Yan Qing stood helplessly on the stage, waiting eagerly for someone to shout "The selection of the alliance leader is not a joke!". However, the people below only whispered to each other and no one jumped out to object.

He was straightforward in character but not slow-witted. He immediately understood the key point.

In the eyes of others, as a servant, he was able to defeat Qu Duanyun, so Yin Ci, as the chief disciple, would only be stronger. Taiheng lost the qualification, and the result of a rematch would not be different.

The righteous path valued rules the most. If Yin Ci, as the chief disciple, became the alliance leader, Ku Mountain Sect might occupy the position in a grandiose manner. If he took over, he could be removed at any time.

This way, it gave Taiheng enough face and left a way out for each sect.

...Yan Qing understood the reasoning, but his dream was just to make an honest living, not to be the focus of everyone's attention.

If the gazes from below were replaced by sword energy, he would have been turned into dumpling filling by now.

Seeing the situation stabilize, the leader of Golden Jade Gang struck the gong beside the stage. He cleared his throat and amplified his voice with true qi: "Yin Ci of Ku Mountain Sect forfeited, Yan Qing of Ku Mountain Sect won without a fight. Does anyone have any objections?"

There were murmurs from below, but just as Yan Qing expected, no one openly voiced opposition.

Seeing this, the leader of Golden Jade Gang lit an incense stick. His gaze swept over the expressionless Qu Duanyun as he paced around the edge of the stage. When the incense burned halfway, he raised his voice and repeated again.

"The Martial Arts Alliance Leader is decided to be Yan Qing of Ku Mountain Sect. Does anyone have any objections?"

Seeing Taiheng, the leading figure, remain silent, no one stood up to oppose from below. However, people had already formed groups, discussing with voices getting louder. Many showed disapproving expressions, but ultimately did not raise objections.

This atmosphere of an impending storm was the most tormenting. Yan Qing timidly picked up the cup that fell to the ground and took two steps at a time to his master and senior brother's side: "Master, Senior Brother Yin, this..."

"Since you are chosen, then take the position. Your martial arts can be considered first-class. Not only have you read books, but you also learned the way of righteous sects at Taiheng. In terms of qualifications alone, how are you not qualified?"

Seeing Yan Qing's helpless and frightened appearance, Yin Ci didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Moreover, once you become the alliance leader, after this assembly ends, Taiheng will have no standing to pursue and kill you."

Although this kid had no grand ambitions, in terms of courage, intelligence and perseverance, Yan Qing was indeed capable of taking on this role.

More importantly, he and Shi Jingzhi were both tired of the jianghu, one seeking tranquility and the other having insatiable desires. It was good enough to have the power of the alliance leader in hand. As for the obligations... neither of them had the energy to manage this mess.

His aptitude was sufficient and the opportunity was given. Whether he could seize this chance to integrate into the righteous path depended entirely on Yan Qing himself.

Sure enough, after pondering for a moment, Yan Qing finally calmed down. He was about to speak after some deliberation when he heard Yin Ci slowly add a sentence—

"The Martial Arts Alliance Leader also receives a monthly salary. According to the rules, the leader can get sixteen taels of silver per month for his troubles. For large sects, this amount is not much. But..."

Yan Qing's eyes sharpened and he immediately stood at attention: "I'll do it!"

Unfortunately, the young man's courage could only be maintained for a moment. The next second, Yan Qing deflated again. He looked at his sect pitifully, trying his best not to look at the thousands of eyes below: "...How do I do it?"

"Do it however you want. Tidying up things and arranging miscellaneous matters on a daily basis, aren't you quite good at that?" Yin Ci's heart was as hard as iron, not giving a bit of help. "Think for yourself."

Finally, an incense stick burned out. The leader of Golden Jade Gang straightened his collar and stood proudly at the edge of the stage.

"Everyone—are there any objections—?"

This was probably the last time he asked.

However, this time there was a response from below. An old man with some fame leaped up and stood in front of the stage, supported by the shoulders of others. He stroked his beard for a while and sized Yan Qing up and down.

"This old man wouldn't say he has objections, but the situation is really special. This time, this old man represents everyone below to raise a requirement—this... um, little brother is after all a servant of Ku Mountain Sect. If besides martial arts, this person has no talent at all, where should we righteous sects put our face?"

The old man had a serious expression and his tone was not pleasant to hear, but what he said was not really making trouble.

In the past, the chosen alliance leaders were mostly sect leaders or elders from major sects. Few people raised conditions. Now that a young servant who hasn't even grown a beard was pushed out, it was normal for the righteous path to have concerns.

Unfortunately, the master and disciple of Ku Mountain Sect were both cold-blooded and heartless. The two beasts, one looking at the sky and one at the ground, clearly wanted Yan Qing to deal with it himself. Yan Qing was like a fledgling kicked out of the nest. He turned around in a fluster and finally gritted his teeth, facing the old man who made the proposal.

"Senior's words are reasonable. Please state your requirement."

The old man grunted: "This martial arts assembly was clearly convened to end the Shi Rou chaos and resolve the current turmoil. Little brother, first come up with a plan that everyone can trust, then it won't be too late to become the alliance leader."

With that said, his eagle-like eyes pointed straight at Yan Qing, as if wanting to see his every misstep.

Yan Qing licked his dry lips.

Those master and disciple were almost eating melon seeds while watching the show. There was no hope in seeking help from Ku Mountain Sect. Ah Si... Ah Si had at least received the education of a sect leader, so he should know what to do, right?

And the most serious negotiation he himself had done was just haggling at the vegetable market.

...Wait, haggling?

Yan Qing rubbed his temples and suddenly understood the key.

Right now, this position of alliance leader was like a hot potato. The small sects didn't want to take it, that was true. But they also didn't want to let Yan Qing gain power and unilaterally help Ku Mountain Sect. That's why they specifically chose this timing to raise conditions, forcing him to come up with a relatively fair way of handling it.

Just like a vegetable vendor haggling with others, most of the time it's not that they really don't want to sell, but just want to earn a few more copper coins.

Since the reasoning was the same...

"What this senior said is very true. The Shi Rou chaos has lasted too long and indeed needs a conclusion."

Imagining the scene below the stage as a vegetable market, Yan Qing instantly felt relieved. He always had a gentle aura and would never give people a sense of being overbearing. If one ignored those ghost eyes, he could be said to have an air of righteousness.

"As far as I know, Taiheng is seeking Shi Rou for the Prince Rong's Manor, while Ku Mountain Sect is seeking Shi Rou to save the sect leader's life. Prince Rong and the current emperor are in good health, so they likely want to use it as a tonic. Sect Leader Qu, is that so?"

Qu Duanyun did not speak, seeming to acquiesce.

There was a commotion in the audience. Although the martial arts world had no rebellious intentions, most were used to being free and unrestrained, and did not have a fanatical loyalty to the imperial court. If it was for their own use, it would be fine, but offering the Shi Rou to the royal family was no different than smashing a precious antique just to hear the sound.

In comparison, the Ku Mountain Sect wasn't even doing it out of greed or personal feelings, but simply wanted to save the life of their sect leader. This reason was simple and crude, but when spoken out loud, the righteous sects were still righteous sects.

After that, it was easy to talk things through. Yan Qing settled the handling of the Shi Rou in a few words - the Ku Mountain Sect found the key to the Shi Rou, while Taiheng obtained the location of the Shi Rou, so the merits were about even.

If the Shi Rou could be divided, then each side would get half. If not, since lives were at stake, the Ku Mountain Sect would take the Shi Rou and compensate Taiheng separately.

"...Our sect is truly impoverished and unable to provide proper compensation to all the seniors present. But I, Yan Qing, swear to the heavens that I will definitely find the villain who plotted against you all and let everyone see clearly."

Yan Qing's words were especially sincere.

"After all, my Ku Mountain Sect was also harmed by that villain, so this grudge must be avenged. You don't need to worry that we are all talk and no action. This may seem like taking advantage of the situation, but it's the most practical guarantee I can personally give."

The audience: "..."

Turns out they were sharing the same enemy. There was no need to be this frank.

Who would have thought that this young descendant of the Yan family was practically stripping the Ku Mountain Sect bare for all to see -

Regarding the mystery of the stolen "Shi Rou's key", before anyone could even ask, Yan Qing immediately bowed in apology. He said the situation in the sect was not good, and the Ku Mountain disciples were anxious to save their sect leader, so they boldly played a reverse empty fort strategy. To show sincerity and ensure no more trouble would be caused, the Ku Mountain Sect specially invited the heroes from all walks of life to retrieve the Shi Rou together and see the true appearance of that immortal object.

Yan Qing's words were quite sincere and indeed seemed justified. The crowd, wearing the hat of righteous sects, had no intention of fighting over the Shi Rou in the first place, let alone further blaming the matter.

This handling was straightforward, without any twists and turns, and didn't leave any room for the Ku Mountain Sect to make small moves. The old man didn't say anything more, just snorted lightly and jumped off the stage.

"The alliance leader is decided, Yan Qing of Ku Mountain Sect!" The fat sect leader took a deep breath and struck the giant gong three times with a clang.

With the sound of the gong, the wooden bracelet on Yan Qing's wrist that signified his participation in the competition suddenly heated up. Distorted patterns seeped out on the wooden bracelet, and then it even turned into a jade-like texture. The jade bracelet, a token of generations of martial arts alliance leaders, was now stuck on his wrist.

It was like a dream.

Yan Qing touched that warm and smooth jade bracelet, his heart exploding with a mix of sour, sweet, bitter and spicy feelings, which then blended into an unprecedented fatigue. If it weren't for the thousands of eyes staring at him, he would have loved to collapse on the ground and take a big nap right there.

The few on the stage seemed very satisfied with this outcome. The three left without further entanglement. The absurd day passed, and everything seemed to be settled.

That evening, the horse carriages moved slowly, heading east.

The night was long and full of dreams. The Golden Jade Sect leader acted swiftly, preparing the carriages and horses before dark, and also selecting more than a dozen Golden Jade Sect disciples to accompany them. The group included not only Taiheng disciples, but also many well-known figures in the martial arts world. The Yueshui Bureau disciples didn't miss a single one, wishing they could cling to the bottom of the carriages and follow along.

Only Taiheng knew the location of the Shi Rou, so the caravan was personally led by Qu Duanyun, traveling far from the vicinity of Yi City.

Firstly, to guard against villains, and secondly, to watch the excitement, each sect sent some top experts, intending to take a look at the legendary object's unveiling. The martial arts alliance leader had spoken, and now that the overall situation was settled, if anyone jumped out to fight for it again, they would be making an enemy of the entire martial arts world.

As the new alliance leader, Yan Qing got a carriage all to himself. Unfortunately, he was used to hardship, and felt uncomfortable alone in the huge carriage, so he also invited the Ku Mountain Sect Leader and Senior Disciple to join him.

With people all around, Shi Jingzhi could still only drink porridge. Fortunately, the Ku Mountain Sect's treatment had improved a lot. Yin Ci specially prepared some "nourishing" pear paste candy and lamb liver soup, feeding it bit by bit to the nearly withered Sect Leader Shi.

Sect Leader Shi obviously wanted to use other things to suppress his appetite, his eyes sweeping back and forth on Yin Ci's lips. Unfortunately, with the huge Yan Qing in front of them, they couldn't just kick the new alliance leader out of the carriage.

Not to mention, Yan Qing had finally returned from his daze, looking worried.

"Something's not right. Ah Si has never disappeared for this long, and he even took Lord Bai with him." Yan Qing said absentmindedly, "When he went out before, he would always let me know."

Shi Jingzhi and Yin Ci exchanged glances. Sect Leader Shi took a sip of tea and swallowed the lamb liver soup in his mouth. "A few days ago, Su Si found me and said that Qu Duanyun was full of tricks and might have investigated his identity. Rather than being caught and used against him, he wanted to lay low for a while and come back after this matter was settled."

Who would have thought that upon hearing this, Yan Qing became even more depressed. "If that's the case, he could have said something to me. Now that I'm the alliance leader, he should come back, right?"

Yin Ci said lightly, "Su Si is used to doing as he pleases. Perhaps the Red Hook side had an important matter to find him for, and it happened to coincide with your competition on stage, so he didn't have time to say goodbye. Compared to this matter, there are still major situations that require you to preside over tomorrow, so don't think about it."

Yan Qing's troubles immediately turned in another direction. He fiddled with the longevity lock on his sword and started spacing out on the spot.

Outside the carriage, there was another person spacing out.

Qu Duanyun rode his horse at the very front of the caravan. He had countless eyes watching him from all directions, and Shi Zhongyu was also following him, staring at his every move. Things had gone against Qu Duanyun's plans, and now he was in a passive position. He couldn't even contact the Immortal Gathering -

It was one misstep after another.

Regarding the matter of there being Twin Roots in the Sinking Heart Pill, the suspicion had not yet fallen on him, but Taiheng, as one of the major righteous sects, would definitely have to give an explanation. Not to mention, Shi Zhongyu had taken the Reverse Yang Token, with power no different from the sect leader. Taiheng might not be willing to fully obey Qu Duanyun's commands.

The situation was extremely bad, but he didn't even have a chance to vent his frustration.

Shi Zhongyu rode a white horse, only half a step away from Qu Duanyun. Seeing that Qu Duanyun's smile was about to stiffen, she couldn't help but sigh, "Duanyun, you and I have known each other for a long time... If you turn back now, there's still time."

Qu Duanyun tightened his grip on the reins.

"Turn back?" He said, half amused and half angry. "Without having gone astray, what is there to turn back from?"

Shi Zhongyu frowned, her lips slightly pursed.

The contrast between victory and defeat was too bitter. Qu Duanyun urgently needed to spit out something to ease himself. Facing this old acquaintance he had known for a long time, Qu Duanyun ultimately couldn't keep his words in check. "Those with different paths cannot plan together. We have already seen similar things. Senior Sister, if you want to persuade me, you might as well forget it."

"Similar things?" Shi Zhongyu was completely baffled.

"Qi Xundao is advanced in years, his mind growing duller by the day. Yet he is highly respected and revered by all, so they still let him sit in that position. Even when he was on his deathbed, Senior Sister was still spending manpower and great sums to keep him alive. You and I both know that at most it would earn a reputation for 'righteousness', but would be all harm and no benefit to Taiheng itself."

This struck at Shi Zhongyu's pain point, and her expression instantly turned cold: "Qu Duanyun, even for a deceased teacher, it's not good to directly call them by name."

"You always get hung up on these matters of personal feelings."

Qu Duanyun couldn't even be bothered to smile.

"The changing of the seasons, the flourishing and withering of plants, survival of the fittest, birth, aging, sickness and death are all normal things in this world. Gathering a faction's great wealth to buy empty reputation is nothing but an outdated move. If we can't see eye to eye on this, then there's nothing more for you and I to discuss."

Shi Zhongyu secretly pinched herself to hold back her surging anger. She calmed herself and continued: "Fine, let's not discuss it then. I just want to ask you, Shi Jingzhi is a dying man, so why do you have to make things difficult for him at every turn?"

If Qu Duanyun himself didn't want the Shi Rou, based on his previous methods, there was an eighty percent chance he would have put on an act of magnanimously giving the Shi Rou to Shi Jingzhi to earn himself more good reputation. But Shi Zhongyu had observed for a long time that he didn't even bother to pretend.

Now that Shi Jingzhi wasn't present, Qu Duanyun didn't even try to hide his disgust. In all the many years Shi Zhongyu had known this person, she had never seen him target someone like this.

Hearing this, Qu Duanyun couldn't help letting out a cold laugh: "Senior Sister, do you think that Shi Jingzhi is a 'respectable person'?"

The abrupt change in topic and strange question made Shi Zhongyu pause for a moment.

Shi Jingzhi was not a wicked villain, that much she could see clearly. But to say he had lofty ideals and cared for the world, that didn't quite fit him either. Shi Jingzhi didn't seem like the kind of good person who would respond to others' pleas. He had a certain almost ruthless shrewdness, always narrowing his fox-like eyes while rapidly calculating on an abacus.

Just take this counterattack at the martial arts assembly. The Ku Mountain Sect had communicated with her beforehand. Upon learning of the other party's series of schemes, even Shi Zhongyu as a "co-conspirator" couldn't help feeling a chill.

But even so, Shi Jingzhi was still a reliable collaborator. As long as something was agreed upon, he would never go back on his word.

Could someone like that be considered a "respectable person"?

"I don't know," Shi Zhongyu answered very honestly.

"Then let me ask a different question." Qu Duanyun turned his head to look at her. "Do you want that kind of 'immortal'?"

...She probably didn't want one, Shi Zhongyu thought. But that was a separate matter—

"What use are immortals?" She snorted. "If the Heavens had eyes, Master wouldn't have died in such agony. If there really were immortals in this world, I'd want to demand justice from them."

"So there's nothing more for you and I to discuss." Qu Duanyun rarely showed a hint of dejection. "Despite endless desires, I'm hopelessly mundane. I'm actually inferior to him..."

Seeing this person's erratic attitude, Shi Zhongyu couldn't be bothered to argue with him further. She silently spurred her horse forward, heading straight for their destination.

When they arrived at the destination, everyone couldn't help but gasp in surprise. The reason was simple - the location seemed to have been arranged by fate itself.

The Shi Rou was located in none other than Ku Mountain's Gathering Valley.

It was now springtime, and the mountains were blanketed in fresh green as far as the eye could see. Seeing the fading glow of the setting sun, the convoy stopped outside Gathering Valley and set up a simple camp.

"There are many monsters inside Gathering Valley, so traveling at night would be inconvenient," Jin Lan arranged. "Wait until sunrise tomorrow when righteous energy is ample, then we'll go retrieve the Shi Rou together."

Yan Qing saw an old acquaintance and wanted to take the chance to say a few words. Who would have thought that when Jin Lan saw him, he just smiled awkwardly. "I'm also a member of Taiheng. I'm afraid that villain might influence me. Now that you're the Alliance Leader, it's best if you're more cautious."

"I..." Yan Qing realized - he had just kicked the other party's sect leader out, so there really wasn't much of an atmosphere for chatting.

Seeing his hesitant look, Jin Lan sighed in the end. "Actually, I'm quite happy you became the Alliance Leader... Yan Qing, you seem quite close with that Su Si?"

"Mm."

"Be careful," Jin Lan said in a low voice after some hesitation. "Our sect members saw him going out alone to purchase sharp weapons. That person is full of evil energy and I'm afraid his intentions are wicked."

Yan Qing felt unhappy, but held back from lashing out since Jin Lan meant no ill will. "Ah Si isn't that kind of person. Besides, he doesn't have much money, let alone be able to purchase weapons."

Jin Lan shook his head with a complicated expression and didn't say anything more.

Yan Qing's attempt at chatting had failed and he even heard some unpleasant words. He felt like a drenched little beast as he dejectedly returned to the Ku Mountain Sect's tent—

"Who would have thought the Shi Rou would be here," Shi Jingzhi said with a complex tone. "What's this, the Heavens making us revisit old places?"

Yin Ci chuckled. "Last time I saw you here, you weren't even as tall as one of my legs. Little mute, do you want to pick flowers for me this time?"

Yan Qing's head was spinning. What were they talking about? Why couldn't he understand a single word?

To his surprise, Shi Jingzhi followed up on this incomprehensible flirtatious remark, his tone quite meaningful. "Why wouldn't I give them to you? If I see that thing again this time, watch me pluck it bald. But as an exchange, you have to feed me the most tender roasted fish."

Yin Ci laughed even more heartily. Yan Qing had never heard him laugh like that in front of others. Shi Jingzhi also had a carefree tone as if he was acting spoiled, as if his life wasn't in imminent danger and there were no troubles in this world.

It seemed everyone had their own secrets. And here he was, wearing the new hat of Martial Arts Alliance Leader, all alone and at a loss. If only Ah Si were here...

Sigh.

In the end, Yan Qing didn't enter the tent. He resorted to his go-to solution when feeling vexed and confused - the new Martial Arts Alliance Leader put on a solemn face and began reorganizing the Ku Mountain Sect's luggage and miscellaneous items. He even turned his own bundle inside out, going through and putting back each item.

When he picked up a small wooden box, Yan Qing's movements suddenly stopped.

Something was wrong.

The knot tied on the cloth wrapping the wooden box was different from his usual habit, as if someone had opened it before. The weight of the wooden box also felt a bit lighter, as if it was mostly empty.

This was the Ku Mountain Sect's money box. As the person in charge of managing the money, Yan Qing instantly broke out in a cold sweat. He carefully opened the box, his heart turning to ice—

Sure enough, one roll of banknotes had vanished. He counted with trembling hands. The missing amount was exactly his personal savings, no more no less, a total of sixty-seven taels of silver.

This package had always been shared between him and Su Si. Su Si never touched his personal belongings, but was also clear about where he kept his money... Could those sixty-seven taels of silver really have been taken by Su Si?

Yan Qing held the half-empty wooden box, his face slowly tensing up.

If it was really taken by Su Si, then his "running away" this time was definitely not as simple as temporarily avoiding trouble. Yan Qing repackaged the money box as it was, and the sour emptiness in his heart instantly dissipated.

At this moment, his heart was filled with nothing but worry.

The next morning, everything was as usual. The wind was gentle and the clouds were light above, and the soil was fragrant below. The golden morning sun shone through the branches and leaves, illuminating the rolling fog in the forest, and all things were peaceful and tranquil.

Led by the Taiheng Sect disciples, everyone was fully armed and gradually entered deep into the Gathering Valley. After a few hours, the group stopped in front of a pile of rocks. Whether it was luck or not, the group had not seen even half a demon on their way.

Speaking of this rocky area, Yin Ci and Shi Jingzhi both had some impression of it.

Only thin and sparse weeds grew here, leaving it almost bare. There was nothing for the animals to eat, and the demons were even more unwilling to come, leaving only extremely ordinary insects and birds. Aside from being overly desolate, this place did not reveal the slightest abnormality.

When they were still in Gathering Valley before, Yin Ci disliked the scenery here and did not stay for too long. When Jingzhi was a child, he hated the gray and hazy stone forest even more, and was unwilling to run here even to play hide-and-seek.

Who would have thought that after so many years of going around in circles, they would return here and stand in this place again.

"The Shi Rou is hidden underground. My disciples have already dug it open. Please continue forward, everyone."

Qu Duanyun's voice was steady and polite, but his complexion was not very good. There were dark circles under his eyes, as if he had not slept all night.

"The guests are here, remove the formation!"

With a single command from Sect Master Qu, the Taiheng disciples removed the illusion technique. The scene within the rocks then crashed into everyone's eyes—

In the center of the rocks, there was a semi-circular deep pit.

The soil in the pit was fine and moist. Under the illumination of the morning sun, the soil surface emitted a bloody red glow. In the center of the pit bottom, a square little room made of colored glaze was strikingly visible. The colored glaze had been cleaned spotlessly by Taiheng, without any mud or dirt. Many spell incantations were engraved on it, shimmering slightly under the sunlight.

It was like an exquisite tomb chamber made of colored glaze.

Inside the colored glaze room was a scene full of vitality. The emerald green vines filled up a small space. They grew like green jade, full of life, and made people feel refreshed upon seeing them.

The vines gathered into a platform in the room, and a peach-shaped green fruit was placed squarely on the platform.

The fruit was fresh and delicate, with a pleasing color. Its stem was still connected to the vines, and its thin skin contained a translucent juice. When the sunlight shone on it, the green fruit appeared even more exquisite and unlike anything in the human world.

Although separated by thick colored glaze walls, the fragrance of the fruit somehow seeped out. Its flavor was indescribable. Just a hint of the aroma turned people's brains to mush, and could put all the delicacies in the world to shame.

If just a moment ago, there were still people who doubted based on the appearance of this object. The instant they smelled the aroma, no one cared about the trivial matter of "the name not matching the appearance"—such a heavenly object must be the Shi Rou without a doubt!

Yin Ci looked at Shi Jingzhi with concern.

Let alone Shi Jingzhi, whose desire to live was a hundred times greater than ordinary people, even the Desire Children might not be able to resist the temptation of eating this as a snack. Not to mention anything else, the moment the aroma of the Shi Rou wafted out, even those experts who had practiced martial arts for many years and had iron-like willpower became dazed.

Sure enough, Shi Jingzhi's face was flushed, and his eyes faintly showed a hint of bloodshot. However, he only took a few deep breaths, and his mind seemed to still be clear.

"Don't worry." While everyone was looking at the Shi Rou, Shi Jingzhi signaled Yin Ci to lower his head, and took the opportunity to bite his lover's earlobe. "I've endured worse, I'm used to it."

Seeing that Shi Jingzhi had no intention of harming himself, Yin Ci's heart finally settled back into his stomach. He didn't dodge or avoid, and casually brushed his fingers through the other person's hair, deliberately using the tone from when they first met: "It seems you've learned the 'Dustless Words' quite well. I'll have to pick a good time to properly reward you."

The two of them were casually flirting on the surface, but their hands were tightly clasped under their sleeves. In the end, Yin Ci hooked Shi Jingzhi's palm, and the latter reluctantly let go.

[Go.] Yin Ci silently said, [I'll protect you.]

Qu Duanyun couldn't see their actions under their sleeves. He only looked at the Shi Rou with a complicated gaze for a while: "This colored glaze room is extremely sturdy. My sect was unable to open it. Since Sect Leader Shi has the key, please come and retrieve it."

Shi Jingzhi patted his face, and the redness in his eyes faded a little. He was "seriously ill" and had difficulty moving. Yin Ci pushed his wooden wheelchair all the way to the colored glaze room. Upon closer inspection, in addition to those complex spell incantations, there were also vivid reliefs carved on the colored glaze. Those reliefs were all human faces, each with their eyes tightly closed and a smile on their faces.

It was indeed the style that Yan Budu would create.

In the center of that group of faces, one face had one eye open. Unfortunately, that eye socket was empty, with only a depression, waiting for someone to fill in the eyeball.

That fragrance was emanating from the eye socket, very strong. Being close to it, the aroma made people even more unsettled and drooling uncontrollably. Shi Jingzhi held his breath, and even his hand holding the jade eye was trembling slightly.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he took a long time to calm down before successfully pressing the jade eye into the depression.

Let me take a look.

Shi Jingzhi stared at that face with the open eye. He tried his best to ignore the fragrance assaulting his nose. His hands turned cold and almost started twitching.

Yan Budu, as your fellow clansman, let me take a good look. Spanning over a hundred years, what exactly have you left behind in this world?

Click.

With this soft sound, a sourceless low laughter echoed around, as if in response.

In just an instant, the colors of heaven and earth changed.

The originally enticing fragrance instantly turned into a bloody stench, causing many people to retch. Unfortunately, compared to other changes, this was just a minor matter—

Just like the Zongwu Mountain back then, countless gray-red "bare branches" rose from the ground, and dark red thin roots swayed like fish. On the bare branches, the fleshy folds were clear and vivid, glistening as if they were living things. The bare branches were densely packed, filling the forest and freely stretching and swaying under the morning sun.

There were a great number of them, growing extremely vigorously. Gathering Valley itself was on a mountain with a very good view. But looking into the distance, people were actually unable to find the boundary of this bizarre "flesh forest".

Strange things densely covered the surroundings, and a sense of oppression accompanied by a feeling of suffocation kept surging forth. A gentle breeze blew by, bringing wave after wave of stench, making people feel particularly dizzy.

Cries of shock rang out from the crowd. It seemed that this time, clearly more than just Shi Jingzhi could see them. Jin Lan sat down on the ground with a thud, while the skilled fighters huddled together in groups of three to five, their backs pressed against each other in shock. Shi Zhongyu instantly drew her sword, while Qu Duanyun stood amidst the thousands of bare branches, a hint of confusion added to his expression.

Among the bare branches, Yin Ci lost his sage-like appearance, once again transforming into a bizarre "god statue" of blood, flesh, and fine roots intertwined. However, this time, Yin Ci could clearly see his own appearance.

He examined his horrifying hands, nearly forgetting to breathe. Even without a mirror, he could imagine his abnormal appearance. This time, there was no fear or panic in Yin Ci's heart, only a crisp and sharp anger - what exactly had that old man He Cheng'an done to him?

However, at this moment, thanks to the Shi Rou, no one noticed his transformation.

As the focus of everyone's attention, not only did the Shi Rou's scent change abruptly, but its appearance also completely transformed.

The moment the jade eye was installed, the vines inside the glazed room instantly changed color, turning into a sticky gray-red similar to the bare branches. They wriggled slowly, occasionally emitting subtle sounds of mucus rubbing together.

Surrounded by these "fleshy vines", the Shi Rou no longer resembled an enticing immortal fruit. It changed from emerald green to an unsightly purple-red, emitting a slight heat, like viscera freshly scooped out from an animal's body. And in those purple-red folds of flesh, hundreds of tiny eyes without any whites were embedded. Each of them was as black as ink, blinking from time to time, not knowing where they were looking.

This was the "immortal object" that had stirred up a storm of blood and gore in the martial arts world, the one everyone had struggled to obtain.

The sky didn't collapse, the earth didn't split, and the sunny day remained sunny. The forest was still lush and green. There were no tremors or loud noises, and the sounds of the wind and birds remained the same. In contrast to the anomaly before them, all of this made people's spines particularly chilly.

What exactly was going on?

People's shock turned into panic, not knowing if what they saw before them was a nightmare, a magical technique, or a terrifying reality. The surrounding anomalies were simply too many, and the monstrous things were too enormous. Before the sudden change, people were like ants in the face of a storm. Even though there was a gathering of skilled fighters here, they were nothing more than a few stronger ants.

This sense of helplessness was enough to drive people mad.

Even the disciples of the Yueshui Bureau, who had seen and experienced much, lost their clarity at this moment. They could only crouch down and hold their heads, only daring to look at the blood-red mud beneath their feet. The members of the Golden Jade Gang were even more panicked, fainting and falling to the ground with a clatter. The stench of the Shi Rou was now mixed with the smell of urine from their incontinence.

Amidst this chaos and madness, Yin Ci pondered for a moment, then leaped up and charged towards the sky, stepping on the tree branches.

Looking down from above, the Ku Mountain, the towns surrounding it, and even the distant boundaries of heaven and earth were all covered in densely packed "bare branches" of various shapes. The mortal towns were sandwiched in between, like tiny pebbles beneath the grass.

It was truly a sight that covered the sky and earth.

The Shi Rou was an "immortal object", its spiritual energy even more abundant than the Muyan Stone used to forge the Compassion Stone Sword. Thus, using the Shi Rou as material to drive the jade eyes, there was no need to worry about running out of energy, nor would it be like on Mount Zongwu, where the technique could only be driven for an instant.

It was hard to say whether the "clue" on the Compassion Stone Sword back then was the demon leader's final remembrance or a boastful hint.

Or perhaps it was both.

Although he didn't know the origin of that jade eye, Yin Ci was quite certain that this was what Yan Budu truly wanted them to see.

He wanted them to see the true appearance of this world, the real form of the Shi Rou. Starting from the Ghost Tomb, this was a thoroughly wicked prank. Even if he turned into a handful of bones, that person still wanted to mock the mortals who blindly pursued the Shi Rou, as well as the "immortals" who cast the Shi Rou into this world without knowing where they were.

Yin Ci landed lightly, stopping atop a tree. He took a deep breath and touched the nearest bare branch. The fine roots on the bare branch instantly wrapped around him affectionately, trembling on his hand as if wanting to play with him.

Yan Budu only indulged in expressing his malice, without giving a definite answer. That fellow only cared about mocking to his heart's content, probably not having explored the truth. They had indeed seen another appearance of this world...

But what exactly were these things?

Beneath the tall trees, Shi Jingzhi didn't move the jade eye, allowing this anomaly to persist. He didn't wait for Yin Ci to return to his side before plucking the Shi Rou and taking it into his hand. "As agreed, I'll take this object away first."

It was as if he couldn't see the terrifying scene before him.

The Shi Rou lay in Shi Jingzhi's palm, wriggling from time to time, its eyes all over its body blinking even faster.

Surrounded by eerie sights, the crowd was still in a state of shock and confusion. Even if some people retained their wits, they still didn't know how to respond. Only Qu Duanyun's brows furrowed slightly, as if he wanted to say something.

A black shadow flashed, and before Qu Duanyun could speak, a burst of blood exploded before him.

Shi Jingzhi's throat was deeply slashed, and blood instantly gushed out. The Shi Rou in his hand disappeared in an instant, snatched away by the attacker.

"What righteous sect, just a bunch of cowardly wimps. Just a little scare, and you're all in disarray."

The person laughed playfully, sheathing the short knife in his hand. A pendant on the knife handle flashed, revealing a Mountain Ghost Coin.

Yan Qing was the first to come back to his senses from the anomaly. He stared at the scene before him in disbelief - Su Si was half-squatting on the back of a wooden chair like a bird, and just now, he had cleanly slit Shi Jingzhi's throat.

Su Si didn't look at the surrounding bare branches, nor did he look at the abnormally shaped Shi Rou in his hand. He stared intently at Yan Qing, his eyes as black as ink.

"I'll be taking this Shi Rou for now."

Su Si enunciated each word.

"Everyone, until we meet again."