271: lingering fear

After the hidden danger was resolved, Li Pingan closed his eyes again and continued to contend with the ten thousand demon blood quenching pool.

He had already held out for a day and a half now.

At this point, even he had to treat it seriously and didn't dare to be too careless.

Meanwhile, inside a private room on the fifth floor of the Demon Suppressing Tower.

"Pfft—"

Daoist Yuan Che's true body suddenly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. The crimson blood splattered onto the luxurious black wood table, a shocking sight.

His face was as pale as paper, his aura in complete disarray, yet he didn't care to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth as he gnashed his teeth and cursed:

"Chu Haotian! You've gone too far!"

Though his words were stubborn and unyielding, Daoist Yuan Che didn't dare delay for even a second.

With a flash of his figure, he fled frantically toward the eleventh floor of the Demon Suppressing Tower.

"Fellow Daoist Yan Shu! Help me!"

With a "bang," Daoist Yuan Che crashed through the door of the private room on the eleventh floor.

His gaze fell upon a frail-looking scholar who was flipping through a book.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

Yan Shu glanced at him and said indifferently, "What trouble has the Tower Master run into?"

"To be in such a pathetic state."

Beside him, two maidservants in thin, moon-white gauze dresses covered their small mouths, their eyes filled with astonishment. This was the first time they had seen the Tower Master in such a state.

"Fellow Daoist Yan Shu, there's been a small accident. Please, lend me a hand."

Yan Shu nodded with a smile. "We are grasshoppers on the same string, after all. It is only natural."

Hearing the assurance from this Void Refining Realm Great Demon, Daoist Yuan Che finally felt relieved.

Just then!

Chu Haotian strolled leisurely to the door of the private room. "It was originally just a transaction, but I didn't expect you to be in league with a demon beast. Now I have an even better reason to send you on your way."

"Even if the Five Elders come looking for trouble, they won't have anything to say."

Yan Shu finally put down his book and looked directly at the newcomer.

"From your words, it seems you are not from the Five Elders Gate?"

Daoist Yuan Che added from the side, "This person is one of the Peak Masters of the Tianque Sect. His cultivation base is extremely high. Be careful, Fellow Daoist."

"Tianque Sect..." Yan Shu murmured under his breath, then smiled. "For a Peak Master of the Tianque Sect to come here and throw his weight around, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"

"In the words of the books, this would be considered the act of a dove occupying a magpie's nest."

Chu Haotian sneered. "A beast that drinks blood and eats raw meat, yet you're trying to learn the principles from books like a human."

Yan Shu frowned slightly, his expression turning a few degrees colder.

"Since you love imitating humans so much, I'll fulfill your wish. I'll send you to be reincarnated now, and hopefully, you'll get a better status in your next life."

Before his voice had even faded, the spiritual power around Chu Haotian surged abruptly. Golden spiritual light rose like a blazing fire, making the surrounding air hum and vibrate.

Spiritual power gathered in his palm as he struck out at the scholar before him.

Yan Shu's eyes darkened as a green glow circulated around his body.

He formed a seal with his left hand and traced an arc in the air. Pale green spiritual power condensed into a shield, steadily catching Chu Haotian's heavy and powerful palm strike.

With a loud "bang," the shockwave from the collision of spiritual power spread in all directions. The two young girls lost their footing and fell to the ground.

Books on the shelves slid off and scattered all over the floor.

Seeing this, Chu Haotian sneered, "You have some tricks, but it's not enough!"

His palm technique suddenly changed, and the golden light surged. Layers of palm shadows crashed down like a sky full of falling stars, each gust of wind from his palms containing an unstoppable, sharp force.

Yan Shu remained calm, his figure moving as nimbly as a butterfly as he wove through the dense palm shadows. His right hand's fingers were held together like a sword, and amidst the swirling green light, sharp streaks of Sword Qi shot out, clashing with the golden palms and sending sparks flying.

The spiritual power inside Chu Haotian's body rose once again, and the faint phantom of a Giant Golden Lion appeared behind him, its roar intimidating everything in all directions.

He threw a punch with all his might, and the giant lion phantom pounced forward in sync, pressing down directly on Yan Shu.

Yan Shu took a deep breath. The green light around him transformed into a surging river. His left hand drew in the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, while his right hand condensed a longsword phantom. He gave a clear shout:

"Slash!"

The blue-green Sword Qi surged like a raging tide, carrying the majestic force of a rushing river as it slammed hard into the golden lion phantom.

At the moment of impact, it felt as if all sound had been drained from the world. A blinding light pierced through the Chaos, so bright that people could hardly keep their eyes open.

The entire Demon Suppressing Tower shook violently, its beams and pillars letting out "creaking" groans. If not for the multiple layers of Formations protecting it, such a terrifying collision of spiritual power would have long since caused the building to crumble and collapse.

Inside the ten thousand demon blood quenching pool, the warm blood spring was still rippling slightly.

Lying by the pool, Yu Qingyan's eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her beautiful eyes in a daze, her chaotic consciousness gradually clearing. She raised a hand to rub her throbbing temples, and just as she was about to stand up, another tremor traveled through the ground, causing her figure to sway slightly.

"Strange, this vibration is..."

Yu Qingyan looked toward the source of the sound, her gaze falling into the blood pool. A look of deep surprise instantly appeared on her exquisite face.

In the pool water, two heads were poking out of the blood pool, still struggling to hold on.

She hadn't expected them to be able to endure in the ten thousand demon blood quenching pool for so long. Such talent and perseverance were simply terrifying!

Yu Qingyan was naturally someone with excellent talent; even within the Tiangong Pavilion, a first-rate power on the Nine Provinces Continent, she was considered a notable figure.

But she hadn't expected that just by going out for a trial once...

...she would encounter two Cultivators whose talent was not in the least inferior to her own.

Could it be that they also came from other first-rate powers?

But... she vaguely remembered that these two were supposed to be from the Dao Seeking Sect. In her memory, she had never heard of such a Sect.

Forget it, I'll ask Revered Master about it after I return to the Sect.

In the blood pool, Li Pingan was also startled awake by the sudden vibration. Sensing movement by the poolside, he looked up and happened to meet Yu Qingyan's surprised gaze.

"Miss, you're awake? Do you feel anything wrong with your body?"

"Something wrong?"

Yu Qingyan's brows knit together, and her tone instantly turned cold. "What do you mean by that, Fellow Daoist?"

Earlier, while in the blood pool, this man had struck up a conversation with her several times.

And it happened to be when she was in her most... most embarrassing state. Thinking of the previous situation, a faint blush appeared on Yu Qingyan's cold face, spreading like a drop of red ink hitting the water's surface.

Li Pingan didn't hide anything and explained truthfully, "Earlier, when you left the blood pool and your Divine Soul was in a daze, Daoist Yuan Che appeared quietly. Seeing that your consciousness was blurred and you were unconscious, he wanted to take the opportunity to brand a Slave Seal upon your Divine Soul. He clearly intended to use you to get to the Sect behind you."

"Slave Seal!"

Hearing those two words, Yu Qingyan's pupils shrank suddenly, and her expression instantly became extremely grave.

As one of the True Disciples of the Tiangong Pavilion, she was naturally very aware of how overbearing the Slave Seal was.

Once it was planted, one's Divine Soul would be controlled by others, with life and death at their whim. Barring any accidents, one would be treated as a slave for a lifetime.

Although she had some shameful little hobbies of her own...

...Yu Qingyan did not want to become someone else's plaything or Puppet.

"Are your words true, Fellow Daoist?" She stared intently at Li Pingan, clearly shaken by the news.