241: Unaware

Ye Hao won three consecutive matches, and the cheers on the Arena Stage instantly exploded like thunder, wave after wave, nearly lifting the clouds overhead.

"As expected! This kid isn't here to compete; he's clearly here to 'stock up'! With three Nascent Soul Yao Cores in hand, if converted into Spirit Stones, they'd probably pile up like a small mountain!" someone said, clenching their fists, their tone filled with envy.

"Idiot!" someone nearby immediately retorted, staring intently at the Arena Stage. "With such startling talent, would he care about a few Spirit Stones? In my view, these two Prodigies from the Dao Seeking Sect are clearly here specifically to kill demons. We Cultivators should have such spirit for slaying demons and devils!"

"With their natural talent, they might even be able to enter the Demon Suppressing Tower's ten thousand demon blood quenching pool! This bearing is exactly the same as the Daoist Xuanxu of old!"

Yu Qingyan's willow-like brows furrowed slightly, a hint of hard-to-detect surprise flashing in her eyes.

No wonder the surrounding spectators had reacted so strongly earlier; it turned out these two truly had some real skill.

Her lips parted slightly as she whispered "Dao Seeking Sect" twice, silently noting the name, intending to ask her Revered Master about it after returning.

Just then, an Elder responsible for overseeing the Arena Stage's rules walked slowly up to Yu Qingyan, his expression kind and his tone gentle as he asked, "Miss Yu, have you ever heard of the Demon Suppressing Tower's ten thousand demon blood quenching pool?"

...After leaving the Arena Stage, Ye Hao and his companion returned to the Guiyan Inn side by side.

As soon as they stepped through the door, they saw the shopkeeper waving at them repeatedly, signaling for them to come forward.

"Shopkeeper, is something the matter?" Ye Hao was the first to ask.

The shopkeeper's gaze quickly swept over the two of them, then he lowered his voice and warned, "Young Masters, a big shot just arrived in the shop. You must be extra careful in your future actions and must never offend him. Otherwise, the consequences would be truly unthinkable!"

Just as he finished speaking, two more guests pushed open the door and entered. The shopkeeper hurriedly stepped forward and repeated the same warning to them word for word.

Hearing this, the two became curious and pressed for more information, "Oh? What kind of big shot could make the shopkeeper so solemn? Could it be an Elder from some great Sect, or a hidden Senior?"

The shopkeeper's face showed a hint of mystery, as if to say "you've asked the right person." He cleared his throat and was just about to elaborate.

Then he suddenly seemed to remember something and vigilantly scanned the inn's lobby.

Guests at the Square Tables were either drinking or chatting, and the Waiter moved among them; there was nothing unusual.

Only then did he feel at ease. He leaned over and whispered into their ears, his voice like the buzzing of a mosquito but carrying an irrepressible excitement: "The Chusheng Sect, you've heard of it, right? The one who came this time is a famous figure from the Chusheng Sect. That air of his..."

Ye Hao narrowed his eyes slightly!

Could the big shot the shopkeeper was talking about be that Zhao Xu? It seemed the reputation of the Chusheng Sect in this Rain God Continent region was indeed thunderous and known to everyone.

Just as the shopkeeper was speaking with spittle flying and his tone growing more animated, before the latter half of his sentence—"not someone we can afford to provoke"—could come out, his voice stopped abruptly like a snapped lute string.

The clamor in the lobby also seemed to freeze for a moment.

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a young man dressed in a brocade robe walking quickly down the western staircase. He went straight to Ye Hao and Li Pingan, bowed, and spoke in a tone so respectful it was almost humble:

"Seniors, I wonder what instructions you have for calling me this time?"

"You..." The shopkeeper was dumbfounded on the spot, his thin face filled with deep bewilderment and shock.

Li Pingan's expression was calm. Sweeping his gaze over the curious looks from around them, he spoke slowly, "We'll talk outside."

The three of them turned and left the inn, riding the wind toward the third Demon Suppressing Tower.

Only then did the stagnant air in the shop begin to flow again, and the noise surged up like a tide, even louder than before. Everyone was whispering, speculating about the origins of Li Pingan and his companion, as well as the hidden story behind Zhao Xu's respectful bow.

Ye Hao glanced sideways at Zhao Xu beside him, his gaze passing over his steady aura. "It seems the injuries you sustained earlier are completely healed."

Zhao Xu hurriedly cupped his hands, his face full of gratitude and his tone sincere, "Thanks to you two Seniors, my injuries were able to recover so quickly. This is all thanks to your life-saving grace."

He paused, then tentatively asked, "I wonder where you two Seniors are going after leaving the inn?"

Li Pingan's voice was low and powerful as he uttered three words:

"Demon Suppressing Tower."

Ye Hao took over the conversation and said straightforwardly, "Fellow Daoist Zhao, do you still remember the promise you made that day?"

Hearing this, Zhao Xu's expression immediately became solemn, and his tone was respectful, "Of course I remember! If not for your help that day, Senior, I'm afraid I would have lost my life long ago.

Please just give the word if you have any instructions, Seniors; I will certainly not hesitate even at the cost of my life!"

"There's no need for that," Ye Hao narrowed his eyes slightly. "What we want is for you to tell us the truth about the Chusheng Sect truthfully."

"The truth?" A look of blankness appeared on Zhao Xu's face, his brow filled with confusion; he clearly didn't understand what Ye Hao was referring to.

Beside him, Li Pingan said in a deep voice, "Were the villagers of Bishui Village taken by your Chusheng Sect?"

"Oh, you mean that, Seniors." Zhao Xu realized and nodded quickly. "I was indeed following the Sect's orders to temporarily relocate the villagers of Bishui Village to the Sect's territory."

Just as the words left his mouth, he noticed the gazes of Ye Hao and Li Pingan falling on him simultaneously. That look made his heart tighten inexplicably, and he vaguely sensed something was wrong.

He hesitated for a moment and quickly added, "The Sect said that Bishui Village would be harassed by Yao Beasts recently and it would be extremely dangerous. They specifically told us to bring the villagers back to the Sect for protection to avoid being caught up in the disaster."

This made him sense a hint of something wrong, and he said tentatively, "The Sect said Bishui Village was being harassed by Yao Beasts and specifically told us to bring them back to the Sect for protection."

After speaking, seeing that the two remained silent, he couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive and called out softly, "Senior?"

"Are you truly unaware?" Ye Hao asked in a heavy voice.

Zhao Xu shook his head blankly, his confusion growing even deeper: "I truly do not know what you mean, Seniors. I beg you to tell me plainly—what exactly is the problem?"

Li Pingan suddenly spoke up and asked, "Was Bishui Village the only village mission you participated in?"

Zhao Xu nodded without hesitation, recalling the situation at the time.

"I was in closed-door Cultivation at the Sect at the time and was still short of some contribution points to exchange for my desired Cultivation Technique. That's why I took this mission along with two... Junior Brother and Junior Sister fellow Disciples."

When he mentioned "Junior Brother and Junior Sister fellow Disciples," his voice clearly paused, and a hard-to-detect ruthlessness flashed across his brow. He was obviously remembering the experience of being betrayed that day.

Chusheng Sect Disciples are not allowed to kill each other.

After returning to the Sect, even though he had reported the matter to the Elder, he had not yet received the results of the punishment for those two.

Ye Hao and Li Pingan exchanged a glance; he knew why his Senior Brother was asking this question.

Earlier outside Bishui Village, they had accidentally overheard the conversation of Zhao Jingchen from the Tianque Sect and obtained a key clue.

Besides Bishui Village, the other nearby villages had either turned into a sea of fire or become ruins of broken walls; they had clearly all suffered catastrophic disasters.

Only Bishui Village was intact; its villagers seemed to have simply vanished into thin air.

Such an abnormal situation, combined with Zhao Xu's current bewildered expression, suggested that perhaps this Chusheng Sect Disciple beside them truly was kept in the dark by his Sect. From the very beginning, he thought that taking those villagers away was to protect them and that he was doing a good deed.