Outside the cave.
The shock on Fang Henian’s face had not faded for a long time.
He turned toward the Imperial Carriage and sent a low Sound Transmission:
【Highness… is that Young Master Chu Yuan actually a member of the Demonic Path Alliance? This is…??】
Inside the Imperial Carriage, Ji Xuanyuan’s phoenix-like eyes were also slightly wide.
Through the real-time transmission of the Yin Yang Image-Recording Stones, she could sense everything clearly.
She saw how Chu Yuan produced the token inside the cave, causing the group of evil cultivators to kneel and worship him.
Facing their reverence, his composed demeanor even carried a hint of wickedness.
That seasoned, dignified appearance showed not a single trace of acting; it was as if everything was exactly as it should be.
‘What on earth is going on?’
‘Is he really someone from the Demonic Path Alliance?’
Ji Xuanyuan immediately thought of the possibility of “Rebirth,” but what about that cultivation level and that token?
One must realize that when she used a secret technique to undergo Rebirth at the risk of her soul being scattered, her cultivation and everything she had obtained in the future had vanished.
If the other party had been reborn, logically speaking, it should have been impossible for him to bring back his cultivation and physical items like a token.
Looking at the current situation, it was more likely that… he had been possessed by an evil cultivator???
If that were the case, then was Chu Yuan not the Junior Brother in her memories?
After the initial shock, a sense of relief actually welled up in her heart.
‘If this is the case, then my rudeness when we met yesterday… doesn’t that count as being wiped clean?’
‘I still have to wait a few years to join the Heavenly Sword Sect as a disciple before I can meet my true Junior Brother.’
‘When the time comes, I will perform well and make up for those mistakes.’
Furthermore, this would explain why this young youth could act so calmly yesterday.
‘He is a member of the Demonic Path, so he naturally knows how to imitate and disguise himself.’
“Highness?”
Seeing that she had not responded for a long time, Fang Henian asked cautiously, “Is everything alright?”
Ji Xuanyuan snapped back to reality and sent a low Sound Transmission:
【City Lord Fang, can this treasure of yours record the situation inside?】
Fang Henian nodded and cupped his hands.
【Of course! That is the original purpose of the Image-Recording Stone.】
With a slight reminder from him, Ji Xuanyuan knew how to operate it.
However, Fang Henian was puzzled. 【Highness, what are you planning to do?】
Ji Xuanyuan did not answer. She activated the ability of the Image-Recording Stone in her hand, and her Divine Sense once again probed into the cave.
—
Inside the cave, the lights flickered dimly.
Under the worship of the evil cultivators, Chu Yuan stood with his hands behind his back.
In truth, there was no need for him to reveal his true appearance or the token he had obtained in his past life; he could have simply killed all these evil cultivators and been done with it.
But considering the importance of the Dragon Egg to the current Demonic Path Alliance, even if he killed this group, a new batch would eventually arrive.
It might even attract the attention of the Great Elder.
Instead of fighting them, it was better to enter the game himself first.
When necessary, Chu Yuan could then wipe out all these beasts in one fell swoop.
Facing this Elder who had appeared out of nowhere, Chilian Zhenren’s expression shifted uncertainly.
Having lived for over 100 years and struggled within the Demonic Path Alliance until now, he had a rough understanding of the Alliance’s internal structure.
Although the person before him had profound cultivation, he had never seen him before. Furthermore, his aura… was too clean.
One had to know, which member of the Demonic Path Alliance hadn’t crawled out of a sea of blood?
Yet this person’s surrounding aura was clear and translucent, even carrying an… indescribable sense of righteousness.
Alarm bells rang in Chilian Zhenren’s heart.
Taking a deep breath, he spoke with a tone of respect mixed with testing, “May I ask… for the Elder’s great name?”
As the Great Elder of the Demonic Path Alliance in his past life, Chu Yuan had a good understanding of the Alliance’s history.
With the current structure of the Alliance, the Great Elder was Ziya, and the Vice Elder was Daji; the identities of both were a mystery.
The other Elders were all insignificant small fry not worth mentioning.
His mind whirled as he quickly searched his memories.
In his past life, an Elder of the Demonic Path Alliance had died around this time.
That person’s name was Shenbao, and he had died during an encirclement by the righteous path.
This matter was considered a moderately significant event both inside and outside the Demonic Path Alliance.
It was perfect for him to use. He then said:
“This seat is Shenbao. Some time ago, I accidentally fell into the hands of the righteous path and sacrificed myself for the Demonic Path Alliance. Before my death, I used a secret technique to possess this youth’s body!”
Chilian Zhenren froze.
‘Elder Shenbao?’
‘That name… seems familiar?’
As he struggled to remember, Chu Yuan acted intentionally nonchalant. “What? You don’t believe me?”
Chilian Zhenren hurriedly kowtowed. “I wouldn’t dare, I wouldn’t dare! Some time ago, an Elder of our Demonic Path Alliance did indeed pass away. I didn’t expect that you had actually undergone Rebirth through possession? Then… does Elder Shenbao know the motto of our Demonic Path Alliance?”
Chu Yuan narrowed his dark eyes.
“Disrupt the Dao with emotion, subvert the Heavens as the law. Testing me with such a simple question—exactly which Elder’s subordinates are you? Ziya’s? Or Daji’s?”
‘Ziya?’
Hearing him speak the name of the Great Elder, Chilian Zhenren and the other evil cultivators felt their hearts leap.
Great Elder Ziya was elusive all year round and kept his name deeply hidden.
Unless they were disciples directly under him, it was impossible to know.
Chilian Zhenren muttered in his heart: ‘Could it be… this person really is Elder Shenbao?’
Thinking this, the doubts in his heart mostly vanished, and the respectful look on his face became more sincere.
“Uh… this lowly one was blind! I hope the Elder will forgive my offense!”
Chu Yuan raised an eyebrow. “No matter! Those who do not know are not guilty. You are pillaging Xuanji City solely for the Dragon Egg. You can leave this matter to me!”
‘The Dragon Egg???’
Seeing that the true purpose of their trip had also been exposed, Chilian Zhenren became even more respectful. “Elder Shenbao, is this instruction of yours an order from the Great Elder? Why haven’t we received any news?”
Chu Yuan sneered. “Heh! What ‘order from the Great Elder’? This is the command of the Alliance Leader! It is thanks to the old master that I was able to undergo Rebirth through possession.”
‘Ah? The Alliance Leader???’
As soon as those words were spoken, Chilian and the others were all dumbfounded.
“Elder Shenbao, isn’t our Demonic Path Alliance still waiting for the true Alliance Leader to emerge? The Alliance is temporarily managed by the Great Elder, isn’t it?”
Chu Yuan sneered again. “Heh! I thought so too, until after I died… Regardless, this is the Alliance Leader’s entrustment. If you don’t believe it, you can ask the Great Elder later.”
Having served as the Great Elder himself, he knew very well:
In his past life, although the Black Dragon Emperor was revered as the Alliance Leader, he was actually just a figurehead pushed to the front.
The true Alliance Leader of the Demonic Path Alliance was hidden very deeply, with very few channels for communication, and required meeting harsh conditions.
Therefore, Chu Yuan was not afraid that they would go back and tell Great Elder Ziya, or that the Great Elder would actually go to consult the Alliance Leader.
Because the other party simply didn’t have the means to do so; they could only accept the situation.
Under these circumstances, Chu Yuan could at least live a peaceful life until the Black Dragon hatched.
Chu Yuan instinctively asked, “You have been pillaging here for some time now. How are the funds being prepared?”
Chilian Zhenren shuddered and replied, “Reporting to the Elder, we have gathered nearly 4,000,000 spirit stones…”
As he spoke, he couldn’t help but think: ‘Though this guy might be an Elder, these spirit stones were gathered through the hard work of the brothers. We can’t just give them away; at the very least, we should consult the Great Elder first…’
“Useless!”
Without waiting for him to finish his thought, Chu Yuan barked angrily.
“You caused such a huge commotion and risked being targeted by the Immortal Dynasty just to get 4,000,000 spirit stones? The Great Elder’s disciples are nothing more than this!”
Hearing this, Chilian and the others frowned and quickly explained:
“That’s not right! Elder Shenbao, these 4,000,000 spirit stones were obtained by the brothers while risking their lives. Even if there is no glory, there is still hard work!”
Chu Yuan rolled his eyes at them. “Heh! Just this? Look at what this is!”