didn't know how resolute the Elders from the Valley of the Three Absolutes were. It was quite likely that they were not as headstrong as his teacher, so there might not even be much of a fight.

Luo Yao continued, "The disciples of the Dark King Sect mainly use soul-controlling and soul-refining skills. Their physical bodies are quite weak, so Forbidden Ground is very effective against them. Earlier, I saw that you have a pretty strong physical body. We could fight them together."

Chu Liang suddenly realized...

No wonder her first move was Forbidden Ground.

Luo Yao didn't have a particularly strong physical body, but she was very proficient with concealed weapons. Combined with the use of venomous insects and poisons, she was incredibly capable of injuring and killing others.

With the addition of Chu Liang's Power of Ten Tigers and Brick Combat Technique, they would be like the great complementary combination of a mage and a warrior, with one attacking from the rear and the other at the forefront. As long as their opponent wasn't a martial artist of Yun Chaoxian's caliber, their opponent would not fare well.

With this in mind, Chu Liang took out an Essence-Concealing Pill and handed it to Luo Yao.

"Miss Luo, this is an Essence-Concealing Pill. It can conceal the fluctuations of your foundational qi when you make a move," Chu Liang said. "Keep it with you for now. You may need it later."

Chu Liang gave Luo Yao the Essence-Concealing Pill because she had been quite open and frank when she shared the information she had with him. However, Chu Liang didn't have any information to give in return, so he could only express his sincerity by giving her the pill.

Meanwhile, Luo Yao didn't shy away from accepting the pill. She knew that the Essence-Concealing Pill was extremely rare, as it was hardly concocted anymore. So, she accepted the pill without hesitation and gazed at Chu Liang with a much softer expression.

Chu Liang had always been deliberately generous to gain a favorable impression early on, and it worked this time too.

...

Chu Liang and Luo Yao stayed in this cave for a while. Luo Yao wasn't particularly talkative, but Chu Liang matched her pace, so they were able to chat quite harmoniously.

Just as the sky was getting dark, their Soul Subjugator Tokens vibrated. They'd received a message.

[Fifty-Ninth]: "Have you already met up? I'm almost there. Are we still meeting in the Wolf-Tail Forest?"

Chu Liang read the message, but he didn't reply immediately.

He opened his eyes and asked Luo Yao, "Are we still meeting here?"

Luo Yao nodded gently. "Sure."

"Okay," Chu Liang said. "Let's see if we can get some information out of him first. Then we'll go with what we planned. I'll follow your lead."

The two of them had a brief chat to finalize their plan to welcome Fifty-Ninth later.

[Fifty-Eighth]: "The pile of black stones at the entrance of the Wolf-Tail Forest is still there."

[Sixtieth]: "That's right."

[Fiend]: "Great. I was worried that the two of you might get into a conflict since this is your first time meeting each other. I guess everything should go smoothly when the three of you meet up. I'll hurry over early tomorrow morning, and I'll take you guys to meet the Guider."

As expected, internal backstabbing was a concern for everyone in the diabolical sect.

It wasn't long before a figure appeared at the entrance of the cave.

Their appearance was accompanied by a tone filled with pleasant surprise. "

Ah!

You're really here. I'm finally meeting you in person."

Chu Liang and Luo Yao had already sensed it before looking over, and when they did, they saw the person was dressed in a black robe, which covered his head and face and concealed his aura...

Here's another person wearing the same outfit.

Nevertheless, Chu Liang was already numb to this.

Fifty-Ninth didn't seem particularly guarded, so Chu Liang and Luo Yao should be able to get some information out of him.

Thinking that, Chu Liang pointed at a block of stone beside him and said, "Sit."

"

Haaa...

I finally get to sit for a while. I'm exhausted. You have no idea how long I've been traveling for and what route I had to take just to rush over here. I thought I could be the first one to get here, but who knew that I would end up getting here after you guys..." Fifty-Ninth began.

Without anyone prompting him, Fifty-Ninth rambled on and on about how much he suffered during his journey here.

Chu Liang listened carefully to Fifty-Ninth's chatter for a while, but he didn't find even a little bit of useful information...

So, when Chu Liang found an opportunity to interrupt, he asked, "Have you had any major gains recently?"

The Dark King Sect's seventy-two Soul Subjugators were all collecting souls for the Violet Gold Marquis, so this wasn't a strange question to ask.

Fifty-Ninth immediately grinned and answered, "

Haha

, speaking of my gains... I have to tell you about what I experienced during the last few months. First, I went to the City of A Hundred Flowers...

"After that, I went to the Noctivagation City...

"Then I visited the City of Silk Threads...

"And that's it. I acquired zero gains."

Fifty-Ninth concluded by spreading his hands open in a helpless shrug.

Chu Liang was speechless.

How did this guy manage to not provide us with even a single bit of useful information despite managing to talk for more than an hour?

He couldn't help but turn and shoot Luo Yao a look that said,

Should we stop asking questions and just take action?

Luo Yao gave an almost imperceptible nod. It seemed to say,

My patience reached its limit ages ago. How could someone be so noisy?

Upon reaching a consensus with Chu Liang, Luo Yao stood up and said, "I found a valley on a hillside over there earlier. It seems to be harboring some treasures of nature. Which one of you wants to go scout it with me?"

Chu Liang looked to his left and right before answering, "Since we're together now, let's not split up. Why don't we just go together?"

"Sounds good!" Fifty-Ninth suddenly stood up. He seemed completely unguarded and even spoke with great anticipation. "Even if we don't find any treasures of nature, it'd be great for us to head out and be active."

Upon witnessing Fifty-Ninth's innocent demeanor, Chu Liang had some doubts about him.

Could it be that Fifty-Ninth isn't from the diabolical sect either...? Would a diabolical cultivator be someone like this?

Fifty-Ninth seemed as pure as a sheet of white paper.

Chu Liang and Luo Yao stepped out of the cave with Fifty-Ninth and went along the path that Luo Yao had led Chu Liang down previously, going past the hillside.

After walking for a while, Fifty-Ninth noticed something was off.

"

Hmm.

It doesn't seem like there's a valley over there, does it?" Fifty-Ninth asked.

Before he even finished speaking, a loud crack ripped through the air. The Forbidden Ground had been activated again!