Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 282: Going with the Flow
As the spectators from Tiandao left, the disciples of the Zhan family, who had initially dared to leave, also began to hesitate. Given the precedent set by the Holy Lord, who released them without hesitation and showed no ill intent—let alone resorting to hidden assassinations when they left—they dared to take a few tentative steps, supporting each other. Seeing that Chu Tianyu in the distance seemed unresponsive, they grew bolder and slowly made their way toward the exit…
Soon, influenced by this example, all the Zhan family disciples whose martial arts had been disabled left, leaving only Chu Tianyu and the members of Tiansheng Gate.
“Holy Lord, what are your next orders?” With no outsiders around and Chu Tianyu standing before them with his hands behind his back, seemingly waiting for their report, Yun Qing stepped forward and spoke respectfully to him.
In truth, Chu Tianyu was struggling to figure out how to continue playing the role of Holy Lord. Although Yun Qing had identified him as such, it was merely by chance. He knew nothing about Tiansheng Gate or any bloodline inheritance. So, after dealing with the Zhan family and Tiandao Temple, he could only stand in front of Tiansheng Gate’s members and act cool, not daring to say anything rash.
Fortunately, since Yun Qing was taking the initiative to speak, Chu Tianyu took the opportunity to go with the flow and asked ambiguously, “Hmm, how many people did you bring this time? Are there any left behind in other places?”
“Reporting to the Holy Lord, Yun Qing only brought eighteen members of the Tianbu Di Hunyuan Bu. We never expected that Mingyu Gate would break the agreement and use the power of the Tianhuan people. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have prepared such a small force. If it weren’t for the Holy Lord stepping in personally, our situation would have been dire!”
“Hmm. It was just a sudden impulse of mine, happening at just the right time! Oh, by the way, what exactly happened with your ambush of the Zhan family?” Chu Tianyu remained vague in his questions. Since he was now the Holy Lord, no matter how confusing his questions were, those below him had no choice but to answer honestly.
As expected, faced with Chu Tianyu’s sudden and unclear question, Yun Qing was also stunned. After pondering for a while and organizing her words carefully, she calmly replied, “This operation is aimed at a mysterious force that appeared some time ago. It targets the Holy Blood disciples of the Zhan family, never sparing anyone, leaving only bloodshed in its wake. It wasn’t until this morning that Zhan Tian came to inform us that they had captured a suspicious person whose markings matched those left by the killer who murdered his grandson. It must be some hidden organization, likely connected to the forces of the Nether Realm. So they sent him to us so we could use the Blood Search technique to extract the contact information from his mind, and thus set up this ambush. Unexpectedly, the Holy Lord happened to arrive just then, disrupting everything. We truly deserve death!”
In response to Yun Qing’s apology, Chu Tianyu waved his hand impatiently to stop her. “Enough. Those who know the truth are not punished. I ask you, where is that captured person now?”
Yun Qing was stunned again and asked doubtfully, “Holy Lord, those who are subjected to our Blood Search technique die on the spot as their blood vessels burst, causing blood to flood their brains. How could you have forgotten?”
“Oh!” Chu Tianyu stammered, suppressing his frustration, then changed the subject. “It seems then that the incidents from some time ago were orchestrated by those two Illusionists. Since they started the war first, we needn’t be polite anymore. We must immediately open the Blood Devouring Gate and use all our strength to deal with the emergence of the forces from the Nether Realm!”
Chu Tianyu’s deceptive words indeed made Yun Qing forget her earlier doubts, focusing her thoughts on what he said. She believed Chu Tianyu completely. Clearly, aside from the power of the Illusionists, who else could slaughter the Holy Blood disciples so efficiently? And today’s ambush, aside from disrupting the Holy Lord, saw those two Illusionists indeed appearing. However, because of the Holy Lord’s arrival, their ambush was triggered earlier, allowing the other two Illusionists to take advantage, discover the situation, and charge in from the outside, causing them heavy losses.
Even if the ambush had succeeded without the Holy Lord’s sudden appearance, facing the Illusionists—let alone two of them—would have made their ambush futile. In a direct confrontation, they would have been utterly defeated. Yun Qing still remembered that scene vividly, filled with fear.
So when the Holy Lord mentioned opening the Blood Devouring Gate, Yun Qing immediately agreed, saying, “Yun Qing obeys your orders. Once I return, I will gather the eighteen factions to conduct the opening ceremony and lift the seal on our Blood Saints.” At this point, as if recalling something, Yun Qing hesitated slightly and asked softly, “Holy Lord, since you have appeared, is it still necessary to lift the seal on the Holy Blood Saints?” “Of course, it’s better to be prepared!” Chu Tianyu nodded naturally in response. Regarding the Nether Realm behind Tai Ye, Chu Tianyu had also obtained a lot of information from the mind of the last Sky Illusionist, learning that their Nether Realm had a structure similar to that of the Heavenly Holy Gate. Below the Blood Devourers were the Sky Illusionists, who were at the same rank as the Holy Blood Saints of the Heavenly Holy Gate. Further down were reclusive disciples similar to Yun Qing from the Heavenly Holy Gate; the five experts Chu Tianyu had initially tracked must belong to this category. Those in the mortal world were the peripheral forces led by Tai Ye, similar to the Zhan family, though for some reason they were much more low-key than the Zhan family. It was only recently that they began to become more active, gradually expanding their influence first into the business world, then into the realm of cultivation. With Chu Tianyu’s further stirring of the situation, it gradually evolved into the chaotic state it is now… Chu Tianyu’s casual “Of course” made Yun Qing show a hint of reluctance, and she glanced briefly at Ao Xue, as if there was something difficult to express that she couldn’t say. After a pause, she replied hesitantly, “Yes, Yun Qing will obey your orders…” Chu Tianyu, preoccupied with his own thoughts, didn’t pay attention to Yun Qing’s unusual behavior. After hearing her reply, he simply nodded in satisfaction and said, “Hmm, you take care of this matter. By the way, how is the development of our Heavenly Holy Gate lately? Come, give me a detailed report!” “Yes!” Yun Qing replied without hesitation. “There’s one more thing. After you finish your report, keep her here!” Chu Tianyu pointed at Ao Xue casually.