Let us proceed at once.

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“Miss Luo, how much do you know about the Netherworld Sect?” Chu Liang asked. “I know very little about them. Perhaps we can exchange what information we have.”

In any case, discovering that “Sixty” was Luo Yao had left him genuinely pleased.

No matter how poor the Valley of Three Absolutes’ reputation was among the righteous sects, it was still one of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths—a thoroughly orthodox, respectable force. Among the villains of the Netherworld Sect, she was unquestionably Chu Liang’s steadfast ally.

The two of them put their hoods back on and returned to the cave. Their conversation proceeded far more smoothly than before.

“I don’t know all that much either…” Luo Yao said. “All I know is that under the Purple-Gold Marquis, everyone is managed through a strict hierarchy. The Purple-Gold Marquis oversees only the Soul-Attracting Envoys and has little familiarity with the Earthly Fiend Envoys. The Soul-Attracting Envoys oversee only the Earthly Fiend Envoys under them and know little about the Soul-Seizing Envoys. Even superior officers have little contact with their subordinates. Until now, they would merely offer captured souls to the Purple-Gold Marquis once a month at the Soul-Gathering Assembly. Apart from that, they rarely interacted.”

“That certainly makes it easier for us to infiltrate them,” Chu Liang replied.

“Yes. The only person in the entire Netherworld Sect who might recognize us is the Earthly Fiend Envoy in charge of us,” Luo Yao said. “So once we enter the mountains, we need only find a way to eliminate him. After that, no one will be able to expose us.”

After a moment’s thought, she added, “Some of the techniques practiced in my valley resemble those of the Netherworld Sect—for example, the art of commanding ghosts—so disguising myself is relatively easy. But the moment you make a move, the differences in your lineage may be exposed. You must conceal them as much as possible.”

“I understand.” Chu Liang had naturally considered that as well. When the time came, he would have to adapt to the circumstances.

“One more thing. The elders of my valley believe that we should remain concealed for as long as possible,” Luo Yao continued. “The Southern Route Soul-Attracting Envoy has mobilized so much manpower that he must have discovered some treasure worth risking everything for within Southern Guardian Mountain. We intend to wait until the treasure is finally in hand before striking and wiping them all out. Until then, we should avoid exposing ourselves.”

Chu Liang nodded. “That works.”

Her plan happened to coincide with his own. For now, he could hardly mention that his master was also waiting outside, as that might easily provoke internal conflict. They would have to wait until the treasure was found and the elders of both sides had arrived; then the elders could decide who would claim it.

Still…

He had no idea how formidable the elder sent by the Valley of Three Absolutes would be. Presumably, he was not as formidable as his own master.

“Also, the Netherworld Sect’s disciples mainly rely on soul manipulation and soul refinement. Their physical bodies are comparatively weak, so a spell-nullifying field is an excellent place to fight them. I noticed that your body is remarkably strong. If the opportunity arises, we can work together,” Luo Yao added.

Only then did Chu Liang understand.

No wonder her first move earlier had been to create a spell-nullifying field.

Her physical strength was not particularly impressive. However, she was highly skilled with hidden weapons, and when combined with her arts involving venomous insects and poison, they possessed tremendous killing power.

Paired with his own strength—the might of ten tigers—and his brick-fighting technique, they would make an excellent combination of mage and warrior, complementing each other perfectly. Unless they encountered a martial expert on the level of Yun Chaoxian, anyone facing them would find little success.

With that thought, Chu Liang took out another Origin-Concealing Pill and handed it to Luo Yao.

“Miss Luo, this is an Origin-Concealing Pill. It can mask the fluctuations of your true energy when you attack,” Chu Liang said. “Keep it for now. You may find it useful later.”

He had produced the pill because Luo Yao had been unusually frank with him, while he had no information of his own to exchange. This was the only way he could show his sincerity.

Luo Yao did not stand on ceremony. She naturally knew that these nearly discontinued pills were extremely rare, and immediately accepted it. When she looked at Chu Liang again, her gaze had softened considerably.

When it came to building goodwill in advance, Chu Liang had always been generous.

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…

The two remained in the cave for some time. Although Luo Yao was not much of a talker, Chu Liang knew when to play the audience, and the exchange between them remained quite harmonious.

As evening approached, the Soul-Seizing Token trembled, and another message arrived.

[59]: “Have you two met up yet? I’m almost there. Are we still meeting in Wolf-Tail Forest?”

After reading it, Chu Liang did not reply immediately. Instead, he opened his eyes and asked Luo Yao, “Here?”

Luo Yao nodded lightly. “That’s fine.”

“Good,” Chu Liang said. “We’ll first see whether we can coax some information out of him. Then we’ll use the same plan as before—I’ll support you.”

The two exchanged a few brief words and quickly settled on a plan for receiving “Fifty-Nine.”

[58]: “The black stone pile in Wolf-Tail Forest. I’m still there.”

[60]: “Understood.”

[Fiend]: “Good. I was worried that the two of you might clash if you met first. Once all three of you are together, things should settle down. I’ll arrive first thing tomorrow morning, and then I’ll take you to meet the Soul-Attracting Envoy.”

Apparently, even members of a demonic cult had to worry about being robbed by their own kind.

Before long, a figure slipped into the cave entrance, accompanied by a delighted voice.

“Oh! You really are here. I’m so glad to finally meet you!”

Chu Liang and Luo Yao had sensed him long before then. When they looked over, they saw a man dressed in black robes, his hood pulled low over his face, his aura completely concealed…

They were dressed exactly alike again.

Chu Liang was already numb to it.

This “Fifty-Nine” did not seem particularly wary. They ought to be able to coax some information out of him.

With that in mind, Chu Liang pointed to a stone stool nearby. “Sit.”

“Ah, it feels wonderful to sit down at last. I’m exhausted! You have no idea where I’ve come from these past few days. I thought I might be the first to arrive, but who would have guessed I’d still be behind everyone else…”

Without anyone needing to draw him out, “Fifty-Nine” immediately began chattering away, describing all the hardships he had endured on the journey.

Chu Liang listened carefully for quite some time, only to discover that not a single useful detail had emerged.

So he found an opportunity to interrupt “Fifty-Nine” and asked, “Have you had any major gains lately?”

Since all seventy-two Soul-Seizing Envoys were gathering captured souls for the Purple-Gold Marquis, the question was perfectly natural.

At once, “Fifty-Nine” broke into a grin. “Ha! Since you mention it, I have to tell you about everything I’ve been through these past few months. First, I went to Hundred Flowers City…”

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“Then I went to Night Roaming City…”

“After that, Brocade Zither City…”

“And in the end, I came away with absolutely nothing.”

At last, he spread his hands helplessly.

Chu Liang’s face darkened. How had this man managed to reveal not one useful scrap of information while talking nonstop for more than half an hour?

He should never have asked the question.

He could not help turning to Luo Yao. The meaning in his eyes was clear: Shall we stop asking questions and just make our move?

Luo Yao gave an almost imperceptible nod. Her meaning seemed to be: I stopped being able to stand him ages ago.

How could anyone be this talkative?

Having reached an understanding, Luo Yao rose and said, “Earlier, I discovered a valley on the far side of that hillside. It seems to contain some rare treasures. Which of you will accompany me to investigate?”

“Now that we’re all together, we shouldn’t split up,” Chu Liang said, glancing from one to the other. “Why don’t we go together?”

“Going together sounds great!” To his surprise, “Fifty-Nine” sprang to his feet without the slightest sign of suspicion. His voice was even filled with anticipation. “Even if there aren’t any rare treasures, it’ll be good for the three of us to get out and stretch our legs.”

Looking at his innocent expression, Chu Liang could not help wondering whether this man was actually a member of the demonic cult at all…

Could anyone from the demonic path really be like this?

He was as guileless as a blank sheet of paper.

The two of them led “Fifty-Nine” out of the cave and followed the familiar path over the hillside. After walking for a while, “Fifty-Nine” seemed to notice that something was wrong.

“That place doesn’t look much like a valley,” he said.

Before he had even finished speaking—

A sharp crack rang through the air once more.

The spell-nullifying field descended again!

Good morning!

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