552: Chapter 62 Exploring Kongsang and Encountering a Swarm of Bats

"Junior Sister Tian, where did you learn that Purifying Heart Mantra?"

After leaving the dungeon and walking on the road toward Kong Sang Mountain, Zeng Shushu thought of Tian Linger's methods just now. Overcome with curiosity, he couldn't help but ask.

Tian Linger replied, "The Seventh Junior Brother taught me. Powerful, isn't it?"

"Powerful indeed," Zeng Shushu agreed, then sighed with emotion. "That fellow Meng Li knows far too much; he's practically a jack-of-all-trades and a master of all. Truly, people shouldn't compare themselves to others, or it'll only bring unnecessary vexation."

"That's for sure," Tian Linger echoed. Then, with her hands on her hips and a face full of pride, she said, "My father said that Junior Brother has the talent of the Qingye Ancestor."

Seeing Tian Linger like this, Zeng Shushu looked thoughtful, then said with a beaming smile, "Then he's in for a rough time."

Tian Linger didn't understand his meaning. "Junior Brother has the talent of the Qingye Ancestor, how is he in for a rough time?"

Lu Xueqi and Lin Jingyu also looked puzzled.

Zeng Shushu said sneakily, "The Qingye Ancestor's Aptitude was peerless, and he was entirely devoted to the Dao, never marrying in his whole life. If Meng Li really has the Qingye Ancestor's talent, I'm afraid he'll end up like the Ancestral Master, growing old and dying alone."

Lu Xueqi and Lin Jingyu were stunned.

Tian Linger's face darkened, and she raised her hand to slap Zeng Shushu's shoulder, making him stumble.

Then, she said fiercely, "Stop talking nonsense. Junior Brother won't grow old alone."

Zeng Shushu wasn't angry; instead, he looked gossipy and said, "How can you be so sure? Could it be that you and him..."

Tian Linger glared at him and said crossly, "If you know, then why say it?"

Though her words carried irritation, her eyes and brows were filled with nothing but shyness and joy.

She and Meng Li were childhood sweethearts. As they grew older, many things became self-evident: holding hands, resting on each other's laps, and even intimate contact like hugging had become habitual. Their feelings and intentions didn't need to be spoken.

At Dazhu Peak, even someone as slow as Zhang Xiaofan could see it.

If Senior Sister and the Seventh Senior Brother didn't get married in the future, it would be impossible to justify.

However, due to certain reasons, the two had not yet explicitly confirmed their relationship.

Confirming the relationship here referred to a formal engagement.

Seeing Tian Linger's reaction, Lin Jingyu unconsciously curled the corners of his mouth into a knowing smile.

He currently had no thoughts on romantic love, but as a member of Dazhu Peak, he, like Senior Brother Wu Da Yi, Zhang Xiaofan, and the others, hoped to drink their wedding wine soon. One cup would be for Meng Li and Tian Linger, and the other for Song Da Ren and Wen Min.

As for the others...

They didn't even have a shadow of a partner yet, so there was no point in hoping.

Lu Xueqi's thoughts were similar to Lin Jingyu's, and a faint smile appeared on her face.

Seeing her like this, Zeng Shushu seemed to have confirmed something and breathed a secret sigh of relief. Then, returning to the main topic, he said, "Back to business, what do you all think about the matter of the Wandu Sect?"

Hearing this, Lu Xueqi suddenly thought of something that happened when she first came to Yudu City with Tian Linger and Meng Li. She spoke up, "Speaking of the Wandu Sect and Yudu City, I remember something. A few years ago, Junior Sister Tian, Junior Brother Meng, and I came to Yudu City for a mission."

"At that time, there was a man named 'Yan Lie' who wanted to infiltrate the City Lord's Manor as a guard. He was also a member of the Wandu Sect."

Zeng Shushu was greatly surprised. "There was such a thing? My grandfather never mentioned it."

Tian Linger set aside her shy joy and nodded. "There was."

Then, she elaborated, "I remember back then, a town under Yudu City's jurisdiction was being plagued by a Mountain Lord, and that Yan Lie had eliminated it. We arrived a step late and thought we had come for nothing. Junior Brother said we should finish what we started and go inform the City Lord's Manor. In the process, we happened to encounter Yan Lie. Junior Brother has a unique eye and saw that he possessed significant Dharmic power but kept it hidden. Feeling something was fishy, he pointed it out on the spot."

"When Yan Lie saw he was exposed, he tried to flee, using Wandu Sect techniques during the attempt."

"But later, he died suddenly from his own poison, and the matter was dropped."

"There were no subsequent problems regarding this matter."

"If Senior Sister Lu hadn't mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten."

"City Lord Wei probably didn't take it to heart much either, or perhaps he forgot because there were too many other matters to attend to, so he didn't tell you."

Only then did Zeng Shushu understand.

Lin Jingyu said, "This matches what the Wandu Sect Disciple said. It's clear the Wandu Sect did indeed come to Yudu City several years ago and has been lurking until now. With such painstaking effort, what on earth are they plotting?"

Zeng Shushu said, "We'll only know once we find them. However, developing strange poisons and experimenting on their own Disciples—it certainly won't be anything good."

At this moment, Tian Linger seemed to recall something and said, "By the way, Senior Brother Zeng, you said earlier that before the citizens in the north of the city moved away, they believed there was a blood-sucking monster upstream. The victims had bite marks on their necks, and their blood was completely drained."

"This sounds like the handiwork of the Blood-Sucking Old Demon."

Zeng Shushu frowned slightly and said in a heavy tone, "I've heard my father mention the Blood-Sucking Old Demon; he is a capable subordinate of the Wandu Sect's Poison God. Besides him, the Poison God has another subordinate named Hundred Poisons Child. These two were originally Loose Cultivators of the Evil Path but were later subdued by the Poison God. Their strength is comparable to the Shangqing Realm."

"If they are both at the Wandu Sect's secret base hidden deep within Kong Sang Mountain, things will be difficult."

"Two experts of the Shangqing Realm are hard for us to face alone, let alone a Poison God whose situation is still unclear."

Tian Linger said, "Don't be afraid. Let's investigate the situation first. Even if we do run into the Blood-Sucking Old Demon and the others, I have the Spirit Butterfly Protection Hairpin that Junior Brother gave me. Even if we aren't their match, a strategic retreat won't be a problem."

Just as she finished speaking, the four had already entered the range of Kong Sang Mountain and heard a commotion in the distance.

It sounded like small birds fluttering, accompanied by the sounds of fighting.

The four looked toward the sound and saw a dark mass of unknown creatures surging in the distant woods, accompanied by flickers of firelight. Upon closer inspection, that dark mass of unknown creatures was actually a large swarm of bats, and the flickers of firelight within were flames produced by a figure using a Spell.

And the figure casting the Spell was actually Li Xun.

Zeng Shushu was startled and immediately rushed over to lend a hand.

Although he and Li Xun didn't get along, they were ultimately cousins sharing a blood relation, and the Fenxiang Valley and Qingyun Sect were on good terms.

Now that he saw him in trouble, it was impossible to stand by and watch.

Lu Xueqi, Tian Linger, and Lin Jingyu also didn't hesitate to go up and help.

Zeng Shushu took out his portable Bronze Mirror Magic Treasure, formed a hand seal, and released golden light to illuminate and drive away the bats.

Lu Xueqi and Lin Jingyu both drew their swords and performed the Divine Sword Control Thunder Technique.

Tian Linger, seeing that those bats feared fire, quickly drew some Li Fire Talismans.

For a moment, golden light, electric arcs, and flames appeared on the field, causing the bat swarm's offensive to subside slightly.

This allowed Zeng Shushu and the others to breathe a slight sigh of relief.

Li Xun was even more delighted; he ceased his techniques and took the opportunity to move closer to Zeng Shushu's group.

Just then, a giant bat, larger than a goshawk, appeared and let out a burst of invisible sound waves from its open mouth.

Li Xun, Zeng Shushu, Lin Jingyu, and Lu Xueqi were hit by the impact and immediately felt dizzy and disoriented.

Tian Linger, however, was protected by the automatically triggered Spirit Butterfly Protection Shield and was not affected by the sound waves.

The giant bat noticed this and emitted another sound wave.

The surrounding swarms of bats immediately pounced on Zeng Shushu and the others, who were dazed by the sound wave's impact.

Seeing this, Tian Linger's expression changed. She hurriedly formed a hand seal and activated the Spirit Butterfly Hairpin to use the Spirit Butterfly Light Evasion Technique...