Chapter 721: Worth Considering

“Where is Tianyu?”
Zong Yi seemed to possess the ability to pierce through space with his mind; he didn’t even need to enter the back door of the shop. The moment he arrived, he determined that Su Che wasn’t inside the treasure shop’s magic space.
Zhuo Feng didn’t respond, as he felt that the man before him was unfathomable—unable to accurately assess his strength. It would be wiser to let the Old Monkey deal with him.
“He ran away!” the Old Monkey replied casually.
“Oh?” Zong Yi smiled faintly and asked softly, “It seems I left not long ago. He was here just now—why did he suddenly flee?”
“That’s because he sensed that you would return, so he panicked and ran off.” The Old Monkey told the truth, seemingly without any intention of lying.
Zhuo Feng, who remained silent, understood that the Old Monkey’s approach was correct. Facing such a powerful opponent, no matter how clever the lie, it would only lead to humiliation. If the opponent suspected anything, they might capture him alive and use soul-searching techniques. In that case, no secrets could be kept, and unnecessary losses would occur.
Worse still, if provoked, the others in the shop might also be killed. Even if the Old Monkey, with his Da Luo Jin Xian cultivation, managed to escape, he wouldn’t be able to explain anything to Su Che later.
Lying by saying Su Che had left due to some matter would likely cause Zong Yi to stay and wait for Su Che’s return, making it impossible to get rid of him. So, it was better to tell him clearly: Su Che has fled and will not return—stop waiting!
Since Zong Yi determined that the Old Monkey wasn’t lying, he nodded slowly and thought to himself, “He can sense my arrival in advance. Truly, he is the one who can control the battlefield between immortals and demons as legend has it…”
His own child had died in the war between immortals and demons. After years of investigation, he knew more about the secrets and significance of that battlefield than most true immortals.
With that in mind, Zong Yi turned his gaze to Zhuo Feng and asked slowly, “You are his close bodyguard. If captured alive, could you force him to return?”
Zhuo Feng remained calm and replied, “As a guard, my duty is to protect him, not to put his safety at risk for my own reasons. If you capture me, I will commit suicide.”
Zong Yi nodded with a smile. No one could predict whether he would actually attack Zhuo Feng in the next moment.

Zhuo Feng added, “Does the senior really think that by using me or anyone else in the shop, he can force him to come back?”
Zong Yi didn’t respond. His gaze shifted back to the Old Monkey and he asked in a low voice, “Who are you then?”
He asked this because Zong Yi wasn’t clear about the Old Monkey’s true identity. He only knew that long before Su Che and the others arrived at Haoyuan Tian Shi, the Old Monkey had already been wandering around there for tens of millions of years. It seemed that there wasn’t a very direct connection between the Old Monkey and Su Che.
“I’ve been hiding in Haoyuan Tian Shi under the orders of Emperor Feng Lin Xian. My current task is to secretly protect the shop owner, Tian Xuan.”
Faced with this mysterious and powerful figure, the Old Monkey no longer wore his casual disguise. When answering questions, he appeared serious and solemn.
From this, Zhuo Feng could tell that the Old Monkey, being a Great Luo Golden Immortal, was definitely no match for ‘Zong Yi,’ which explained why he showed such caution.
Zong Yi could also tell that the Old Monkey’s reply was a warning to him as well: Su Che was someone of Emperor Feng Lin Xian’s interest. If he dared to touch him, he should consider what Emperor Feng Lin Xian would do.
“A mere emperor? That can’t scare me.”
Zong Yi said calmly, “If you want to save your own lives right now, then you need to do me a favor. At the very least, tell me how to find Tian Yu.”
The Old Monkey and Zhuo Feng fell into a brief silence. They had long guessed that the Zong Yi before them was actually someone else who had taken over his body by force. On the surface, he still appeared to be Zong Yi, but no one knew who this mysterious powerful figure really was.
If he killed or captured everyone in the shop, Emperor Feng Lin Xian might not be able to figure out who the real culprit was later.
This meant that if provoked, he might indeed kill mercilessly.
After the brief silence, Zhuo Feng spoke up, “As for me, I don’t care about life or death at all. If you kill me, it might even be a relief, allowing me to deceive myself into saying goodbye to this world…”
Zong Yi nodded faintly, showing no doubt. When he had exchanged glances with Zhuo Feng earlier, he had seen in Zhuo Feng’s eyes that he was a man seeking death. Perhaps he was still alive only because he still had a promise or someone he cared about to keep.

Zhuo Feng continued, “Nevertheless, I still want to give my senior a suggestion. No matter what your reasons are for seeking out my young master, it’s best to approach him with equality and cooperate fairly with him… You’ll find that being his friend can bring you endless hope, which is far better than using force.”
Zhuo Feng’s expression and tone revealed utmost sincerity and genuineness: “A few months ago, he and I were complete strangers, but now, I’m willing to risk everything to protect him. In fact, I am the best example and proof of that.”
After Zhuo Feng finished speaking, Zong Yi nodded with a smile. “I can consider your suggestion. It’s clear these are words from the heart.”
After a brief pause, he added, “Since you’ve both spoken the truth, I can also tell you the truth. For personal reasons, I can’t stay here for long; I don’t have enough time to wait for him. But who knows when I might return… There’s one thing I want you to convey to him: hiding is useless. You might escape for a while, but not forever.”
Zhuo Feng and the old monkey nodded simultaneously, their tense emotions easing slightly. It was obvious this guy was about to leave and wouldn’t harm them.
Yet, in the next instant, their relaxed mood snapped back into tension—ten thousand times worse than before!
The reason? With a soft snap, a small light dot appeared in mid-air beside Zong Yi’s right hand.
Everyone knew this was a sign that a teleportation portal was about to open.
Besides that brat, who else could open a teleportation portal on this newly established base?
The brief surprise in Zhuo Feng and the old monkey’s eyes was quickly caught by Zong Yi’s sharp senses. He smiled faintly and stepped aside, creating enough space.
Buzz…
A teleportation portal appeared, and soon, a figure rushed out of it.
It couldn’t be anyone but Su Che!
Zhuo Feng and the old monkey’s expressions were equally striking as they cursed inwardly: “You brat! You left not even a moment ago—how did you come back so soon? Zong Yi is clearly planning to leave, and yet you—”
But it was useless to say anything now that Su Che had already returned to the backyard.
Standing firmly on the teleportation base, Su Che’s first sight was Zong Yi, who was the closest…

Su Che gave Zong Yi a strange nod, then, with a hint of embarrassment, chuckled at Zhuo Feng and the Old Monkey, saying, “I left in such a hurry that I didn’t have time to think properly… It wasn’t until I got there that I realized I just ran away, leaving you here to clean up my mess. That’s really unacceptable. So, heh, I’m back.” Zhuo Feng nodded with a smile; the Old Monkey rolled his eyes, unable to express his feelings other than in silence. Su Che was telling the truth. Before leaving, his thoughts were extremely simple: something bad would happen, probably right away… A true hero avoids immediate trouble, so he rushed to the Immortal-Demon Battlefield to hide. But once he arrived there and calmed down, he realized something was wrong—he might be safe, but what about the others in the shop? Especially Uncle Zhuo Feng and Fei Yun. If anything happened to them because of him, it would be an unforgivable mistake… So, Su Che had to return immediately. If possible, he would take Zhuo Feng and Fei Yun to the Immortal-Demon Battlefield, leaving only the three celestial servants to take care of the shop. As for the Old Monkey, being a subordinate of Emperor Feng Lin, he should be fine. If not, they would have to face the danger head-on. Anyway, he couldn’t be a shameless deserter who abandons his friends. Back in his own courtyard, the moment he saw Zong Yi, Su Che realized he was in trouble—there really was no time left. He also clearly sensed that this Zong Yi before him was very different, almost certainly not the original person. The danger signals he had sensed earlier all stemmed from this unpredictable Zong Yi, not the former late-stage Golden Immortal. Facing the danger head-on, Su Che’s mindset became calm and composed. At that moment, he even felt a faint sense of pride: “My intuition is truly amazing. Even when facing the ‘real’ Zong Yi, I can predict the horrors of the ‘fake’ Zong Yi…” Lao He also muttered, “Yeah, your ability to sense danger is almost like great prophecy.” However, from an observer’s perspective, it was clear that Su Che’s predictive skills were quite poor. At the shop, it seemed Zhuo Feng and the Old Monkey were about to take care of Zong Yi, so at least this immediate threat could be resolved safely. As for what happened next, they could deal with it later. At least they could buy enough time to get help from Grandma or Emperor Feng Lin, and find a better way to handle the situation…

But that fool, Su Che, didn’t return early or late—just when Zong Yi was about to leave, he showed up again! At this moment, Zhuo Feng and the Old Monkey were both at a loss for words, while Zong Yi said with a faint smile, “Your approach seems foolish, but at least it proves your character.” After saying that, he turned to Zhuo Feng and added, “The suggestion you made earlier is indeed worth considering. Though my habit has always been to use violent methods, as they are simpler and more direct.” Zhuo Feng nodded and said, “I hope you can change your old habits a little, even just this once.”