When Ancestor Ji Yin heard the other party call his words nonsense, a flicker of dark light passed across his face. But the words that followed immediately forced him to suppress the fury in his heart, and he turned to transmit a message to the Bearded Barbarian and Scholar Qingyi for further consultation.
"We'll do as you say — no fighting for now. Everything will be discussed after we retrieve the treasure!" After a brief conference, Ancestor Ji Yin spoke to Wan Tianming in a cold tone.
"Good! That is undoubtedly the wisest choice for all of you. Let us enter together," Wan Tianming said with a hearty laugh.
He then rose to his feet and strode toward the massive blue stone gate, with Tianwu and the old farmer-like figure following close behind.
"Hmph!" The Bearded Barbarian watched them swagger off with undisguised contempt, snorting coldly through his nose. His gaze suddenly swept over and landed on Yuan Yao and a Core Formation cultivator whom Han Li did not recognise, and a vicious gleam flickered in his eyes.
Almost simultaneously, the two noticed the ill intent on the Bearded Barbarian's face. Their complexions turned pale, and without hesitation, they transformed into a streak of yellow light and a streak of red light respectively, racing ahead into the stone tower.
The Bearded Barbarian let out a savage laugh at the sight:
"Where do you think you're going?"
As he spoke, he rubbed both palms together, then thrust them upward simultaneously. Two streaks of golden light flashed and vanished in an instant, shooting outward — yet they arrived ahead of the two escape lights, striking them from behind.
The male cultivator within the yellow light let out a wretched scream as his figure tumbled down in a stagger. The golden light then swept him up into midair, and his entire body was sliced into seven or eight pieces in a single instant, showering the ground with blood-soaked fragments.
On the other side, the red light erupted into several clusters of blinding green flame upon being struck by the golden light, actually managing to scatter the golden glow for a moment.
Then, as though provoked, the red light instantaneously transformed into a bizarre crimson bird. It moved several times faster than before, broke through the golden light's interception, and vanished without a trace from where it had been. In the next instant, it appeared inside the stone tower's corridor, flickered a few times, and disappeared entirely.
"Hmm? That's a bit peculiar."
The scholar in the Confucian robe and Ancestor Ji Yin had not initially paid much attention to the Bearded Barbarian's actions. But seeing that red light actually escape from a strike by the Bearded Barbarian, they both showed expressions of surprise. The elderly scholar furrowed his brow and murmured softly.
"Bearded Barbarian, what is the meaning of this? Why did you kill them without cause?" Tianwu turned around with a displeased expression upon witnessing the scene.
"I was in a bad mood, so I killed a few outsiders. What's it to you? Are you going to seek justice on their behalf, or would you like to test my Heavenly Outsider Demonic Art yourself?" The Bearded Barbarian replied with cold indifference, glancing sideways at the old Daoist.
"You—"
"Forget it, Tianwu! Those two weren't one of us on the Righteous Path anyway. If they're dead, they're dead! Let's focus on the matter at hand!" Wan Tianming stopped the old Daoist without even turning his head.
Tianwu had no choice but to glare hatefully at the Bearded Barbarian before turning away in frustration.
Before long, all of the Righteous Path cultivators passed through the stone gate and entered the inner hall.
"Well struck, Brother Man! I don't particularly enjoy having a rat or two scurrying about before something important either. Two measly Core Formation cultivators thinking they could sneak into the inner hall and muddy the waters — they were simply asking for death. However, there still seems to be one person here. Why didn't you eliminate him as well?" Ancestor Ji Yin watched the retreating figures of Wan Tianming and the others, then clapped his hands with a sinister chuckle. His gaze shifted and fixed upon Xuan Gu.
Xuan Gu maintained his composure in the face of this, showing no unusual reaction whatsoever, as though Ancestor Ji Yin were looking at someone else entirely.
"This person has some connection to me. He is the descendant of an elder to whom I owe a debt of gratitude. Naturally, I won't touch him. And neither are you two to harbor any designs on him," the Bearded Barbarian said flatly, much to everyone's surprise.
"Since he is a junior connected to Brother Man, Qing and I certainly won't act rashly. But I must say, it's rather unexpected that even Brother Man has received favors from others," said Ancestor Ji Yin, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scrutinized Xuan Gu carefully. After confirming he truly did not recognise the man, he offered a few ambiguous remarks.
"Heh heh! Ji Yin, do you dare interrogate me?" The Bearded Barbarian's face turned frosty as he stared at Ancestor Ji Yin with an eerie look.
"Of course not. I was merely curious, that's all. If Brother Man doesn't wish to discuss it, then let it be. But that black-robed woman who escaped earlier likely has quite the background. Brother Man would do well to be cautious!" Ancestor Ji Yin laughed it off and backed down, though his final remark carried a deeper meaning.
"My eyes aren't blind. Did you think I didn't notice that the woman was using Old Devil Sanyang's Green Fire Thunderbolt? Apart from Old Devil Sanyang's closest inner disciples, no ordinary Qingyang Gate disciple could possibly possess such a thing. Otherwise, did you really think that little girl could have escaped my killing blow?" The Bearded Barbarian was silent for a moment before speaking in a dark tone.
"Heh, then I was worrying over nothing!" Ancestor Ji Yin noticed the Bearded Barbarian's grim expression and quickly knew better than to say more.
"It's fine. Even if that woman truly is someone connected to Old Devil Sanyang, Brother Man's cultivation is more than enough not to fear him. However, this is a critical period for our Demonic Path, the Righteous Path, and the Star Palace as we vie for control of the Chaotic Star Sea. That old devil's powers are considerable — though he hails from the Demonic Path, his disposition shifts between righteous and unrighteous. It would be best not to make an enemy of him over nothing. Let that woman go!" the scholar in the Confucian robe interjected from the side, smoothing things over.
It was clear that the Bearded Barbarian harbored considerable wariness toward this Old Devil Sanyang. He nodded stiffly and said nothing more.