lerbook Chapter 176: A Loophole
Chapter 176: A Loophole
Chapter 176: A Hundred Secrets, One Oversight
Lin Xingyue left Daguan Cliff in a hurry, controlling her mountain-suppressing artifact, and rushed to a Taoist temple.
There was no joy on her face from seizing another Spirit Vein,
instead, it was covered in gloom.
Lin Xingyue looked at the wooden puppet, of which only half remained in her hand, and her brows furrowed into a knot.
According to Elder Di's instructions,
the target should have been that rogue cultivator who had repeatedly thwarted her and whom she hated to the bone,
she couldn't quite understand why the other party had suddenly turned into this palm-sized wooden puppet.
Could it be that this cunning old fox, Elder Di, who had always been infallible, was also tricked by that kid?
Of course,
what concerned her the most was how she would explain this matter to the other party later.
Although this old devil had been reborn,
his ruthlessness and viciousness were no less than when he was alive.
In the other party's eyes, failure was failure, and there were no excuses to be made.
Thinking of this,
Lin Xingyue felt extremely wronged.
Previously, the other party was at the Golden Core Stage, so being manipulated by them was fine,
but now this old devil's strength was less than one-tenth of what it was, only possessing the cultivation of the Lingqi Middle Stage,
why did she, a Qi Refining Great Perfection, still have to obey his every command?
Perhaps the other party's current strength was no longer sufficient to activate that Gu worm.
Or perhaps,
she could use her magic power to forcibly suppress this venomous insect, and after killing the old devil, force this insect out of her body?
Lin Xingyue pondered various possibilities and chances of success in her heart,
and soon arrived in a forest.
This place was filled with colorful miasma,
the yellowish-brown trees were tall and twisted, their trunks covered in black tumor-like growths.
The branches stretched menacingly towards the sky like withered arms,
countless branches intertwined, blocking all intruders from the outside.
It wasn't the first time Lin Xingyue had been here,
after consecutively casting several magic spells,
those poisonous miasma and branches seemed to have been given life,
making way for a winding path.
Lin Xingyue walked in with practiced ease,
and in no time, arrived in front of a dilapidated pavilion.
Upon sensing the figure inside the pavilion,
she didn't dare to look further and quickly bowed in greeting.
'Your subordinate greets Elder Di.'
Su Pengfei waved his hand and said casually:
'There's no need to be so formal. Since you have joined my sect, you are considered my direct disciple,
From now on, not only will you inherit my mantle, but if you perform exceptionally, you can also gain the chance to live another life, just like me.'
Elder Di was well-versed in the art of leadership,
although he very much wanted to know the outcome, he still patiently,
first gave the other party a sweet reward.
Upon hearing about living another life,
Lin Xingyue's eyes immediately flashed with fervor.
Regardless of cultivation realm, in this Cultivation World, it is probably rare for a cultivator to refuse the temptation of living another life.
Even more so for Lin Xingyue. Now, she was old and faded, her beauty gone.
If there were no major opportunities,
she would forever remain at this Great Perfection realm in this life.
Naturally, Lin Xingyue was unwilling to have cultivated bitterly her entire life,
only to find in the end that her lifespan was not much longer than that of a mortal.
Now that the chance to live another life was before her, she naturally had to strive for it with all her might.
'Yes, disciple Lin Xingyue greets Master.'
Su Pengfei nodded in satisfaction,
only then asking about the matter he was most concerned about.
'Was that kid captured alive?'
Lin Xingyue hesitated for a moment, then said bracing herself:
'Reporting back to Master, your disciple failed to capture the other party alive.
That kid wasn't at Daguan Cliff. Your disciple only found this through the secret technique you left behind, Master.'
Having said that,
she offered up the half-section of the Spirit Bean Soldier's torso with both hands.
Su Pengfei's eyes narrowed slightly, and his youthful face suddenly sank.
He had previously thought of countless possibilities,
and this was undoubtedly the worst outcome.
Su Pengfei waved a hand,
and the half-section of the Spirit Bean Soldier flew into the pavilion.
'Tell me in detail, exactly what happened.'
From the other party's voice,
Lin Xingyue couldn't discern his emotions, so she could only tell the truth.
Several months ago, after receiving Elder Di's command,
she quickly contacted all the demonic cultivation families she could reach.
After discussing the division of spoils with them,
she immediately rushed to surround Daguan Cliff.
After a bitter battle,
they also quite smoothly took down this Spirit Vein.
But when she followed the guidance of the secret technique,
and found the target deep within the Spirit Stone Mine, she couldn't help but be somewhat dumbfounded.
Risking her life under the might of the Qinghao Fenxiao Talisman, she forcibly preserved half of the Spirit Bean Soldier's torso,
Lin Xingyue didn't dare to delay and immediately came to report.
Su Pengfei listened quietly to the other party's statement. He gently bent his finger and took out several tiny flying insect Gu from the Spirit Bean Soldier's mouth.
Although there wasn't much change on his face,
a tumultuous wave surged in his heart.
At this point, the matter was very clear.
This kid was guarding against him,
which was why he used this wooden puppet as a substitute.
But the question quickly arose,
when did the other party realize that he had intentions towards him?
Elder Di prided himself on always being careful and cautious,
and had not revealed any obvious flaws.
After the other party sensed something was wrong,
he could still interact with him normally, not revealing the slightest flaw in his every move,
This child's ability to hide his true capabilities and his disposition were truly chilling.
Just as Su Pengfei was thinking,
as if sensing something, his heart stirred slightly,
and he immediately became alert and shouted sharply.
'Who dares to trespass into my Crimson Fiend Sound Barrier Great Array?!'
Upon hearing this, Lin Xingyue's heart suddenly tightened.
She immediately flew into the air, looking down at her surroundings,
intending to help Elder Di alleviate his worries and find that unwelcome guest.
Although Su Pengfei's words were full of vigor,
he subtly moved back several steps in secret.
'It's really not easy to meet you outside the sect,
but Li is quite lucky, after all, I still found an opportunity.
How have you been, Junior Brother Pengfei,
or perhaps should I call you Elder Di?'
A hearty laugh came from the horizon, followed by,
Su Pengfei and Lin Xingyue only felt a blur before their eyes,
a flash of fire,
and their retreat route was sealed off.
Beside the dilapidated pavilion,
a middle-aged cultivator dressed simply suddenly appeared,
looking at Su Pengfei with a smile.
The latter's pupils suddenly constricted,
he never expected the other party would appear here at this time.
What Su Pengfei didn't expect even more was,
the other party revealed his true identity in one go.
This was simply unbelievable!
His identity had always been hidden extremely well,
except for a very few loyal followers whose lives were firmly held by the Gu worms,
not even his friends or disciples from his previous life knew.
How did this guy know?
Even someone as shrewd as Elder Di couldn't figure out all this for a moment.
Originally, Li Lan was just guessing,
and wasn't completely sure.
But now,
through the shock that Su Pengfei desperately tried to conceal in his eyes,
he was already certain that all his previous conjectures were correct.
Although Su Pengfei was shocked,
his mind was working extremely fast.
Having determined that the odds of two against one were not high,
he quickly put on a look of surprise,
and said in a rather close manner, as usual:
'Ah! Senior Brother Jiang Chuan? I really didn't expect to meet you here.
Did you come specifically to find me?'
Seeing that the other party was still pretending,
Li Lan didn't expose him and went along with his words:
'That's right, Senior Brother came specifically to see you off.
Do you still have any ling'er tea on you, Junior Brother?'
Taking in the hint of mockery in the other party's eyes,
Su Pengfei remained silent and didn't say anything more.
After a long while,
he lightly sighed,
the youthful look on his face completely faded, replaced by an indifference that didn't match his age.
'How did you find this place?
I have always acted cautiously and believe I haven't left any obvious flaws.'
'You certainly haven't. I truly admire the schemes and methods of a Golden Core mighty figure.'
Li Lan smiled slightly, his gaze inadvertently sweeping towards Lin Xingyue at the side.
As early as when he encountered the other party again in the Huang Family Spirit Vein,
he had retained a trace of the other party's aura.
Originally, it was just a casual act of caution,
but he didn't expect it to be of great use today.
Earlier, just as Li Lan had lost track of Elder Di's aura,
and was about to give up,
he accidentally discovered Lin Xingyue's aura, which suddenly appeared at Daguan Cliff.
Thinking that this woman's original surname was Lin, and he hadn't seen her for many years, and she suddenly changed her surname to Di,
all sorts of signs indicated that,
the other party might have an unclear relationship with Elder Di.
With a try-it-and-see attitude,
Li Lan used the Thousand Mile Breath Lock Technique and secretly followed them to this place.
He didn't expect that he had actually gambled correctly.
'It was her?'
Su Pengfei understood immediately and instantly realized.
'A hundred secrets, one oversight, hehe, a hundred secrets, one oversight!'
I didn't expect that this only opportunity would also be seized by you.
There's also one more thing I'm very curious about,
how exactly did you know my name from my previous life?'
Li Lan did not answer the other party's question,
but instead asked about what he cared about the most.
'What exactly did Elder Di take a liking to in this junior?
Even after returning for another life, you're unwilling to give up?'
Elder Di knew that to make the other party answer the questions obediently,
he first had to resolve his confusion.
There was nothing to hide about this matter,
so he immediately recounted the matter of using Gu worms to spy on Li Lan's fight back in Feixue River,
telling everything.
After listening,
Li Lan only then came to a realization.
So that's how it is,
I didn't expect that even with my utmost caution back then, after using the Blazing Flames to burn the corpse, that Gu worm was still able to survive.
This matter served as a reminder to him. Li Lan reflected seriously for a while and secretly made up his mind,
that in the future, he must destroy corpses and traces even more thoroughly, ensuring that not the slightest bit of trouble is left behind.
Elder Di patiently finished explaining to him,
and then asked about the previous question.
Li Lan also showed sufficient sincerity.
'As for that reincarnation technique, I also happened to obtain a copy,
and I am already well aware of its drawbacks,
Li has not had many interactions with Golden Core cultivators in this life, only Elder Di alone.
Do I still need to continue explaining why I know your real name?'
Upon hearing this, Elder Di suddenly saw the light.
While understanding in his heart, his wariness towards Li Lan increased by a few points.
This child is full of tricks, and his scheming is no less profound than his own; he is simply terrifying.
But he immediately had a thought,
and asked again, his voice unable to conceal his excitement:
'Since you already possess the reincarnation technique, you must have read it long ago, right?
How is it? With your talent and intelligence, is it possible to compensate for the drawbacks and flaws of this technique?'
Li Lan slightly shook his head.
'No, I cannot.'
He wasn't lying,
completing this technique requires consuming three hundred years of lifespan,
judging by his current lifespan, even if he breaks through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, it would be difficult to achieve this.
Moreover,
no one could say for sure, after completing the reincarnation technique,
whether the drawback of being unable to form a Golden Core for life after cultivating this technique would still exist.
Elder Di looked at Li Lan suspiciously. He still couldn't determine whether the other party was lying.
However,
Elder Di's eyes rolled around,
and he said with a slight smile:
'Since you cannot compensate for the flaws of that reincarnation technique, there is no longer any need for me to cling to you.
You and I no longer have any conflict of interest, so why not turn hostility into friendship?
As compensation, I can let you choose a magic item from the forbidden cave dwelling that even a Golden Core Stage cultivator can use.'
Facing the temptation of great benefits,
Li Lan's face showed no sign of being moved.
He stared straight at Elder Di,
and slowly said:
'Perhaps Elder Di didn't hear clearly what I said earlier?
Li is here to see you off for the last time this trip.
You also don't need to rack your brains trying to stall for time,
Li may not be talented, but I have some experience in fighting.
This place is quite far from Daguan Cliff. I am confident I can take down the two of you before your loyal servants arrive.'