Journey to the Nanzhao Kingdom! The Vanished Moon Worshipper!

Inside the Ancestral Hall, the elders looked at one another, none of them knowing whether to agree or object.

The Sword Saint looked at Qing Wei and said, "You said it yourself—the boy will become immortal sooner or later. If he does not become Sect Leader, are people like us, whose chances are already slim, supposed to waste our years in that position?"

Qing Wei’s expression shifted slightly. In the end, he slowly nodded.

The Sword Saint smiled. "Let the younger generation worry about Shu Mountain’s future. We should focus on living a few more years—that is the proper path."

Qing Wei froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

He had known the Sword Saint for decades, yet this was the first time he had seen him make a joke.

Everyone chatted at once for quite a while before deciding to hold a Sect Merger Ceremony and invite the Righteous Factions of the World.

Just as the conversation was growing lively, the Drunken Sword Immortal suddenly said, "Shouldn’t we deal with the Nanzhao Kingdom first? Otherwise, those youngsters probably will not be in the mood for any Sect Merger Ceremony. Especially Nephew Chu Yang—with his hatred of evil, this will surely stick in his throat like a bone."

Qing Wei nodded slightly, stroking his beard as he said in a grave voice, "Junior Brother Mo is right. The Descendant of Nüwa has also helped Shu Mountain greatly. We cannot simply stand by."

The Sword Saint’s gaze turned icy as he sneered. "Leave this to me. Moon Worshipper actually dared to join forces with the Evil Sword Immortal to ambush Shu Mountain. Since he waded into these troubled waters, he should not blame me for being merciless."

The Drunken Sword Immortal chuckled. This was the Sword Saint he knew best. Though he had looked refined and gentle over the past few years, always discussing the Dao with others, his nature was actually extremely fierce.

Moon Worshipper could not possibly be a match for Senior Brother Sword Saint. The only concern was that, if pushed too far, he might use some evil art to awaken the sealed Water Demon Beast. That would be truly troublesome.

Just as he thought this, the Drunken Sword Immortal suddenly heard the Sword Saint’s voice by his ear.

"Junior Brother Mo, come down the mountain with me!"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Caught off guard, the Drunken Sword Immortal choked on his wine and began coughing violently. Wiping his mouth, he laughed awkwardly. "Senior Brother, I think I will pass. Long journeys are exhausting. Li Xiaoyao’s cultivation has progressed rapidly—having him at your side will be more than enough!"

The Sword Saint narrowed his eyes in displeasure. "I’m taking you to the Nanzhao Kingdom not so you can clean up after me, but so you can clean up your own mess!"

The Drunken Sword Immortal’s scalp went numb. He did not dare say another word, looking like a student caught red-handed by his parents after pulling an all-nighter gaming.

Everyone else turned their questioning gazes on the Drunken Sword Immortal. For the Sword Saint to be this angry, it was probably no small matter.

The Drunken Sword Immortal simply shut his eyes, flopped onto the floor, and pretended he had drunk too much.

The next day.

The merger between the two sects was temporarily kept secret. Qing Wei and the others gathered Chu Yang’s group in the sect’s main hall and told them that the Sword Saint would personally descend the mountain to eradicate the Moon Worship Sect.

Li Xiaoyao jumped up in delight, while the others wore equally joyful expressions.

Xu Changqing, Zi Xuan, Jing Tian, and Tang Xuejian were not present. They had gone to Thunderbolt Hall in Deyang the previous night to seek revenge on Luo Ru Lie for Old Master Tang.

"Time is of the essence. Let’s head down the mountain first and tell Elder Shi and the others this good news." Chu Yang patted Li Xiaoyao on the shoulder to remind him.

"That’s right, Brother Chu!" Li Xiaoyao grinned from ear to ear. After bowing to Qing Wei and the others, he hurried down the mountain without delay.

"Sect Leader, Master, I will lead the others to the Nanzhao Kingdom first and eliminate the Moon Worship Sect’s forces. Once Moon Worshipper shows himself, Sword Saint Martial Uncle can act then."

The Sword Saint’s Sword Control Technique had reached a transcendent realm. Moreover, Shu Mountain and the Nanzhao Kingdom were both located in the southwest, so Sword Flight would not take much time at all.

The Sword Saint said, "No need. I have my own plans. However, Junior Brother will travel with you."

The Drunken Sword Immortal wore a miserable expression as he swayed his arms and walked out of the main hall.

A short while later.

Chu Yang and Lin Yueru arrived at the Drunken Immortal Inn and saw a group gathered in the main hall.

Tang Yu, A Nu, Elder Shi, Zhao Ling’er, and Liu Jinyuan.

They had long been unable to wait any longer. Their luggage was packed, and they were ready at any time to return to the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Lin Yueru had tried to persuade Liu Jinyuan to remain in Yuzhou, but he firmly refused. He had been unable to help collect the Five Spirit Orbs, but when it came to dealing with the Moon Worship Sect this time, he insisted on going.

Unexpectedly, Elder Shi spoke up for Liu Jinyuan, saying that his wisdom was an indispensable strength in dealing with the Moon Worship Sect.

During their time in Yuzhou City, the two learned men often gathered to discuss all manner of subjects and had already become friends despite their great age difference.

Zhao Ling’er, Tang Yu, and A Nu had also been drawn to Liu Jinyuan’s talent and regarded him as a close friend, so they all spoke up on his behalf.

Unable to withstand so many people persuading her in reverse, Lin Yueru could only agree to let Liu Jinyuan accompany them to the Nanzhao Kingdom.

With the Shu Mountain Sect backing them and the Drunken Sword Immortal traveling alongside them, everyone felt completely different when they set out once more. They were far more relaxed than before.

The smile on Zhao Ling’er’s face visibly grew more frequent.

Even Shi Gonghu no longer kept a stern face.

Among the group, the one in the worst mood was actually the Drunken Sword Immortal. A Nu liked clinging to him, but whenever he saw A Nu, he could not stop himself from crying.

Halfway there, the Drunken Sword Immortal could no longer bear it and decided to use Sword Flight to head to the Nanzhao Kingdom ahead of them.

Ignoring A Nu’s attempts to keep him, he flew away on his sword toward the southwest.

No matter what, he first had to find Ming Yuanqing and have her remove the spell.

After the Drunken Sword Immortal left, A Nu felt lost. Though they had not acknowledged each other, she was very fond of this Drunken Sword Immortal uncle, even more so than Moon Worshipper uncle, who had always treated her well.

It was also because of the Drunken Sword Immortal’s persuasion that A Nu completely cut off contact with Moon Worshipper.

The group continued onward and arrived in the Nanzhao Kingdom half a month later.

A Nu led everyone to the White Miao Tribe’s settlement. Chu Yang had already been here once, so he was familiar with the way.

When they arrived, Chu Yang found Xu Changqing and Zi Xuan already waiting for a long time. After dealing with Luo Ru Lie, they had returned to Shu Mountain, then used Sword Flight from Shu Mountain to reach the Nanzhao Kingdom.

Sword Flight was far faster than walking, so they had arrived many days before Chu Yang’s group.

The Drunken Sword Immortal was there as well, exchanging flirtatious glances with Ming Yuanqing amid the crowd. Naturally, his inexplicable crying problem had been cured.

Ming Yuanqing welcomed everyone into a room and began explaining the Nanzhao Kingdom’s current situation.

After being poisoned by the Moon Worship Sect for many years, the entire population of the Nanzhao Kingdom had become loyal believers of Moon Worshipper. It was not something that could be reversed merely by sending a few people to expose his true face.

The power of this superstition had even affected the Nanzhao Kingdom’s army. Other than the Southern Barbarian General and Elder Shi’s trusted subordinates, everyone else had turned against them.

The Witch King had been completely stripped of power and become a true puppet. The situation was even more severe than before Shi Gonghu had left.

In other words, if they wanted to deal with the Moon Worship Sect, it would essentially mean taking on the entire Nanzhao Kingdom.

The army and the Moon Worship Cultists were easy enough to handle. They could simply fight them head-on. The true difficulty was how to deal with the ordinary people.

They could not just kill them all, could they?

If they had to consider the common people, it would be difficult to gain the upper hand against the Moon Worship Sect. If they hesitated on the battlefield, not only Zhao Ling’er but the entire White Miao Tribe would be placed at a disadvantage.

"If you ask me, the best solution now is to find Moon Worshipper and eliminate this threat. That way, we will not have to become enemies with all the people of the Nanzhao Kingdom."

Li Xiaoyao made a throat-slitting gesture, clearly suggesting an assassination.

However, no one paid him any attention. The Drunken Sword Immortal even stared at him as though he were an idiot.

"Xiaoyao Gege, it is precisely because we cannot find Moon Worshipper that this has become so complicated…"

Zhao Ling’er reminded him softly.

Only then did Li Xiaoyao realize it, scratching his head with an awkward laugh.

"What an idiot! If you do not understand, then stop interrupting and let others speak, will you?"

Lin Yueru glared at Li Xiaoyao in exasperation.

"What the hell does it have to do with you, you vile woman? I told you not to come in the first place. You keep chirping away like a sparrow—you’re driving me crazy!"

Li Xiaoyao snapped back without any courtesy.

"This is not the time to argue. Behave yourselves!"

Xu Changqing’s face darkened as he displayed the authority of the senior disciple. Before, they had not been disciples of the Shu Mountain Sect, so he could only turn a blind eye. But now that the two of them were about to formally enter the sect, he could not ignore them.

Li Xiaoyao obediently fell silent, not daring to refute him in the slightest. Whenever he saw Xu Changqing now, he was like a mouse seeing a cat.

Not only was Xu Changqing about to become his senior brother, but more frighteningly, there was a difference in seniority between them. It was already fortunate enough that he did not have to call him Grandpa along with Ling’er.

After the two fell silent, Shi Gonghu took over. "The Princess is right. The most troublesome issue is that we cannot find Moon Worshipper’s whereabouts. After making a trip to Shu Mountain, Moon Worshipper vanished without a trace."

The Drunken Sword Immortal continued, "He may very well still be with the Evil Sword Immortal. Who knows what they are plotting?"

Everyone in the room began talking at once about Moon Worshipper’s whereabouts.

Finding the noise irritating, Chu Yang quietly slipped out of the room while no one noticed. Night had already fallen, and a bright moon hung high in the sky. He sat on a stone bench outside with his eyes closed, resting as he waited for everyone to reach a conclusion.

In truth, Chu Yang himself was more inclined to use force to suppress the common people who had been deceived by the Moon Worship Sect. Better a short pain than a long one.

Without the Moon Worship Sect, Moon Worshipper alone would not be able to accomplish much.

Unfortunately, with Zhao Ling’er’s personality, she would never agree to resolve the Nanzhao Kingdom’s crisis in such a manner.

Where exactly had Moon Worshipper gone?

Thinking back over all the events, Moon Worshipper no longer had room to make a move. Chonglou had taken the Five Spirit Orbs, so even if he wanted to break the Water Demon Beast’s seal, he had no way to do so.

No, I should think about this from another angle.

Without the Five Spirit Orbs, what method could Moon Worshipper use to break the seal?

He only has the Evil Sword Immortal beside him…

Evil thoughts?

Malice…

The Ten Thousand Great Mountains!

Chu Yang suddenly stood up. He remembered that Moon Worshipper was from the Black Miao Tribe and must have heard that legend. At this moment, he had no possibility of turning things around, so there was a high chance that he had gone deep into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains to find a way to remove the Beast God’s seal.

Moon Worshipper’s goal from the very beginning had been to destroy the world. As long as he could achieve that goal, the process and methods did not matter to him.

Using the Water Demon Beast to destroy the world and using the Beast God to destroy the world would have the same result!

The more Chu Yang thought about it, the more certain he became that Moon Worshipper had gone deep into the Ten Thousand Great Mountains. He quickly entered the room and told everyone his speculation.

Of everyone present, only Zi Xuan and Ming Yuanqing knew this legend, so their expressions were the ugliest.

The Drunken Sword Immortal said, "If the Beast God is truly as terrifying as you say, then it will be even harder to deal with than the Evil Sword Immortal. We must stop this from happening."

Ming Yuanqing shook her head. "You do not understand the Ten Thousand Great Mountains at all. It is practically a different world from the outside. Do not think that high cultivation means you can come and go freely. High cultivation is useless there!"

"Any random venomous insect you have never seen before could poison an expert like the Shu Mountain Sect Leader to death!"

"On top of that, the terrain and environment are unimaginably complicated. Barbarian tribes and demons may ambush you at any moment. The Ten Thousand Great Mountains can practically be called a living hell."

Seeing how serious she made it sound, the Drunken Sword Immortal no longer stubbornly insisted. Frowning, he said, "Then if they truly enter the Ten Thousand Great Mountains and we cannot pursue them, does that not mean there is nothing we can do now?"

Chu Yang turned to Zhao Ling’er. "If we cannot quickly resolve the Nanzhao Kingdom’s chaos, then should the Beast God truly emerge, matters will only worsen. As the princess, you must make a decision."

Zhao Ling’er bit her lip, her expression becoming deeply conflicted.

"Think it over carefully."

Chu Yang left the room, and the others gradually departed as well, intending to give Zhao Ling’er space to think alone. In the end, only Li Xiaoyao remained to keep her company.

The immense pressure made Zhao Ling’er begin to cry, while Li Xiaoyao held her tightly. The two leaned against each other, becoming one another’s strongest support in this world.

The entire night passed.

Zhao Ling’er still decided that they could not harm the people of the Nanzhao Kingdom. This meant their side would be placed in an extremely disadvantageous situation.

Yet everyone understood her.

Chu Yang nodded. "In that case, we will first kill the Moon Worship Cultists and retake control of the Nanzhao Kingdom’s army."

Liu Jinyuan suddenly said, "As for the army, why not let Elder Shi and me handle it?"

Chu Yang patted his shoulder. "Since you are confident, go ahead. Be sure to stay safe."

Thus, apart from Liu Jinyuan and Shi Gonghu, everyone else headed together toward the Moon Worship Sect’s base.

Chu Yang, meanwhile, went alone to the place where the Water Demon Beast was sealed.

Although Moon Worshipper had most likely gone to the Ten Thousand Great Mountains, they still had to guard against trouble on the Water Demon Beast’s side.

Compared to the Beast God’s seal, the Water Demon Beast’s seal was easier to break. Who knew what was hidden within the Ten Thousand Great Mountains? What if Moon Worshipper stumbled across something capable of breaking the Water Demon Beast’s seal?

Chu Yang felt a faint unease in his heart.

The lake where the Witch Queen had sealed the Water Demon Beast was extremely famous in the region. After making a few inquiries, Chu Yang learned its location.

As he rushed there, Chu Yang found the entire route unnaturally quiet—silent, even—as though someone had pressed mute on the whole world.

The animals seemed to have sensed danger and fled the area in advance. The more this happened, the more certain Chu Yang became that Moon Worshipper was nearby.

The stone statue formed from the Witch Queen gradually became clearer in his sight.

At the same time, another figure entered his view, smiling as he looked at Chu Yang.

Moon Worshipper.

Did I guess wrong?

Chu Yang murmured to himself and slowly walked toward Moon Worshipper.

"Little Brother A Yang, we meet again. It is regrettable that we meet in this manner. I had wanted you to join the Moon Worship Sect and realize a great ideal."

Moon Worshipper looked deeply disappointed, his gaze utterly sincere.

"There are too many scientists working with me already. You do not rank very high. I gave you a chance, but you did not believe in the feelings between Tang Yu and A Nu."

Chu Yang entered the Source Martial True Body state and charged straight at Moon Worshipper.

Moon Worshipper smiled faintly and flicked a marble-sized ball of blood from his fingertips into the lake. A few breaths later, fierce winds rose over the vast lake, and towering waves surged into the sky.