Chapter 1288: If You Won't Listen to Reason, Do You Think You Can Still Leave?

Yuan Gang strained hard against his restraints again.

He still could not break free.

All he could do was watch Lü Wushuang leave.

Once the underground chamber quieted, Yuan Gang closed his eyes again.

Before long, the rasping sound of bellows returned as bloody mist once more circulated in and out with his breathing.

For now, recovering from his injuries was the most important thing.

But the silence did not last long.

Footsteps sounded again.

Yuan Gang had no choice but to stop his recovery.

Lü Wushuang had returned.

This time, another person walked beside her.

A man Yuan Gang did not recognize, dressed in brocade robes with a jade belt, his bearing carrying the cold indifference of someone long accustomed to standing above others.

Judging from the way the man walked shoulder to shoulder with Lü Wushuang, Yuan Gang immediately concluded he was no ordinary person.

The newcomer was Du Wuxu of Wuxu Sacred Land, one of the Nine Sacred Venerables.

Yuan Gang did not know him.

The two stopped beneath the cocoon suspending him.

Du Wuxu looked up.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Lü Wushuang said, "He injured my disciple. I'm letting him taste the punishment of being gnawed by worms."

Du Wuxu glanced toward the Jade Silkworms rustling on the branches around them.

"Have you learned anything from him?"

"His mouth is very hard."

Du Wuxu said, "That's enough. Hand him over to Misty Pavilion for questioning."

Lü Wushuang's tone cooled. "What? He was insolent right in front of me. I'm not even allowed to punish him a little?"

Du Wuxu turned and walked away.

Lü Wushuang glanced once at the man hanging behind her, then turned and followed.

Only after the two had left the underground space and emerged once more into sunlight did Du Wuxu speak again.

"Lü Wushuang, I have no objection if you want to punish him."

"But don't kill him."

Lü Wushuang asked, "I kill one man and even you have an objection?"

Du Wuxu stopped and turned to face her.

His voice was cold.

"I want to know why both you and Wu Chang were in such a hurry to take him."

"Is that clear enough for you?"

"If the people of Wushuang Sacred Land do not want everyone to force you out of Wuliang Garden, and if you do not want to lose your authority over Wuliang Garden, then you'd better not play games with us by killing him to silence him!"

With those words, he swept his broad sleeve and abruptly transformed into a streaking figure that shot into the sky.

Lü Wushuang watched him leave with cold eyes.

Over the following period, several of the other Nine Saints arrived one after another.

Each came personally to take a look at Yuan Gang.

The meaning revealed in their words was much the same.

...

Outside Nanzhou's prefectural capital, a rare visitor sat alone beside a stream in an old forest, drinking wine.

It was Zhao Xiongge.

Niu Youdao followed the stream upstream until he reached him.

He tossed over a jar of wine.

"Try this and see what you think."

Without looking, Zhao Xiongge raised one hand and caught it.

"One who offers courtesy without cause must want something."

"Speak. Why were you in such a hurry to see me?"

He opened the jar, tasted the wine, then slowly poured it into his wine gourd.

Niu Youdao watched him.

"Mixing two different wines together. Aren't you afraid the taste will be ruined?"

"As long as there's wine to drink, that's enough."

"As expected of an old drunkard."

Zhao Xiongge said, "People like you, scheming back and forth all day, actually have the leisure to talk about this?"

Niu Youdao adjusted the hem of his long robe and sat down beside him.

"There is something you must help me with."

"Nothing is ever a must."

"What if it's saving someone's life?"

"..."

Zhao Xiongge turned his head and looked at him.

"Whose?"

"Someone you know."

"My brother, Yuan Gang."

Zhao Xiongge said, "The news I heard from the Demonic Sect is that he's already been captured and taken into the Sacred Realm."

"You want me to help you?"

"How?"

"No, there's something I don't understand."

"Moving troops with sand scorpions was obviously going to attract enormous attention. You actually let him do something like that?"

"It's a long story..."

Niu Youdao did not hide anything from him.

He explained the entire chain of events.

"So that's what happened..." Zhao Xiongge nodded slowly and took a drink from his gourd.

"But coming to me is still useless."

"I can't help you."

"Surely you're not expecting me to fight my way into the Sacred Realm and snatch him out?"

"Do you think that's realistic?"

Niu Youdao said, "I'm not joking. If it were something impossible, I wouldn't have come to you."

"Don't worry. I don't need you to fight or kill anyone."

"You only need to step forward and help me find one person."

"If that person is willing to help, the problem should not be difficult to solve."

Zhao Xiongge looked suspicious.

"Who?"

"Wu Chang."

Zhao Xiongge froze.

Slowly, he turned to stare at Niu Youdao.

"Are you joking?"

Niu Youdao's expression was completely serious.

"I'm not joking."

"Give him the Demon Canon."

"He cannot refuse that price."

"He will certainly do everything possible to guarantee Yuan Gang's safety."

"Among the Nine Saints, he is the only one suitable to move right now."

"You're insane!"

Zhao Xiongge threw down the words, rose to his feet, and started to leave.

Niu Youdao immediately stood as well and grabbed his arm.

"Martial Uncle, Yuan Gang has fallen into the hands of the Nine Saints."

"At present, no one except the Nine Saints themselves can save him."

Zhao Xiongge jerked his arm.

Niu Youdao held on tightly.

For a moment, the two men were locked in a silent struggle.

At last, Zhao Xiongge turned to face him.

"Do you understand what the consequences will be if Wu Chang obtains the Demon Canon?"

"It contains the secret art for refining Crow Generals."

"If he masters it, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Niu Youdao said, "I've thought about all of that."

"Don't worry. There won't be a problem."

"If he wants to refine an army of Crow Generals, he still needs time."

"And right now, we're racing him for time."

"Martial Uncle, what I need is time."

"Besides, he will never actually have a day when he succeeds."

"If things truly become impossible, we expose the secret that he possesses the Demon Canon."

"At that point, the other eight Saints will inevitably join forces against him."

"Martial Uncle, have you thought about something else?"

"Once he possesses the Demon Canon, it also means we possess his secret."

"He will no longer dare act recklessly against us."

"He will no longer dare set his sights casually on Shangqing Sect either."

"Sometimes, you have to give something up in order to gain something."

"Once this transaction exists, he will be constrained without realizing it."

"Invisibly, he will have been forced onto our side."

"If we handle it properly, there is a great deal we can do with this!"

Zhao Xiongge stared at him.

"Save that speech for someone else."

"You can talk until the sky splits open and I still won't agree."

"Let go."

Niu Youdao had known from the beginning that persuading him would be difficult.

He could no longer be bothered talking in circles.

"Zhao Xiongge, since you insist on putting it this way, then I'll make everything plain."

"The Demon Canon was only handed to you temporarily for safekeeping by the Demonic Sect Saintess."

"You are merely its custodian."

"I am the true owner of the Demon Canon."

"I have the right to decide what happens to it!"

Zhao Xiongge's eyes turned cold.

"Are you going to let go?"

Niu Youdao said, "I knew you wouldn't believe me."

"Come with me."

"I'll take you to meet someone."

"Once you see that person, naturally you'll believe what I'm saying is true."

Zhao Xiongge did not understand why he sounded so certain.

"Who?"

"The Holy Rakshasa."

Zhao Xiongge violently jerked his arm free.

He pointed directly at Niu Youdao's nose.

"I knew I should never have told you those things in the first place."

"I knew you would try every possible method to achieve your objective."

"I warned you long ago not to set your sights on the Demon Canon."

"I also told you long ago that no matter what method you use—even if you bring the Holy Rakshasa directly before me—I will not be fooled by your tricks."

"Don't try your crooked schemes on me."

"I will not fall for them!"

"There is nothing to discuss."

With that, he turned and walked away.

Niu Youdao called after him, "If you won't listen to reason, do you think you can still leave?"

He raised one hand and made a gesture.

Whoosh!

A figure appeared like a phantom and blocked Zhao Xiongge's path.

It was Yun Ji.

The speed of her arrival startled Zhao Xiongge badly.

He immediately went on full alert.

Niu Youdao said, "Martial Uncle, don't waste your strength."

"She is in the Nascent Soul Realm."

"Your strength and hers are not on the same level at all."

"If you refuse to cooperate, I will have no choice but to seize you and take you there by force!"

Nascent Soul Realm?

Zhao Xiongge studied Yun Ji with startled uncertainty.

Then he slowly turned and stared at Niu Youdao.

"Even if I have to smash the fish and shatter the net, I will not let you succeed!"

Niu Youdao finally lost his temper.

"Zhao Xiongge, what the fuck is wrong with you?"

"Can you still listen to reason?"

"Shangqing Sect ended up in its present state precisely because it is full of stubborn fossils like you!"

"Do you even understand what self-reflection means?"

Zhao Xiongge said, "You brought someone here to threaten me, and you call that listening to reason?"

Niu Youdao snapped, "If you weren't trying to run away, would I need to threaten you?"

"You're the one being completely unreasonable!"

"Fine. I'll put it this way."

"First come with me and meet the person."

"If after meeting them you still believe I'm deceiving you, then you don't have to give me anything."

"I will not force you."

"My word is my bond!"

Zhao Xiongge immediately pointed at him.

"You said that yourself!"

He had already made up his mind.

No matter what trick the other side played, he absolutely would not believe it.

Niu Youdao swept one hand impatiently.

"Enough nonsense."

"I don't have time to keep arguing with you."

"Where is your flying mount?"

"Lead the way!"

A short while later, the three rose into the sky on a flying mount from somewhere deep inside the forest.

Yun Ji personally controlled the beast.

After checking the direction in the air, Zhao Xiongge asked, "Where are we going?"

"Where else?" Niu Youdao said. "If we're going to see the Holy Rakshasa, naturally we're going to the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm."

"There are guards over there. Can we get in?"

"My dear Martial Uncle Zhao..."

Niu Youdao sighed.

"You don't need to worry about something this minor."

"If I couldn't even settle such a trivial problem, what business would I have surviving in this world?"

"Relax."

"I have already arranged everything."

"Even if you lay down and refused to move, I could still have you carried inside."

"Just follow me."

That was no empty boast.

For all these years, Niu Youdao had been slowly weaving an enormous web.

By now, there truly were not many places beneath Heaven he could not enter.

Zhao Xiongge fell silent.

On this point, he had no real doubts.

With this fellow's ability, he had even entered and exited the Sacred Realm.

The Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm should not be able to stop him.

But precisely because of that, Zhao Xiongge trusted him even less.

This bastard had more than enough ability to arrange deceptions beforehand.

...

When the group reached the area near the entrance to the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm, someone was already waiting for them at the appointed time.

The person waiting was none other than Xi Haitang, Sect Leader of Myriad Beasts Sect.

Everything had been included in Niu Youdao's meticulous preparations.

From the moment he invited Zhao Xiongge to meet, Zhao Xiongge had been destined to come here.

Whether Zhao Xiongge wished to come or not made no difference.

Yun Ji had been prepared as the fallback.

If he refused, they would simply seize him and bring him.

Then, at this end, Xi Haitang had already been arranged to receive them.

Every step connected seamlessly with the next.

The moment Xi Haitang and Zhao Xiongge saw one another, both froze briefly.

Xi Haitang had not expected the man Niu Youdao brought to be Zhao Xiongge.

Zhao Xiongge had not expected the man personally receiving them to be Xi Haitang.

With the Sect Leader of Myriad Beasts Sect himself present, naturally there would be no difficulty entering the Butterfly Dream Illusory Realm guarded by Myriad Beasts Sect disciples.

There was little conversation.

Xi Haitang tossed over a bundle.

"There are several sets of Myriad Beasts Sect disciple robes inside."

"Change into them."

The three did as instructed.

After changing their appearances as well, they followed Xi Haitang onward.

[End of Chapter 1288]