A Sect from a Spirit Vein

Chapter 346 - 306: Hidden Dragon Stream

"Junior Sister Zhang, you must think it through carefully and not act excessively." In a dilapidated room, Wang Yu earnestly advised, "This time, the Sect Leader was lenient and didn’t hold it against you. To put it seriously, what you’ve done borders on rebellion and should be severely punished."

Zhang Lemei just sat there with her head down, holding the already asleep Tan Yunxing in her arms, not uttering a word.

Seeing her unmoved, Wang Yu played his trump card: "Before Senior Brother Tan died, he left a message for me to tell you."

Zhang Lemei immediately lifted her head, staring intently at Wang Yu.

"Senior Brother Tan said he couldn’t return home." Wang Yu altered Tan Hong’s last words slightly, "Please understand his intentions and forgive him."

Zhang Lemei suddenly broke down in tears: "Intentions, intentions! He only had good intentions, but where was his heart for the both of us?"

Wang Yu let her cry for a while, and when she calmed down a bit, he continued: "Senior Brother Tan sacrificed himself heroically for the future of our Yunshan Sect. From the Sect Leader to the disciples, who isn’t filled with gratitude and sincere admiration? You are Senior Brother Tan’s wife; you should even more so uphold his glorious image."

"Think about it, now everyone says Senior Brother Tan is a hero. If you continue to cause trouble, what will people say? Senior Brother Tan, in the afterlife, would probably lose face as well."

Zhang Lemei stifled her sobs, her lips moved a few times, but she couldn’t utter any words in rebuttal.

"The deceased have passed; what we can do is always hold them in reverence and take good care of his widow, that is, you and Yunxing." Wang Yu spoke slowly, "Senior Brother Tan sacrificed for the Yunshan Sect; the sect will surely compensate. If you keep causing trouble and stir up issues, how can the Sect Leader grant you the compensation?"

"What compensation!" Zhang Lemei sneered, "I would rather Old Tan be alive and well; I don’t want any compensation!"

Wang Yu said sternly, "Don’t think only of yourself. You still have Yunxing, don’t you? Yunxing is still so young, and his path is long. You should think more about his future."

At these words, Zhang Lemei looked down at the sleeping Xiaoyunxing. His young face still had traces of unwashed tears. Her heart instantly softened: "Yes... I still have Yunxing. I must secure a future for Yunxing..."

Wang Yu breathed a sigh of relief and stood up: "That’s right, Junior Sister Zhang, think it over carefully; consider everything from all angles and think more for Yunxing. I have many matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave first. You should rest early."

Zhang Lemei, lost in thought, dumbly nodded.

She sat there for a long time, her figure suddenly moving to hold Tan Yunxing tightly.

"Yes, this is all owed to us by the Yunshan Sect, all owed to the Tan family by Lu Qian. Without Old Tan’s letter from Master Chi Yu, where would the current Yunshan Sect be?" She stared intensely at the sleeping young Yunxing. "Son, your father is gone and can’t protect you. But don’t worry, your mother will surely strive to secure a future for you!"

The bustling night passed, and in the blink of an eye, the sun wheel had risen to its zenith.

While the Shuangye Alliance busied itself with strengthening combat readiness, establishing lookout posts, and repairing city facilities, Zheng Duan traveled 1,300 miles, resting several times along the way, finally arriving at the mountain gate of the Divine Flood Dragon Sect in Liangxiang County.

Liangxiang County, Hidden Dragon Stream.

This is a valley enclosed by mountains, embraced by a deep ravine with a gentle stream flowing through. This location is a third-level low-tier spirit vein, where spiritual mist envelops the stream all day, and vapor circulates.

Zheng Duan reported his name and purpose outside the Mountain Protection Grand Array at the valley entrance. Soon, the array parted, and a disciple with a white snake coiled around him came to guide him.

Following the disciple into the valley, flying downward, he saw various stone caves of different sizes and shapes carved into the cliffs on either side of the Hidden Dragon Stream, all brightly lit inside, with many Divine Flood Dragon Sect disciples coming and going.

Surprisingly, the Divine Flood Dragon Sect didn’t build structures but lived and cultivated directly in the stone caves. This scene, so different from other sects, compelled Zheng Duan to take a second look, only to feel a chilling sensation and a shiver run through his body.

On the protruding stones of the cliffs, amidst slippery moss, at the entrances of various stone caves, there were snakes of all sorts.

An uncountable number of colorful venomous snakes, all sorts of colors, gathered in heaps. Upon encountering an outsider, they all raised their bodies, flicking their tongues, scales rubbing against scales, with cold glimmers in their snake eyes.

Looking further down, he saw that within the mysterious thin mist over the deep stream, a slight ripple would occasionally appear, and a section of a giant snake body would glide through the waters below.

Zheng Tao felt cold sweat breaking out, as the Divine Flood Dragon Sect disciple beside him smiled maliciously: "You better be careful, don’t shiver. If you fall off the flying spiritual artifact and get eaten by the giant snake in the water, we won’t care."

Hearing this, Zheng Tao snorted coldly and gathered his spiritual power, standing firm instead.

Just mere long worms. I am the envoy of the Yunshan Sect; I must not disgrace the Sect Leader’s face.

Your Divine Flood Dragon Sect’s Third Elder, Ling Xuzi, a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, was thoroughly defeated by our Sect Leader when he was still in Qi Cultivation. If he didn’t have two heads, he would have already turned to bones by now, so what do you have to be proud of?

Thinking this, he felt a great sense of assurance.

Of course, while serving as an envoy to the Divine Flood Dragon Sect, it wouldn’t be wise to say things that ruin harmony. Thus, he no longer looked at the waves of snakes and strutted in with his head held high.

Descending into the valley, he had reached a depth of a hundred zhang. Just three zhang above the deep stream, there was a massive stone cave.

"We’re here, stay close to me, and don’t look around," the disciple said.

Initially, Zheng Duan didn’t understand his meaning, but after taking a few steps into the stone cave, he felt everything blur; the cave was filled with winding and deep forks.

Additionally, the light from the illuminating pearls on the cave walls was dim, with a greenish-white hue, making it easy to lose one’s way with a moment’s carelessness.

In many of the side paths, shadowy figures could be seen, with a constant rustling sound, clearly indicating it wasn’t a safe place.

After several turns, Zheng Duan couldn’t help but ask, "This place is so deep; aren’t you afraid of getting lost?"

The disciple, beaming with pride, said with the white snake raising its head and flicking its tongue: "If an enemy enters, they’re naturally in for a big misfortune, but with the Snake Spirit guiding us, there’s no problem for us."

Zheng Duan inwardly muttered a curse of insanity. Imagining himself being accompanied by snakes all day long was something he simply couldn’t tolerate.

After walking for the duration of a cup of tea and passing several levels of checks, he figured he was already within the mountain’s belly, finally reaching a stone chamber heavily veiled with pink curtains.

With a visibly reverent expression, the disciple knelt and reported: "Sect Leader, the envoy from the Yunshan Sect has been brought."

A silky, smooth voice responded, "Very well, you may leave."

The disciple hurriedly took his leave.

Just hearing the voice gave Zheng Duan a stir in his heart, but recalling the Immortal Charm Technique he had witnessed at Shuangye Square from this Jade Flood Dragon Fairy, he became vigilant.