Chapter 80 – Partnership
Translator: Seventh Peril Editor: Anuvrat
Hongya Cave was a rather strange place in the Great Zhou Dynasty. It would only open once every three years. And every time it opened, in the Hongya Cave, the ancient cave dwellings used for closed-door cultivation by some great experts from the distant past, or rather the graves of those who had fallen, would open. In these caves or graveyards, there would usually be some rather mysterious items, including Spiritual Secret Arts, Spirit Vessels, Spirit Herbs, and the like.
To some extent, although the Innate Temple was extremely famous within the Great Zhou Dynasty, it still couldn’t be compared to the Hongya Cave.
At the very least, almost everyone in the Great Zhou Dynasty knew what was in the Innate Temple, but no one could say for sure what would appear in the Hongya Cave.
Ye Zhong had heard of the legends of the Hongya Cave, so even with his personality, he was now somewhat interested.
“Three years ago, our Xingxiang Sect sent a group of Inner Disciples to the Hongya Cave. However, after entering, they never came out. And that time, their Sect Mission was to go to the Hongya Cave and find a Five-leaf Yin- Yang Flower.” Ling Yue didn’t waste any time on words and spoke directly and frankly.
“And our mission this time is to enter the Hongya Cave and investigate what exactly happened three years ago. After all, they were the Inner Disciples of our Xingxiang Sect, no one could say for sure that they’ve already died. We have to find out the truth, don’t we?” Ling Yue whispered, “Of course, during this mission, if you can find the Yin-Yang Flower, according to our agreement, it will be yours.”
“Why me though?” Ye Zhong nodded, but a moment later, he tilted his head and said, “Senior Sister Ling Yue, you should also know that my strength is not considered the top among the disciples of the Xingxiang Sect. To enter the Hongya Cave, perhaps there might be another candidate who was even better than me?”
“No, you are one of the best candidates,” Ling Yue smiled, “Although we have a lot of disciples, not everyone can work together.”
Hearing that, Ye Zhong was momentarily stunned but soon understood what was going on. In the Xingxiang Sect, the competition between the Inner Disciples was quite fierce. Although Ling Yue’s strength was quite amazing, if she wanted to find those powerful disciples of the Xingxiang Sect to participate in this mission, then she might not be able to control and command them during this mission. This was something she didn’t want to happen.
And a new disciple like him, who had a certain level of strength and yet wouldn’t snatch away the authority of the group from her hand, seemed to be the best candidate.
“I have one more question,” Ye Zhong said after a moment of silence, “Even if you agree, Senior Sister Ling Yue, we still have other three people with us. If these three don’t agree that the Yin-Yang Flower belongs to me, what should I do?”
One had to know that the Yin-Yang Flower was extremely precious. Even within the Xingxiang Sect, searching for the Yin-Yang Flower was one of the high-rank Sect Missions. Therefore, it was natural for him to ask such a question. Except for her, who formed the group, the others would also want to fight over a stalk of Spirit Herb, wouldn’t they?
“Other than you and me, Junior Sister Su Yu is also participating in this mission. It was also her who recommended you to me, so when I knew that you came here today, I decided to personally test you.” Ling Yue smiled faintly, “And other than her, there are two other Inner Disciples, who are also familiar with me. As long as you all agree on how to distribute the items before entering the Hongya Cave, it won’t be too big of a problem. However, the Yin-Yang Flower is too valuable. If you insist on taking it, then I’m afraid you won’t be able to get your hand on anything else.”
Upon hearing this, Ye Zhong was silent for a moment before nodding his head. To him, the most important thing at the moment was the Yin-Yang Flower. Only by obtaining the Yin-Yang Flower would he be able to break through to the Sixth Layer of Body Tempering. In this situation, he did not care too much about the other harvests in the Hongya Cave.
Seeing Ye Zhong nodded, a smile appeared on Ling Yue’s face, and then she said softly, “Junior Brother, since you’ve agreed, then let’s gather at the entrance of the sect tomorrow morning. At that time, I will introduce the other two members to you.”
Ye Zhong nodded once again, then stood up and left. The high-rank Sect Mission of the Hongya Cave was much more difficult than the one from the Innate Temple last time. That was why Ye Zhong was not sure how long he would be gone this time. Before he left, there was something he had to take care of.
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“*Rumble—*”
In the courtyard quarter, the door of a rather quiet courtyard was suddenly kicked open by someone.
Luo Long and the rest, who were resting inside, jumped up in anger one after another. With their status, how could someone dare to cause a ruckus here?
“Who is it!? Do you think we’re kind enough to let it off easily? You—”
Lu Fan was the first to stand up and start shouting. However, before he could finish his sentence, he suddenly shivered, forcefully retracting the last part of his words.
“Ye Zhong…”
At the same moment, Luo Long also came out of his closed-door cultivation. He gritted his teeth as he stared at Ye Zhong who was standing outside their courtyard with a faint smile on his face.
“Ye Zhong, according to the rules of the courtyard quarter, no one is allowed to disturb the cultivation of the disciples inside the courtyard. What does this mean? Do you want to break the rules?” Luo Long stared at Ye Zhong, the corners of his eyes twitching. He was a man of his word after all. After a while, he took a step forward and spoke darkly as he stared at Ye Zhong.
“I did not enter your courtyard yet. Is this considered breaking the rules?” Ye Zhong laughed silently, but his smile was filled with coldness, “Besides, even if I break the rules, as long as I retreat before the guards of the sect arrive, no one will be able to do anything to me, right?”
“You—” Hearing his words, Luo Long’s pupils constricted slightly. He naturally understood because he had done this kind of thing before. As long as the guards hadn’t caught him red-handed, no one could do anything to him. As such, Ye Zhong’s actions at this moment made his heart in turmoil.
“Ye Zhong, we did not provoke you this time, yet you have come to our doorstep. What do you want?” After a moment of silence, Luo Long spoke with a stern tone.
“I do not want anything from you. I am merely here to warn you all beforehand.” Ye Zhong smiled, “I will be heading out for a Sect Mission soon. I do not wish for anyone to lay their hands on my brother-like friend while I am away.”
Ye Zhong looked at his palm, and a moment later, the Five-Layered Shura Sword Seal instantly appeared on it.
“*Bang—*”
As Ye Zhong casually struck out with his palm, a clear palm print appeared on the doorpost of the courtyard. Such precise control over one’s strength caused the knowledgeable, like Luo Long, to narrow his eyes.
“So, while I am gone, I hope nothing will happen to Wang Mo. But if I come back and find out that someone took advantage of my absence to bully him, then I will find you, Luo Long, to settle the score with. Remember, no matter whoever the culprit is, I will definitely settle the score with you, so I will be counting on you, Luo Long.”
After finishing his sentence, Ye Zhong laughed and turned to leave.
Luo Long stared at Ye Zhong’s back, gritting his teeth. He had always been a domineering person, but he did not expect Ye Zhong to be even more domineering than him. This made him feel extremely aggrieved.
What surprised Luo Long the most was the news that Ye Zhong was about to leave for the Sect Mission. He had originally planned to deal with Wang Mo stealthily when Ye Zhong left, but he did not expect Ye Zhong to come straight to his doorstep without warning.
That was to say, while Ye Zhong was not in the sect, not only was he unable to attack Wang Mo, he might even protect him secretly.
This kind of thing made Luo Long so depressed that he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Ye Zhong! Just you wait, after I breakthrough, I’ll definitely use you as my stepping stone!” Luo Long said in a deep voice. With a cold expression, he turned around and entered the courtyard.
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Ye Zhong naturally didn’t care about how aggrieved Luo Long was at the moment. He was only giving a warning to Luo Long and also those who were hiding in the dark. If they have any problems with him, just come right at him. But if they wanted to do something bad to Wang Mo, then he would not be polite to these people.
Back in his courtyard, Wang Mo told Ye Zhong that a young girl had come, claiming that Ye Zhong allowed her to ask a copy of the Secret Art of Innate Marrow Washing from him, but he refused her request.
Ye Zhong considered for a moment before instructing Wang Mo to give her the copy if she came here again. He didn’t want to have anything to do with her.
The night passed in silence.
The next day, Ye Zhong was ready early in the morning. Wang Mo also knew that he was going on the Sect Mission.
Ye Zhong was not too worried about his brother, Wang Mo. His strength was already extraordinary, and if he was given the appropriate resources, his cultivation speed would definitely not be slow.
After leaving the rented courtyard, Ye Zhong quickly headed towards the entrance of the sect. About ten minutes later, Ye Zhong arrived at the entrance.
When Ye Zhong appeared, four pairs of eyes at the entrance looked at him at the same time. Ye Zhong’s eyes narrowed as he noticed that other than Su Yu and Ling Yue, who he already knew, a man and a woman were standing at the entrance with their hands behind their backs. Upon seeing Ye Zhong, both of them turned their attention to him with some curiosity.
Seeing the two, Ye Zhong’s eyes also flashed with curiosity. Senior Sister Ling Yue was very interested in the Sect Mission this time, and the Inner Disciples she chose should be pretty capable.