Swallowing Cloud Dharma King probed with roundabout questions, but Mayun Dharma King remained perpetually distracted, showing little enthusiasm. This left Swallowing Cloud Dharma King somewhat disheartened.
In truth, the identity of the Mayun Dharma King was an extremely sensitive topic throughout the entire Wind Cloud Cult. Within the Wind Cloud Cult itself, there had been rumors floating around.
However, no one could say with any certainty who the Mayun Dharma King really was.
All they knew was that this Mayun Dharma King was exceptionally mysterious.
At this moment, Swallowing Cloud Dharma King was growing somewhat irritated. He felt that Mayun Dharma King was being quite disrespectful.
They were both among the Eight Great Dharma Kings, equal in status. By all rights, Mayun Dharma King should have been courteous, yet the man maintained a distant air that kept everyone at arm's length.
"Fellow Daoist Mayun, you seem lost in thought. Where do you think the Cult Master intends to go on this expedition?" Swallowing Cloud Dharma King pressed again, unwilling to give up.
"The Cult Master is unfathomably profound — how could someone like me dare make wild guesses? Where exactly we're headed, I have no idea either. We simply follow the Cult Master's orders."
Mayun Dharma King finally offered a somewhat longer response.
Swallowing Cloud Dharma King sighed softly. "The Cult Master truly is unfathomably profound. I'm simply curious — when the Cult Master said he would bestow upon us opportunities related to the Heavenly Seat, I wonder whether that's true or not?"
Mayun Dharma King smiled faintly but did not pick up the thread of conversation.
While they were marching, a messenger arrived from behind once more: "Dharma Kings, the Cult Master has ordered you to change course toward the southeast and continue advancing."
Swallowing Cloud Dharma King was slightly taken aback. "Why change to the southeast again? This... this means we're heading to..."
His tone abruptly tightened, his expression turning grave.
From the direction alone, the destination suddenly leaped to mind!
"Fellow Daoist Mayun, we... we're heading to the Glazed Tile Royal City, aren't we?"
The southeast direction pointed squarely at the Glazed Tile Royal City.
Mayun Dharma King said indifferently, "We follow the Cult Master."
Swallowing Cloud Dharma King took a deep breath, sharp gleams flickering in his eyes, before nodding. "Right. We follow the Cult Master."
In fact, Swallowing Cloud Dharma King had been secretly observing Mayun Dharma King this entire time. Seeing that the man remained perfectly composed without the slightest change, he felt a flare of irritation deep down but also a grudging admiration. At the very least, this Mayun Dharma King's self-restraint was truly first-rate among the Eight Great Dharma Kings. Each had their own temperament, but someone who could remain this patient, never seeking credit, never currying favor — such a person was genuinely rare.
Among the Eight Great Dharma Kings, there was competition. Each wanted to earn merit before the Wind Cloud Cult's Master, because only through merit could one gain recognition, and the hope of receiving Heavenly Seat opportunities would grow greater.
This eagerness to distinguish themselves meant there was both open and hidden rivalry among the eight. This was the primary reason Swallowing Cloud Dharma King had been peppering Mayun Dharma King with questions throughout the journey.
Now seeing Mayun Dharma King so composed, Swallowing Cloud Dharma King genuinely felt a twinge of inadequacy. He wondered whether Mayun Dharma King was truly this calm or merely putting on an act.
He refused to believe that Mayun Dharma King could be this indifferent to fame and profit.
"Fellow Daoist Mayun—" Swallowing Cloud Dharma King was about to speak again.
"Fellow Daoist Swallowing Cloud, we are the vanguard force with a heavy responsibility — we must clear the path for the Cult Master's main army. Idle chatter at the expense of vigilance could cause us to miss signs of the enemy, and that would be disastrous." Mayun Dharma King clearly had no intention of wasting breath on small talk with Swallowing Cloud Dharma King.
Swallowing Cloud Dharma King ran into a wall and forced a dry laugh. "True, true. Fellow Daoist makes a valid point."
Mayun Dharma King had actually wanted to propose splitting up, but he feared Swallowing Cloud Dharma King would grow suspicious, and if word reached the rear, the Wind Cloud Cult's Master would become even more distrustful.
For now, he could only suppress the urge and continue marching at an unhurried pace.
"If only those two brothers were in the vanguard. I could send them ahead to scout, and they could relay information back." Mayun Dharma King felt a flash of frustration.
This Mayun Dharma King was none other than the Peerless Great Emperor who had once waited at the entrance of Chenxiang Valley for Jiang Chen.
During that earlier expedition to Chenxiang Valley, Jiang Chen had infiltrated the valley's interior. The Peerless Great Emperor and the two Huai-Shan brothers had disguised themselves as rogue cultivators, waiting outside the entrance to provide cover.
However, after Jiang Chen's group entered, a long time passed without anyone emerging. The Peerless Great Emperor and the Huai-Shan brothers grew anxious but could not go in after them.
Just as they were growing desperate, strange fragrances once again wafted from the entrance of Chenxiang Valley, one wave after another, knocking them all unconscious one by one.
The Wind Cloud Cult's Master had arrived with a squad of death warriors from the Abyssal Island, and they captured every last one of the Peerless Great Emperor's group.
At that time, the Peerless Great Emperor had previously been afflicted with Seven Emotions Poison within the Moon God Sect. When Jiang Chen had prepared an antidote for him, he had infused it with a trace of Jiang Chen's own blood essence.
Within Jiang Chen's blood essence lay the properties of the Golden Cicada bloodline. Those properties allowed the Peerless Great Emperor to remain unaffected by the mysterious fragrance.
When the Peerless Great Emperor first realized something was wrong, he actually had an opportunity to escape. But he discovered that the strength of these people was extraordinary — formidable to an inconceivable degree.