158: Chapter 158 has been discovered?

"But your grandmother kept comforting me, saying she had a way, saying we would definitely be able to return safely."

"And then?" Ling Xiaotang asked with a sob.

"And then..."

Nangong Zili smiled gently, "And then we really did return safely."

She raised her hand and gently wiped the tear stains from Ling Xiaotang's face with her fingertips: "So you see, isn't Revered Master perfectly fine? Your grandmother was able to protect me, and Revered Master can also protect you."

Listening to this, Ling Xiaotang gradually stopped crying.

She raised her head and looked into Nangong Zili's gentle yet firm eyes, the panic in her heart slowly calming down.

She nodded vigorously, her voice still hoarse from crying: "Mm... Revered Master, I believe you."

Nangong Zili smiled and ruffled her hair.

The reason she was so close to Ling Xiaotang, even taking her as her closed-door Disciple, was not just because her grandmother was her Senior Sister and had shown her kindness.

It was even more because Ling Xiaotang was truly too much like her.

Those clear, stubborn eyes, that spirit of forcing herself to hold on despite being afraid, that resilience of refusing to give up even in desperate situations...

She saw her former self in Ling Xiaotang.

"Alright, stop crying."

Nangong Zili gently patted her face, "Go wash your face, you've cried yourself into a little tabby cat."

Ling Xiaotang pouted, just about to say something

Suddenly!

"Hum—!"

A sharp humming sound suddenly came from outside the cave!

The sound was urgent and grating, carrying a clear warning!

Ling Xiaotang's face instantly turned pale, and she sat up abruptly from Nangong Zili's embrace: "Revered Master! It's the warning Gu I set up outside!"

The gentleness on Nangong Zili's face instantly faded, replaced by sharpness and gravity.

The aura around her instantly withdrew to the extreme, and her entire being seemed to merge into the darkness, making it impossible to detect even a trace of her.

"Don't panic," she said in a low voice, her gaze fixed tightly on the direction of the cave entrance.

…Meanwhile.

Outside the cave.

A Middle-aged Cultivator was standing in mid-air, his gaze locked intently on the seemingly ordinary rock wall before him.

He was dressed in a blue cloud-patterned robe with exquisite small sword patterns embroidered on the cuffs, holding a long sword with a chilling gleam, and radiating a sharp Late Foundation Establishment Stage aura.

"What's going on..." He frowned deeply, a flash of doubt in his eyes: "Just a moment ago there was clearly a trace of Devilish Qi leaking from here, why is it gone now?"

He stared at the rock wall for a moment, then suddenly snorted coldly.

He shook the long sword in his hand, and the Spiritual Qi within his body flooded into the blade madly!

The next moment—a faint layer of Spiritual light suddenly lit up in his eyes!

It was a certain pupil technique secret art, capable of seeing through illusions and perceiving subtle anomalies in the flow of Spiritual Qi!

His gaze swept across the rock wall, and he quickly discovered the clue—the distribution of Spiritual Qi here was clearly different from the surroundings!

It faintly revealed a vague arc-shaped outline!

"Hmph! There really is something fishy!" The Middle-aged Cultivator sneered, no longer hesitating!

He raised his hand, lifting his long sword high, and a blinding Sword Qi suddenly erupted from the blade!

"Break for me!" He slashed down with his sword!

The sharp Sword Qi shot out like a bolt of silk, slashing fiercely against the seemingly ordinary rock wall!

"Boom—!" A loud explosion erupted! The mountain rock shattered, and debris flew everywhere!

The rock wall trembled violently, and the next moment—"Hum—!"

A shrill humming sound rang out! In the Void Realm, a completely transparent Gu suddenly appeared, struck by the Sword Qi, let out a mournful cry, and directly exploded!

As the Gu died, the illusion covering the cave entrance dissipated like ripples on water!

A deep, dark cave entrance was suddenly exposed to the air!

Seeing this, the Middle-aged Cultivator's eyes flashed with excitement: "There really is someone!"

"And it's a Gu... it must be a thief from the Demonic Path!"

He sneered, staring at the deep cave entrance, and shouted aloud: "Thieves of the Demonic Path inside, surrender now!"

The voice rolled and reverberated into the cave.

Inside the cave.

Nangong Zili listened to the voice, her beautiful eyes narrowing slightly.

Her complexion was already pale, and now it added a few more points of gravity.

"Revered Master..." Ling Xiaotang grabbed her sleeve nervously, her voice trembling.

Nangong Zili did not respond, only staring tightly at the cave entrance, her mind racing.

How could it be such a coincidence? She had just woken up, and someone had already tracked them down here?

A strong sense of unease welled up in her heart—this was not a coincidence. Absolutely not a coincidence.

She had struggled and climbed in the Demonic Path for so many years; what methods had she not seen? She knew the tracking techniques of the Righteous Path all too well.

"Heh..." She suddenly chuckled. The laughter was cold and clear, carrying a hint of mockery, echoing in the dark cave.

Ling Xiaotang was stunned. She looked at her Revered Master, her face full of disbelief: "M-Revered Master? What are you laughing at?"

At a time like this, how could Revered Master still laugh?! There was a Late Foundation Establishment Stage Righteous Path Cultivator standing outside!

"Revered Master! What are you laughing at! What time do you think it is!" Ling Xiaotang stomped her feet in anxiety, her eyes reddening again, her voice changing pitch: "Let's, let's run! Run from the back! There should be another exit here, right?!"

She looked around frantically, wishing she could just drag her Revered Master away and escape immediately.

Nangong Zili watched her running around in such a hurry, the smile on her lips deepening even further.

She raised her hand and gently pressed down on Ling Xiaotang's shoulder, her voice gentle but firm: "Xiao Tang, don't worry."

"Revered Master..."

Nangong Zili looked towards the cave entrance, cold light flickering in her charming eyes: "That person outside didn't find us because of good luck."

Ling Xiaotang was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Nangong Zili said softly: "They must have placed some kind of mark on me."

"A mark?!" Ling Xiaotang's face instantly turned pale.

Although she was young, she knew what this meant. If a mark was placed on someone, no matter where they fled, they would be caught up with! They had absolutely nowhere to run!

Nangong Zili looked at her terrified appearance, but only smiled gently. That smile carried a hint of laziness, a hint of composure, and even a hint of disdain.

"Xiao Tang," she called out softly. Ling Xiaotang raised her head and looked at her.

Nangong Zili raised her hand and gently stroked the top of her head, her voice gentle but carrying an air of arrogance that looked down upon the world: "Watch closely. Revered Master will teach you one thing today."

"Even if a mark was placed, even if we were caught up to," she paused, a lazy and dangerous smile curling at the corner of her lips: "So what?"

Ling Xiaotang stared at her blankly. At this moment, Nangong Zili was clearly pale and weak in aura, but the light flickering in those eyes reminded her of something.

Yes, her Revered Master was a Core Formation True Person. She was the Spider Gu Envoy of the Five Gu Sect. She was a figure in the Demonic Path who struck fear into the hearts of others.