Many years ago, Zhang Rongfang imagined what the outcome would be after the showdown.

Whether explosive, sorrowful, or mundane, he had considered them all.

But he never imagined this kind of scenario before him.

Regardless, the matters he was involved in were fundamentally about the core principles of the Great Dao Teaching.

Yet looking at the other party's demeanor now, it was clear that they didn't even need to ask Yue Shi to confirm directly.

'No problem, you can leave. You definitely won't be harmed....'

Zhang Rongfang watched the apathetic Ran Xinyue turn around and leave, inexplicably reminded of a poor little dog drenched in rain.

Though unsure why he had such an association, the imagery was very vivid at this moment....

The people were gone.

He glanced around, encountering corpses of the blue-scarf men.

Approaching a person, he tore off their mask.

Underneath was a typical middle-aged man with a bristly beard, appearing in his thirties or forties, surely having reached the end of his martial potential.

Many martial artists like him, for their family's sake, would choose to take a gamble.

Thus, most of the deadly agents from various factions were of this age.

Zhang Rongfang quickly inspected the rest of this person's belongings, finding nothing.

This group clearly set off without carrying any identification tokens.

He sighed, straightened up, then heightened his five senses to perceive his surroundings fully.

Scanning around with dark-light vision also revealed nothing new.

After pondering for a moment, he took out a firework, lit it, and hurled it towards the sky.

A sharp transmission sound emanated.

Next, they waited for the Songhe Temple's people to arrive, clear the bodies, and investigate the identities.

Causing trouble in succession on his turf—this time, no matter what, they'll dig deep and pull out the mastermind behind this!

Soon, Qingsu arrived quickly with about ten people, nodding slightly towards him.

"Sir!? What's here?"

"Find out the identities and origins of these people. I want all detailed information on them within a week!"

"We will do our best!" Qingsu responded solemnly. "Sir, I've just received news from Dan Province. An encrypted message says Ding Yu is trapped, but he discovered the whereabouts of the two main ingredients you require over there."

"Trapped?" Zhang Rongfang was astonished. Ding Yu, having entered Super Grade long ago, was still easily trapped?

But thinking of how Dan Province was full of poison experts, he could understand the difficulty.

For someone as skilled as him, he is instinctively cautious of poison in many situations.

"Send a team over, bring along someone adept at handling venom, and see what's really going on." Zhang Rongfang instructed.

"Yes!"

Zhang Rongfang nodded, just about to leave, when he suddenly felt something, sharply looking far to the right.

Several hundred meters away on a tree branch, a shadow flickered briefly before vanishing into the thick foliage, unclear which direction it left.

*

*

*

"No issues? Ran Xinyue actually forgave Zhang Ying?" Yu Wenxing stood in the woodland, sunlight mottled, falling on his back and feet.

Drizzling rain turned the seemingly burning light spots damp and cool.

"Yes. According to lip-reading analysis, Ran Xinyue seems to have no intention of blaming Zhang Ying at all and simply walked away." reported the subordinate in a deep voice.

"Since Ran Xinyue has the cultivation of Mastery Grandmaster, we didn't dare to approach, so we could only analyze from a considerable distance."

"No worries, that's naturally necessary. I just don't understand—the matter is clear, and Ran Xinyue is renowned for safeguarding the Great Dao Teaching, her background quite orthodox. So how…?"

Yu Wenxing stroked his beard, furrowing his brows.

"Sir, what should we do next?" The subordinate asked.

"Why rush? Let's play slowly; there's plenty to play with here." Yu Wenxing remained unchanged, eyes calm.

Since Ran Xinyue won't act, go straight to Zhang Rongfang.

Zhang Rongfang has many weaknesses; his sister Zhang Rongyu cared for him alone from a young age, their bond deep, mutual vulnerabilities.

He planned to capture Zhang Rongyu next, to see how Zhang Rongfang would react.

Isn't he all about loyalty and righteousness, even rescuing his old mentor? Let's see how far he'll go this time for his own sister?

Yu Wenxing suddenly became quite interested, curious about the future developments.

"Brother Yuwen, long time no see, I missed you dearly; hope you're well."

Suddenly, from behind, a figure darted through the air, leveraging tree branches, almost flight-like, softly landing behind Yu Wenxing.

The figure stood between two patches of light, revealing their form.

It was a tall man draped in a half-body white cassock, bald, with large black earrings.

The man smiled, a red mole between his brows, muscles strong and resilient, appearing prosperous in an intriguing way.

"Kong Wen? It's indeed been years. You've come seeking me, any particular matter?" Yu Wenxing's eyes slightly contracted upon seeing the individual, then he returned to a smile.

The visitor was part of the Great Spirit Sect, Vice Sect Leader of the Brahma Sect.

The Brahma Sect was a special sect transmitted from afar, advocating that each creature and living thing has its spiritual status, and every individual must remain in their natural role; otherwise, the cosmos would become chaotic and imbalanced.

This foreign sect reached Great Spirit, previously considered one of the Ming Sects, with unclear power, hence lesser fame.

However, Kong Wen before him once interacted with him over a decade ago, that was during the pursuit of an Extreme Realm Grandmaster who committed a significant taboo.

"It's been a long time; can't I come find you because I'm missing you?" Kong Wen said with a smile.

"Uh... No need to miss me. Just tell me, what's the matter?" Yu Wenxing felt a chill in his heart.

He knew that inside the Brahma Sect, not only men and women could unite, but also men with men ...

"To be honest, our Brahma Sect has now officially joined the Great Brightness Religious Alliance. So this time, upon receiving news that one of the Great Dao Teaching's Yue Dewen's aides, Mingchong Daoist Ran Xinyue, was staying nearby, I rushed here with a friend." Kong Wen replied.

"Your meaning is...!?" Yu Wenxing's heart stirred, and he immediately guessed the intention of the other party.

"Correct." Kong Wen smiled, extending a hand to gesture to the side. "Let me introduce Brother Yuwen to a friend."

Immediately, in the wooded area nearby, a person swiftly jumped down from the branch in mid-air.

This person was clad in silver armor, draped in a red cape, with hair cut short and spiked high, and a flame emblem painted at the center of their forehead. Their appearance was neither masculine nor feminine, quite androgynous, with very smooth and fair skin, and they walked with a faintly feminine grace.

"This is my bosom friend nibalaxsa, known as Yao Shuchen in the Great Spirit." Kong Wen introduced with a smile.

"....." Yu Wenxing felt a slight chill in his heart, yet another bosom friend, this old undying man was eighty years old, how could he shamelessly speak such a title aloud?

But on the surface, he quickly discerned that the other party was also a devotee and had considerable strength.

He instantly put on a smile.

"I am Zhenyi Yu Wenxing, greetings to a fellow Daoist."

Yao Shuchen returned the smile.

"Very pleased to meet you. May the Great Flame protect you." His Great Spirit official language was not very fluent, seeming to have just learned it recently.

"Alright, clearly you have already guessed our purpose for coming, so what do you say, would you like to join us?" Kong Wen spoke.

"The Great Dao Teaching is too aggressive this time, we also have no choice but to take this course of action. Wasn't Zhenyi also ambushed in the Taiji Palace, with three of the Five Sons of Ming Mountain killed? Can't you endure being enslaved by Yue Dewen?"

"We are all part of the same Daoist sect... with the same roots and source..." Yu Wenxing replied hesitantly.

"It seems Brother Yuwen has not yet recognized the current situation...." Kong Wen laughed. "Very well, we'll continue to seek out people from the Western Sect; perhaps they will be more willing to take the initiative. Of course, by then, the spiritual line on Ran Xinyue will..."

The spiritual line cannot enhance strength, but it can extend life.

And for a young devotional grandmaster like Ran Xinyue, even if several people share it, it can considerably prolong their lives.

So....

"Deal!" Yu Wenxing thought of this too and immediately agreed.

The three of them joined forces; for a young devotee like Ran Xinyue, none could handle even one alone. Let alone the combined force of three.

Fear they could take her down in just dozens of moves.

If it were just him, he wouldn't dare entertain the thought. But this time, with the intervention of the Great Brightness Religious Alliance, the effect would be different...

After all, in this deep mountain wilderness, kill and it's done. It's rare to track down the whereabouts of a devotional grandmaster. Must seize the opportunity.

"Good! Brother Yuwen is indeed straightforward!" Kong Wen was instantly overjoyed.

"When to make a move, I see Ran Xinyue is planning to leave this area already. Delay any longer, and it will be too late." Yu Wenxing asked in return.

"Naturally, the sooner the better, lest night bring long dreams." Kong Wen replied.

"Then it's now!" Yu Wenxing decided decisively. "There's a necessary path back to the Great Capital from here, follow me!"

The three exchanged glances and simultaneously vanished into the forest, Yu Wen leading, with the other two trailing behind.

Only that neither Kong Wen nor the two noticed, at the moment when Yu Wenxing was ahead, a strange gleam flashed in his eyes.

*

*

*

Ran Xinyue hurriedly picked up her luggage and hurried through the mountains.

As a devotional grandmaster, her stamina far exceeded that of ordinary grandmasters, able to sprint at full speed for days and nights without getting tired.

As long as she doesn't activate the final form, her stamina is almost inexhaustible.

At this moment, however, her eyelids twitched wildly, with an inexplicable sense of foreboding in her heart.

'What's going on!? Could Zhang Ying's talent have frightened me, leaving my mind unstable!?'

'Impossible. Though I am not like those perfectly refined Full Moon grandmasters, I am still a grandmaster devotee and would not waver due to trivial matters.'

Although Ran Xinyue was indeed shocked by Zhang Ying before, the intense impact had passed at this point, and she wouldn't still be experiencing emotional fluctuations.

Yet, now, that inexplicable stirring continued to surface in her heart, not only not diminishing but instead seemingly gaining strength.

Swoosh.

Ran Xinyue immediately halted, looking around.

She was currently standing on a winding mountain official road.

The right side was a mountain wall covered with moss, vines, and weeds.

The left side was a steep cliff shrouded in mist, its depth unseen.

The mountain wind howled, with no trace of people before or behind.

Only distant birdsong and the strange calls of unidentified beasts could be heard.

Ran Xinyue looked around and suddenly spoke.

"Come out. Encountering such a master in this deserted mountain, calling you robbers or bandits would probably be an insult, right?"

With a cracking sound.

Two groups of people descended separately from the mountain wall in front and behind.

Two people in front, one behind.

Kong Wen and Yao Shuchen were in front. Yu Wenxing was in the rear.

Just enough to completely block Ran Xinyue's path forward and back.