314: Head to Spirit Forging Peak

"Meng Lang kowtows to thank Revered Master for his heavenly grace!"

He kowtowed heavily once again, his forehead slamming into the cold, viscous pool of blood.

A dull thud sounded; this time,

the sound was filled with the relief of a survivor and a twisted, almost fanatical loyalty.

"Revered Master's grace of rebirth is something Meng Lang could never repay even if I were crushed to pieces or died ten thousand deaths!

From this day forward, Meng Lang is Revered Master's most faithful lackey!

Wherever Revered Master's sword points is where Meng Lang will go to his death!

If I ever disobey, may my Divine Soul be extinguished and I suffer eternal damnation!"

Yao Delong watched him expressionlessly.

Applying both kindness and authority, the carrot and the stick—this was the most basic way to manage subordinates.

Watching Meng Lang go from extreme terror to extreme ecstasy, and then to this twisted loyalty,

he knew that this blood-scented loyal dog was, for the time being, completely bound to him.

"Get up."

Yao Delong's voice betrayed no emotion.

"Go back and think carefully about how to take the position of Heir Apparent. The Marquis is still very much alive."

Meng Lang's whole body shook, and he instantly understood Yao Delong's hint!

This was asking him to go back and target the Current Marquis, Meng Tianxiong, within the Zhenyuan Marquiss Residence!

A powerhouse at the Late Nascent Soul Stage!

In the past, Meng Lang wouldn't have dared even if he were given a hundred times his courage.

But now... he felt the cold jade bottle and the heavy Storage Pouch in his bosom,

and sensed that sword-shaped Restriction deep within his Divine Soul that could turn him to ash at any moment.

A surge of twisted ruthlessness and a madness to prove himself instantly rushed into his heart!

"Revered Master, rest assured!"

Meng Lang snapped his head up, bloodstains still wet on his face, but his eyes flickered with a snake-like viciousness and fawning flattery.

"Meng Tianxiong? Hmph! His son colluded with external enemies and harmed fellow disciples; the evidence is irrefutable!

As Marquis, he failed to discipline properly and cannot escape blame!

Meng Lang has his own methods and will surely make him lose all prestige within the clan and leave him in a state of utter distress!

This position of Heir Apparent, your subordinate is determined to get it!"

Yao Delong nodded slightly, satisfied enough with Meng Lang's 'enlightenment.'

With his current cultivation at the Mid Nascent Soul Stage and his status as the Chief Disciple of Luoxia Peak,

a mere secular Zhenyuan Marquiss Residence was no longer worth his concern.

Meng Tianxiong? He was nothing more than a pawn to be used and suppressed.

The one he truly needed to be wary of was the one far away in the Moyang Sect—

Xiao Chen's mother, the Hall Revered Master of the Moyang Sect's Dharma Transmission Hall, a Void Refinement Mid-stage powerhouse!

However, thinking that his Revered Master, Leng Yuekui, had also now advanced to Void Refining,

even if it was only the Early Stage, with her sword dao attainments and Luoxia Peak's foundation, he might not necessarily fear her in time.

Besides, the Yin Yang Sect and Moyang Sect were constantly in friction; the games played by the upper echelons had their own rules.

"Go." Yao Delong said no more and waved his hand.

"Yes! Revered Master! Meng Lang takes his leave!"

Meng Lang felt as if he had been granted a great amnesty. He hurriedly scrambled to his feet, carefully stowing away the jade bottle and Storage Pouch.

He cast a disgusted glance at the body bag on the ground, but ultimately gritted his teeth and hoisted it up,

staggering toward the exit of the corridor. His figure looked exceptionally pathetic and twisted under the sickly green phosphorus fire.

Yao Delong stopped looking at this filthy place, turned, and stepped out of the cell.

The suffocating cold and aura of despair of the Soul Prison

seemed to be dispersed slightly by the invisible Yang Qi surrounding him.

He walked up step by step along the cold corridor he had come from,

leaving the blood, darkness, and wailing behind him completely.

At the end of the corridor was that massive, bone-white gate forged from skeletons.

The grey-robed Elder guarding the prison was like a stone statue, ignoring the faint scent of blood on Yao Delong as he silently opened the Restriction.

The massive bone gate closed silently behind him,

completely cutting off the nauseating blood, cold, and despair of the Soul Prison.

Standing at the entrance of the valley, Yao Delong took a deep breath of the relatively 'fresh' outside air.

Though it was still heavy under the overcast clouds, it allowed his tense mind to relax.

Without staying for a moment, his figure transformed into a brilliant streak of light,

tearing through the clouds and speeding toward the direction of Spirit Forging Peak.

The asura war puppet was nearly destroyed in that tragic self-detonation at the Burial God Abyss; such a powerful aid had to be repaired as soon as possible.

Spirit Forging Peak, Elder Liu Duan's courtyard.

The familiar 'cling-clang' of hammering, like a rhythmic movement, came from deep within the courtyard.

Yao Delong landed before the courtyard gate. He was about to turn back to the market at the foot of the mountain to buy some good wine,

when he suddenly remembered something and searched through his storage ring with his Divine Sense.

"Found it!" His eyes brightened as he pulled out a few antique-looking wine jars

from the pile of spoils captured from the demoness Xin Yuelan, their surfaces engraved with strange patterns.

Although the mouths were sealed, an indescribable exotic fragrance faintly wafted out.

This was exactly the fine wine from the Demon Realm that Xin Yuelan had treasured.

Yao Delong casually picked up a jar, pushed open the gate, and walked in.

The 'cling-clang' sound stopped abruptly. A burly figure with a lean, muscular upper body,

bronze skin covered in sparks and metal shavings,

strode out of the forging room like an iron tower; it was Elder Liu Duan.

"Hmm?"

When Liu Duan saw Yao Delong, a flash of surprise crossed his bearded face,

then his bell-like eyes precisely locked onto the wine jar in his hand.

He instantly beamed, his voice booming like a great bell:

"Hahaha! Good lad! I was wondering why the furnace fire was so exceptionally bright today; it turns out you, my lucky star, have returned!

I heard you were trapped in that hellish place, the Burial God Abyss?

I thought your bones had been picked clean by those Yao Beasts!

I didn't expect you to return in one piece, and this cultivation... tsk tsk, Mid Nascent Soul Stage?

Did you fall into some old monster's treasure vault?"

His palm, large as a cattail fan, slapped Yao Delong's shoulder with heavy force.

Even with Yao Delong's greatly improved cultivation, he felt his shoulder sink slightly.

Elder Liu's physical strength was truly unfathomable.

"By luck, I escaped by luck." Yao Delong smiled and handed over the wine jar.

Liu Duan impatiently took the jar, his thick finger flicking the mud seal at the mouth,

and the hardened mud shattered and peeled away like tofu.

"Pop!"

The moment the jar opened, an indescribable, exotic wine fragrance suddenly erupted!

This scent was not the clear and crisp fragrance of ordinary spiritual wine,

but a domineering, mellow, demonic fragrance that seemed to stir the desires deep within the Divine Soul!

As the fragrance spread, the leaves of several resilient spiritual plants in the courtyard curled slightly, as if unable to withstand the intense spirit of the wine.

Liu Duan's nose twitched violently, and his bell-like eyes instantly widened into circles.

He stared fixedly at the liquid in the jar, which looked like flowing purple crystal, and cried out in shock:

"'Nine Nether Heart-Burning Brew'?! Good lad! You... did you rob some old devil's vault in the Demon Realm?!

This stuff is a top-tier treasure of the Demon Realm!

It's said that below the Mahayana stage, three cups will surely knock you down!

Not only can it temper Demonic Essence, but for us immortal Cultivators,

it also has the miraculous effect of refining the bones and strengthening the Divine Soul! It's priceless! Truly priceless!"

Yao Delong's heart stirred; he hadn't expected Xin Yuelan's wine to have such a grand background.

His expression remained calm as he smiled:

"Elder Liu must be joking. I was chased all over the Secret Realm by demonic cultivators; how could I have the ability to rob them? I just picked up some scraps."