Master of Strange Dao

"Jinlan Mountain must be involved somehow; we can't let them just sit back and watch the show."

"You go, I'll head to the East Sea, and deliver a message to the Demon Clan."

"Better you go, I'm more familiar with the East Sea, even the Southern Sea."

At this point, the two White Water Eggs fell silent together.

The shining skulls behind their masks were emitting an awkward glow.

After a long while, Ten let out a dry chuckle.

"It's not that I'm scared, I've been active in the south and east all this time, I'm really not up to it.

Moreover, Qing Ziyu from Jinlan Mountain has recently been doing business, earning a fortune, and has been staying in Almsgiving Town.

There's no need to go to Jinlan Mountain.

You know this area the best, so you're the best choice to go.

Plus, if I remember correctly, you actually still have a copy of the simplified map, right?"

"Fine, I'll go, but I want three Ninth Tier assistants."

"Just for Qing Ziyu, that's not necessary."

"At the very least, I want one. Without Ninth Tier assistance, I won't go. Qing Ziyu has Evil Skill in him and can borrow the power of the Ninth Tier.

To get Jinlan Mountain involved, we at least need to be prepared, willing to sacrifice a Ninth Tier Strong as the price."

Seeing that Eight insisted, Ten fell silent for a moment and then nodded.

"Alright, after I'm done delivering the message here, I'll lead one over."

...

Yu Ziqing stayed in Almsgiving Town, studying a bamboo slip every day, calmly pursuing his cultivation.

When he had spare time, he listened to fresh intelligence and paid attention to the warfare between Dali and Daqian.

Once the battle heated up there, the West Desolate Army of Dali made a direct appearance and pressed forward fiercely, pushing the front line south by hundreds of miles.

Emperor Qian suffered a setback, played by Emperor Zhen and Emperor Li.

Then, the Daqian court dared not recklessly deploy troops from other areas for support.

Because the East Sea was restless, and so was the Southern Sea.

No one knew who was spreading rumors about Immortal Herbs, but even the Sea Clan of the East Sea got wind of it.

A large group converged in the Southern Sea, intending to take advantage of the calmer situation there to quickly stake claims to territory. They too learned of it.

With an increasing number of demons from the Sea Clan in the Southern Sea, the chaos was utterly disarrayed, and they dared not withdraw their main forces.

Yu Ziqing listened to the Jade Tablet every day, enjoying the spectacle.

Ever since he got the Jade Tablet, such news traveled incredibly fast.

He had rented out dozens of channels already; it's just that frequent broadcasts, at fixed times, were rare.

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed since Yu Ziqing walked out of the Health Club and strolled around Almsgiving Town.

A White Water Egg wearing a mask appeared silently beside the Health Club.

He extended a hand and pressed it against the protective Formation that was more decorative than effective, his figure slowly blending in, disappearing without a sound.

In the well inside the club, the Gatekeeper Hungry Ghost's eyelids twitched slightly, sensing the faint flow of ghost qi inside the Health Club.

Someone invisible, with no trace of their presence leaking, had stealthily infiltrated.

In the mind of the Gatekeeper Hungry Ghost, a blank outline slowly took shape.

He remained motionless, allowing the intruder to sneak in.

He saw that person enter the study, take out a piece of Beast Skin, and quietly place it on the bookshelf.

Then, just as silently, sneaked out.

The moment that person noiselessly passed through the Formation and left, the Gatekeeper Hungry Ghost in the well silently floated up.

He was dressed in shiny, brightly colored Paper Clothes, his face covered with a Human Skin Mask, and a wig on his head.

But the craftsmanship of that Human Skin Mask was so poor that it was obviously a mask at first glance, and its smile was stiff and eerie to the extreme.

In the mind of the Gatekeeper Hungry Ghost, a human outline silently advanced on the street.

After he flew out, however, the people outside seemed not to see him at all.

As Yu Ziqing passed by a swindler's shop, a strange feeling suddenly surged in his heart.

Looking down the street, he seemed to see nothing, but then the always odd Gatekeeper Hungry Ghost faded into view as if slowly emerging from nowhere.

The Gatekeeper Hungry Ghost pointed toward the distance.

"My lord, someone has infiltrated and left behind a piece of Beast Skin before leaving. I couldn't see him, but the mask he wore was shaped like the faceless one we saw before."

"Where did he go?"

"He's already eight miles out, and his speed is increasing. He's using an Escape Skill."

"Point me in the right direction." Yu Ziqing's spirit suddenly surged.

Hovering mid-air with the Gatekeeper Hungry Ghost, he spent a bit of time to adjust the direction until it completely aligned with the path of the escaping figure.

Yu Ziqing grinned.

"I've been wanting to test this on someone; where is he now?"

"Thirty, no, forty miles out."

Yu Ziqing stood suspended in the air, began to gather his strength, the Qi-Blood in his body flowing, and then constantly refining and solidifying.

From breathing to heartbeat, Qi-Blood, all forces merged into one. At that moment, his heartbeat stopped, and his mind and thought condensed into one.

The next instant, he activated the Kui Step, aiming for three hundred miles away.

Yu Ziqing's figure vanished in an instant.

The air ahead seemed as if torn open, and in a moment, with his arms in front of him, he suddenly collided with the empty air in mid-flight.

The immense pressure combined with pure extreme speed created an impact that made Yu Ziqing's accumulated strength plummet drastically.

And in that seemingly empty space, a White Water Egg wearing a mask appeared out of thin air.