Chapter 2003: Rebellion
When they saw the warning arrows fire into the sky, the female disciples all sighed in relief. This kind of arrow would immediately release a shrill noise, and others from the sect would rush over to provide reinforcements. At that point, any intruder would then choose to retreat, and they would thus be safe.
However, their smiles quickly froze. Why didn’t they hear the alarms? They reflexively raised their heads and saw that the air seemed to be a bit warped. They didn’t see the fiery streaks they expected after firing their arrows; rather, the projectiles had stopped after moving just a few feet from where they were. Still, even that distance was supposed to be enough to create a loud and shrill noise!
They could see that there were some ripples around the fire at the very tip of the arrow, which likely came from the sounds they were expecting. However, those sound waves seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand and restrained in place. They couldn't move at all.
Just what kind of incredible skill was this?!
All of the disciples present were carefully selected. They immediately realized that they were facing an enemy that they absolutely couldn't win against. They reflexively wanted to run, but soon after, they saw a man’s face. He looked completely ordinary, like someone they wouldn’t even give a second look to if they bumped into him; and yet, right now, they were incredibly scared of him.
After that… There was nothing after that. The female disciples’ bodies went limp and they collapsed to the ground.
Zu An closed his fist, and the sounds those arrows were releasing were sucked into a single black point before disappearing into nothing. Fortunately, he had been prepared for such a situation, or else things would’ve gotten troublesome.
He suddenly thought of something and looked up. He saw a beautiful figure seated by the window on the second floor, looking at him vigilantly. He was really happy. With a kick of his feet, he flew up to the second floor, calling, “Honglei.”
However, Qiu Honglei immediately rushed backward a few meters and a short blade appeared out of her sleeves. She said, “You’re not Fang Biao. Who are you?!”
She naturally knew the Yin Yang Path’s Fang Biao, but there was no way he had this level of cultivation.
Zu An realized that he hadn’t changed his appearance and quickly restored his original appearance. His voice changed back as well as he said, “Honglei, it’s me.”
“It really is you?” Qiu Honglei asked, still a bit apprehensive. After all, there were many people in the sect who knew some treacherous methods that would allow them to transform into Ah Zu. Of course, the man in front of her had almost no flaws to pick out.
Zu An was a bit speechless. He vanished and reappeared at her side to hug her, asking, “Are you sure now?”
When she sensed his special aura and heard certain secrets that only the two of them knew, Qiu Honglei’s tense body finally relaxed. She was shocked and happy, asking, “Ah Zu, I’m not dreaming, am I?” She clung to him so tightly that she almost seemed scared he would just suddenly run away.
Zu An stroked her hair while feeling a bit of pity, saying, “Honglei, I'm late. You ended up being so scared…”
Qiu Honglei was so moved that before he even finished, she got on her tiptoes and kissed him. All of her longing from being separated for so long was poured into that one kiss.
…
When their lips finally parted, Qiu Honglei’s face was a bit red. She bit her lip and pouted playfully, saying, “Your kissing skill has improved again. I wonder which woman you’ve been practicing on?”
Zu An was speechless. Since both Chuyan and Manman had learned Kiss of the Goddess, it had also made his skill improve as a result. Of course, there was no way he would ever say that out loud.
Fortunately, Qiu Honglei didn’t really get upset and quickly changed the subject, asking, “How did you get here?”
“I couldn't contact you guys, so I was worried that something could have happened, and I made a trip here,” Zu An explained.
The two of them sat by the bed. Qiu Honglei huddled up against him like a kitten. When she heard that, she smiled sweetly and replied, “It seems our hearts really are linked as one… The situation is a bit tricky. By the way, how were you able to take on Fang Biao’s appearance? That guy is the most annoying of them all.”
As someone who was also a part of the Devil Sect, she clearly understood the personalities of the people from the Yin Yang Path very well.
“I didn’t know where the Lake of Hatred was, so I wanted to find some way of making my way in…” Zu An said, then gave her a rough summary of everything that had happened.
Qiu Honglei was a bit apologetic, saying, “It’s all my fault. I should have told you how to come here before; that way, you wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble.”
Zu An smiled and said, “That’s not your fault either. After being here for a few days, I’ve learned that your disciples need to carry out a blood oath and can't tell outsiders where the general headquarters are, or else they'll immediately perish.”
That was part of the reason why the Lake of Hatred had somehow never been exposed even after hundreds, or perhaps even over a thousand, years.
Qiu Honglei smiled and said, “We can’t tell outsiders, but you’re not an outsider. At first, I wanted to wait until we… ahem, and then I would tell you.”
When he saw her face redden and Qiu Honglei acting adorably shy, Zu An couldn't help but hug her and kiss her again.
…
Fortunately, a while later, they remembered what was important at the moment. Their lips parted reluctantly and Zu An asked, “Honglei, just what happened to you two? Those guards outside seem to be keeping you under house arrest.”
When she heard what he said, Qiu Honglei recovered a bit of clear-headedness and said, “Actually, I was in the dark the whole time too. Half a month ago or so, when I came out of my secluded cultivation, I discovered that something wasn’t quite right. I couldn't meet with master at all.
“I thought she had also decided to focus on her cultivation and gone into seclusion, so I didn’t treat it as a big deal, but later, I discovered that many people were secretly monitoring me. I wanted to contact some of my master’s trusted aides, but all of the elders, hall masters, and others who were loyal to master had all been transferred far away from the general headquarters. That was when I realized something major had happened. I didn’t care about what those guards said and barged straight into master’s place of seclusion, only to find that she wasn’t there.”
Zu An was alarmed and hurriedly asked, “Where did she go?”
Qiu Honglei shook her head and said, “I didn’t know at the time either. Later, the Yin Yang Path Master heard what had happened and wanted to restrain me, but he hadn’t expected me to have learned 'Dance Offering to the Universe'. He realized that it was dangerous to continue trying, and hurriedly told me to stop and try to negotiate with him.”
Zu An was a bit surprised. 'Dance Offering to the Universe' was the foremost of Immortal Ruler Baopu’s seven skills, a skill with the ability to join the heavens and the earth. Thank goodness Honglei had received the skill to protect her when she was in the secret dungeon, or else the consequences would have been too horrible to even imagine. After all, this was one of the Devil Sect’s four overlords, someone on par with Yun Jianyue, who also had grandmaster rank cultivation.
“At first, I didn’t want to talk to him, but he took out one of my master’s keepsakes and said that they had my master captive. I was worried that something would happen to master, so I decided to negotiate for the time being," Qiu Honglei continued.
“Big si… Ahem, did your master fall into their clutches?” Zu An asked; his expression changed a bit.
Qiu Honglei shook her head slightly and said, “That isn’t too likely. With master’s abilities, the Yin Yang Path Master shouldn't be capable of that. According to my investigations and deductions, master was most likely trapped somewhere by them. They couldn't capture master, but master probably can't break free either.”
Zu An couldn't help but say with a sigh of amazement, “You actually managed to find out so much!”
Qiu Honglei spread her hands, and a yellow talisman glowing with red light calmly floated into the air. She replied, “Did you forget about this talisman you gave me last time? I wanted to find out where master was, but that place seemed to be blocked by something, so that's why I wasn’t able to find out the exact location. But what I'm certain of is that it's still within the scope of our general headquarters.”
“So that's why you agreed to marry Fang Long, so you could try to find out about your master’s whereabouts that way?” Zu An asked with a frown.
Qiu Honglei looked at him with a big smile, saying, “Oh my, your jealous expression is so cute.”
Zu An harrumphed in dissatisfaction.
Qiu Honglei explained, “Don’t worry. How could I really marry someone like that? I just wanted to appease them for now and gather more intelligence. For example, the things I told you about earlier were things I've found out since then.”
Zu An’s expression finally eased up a bit. He said, “With your master’s cultivation, that Yin Yang Path Master is definitely not her match. Just who else could have joined in on this?”
He understood Yun Jianyue’s cultivation better than anyone. With her strength, she could protect herself even against an earth immortal. Becoming an earth immortal herself was also just around the corner. The Yin Yang Path Master was just a grandmaster. How could he possibly do anything to her?
“That’s right, there are definitely more people who participated,” Qiu Honglei said, her gaze turning cold. “If I'm not mistaken, there's also the Vice Sect Master Lu Sanyuan.”
“Lu Sanyuan?” Zu An exclaimed in shock. The two most famous individuals in the Devil Sect were the Devil Sect Master Yun Jianyue, and the leader of the ‘volunteer army’ Lu Sanyuan.
To a certain degree, the court was a bit more scared of Lu Sanyuan. After all, he led a hundred-thousand-man rebel army and roamed from place to place, defeating countless armies of the court.
Qiu Honglei voiced her agreement. “Lu Sanyuan is the vice sect master, as well as the leader of the Unfeeling Path. His status in the sect is extraordinary. At first, master didn’t really mind having a peaceful coexistence with him, and she even provided him with all kinds of resources to aid in building that volunteer army.
“However, after Violet Mountain’s events, master suddenly discovered that Lu Sanyuan had led the volunteer army nearby to coordinate with the various factions in a fight against Zhao Han, and yet even as the sect master, she didn’t know a thing about it. She planned to investigate the situation properly when she came back this time, but that Lu bastard actually struck first.
“Even so, we just never expected the Yin Yang Path Master to actually have been roped in by him too. After all, the Yin Yang Path has always been on good terms with our Heavenly Devil School.”
Zu An had a strange expression as he said, “I fear that it might not just be the Yin Yang Path. I think even quite a few members of the Heavenly Devil School have been roped in, such as that Elder Xi.” Then, he told her about what he had discovered between Pan Qiaoqiao and Elder Xi.
Qiu Honglei was shocked. She said, “Pan Qiaoqiao has always been jealous of me and has always felt that she isn’t inferior to me in any way. Still, I never expected her to actually dare to betray the Heavenly Devil School!” Her thoughts moved quickly, and she came to a conclusion, saying, “It must be because master has long been trying to restrict the actions of the Yin Yang Path, not permitting them to steal the womenfolk of honest people, and she also added all sorts of rules to the Heavenly Devil School that caused their dissatisfaction. That has to be why they were so easily swayed by Lu Sanyuan.”
Zu An got up and said, “Since we know the ringleader, I’ll head over and settle our debt now.”
Qiu Honglei immediately grabbed him and said, “You can't! We don’t know the situation with master yet. What if they're driven into a corner and do something out of desperation? That would be really bad!”
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