Chapter 478: Leaving the Illusory Realm

This was what it meant for money to burn in one's hand. With the gold drafts now in his possession, Chao Shenghuai found them painfully hot to hold.

He was not stupid.

You tried to murder someone, and instead of killing you in return, that person gave you money. Could there really be such a good thing in the world?

Chao Shenghuai gritted his teeth. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

Niu Youdao had no intention of telling him yet. He still did not know whether Chao Jing could protect this grandson of his after the Rakshasa Tide incident. Until he confirmed that Chao Shenghuai was safe, Niu Youdao would not use him to do anything harmful to Myriad Beasts Sect. First he would let Chao Shenghuai return and test the sect's rules on his own hide. Only after seeing the result would Niu Youdao decide what came next.

As for why he had already given Chao Shenghuai one hundred thousand gold coins, naturally it was because of the man's greed. For an ordinary sect disciple, one hundred thousand gold coins was no small sum. Even if several people divided the profit from a single Golden King Bear, each person would receive only a few hundred thousand. A man willing to violate sect rules for a few hundred thousand gold coins was easy enough to understand. One hundred thousand gold coins provided temptation.

The threat of punishment under sect rules provided pressure.

Pressure and temptation together.

That was all Niu Youdao needed for now. As long as Chao Shenghuai returned this time and found himself unable to make his conscience climb safely back onto shore, one wrong would compound another. After that, turning back would become increasingly difficult. Niu Youdao smiled faintly and tapped several places on Chao Shenghuai's body, releasing the restrictions on his spiritual power.

"You're thinking too much. I have people under me and I have money. What could someone like you possibly do for me?"

"To ride through the jianghu is to travel its roads and make its friends. I don't enjoy making enemies. I prefer making friends."

"Go. The illusory realm will close in only a few hours. If you delay much longer, you won't be able to get out."

With his spiritual power restored, Chao Shenghuai exhaled in relief.

He raised the gold drafts in his hand. "You're really this kindhearted?"

Niu Youdao frowned. "It seems my goodwill means nothing to you. Fine. Then I'll go ask Myriad Beasts Sect for an explanation instead."

He reached out as though to take back the gold drafts.

Chao Shenghuai hurriedly retreated.

It was not that he could not bear to return the money. He was afraid Niu Youdao would actually turn hostile and take the matter directly to Myriad Beasts Sect.

He quickly explained, "That's not what I meant. What happened this time alarmed the sect. I'm only worried I may not be able to explain myself when I go back."

Niu Youdao said, "That's an internal matter of Myriad Beasts Sect. It isn't my place to decide anything, so telling me is useless."

"The illusory realm is about to close. We can discuss anything else later."

"Brother Chao, leave while I still haven't changed my mind. My patience is limited."

Chao Shenghuai secretly clenched his teeth, then cupped his hands. "Fine. I hope Brother Niu keeps his word. Farewell!"

But just as he turned, Niu Youdao reminded him, "I'll be waiting at Tianyun Inn for Brother Chao's good news."

Chao Shenghuai paused briefly, then flew away. Niu Youdao watched him go, eyes narrowing slightly. When he turned around, he immediately met Yin'er's pure gaze. Then he looked down at the hand still tugging at his clothes.

"Ah..." He sighed. "You won't reconsider? You really want to come with me?"

Yin'er nodded seriously. "Go!"

Niu Youdao scratched his head. "Then can you let go of me first?"

Yin'er immediately became unhappy.

Her lips pursed, and she shook her head to show she refused.

"Then let's go." Niu Youdao did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He looked thoroughly helpless.

She kept grabbing him and refused to let go. He could not outrun her, could not beat her, and did not dare make her angry. With someone like this following him, how was he supposed to have any secrets at all? What kind of situation was this?

When the two reached the exit of the illusory realm, they saw nothing unusual. A few cultivators could still be seen leaving here and there.

While the illusory realm remained open, cultivators from every side were free to enter and leave. Myriad Beasts Sect, as the host, had created no trouble for its guests.

Seeing that everyone was still entering and leaving freely, with no sign whatsoever that Myriad Beasts Sect was screening people at the exit, Niu Youdao's brows lifted slightly. He had not begun paying attention to Chao Jing only today. Otherwise, he would never have come here so rashly. From the information he had gathered about Chao Jing over the years, Niu Youdao possessed a rough understanding of the man's character. Combining that knowledge with the scene before him, he could now roughly judge what Chao Jing was thinking.

That gave him several more degrees of confidence in his own affairs. Near the exit stood the battered and disheveled Chao Shenghuai. Several disciples from Chao Jing's faction had surrounded him and were questioning him. Niu Youdao could not hear what they were discussing, but it was probably connected to the Rakshasa Tide. Chao Shenghuai noticed Niu Youdao approaching. His gaze immediately shifted away as though he did not recognize him. A faint smile appeared at the corner of Niu Youdao's mouth.

He likewise acted as though they were strangers and simply led Yin'er through the rippling curtain of water. The moment they stepped out of the illusory realm, bright daylight flooded their vision. Green mountains and clear waters stretched beneath the open sky. Yin'er seemed unaccustomed to such brightness. She instinctively raised one hand to shield her eyes, while the other tightened its grip on Niu Youdao's clothes. After her vision adjusted a little, she looked around this strange new world with wide-eyed curiosity.

Like an obedient child, she stayed close beside Niu Youdao and followed him step for step. Once they had moved some distance from the entrance, Niu Youdao quietly observed the surroundings. Nothing about Myriad Beasts Sect's people seemed abnormal. Only then did he catch Yin'er by the arm and carry her away at speed. They had barely flown over one stretch of mountain forest when several figures came toward them. It was Guan Fangyi and the others.

"Master Dao, something happened," Guan Fangyi reported.

Everyone immediately landed in a secluded place. Niu Youdao swept his gaze over the group. Besides the people who had entered the illusory realm, only Old Six Xu was present. Uncle Chen was nowhere to be seen. Old Six Xu could not help glancing at Yin'er several times, curious about who this woman might be.

Niu Youdao asked, "Something happened to Uncle Chen?"

"It's the Shangqing Sect. Tang Yi and the Shangqing Sect people kept following us all the way to the cliff where those people made their move..." Guan Fangyi relayed the rough situation Old Six Xu had told her. "Uncle Chen went with Wei Duo to where the Shangqing Sect people were taken. They're trying to think of a way to deal with it. Do we intervene?"

Yuan Gang quietly watched Niu Youdao's reaction.

Niu Youdao's face darkened.

A surge of anger abruptly rose inside him. He had warned Tang Yi long ago and told her to take her people and leave immediately. She had refused to listen.

Now look what had happened!

From what Niu Youdao knew of Chao Jing, Black Peony's fate was warning enough. Nearly two days had already passed. Niu Youdao did not dare imagine what might have happened to Tang Yi.

Unable to suppress his anger, he snapped, "Intervene? How? That wretched woman went looking for death herself. Who can she blame?"

This affair truly infuriated him.

Could he simply ignore it?

Yet the moment he intervened, his relationship with the Shangqing Sect would become impossible to deny. Someone would certainly seize on the matter, coordinate with Tianyu Sect from inside and outside, and sever Niu Youdao's power base in Nanzhou.

Not only would the foundation he had spent years painstakingly building in Nanzhou be destroyed, Shang Chaozong and the others might lose their lives as well. Tianyu Sect would definitely seize the chance to purge dissidents and tighten its control over Nanzhou. And that was not the only problem.

There was another.

The Shangqing Sect had actually discovered him together with Chao Shenghuai and the others. If Myriad Beasts Sect pressured them into revealing what they had seen, Chao Shenghuai would probably have no way to muddle through the sect's investigation. Guan Fangyi could more or less understand his feelings.

She had been on the boat when Black Peony died and had personally heard Niu Youdao question Duan Hu about the miserable ordeal Black Peony had suffered. Even setting that aside, while Guan Fangyi still lived in the Qi capital she had heard certain rumors about Chao Jing. Given Tang Yi's beauty, something truly might happen to her.

If that kind of thing happened, then regardless of whether Master Dao had any feelings for Tang Yi, the status between them still existed. A formal bond like that was, to some extent, a woman's protection. A person could be cast aside. A formal status was harder to cast aside. If his own wife were violated by another man, how was Master Dao supposed to live with that afterward? How could he ever hold his head up again in the cultivation world?

Niu Youdao suddenly turned to Old Six Xu. "You said Uncle Chen also went to think of a way?"

Old Six Xu nodded. "Uncle Chen left with Wei Duo. He told me to wait here."

That was the truth.

Whatever news had reached him earlier, Old Six Xu would not lightly give up until the illusory realm actually closed and he had confirmed that Guan Fangyi and the others truly were not coming back. His anxious waiting had not been wasted. At last Guan Fangyi and the others had returned safely, and the heart that had been hanging in suspense finally settled.

"I hope Uncle Chen can think of a way in time," Niu Youdao said to Guan Fangyi, his words carrying deeper meaning.

Guan Fangyi looked thoughtful and gave a slight nod. Old Six Xu was somewhat puzzled. Faced with a colossus like Myriad Beasts Sect, what kind of solution could Uncle Chen possibly have? There were some things he did not know. Even after saying that, Niu Youdao remained uneasy.

"Find Uncle Chen and the Shangqing Sect people immediately. Learn what the situation is now."

They were just preparing to leave when someone suddenly descended in front of them and blocked the way.

A man.

Everyone immediately became vigilant.

No one knew who he was. The man raised a hand and tore the false face from his features. Once Niu Youdao and the others saw who it was, they all froze.

This woman was not dead?

She was actually still alive!

The newcomer was none other than Yun Ji, disguised as a man. Yun Ji's complexion looked poor as well. Although she had narrowly escaped disaster, the Holy Rakshasa had still inflicted serious injuries on her. After escaping the illusory realm, she had remained outside waiting. She wanted to see whether the Holy Rakshasa would leave before the realm closed. If the Holy Rakshasa truly emerged, then another expert comparable to the Nascent Soul Realm would have appeared in the world.

That would be an event capable of shaking the entire cultivation world. How could Yun Ji not remain and watch? The Myriad Beasts Spirit Pearl was still in the Holy Rakshasa's hands. Unexpectedly, she never saw the Holy Rakshasa come out. Instead, she ended up waiting until Niu Youdao and the others emerged. Niu Youdao's group was genuinely astonished. Yun Ji had been hunted by the Holy Rakshasa and still managed to escape. It seemed her earth-escape technique truly was extraordinary.

Only now did Niu Youdao deeply understand why cultivators of the State of Zhao had encircled and hunted this woman around Duyun Mountain again and again without ever bringing her down. Her ability to preserve her own life truly was exceptional. And that was indeed the truth. If the underground environment had not obstructed the Holy Rakshasa, Yun Ji would not have escaped this time either. Even so, the Holy Rakshasa had still wounded her badly.

"It's good that Senior is safe." Niu Youdao looked relieved.

But he did not forget the other matter.

He waved toward Old Six Xu. "Uncle Chen and the Shangqing Sect. Contact them immediately."

Guan Fangyi also signaled for him to hurry. Old Six Xu nodded and rapidly flew away.

Yun Ji spoke as well. "You actually escaped from that demon king too?"

She had no idea that the woman holding Niu Youdao's clothes was the Holy Rakshasa. Otherwise, even if someone beat her to death, she would never have dared approach. And there was simply no way to tell. With Yin'er's present pure and adorable appearance, no one would ever connect her with the Holy Rakshasa. Niu Youdao and the others all more or less glanced toward Yin'er, watching her reaction. Yun Ji had, after all, ambushed her before.

If Yin'er suddenly attacked now, whether Yun Ji could escape a second time was impossible to say. The entire group broke into a cold sweat on Yun Ji's behalf. Yin'er remained innocent-faced, her bright eyes blinking as she looked at everyone in exactly the same way. She did not appear to recognize Yun Ji at all. Only then did the others relax slightly.

[End of Chapter 478]