20demayo Chapter 1827 We are not afraid of disaster
Chapter 1827 We are not afraid of disaster
A dark golden pillar of light? A mixture of chanting and roaring?
This description is remarkably similar to the Buddhist vows and malevolent energy fused within the core of that puppet!
Mingchuan and Master Lingxu exchanged a glance, both seeing the understanding in each other's eyes.
It seems that this mysterious third-party force has not only infiltrated the outer perimeter of the Holy Domain, but may even have already taken action in the Fallen Star Wasteland.
The Fallen Star Wasteland was precisely the direction Zhao Hu and his team were investigating, and also the place where Yue Yao might have set up a secret base!
Things are getting more and more complicated.
"Grey Rat." Mingchuan recalled the well-informed broker the innkeeper had mentioned. "Where is he?"
Black Viper hurriedly said, "At this time... he should still be at the Old Camel Tavern. That guy is a night owl; he usually only goes out in the middle of the night."
Mingchuan looked at Master Lingxu: "Senior, it seems we have to go and meet this gray rat."
Master Lingxu nodded, then looked at the pile of puppet remains on the ground and the dark red talisman in his hand: "These things may help us find more clues. Green-faced Fox, Crimson Flame Fox, take them back and study them carefully to see if we can trace back to their creators or energy sources."
"No problem," the Blue-Faced Fox and the Crimson Flame Fox replied.
Ye Yan then looked at Hei Fu and the others, whose faces were ashen: "What should we do with these people?"
Master Lingxu said calmly, "Cease his cultivation, erase his memories of today, and leave him to fend for himself in Shaquan Village. As for this black viper..."
His gaze fell on the black viper, which immediately trembled and kowtowed repeatedly: "Senior, spare my life! Senior, spare my life! I am willing to give up all my possessions, I am willing to be your slave! I only beg you to spare my worthless life!"
Master Lingxu looked at Mingchuan, who pondered for a moment and said, "You have been entrenched in this place for many years and know the Shaquanji area and even the outer desert like the back of your hand. I will spare your life and let you atone for your crimes through meritorious service."
"From this day forward, the Black Viper Mercenary Group is disbanded. You will remain hidden in the shadows, gathering intelligence on all unusual developments outside the Holy Domain, especially regarding the movements of that mysterious force, the Fallen Star Wasteland, and the Dragon Roar Temple. If you harbor any disloyal intentions..."
A wisp of silver light flashed from Mingchuan's fingertip and silently disappeared into the black viper's brow.
Black Viper felt a chill run through his soul, as if bound by an icy chain, yet dared not resist in the slightest, and could only kowtow repeatedly:
"I wouldn't dare! Absolutely not! I will do my utmost and have no ulterior motives!"
He knew that his life and even his soul were now in the hands of the other party.
But compared to dying on the spot, this is already an immense blessing.
"Remember what you said." Mingchuan stopped looking at him and turned to walk outside. "Master, Green-faced Fox, Crimson Flame Fox, you two take the things back to the inn and study them carefully. Senior Lingxu and I will go to the Old Camel Tavern to find Gray Rat."
"Be careful," Ye Yan cautioned.
Mingchuan nodded, and with a flash, he and Master Lingxu disappeared from the hall.
Black Viper and the others breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground, as if they had just escaped from the brink of death.
As night deepened, scattered lights and figures could still be seen on the streets of Shaquanji.
The Old Camel Tavern is located south of the market. It is a low earthen and stone building with a dim oil lamp hanging at the entrance. The lampshade is painted with a thin, bony old camel.
Even before you get close, you can smell the cheap smell of alcohol, the stench of sweat, and the noisy shouting and cursing coming from inside.
Mingchuan and Master Lingxu quietly appeared in the shadows opposite the tavern.
Master Lingxu scanned the area with his divine sense and whispered, "There are about thirty people inside. The highest cultivation level is the early Nascent Soul stage, and most are in the Foundation Establishment or Core Formation stages. There is a person in the corner whose aura is concealed. He is wearing a gray rat-skin vest and has half of his left ear missing... He should be the Gray Rat."
Following Lingxu Zhenren's guidance, Mingchuan used his divine sense to lock onto that corner.
The man sat alone at a greasy table, with a pot of wine and a few side dishes in front of him, slowly pouring himself a drink.
He looked to be in his forties, with an ordinary face, the kind of person you'd easily lose in a crowd. Only his eyes, which he occasionally raised to scan his surroundings, revealed a shrewd, mercenary, and wary look.
"Should we go straight in?" Mingchuan asked.
Master Lingxu shook his head: "There are too many people and too many eyes here, it's not advisable to expose yourself. I'll lure him out."
As he spoke, he flicked his finger, and a barely perceptible fluctuation of divine thought, like an invisible thread, quietly entered the tavern and precisely reached the gray rat's ear.
The gray rat, who was drinking, paused slightly, a glint of light flashed in its eyes, and then it returned to normal.
He slowly finished the last bite of his food, downed the wine in his glass in one gulp, tossed aside a few spirit stones, got up, and swayed toward the back door of the tavern.
Mingchuan and Lingxu Zhenren exchanged a glance, their figures blending into the shadows as they followed.
The back door of the tavern leads to a narrow, dirty alleyway, piled with garbage and debris, and smells pungent.
Gray Rat stopped in the middle of the alley, turned around, and his face, no longer bearing the listless expression he had in the tavern, scanned the empty alley with sharp eyes and muttered:
"Who invited me? Come out."
From the shadows, Mingchuan and Lingxu Zhenren slowly revealed themselves.
The moment Gray Rat saw Master Lingxu, his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly, but he quickly regained his composure and cupped his hands, saying, "You two are unfamiliar faces. You are not regulars at Shaquan Gathering, are you? What brings you here?"
His voice was hoarse, carrying the slickness of someone who had long mingled in the lower classes.
Mingchuan cut to the chase: "I need information from you. It's about the anonymous bounty the Black Viper Mercenary Group took on, the strange cultivator in the gray robe, and the dark golden pillar of light in the Fallen Star Wasteland."
The smile on the gray rat's face gradually disappeared, and its eyes became serious and wary.
He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Friend, knowing too much information can bring trouble upon yourself."
“We’re not afraid of trouble.” Mingchuan looked at him calmly. “Name your price.”
The gray rat licked its slightly chapped lips, a hint of struggle and calculation flashing in its eyes.
He could sense that the old man and the young man before him were no ordinary people, especially the old man, whose aura was unfathomable, making him instinctively feel fear.
But he also sensed both enormous risks and opportunities.
“I have the information,” Gray Rat finally spoke, his voice even lower. “But the price… isn’t cheap. And I can only tell you what I know. I dare not, and will not, wade into deeper waters.”
"Speak." Mingchuan tossed over a small bag containing over a hundred high-grade spirit stones.
The gray mouse took it, weighed it in its hand, and its shrewd smile returned to its face: "Great!"
He put away the spirit stones, looked around, and then said in a low voice, "I don't know as much about the Black Viper's bounty as you did from him. But those gray-robed cultivators... I did have contact with them."
"They call themselves ascetics, come from a place called the Silent Zen Monastery, and practice the Vajra Subduing Demons."
“Vajra Subduing Demons?” Master Lingxu raised an eyebrow. “Buddhism does indeed possess the Vajra Subduing Demons supernatural power, but what does the word ‘demon’ mean?”