After doing all this, he stared nervously at Zhang Hengbo.
As expected, the effects of Chunheng Pill did not disappoint him. After half an incense stick's time, the abundant medicinal effects managed to pull Zhang Hengbo back from the brink of death.
"Junior sister, senior sister." He was still unconscious, but he was muttering to himself in a low and urgent voice, as if he were crying out in sorrow.
Fu Mingxu leaned down and, noticing the increasing heaving of Zhang Hengbo's chest, quickly whispered, "Zhang Hengbo! Zhang Hengbo!"
Amidst the pervasive mist and the continuous roars of dragons outside, he was filled with anxiety.
Under his constant calls, Zhang Hengbo finally awoke slowly. He opened his eyes and immediately sat up, still calling out, "Junior Sister! Senior Sister!"
When he realized that the person he was looking for wasn't there, he suddenly coughed up blood, covered his face with his hands, and began to sob.
Fu Mingxu didn't know what had happened, but seeing him immersed in grief, he felt as if a thousand-pound stone was pressing on his heart.
The junior sister and senior sister that Zhang Hengbo was calling out to must be Zhang Yanran and Zhang Anran.
Fu Mingxu felt this was not the time to cry. He said softly, "Do you think crying will save your junior sister and senior sister?"
Like a thunderbolt striking Zhang Hengbo's mind, his head buzzed before he fully regained consciousness.
Once he regained consciousness, he was shocked to realize that the person in front of him was actually Fu Mingxu.
"Don't ask me why I'm here, I don't know either." Seeing that he had finally come to his senses, Fu Mingxu quickly asked, "What exactly happened during this time?"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Hengbo was overcome with grief and almost without hesitation told him about his recent ordeal.
A month ago, Zhang Anran, who was training outside, received a message from the sect, ordering her to return immediately. Having grown up in the sect, she naturally had no doubts and rushed back as quickly as possible.
Before the three of them could even enjoy their reunion for long, she received a message from the sect leader asking her to come over.
Zhang Anran was a composed person. When she learned that the reason for her return was to allow her to cultivate with the ancestor, she was shocked but did not refute it on the spot. After coming out, she hurriedly headed towards the sect gate.
However, she was stopped by the sect leader at the sect gate. Helpless, she had no choice but to interrogate the sect leader about why he still forced her to cultivate with the ancestor even though he knew about her.
Xie Buwen merely glanced at her coldly, then immediately ordered everyone present to be careful with their words and actions, and had Zhang Anran taken back.
Since that day, Zhang Hengbo and his fellow disciples had not seen their senior sister. Helpless and worried, the two took the memorial tablet of their master, Dao Xuan Zhenren, who had died in the war between the righteous and the demonic forces, to the sect's main hall and prayed to the sect leader in front of many disciples to allow them to see their senior sister one last time.
Zhang Hengbo said angrily, "The sect leader told us that the ancestor needs the senior sister's assistance in his seclusion, and that if there is a Heavenly Mystic Beast, it can take his place."
This is why the two of them had been searching for the Celestial Beast in the back mountain.
"With your help, we obtained the Heavenly Mystic Beast, but when we offered it to True Monarch Fengyou, it immediately merged into my junior sister's body."
"The True Lord was furious and immediately began searching my junior sister's soul. I was unable to stop him and had my cultivation destroyed. If it weren't for the sect leader's insistence that my master Dao Xuan Zhenren's disciples must possess all three, I would have lost my life immediately."
However, sometimes living is more painful than dying, especially when you are fully aware that you cannot save your junior sister and senior sister.
Zhang Yanran was subjected to soul searching? The fact that a sect patriarch could casually use such cruel methods on a sect disciple was truly shocking to both of them.
"Didn't your sect leader stop it?" Fu Mingxu asked.
Zhang Hengbo shook his head: "No."
It seemed that things were more serious than he had imagined, and his presence here was definitely related to that soul-searching incident.
“The Heavenly Profound Beast is formed from mountain energy and only likes people with pure hearts. That True Monarch Fengyou probably has some problems, which is why he was disliked by the Heavenly Profound Beast and ultimately chose to melt into your junior sister.” Fu Mingxu explained slowly, and then tried to comfort him, “Your junior sister’s soul search should have happened in the last two days. With the Heavenly Profound Beast’s mountain energy present, she will not die unless that True Monarch kills her.”
"And your senior sister Zhang Anran, she made a three-life vow with a mermaid, which is recognized by heaven and earth. Have you ever thought that your senior sister will definitely tell the sect about this, so why do they still insist that your senior sister cultivate with that Feng You?"
Zhang Hengbo gritted his teeth: "Because my senior sister has a Yin constitution."
The so-called dual cultivation is nothing but a self-deceiving facade.
What True Lord Fengyou has always wanted is a Heavenly Yin Furnace to aid in cultivation.
Fu Mingxu suddenly realized what had happened. After understanding the whole story, he was no longer flustered. Instead, he slowly said, "Zhang Hengbo, if you do as I say, you might still be able to save your junior sister and senior sister's lives."
He had a vague guess in his heart that the reason he was kidnapped was that Feng You learned of his existence from Zhang Yanran's memories. The best outcome would be that his chaotic energy and dragon flame were discovered and the other party wanted to take them away.
The worst, and most likely, outcome is that he is the better vessel to replace Zhang Anran.
The use of a furnace is subject to wear and tear. Zhang Anran has been captured for over a month, and a Mahayana cultivator has been draining his life force from him. Even if he is careful to extend the lifespan, it is about time for it to reach its end.
His appearance was like a pie falling from the sky.
He didn't tell Zhang Hengbo any of this. Considering that he currently had no cultivation, Fu Mingxu came up with an idea.
He closed his eyes, and the chaotic energy reappeared. The red chain around his ankle tightened continuously, and he couldn't help but cry out in pain.
But he did not stop. He commanded the chaotic energy to forcibly awaken the dragon flame from his dantian.
After doing all this, his lips had turned white.
“Go help him.” Fu Mingxu knew Long Yan understood, so he grinned at Zhang Hengbo. “Go set the mountain on fire.”
The red chain was now embedded in his flesh, and the energy it released seeped into his bones along with his blood, causing him to tremble in pain.
But he must save himself.
A note from the author:
Han Tao: Honey, I'm coming right away!
Chapter 39
Inside the Tianxuan Sect, the night, which should have been quiet, was bustling with activity as disciples looked up at the sky.
Han Tao stood in mid-air, turned his hand, and slashed the golden sword towards the mountain-protecting formation. After a dragon's roar, the mountain-protecting formation, which was filled with complex runes, trembled. The runes collided with the golden light and emitted an even more dazzling light, like the sun exploding, which hurt people's eyes.
Xie Buwen, standing within the protective array, was startled and his anger flared: "Lord Han, we have no past grievances or recent enmity. I did not directly capture that mermaid, so why did you suddenly infiltrate my sect at night?"
As dawn breaks, the moon hides and the stars fall, and the night is at its darkest.
"Summon Feng You out." Han Tao didn't answer his question. He pointed his sword, his golden eyes cold and ruthless. "I'm looking for him."
"Our ancestor is currently in seclusion." Seeing his cold expression and obvious killing intent, Xie Buwen's heart skipped a beat, and he almost blurted out, "True Lord has been staying in Fengyou Mountain for a long time. I suppose Lord Han has some misunderstanding. Once our ancestor finishes his seclusion, I will definitely invite you to visit my sect."
Although Xie Buwen's cultivation level was not the highest in the sect, he was most skilled at preserving the reputation of the Tianxuan Sect at any time and place.
Although he had many doubts, none of them were reasons for Han Tao to break through the protective mountain formation.
The night breeze was slightly chilly, and their conversation drifted to the disciples' ears, stirring up ripples of questions.
Han Tao didn't want to say anything more to him. He looked at the flowing runes in front of him, and the killing intent in his eyes solidified into a tangible form: "He kidnapped my partner."
As soon as the words were spoken, not to mention Xie Buwen, some disciples who knew about Zhang Anran's incident looked at each other in bewilderment, and fearful speculation spread in the minds of many.
Xie Buwen laughed and cupped his hands towards Han Tao: "Who doesn't know that Lord Han's partner is a mortal? What reason would True Lord Fengyou have to abduct a mortal? I think Lord Han is probably mistaken."
He truly believed this. Zhang Anran possessed the Yin Body, which enabled her to cultivate with True Monarch Fengyou. Although it wasn't fair to treat the disciple of the deceased Junior Brother Haoqing this way, if it allowed True Monarch Fengyou to reach the only Integration Stage realm on the Cangling Continent, then the Tianxuan Sect could use this to overpower other sects and become the number one sect in the world.
He felt that sacrificing a disciple was a forgivable choice given the future of the sect.
Han Tao was unaware of what he was thinking. He was certain that it was True Lord Fengyou who had kidnapped Fu Mingxu. He also knew better than anyone whether Fu Mingxu was a mortal or not. Regardless of Fengyou's ultimate goal, the fact that he had done this was enough to justify his anger.
The tip of the golden sword gleamed with golden light, clearly indicating that he did not believe Xie Buwen's words.
Dao Heng, who was standing with his disciples, recognized the newcomer. After thinking for a moment, he walked to Xie Buwen's side and said, "Since this matter concerns True Lord Fengyou, and City Lord Han has recovered his cultivation and is at the same level as True Lord, why don't we ask True Lord to come out of the mountains and let the two of them talk things out to avoid causing any more trouble?"
"Even if he is in seclusion, the sect's protective formation has been activated, and the True Monarch must have sensed it."
Dao Heng's words were not without reason, but Xie Buwen remained silent for two breaths before saying in a deep voice, "The Ancestor has already instructed me not to disturb him during his seclusion."
"Otherwise, I would have asked my ancestor to help me with my daughter's disappearance long ago."
Nothing was more important than Fengyou Zhenjun entering the Integration Stage, he silently reminded himself. Moreover, according to the Zhenjun, these two days were crucial for entering the Integration Stage, and they couldn't be easily disturbed.
Dao Heng frowned upon hearing this. He did not agree with Xie Buwen's words, but pointed to Han Tao in the sky and couldn't help but advise, "Then how do you plan to resolve the current situation?"
He knew the temperament of the dragons, otherwise Xie Buwen wouldn't have looked so alarmed.
This was indeed a headache, but Xie Buwen was full of confidence when he was certain that his ancestor would not make a move against a mortal he had never seen before.
“Lord Han, if your partner went missing in the market, my Tianxuan Sect will definitely send disciples to search for her.” He stood in front of the sect’s disciples, his sect leader’s robes as bright as the clear moon. “Once the True Monarch finishes his seclusion, I will personally invite Lord Han to visit us.”
Xie Buwen's words were reasonable and well-founded, and his tone was respectful.
Han Tao couldn't break the Heavenly Profound Sect's protective mountain formation by himself, but the stalemate had attracted the attention of many people with the dazzling light, and even some from the Sword Sect were heading this way.
Han Tao shook his head: "Apart from Feng You, no one has the reason or the ability to kidnap my partner right under our noses."
Xie Buwen was speechless, and his temper flared up even after his kind words of persuasion: "Reason? Please provide evidence, Lord Han."
With the treasure that concealed the secrets of heaven, Han Tao naturally had no other evidence, and he deeply regretted that his strength was not strong enough.
No one would believe that a Mahayana cultivator would use a magical artifact that could conceal the secrets of heaven to abduct a mortal, but this was also the most conclusive evidence that they were certain Fu Mingxu had fallen into Feng You's hands.
Their evidence was utterly unbelievable to Xie Buwen, which was why Han Tao hadn't revealed it. Besides, revealing it would put Fu Mingxu in a highly speculative and controversial position.
The demonic seed sensed his anger and urgency and began to stir within the dragon's soul.
The matter cannot be delayed any longer; every moment he lingers, Fu Mingxu faces even greater danger.
The golden light grew even more intense, radiating a sun-like glow in Han Tao's palm.
Xie Buwen sensed the danger within the golden light. His brow twitched, and he turned to tell his disciples to return to their cave first. He then said loudly, "Lord Han, do you really want to be an enemy of my Tianxuan Sect?"
Han Tao's emotions fluctuated too much, and the demonic seed seemed to have found an opening. Demonic energy overflowed from the demonic seed, attempting to merge with the surrounding spiritual energy and together penetrate into his flesh and blood.
Just then, Immortal Lord Siyang and Qi Muyuan finally arrived.
"Calm down." Si Yang sighed inwardly. As expected, dragons, who are born to soar through the sky, can fly even faster. He glanced at the golden light in his palm and said in a low voice, "The protective array of Tianxuan Sect was set up by their founding ancestor, True Immortal Yuan Tong. Before his ascension, he was a genius in the art of array formations. What you are doing is just a waste of time and will not accomplish anything."
He guessed that the magical artifact that could conceal the secrets of heaven was also left behind by the True Immortal Yuan Tong.
Han Tao remained unmoved, his aura turning cold and solid, the golden light in his palm compressed into a ball of light.
Qi Muyuan glanced at him, knowing he couldn't persuade him, and changed his perspective: "If you continue like this, the only result will be that Feng You will change your partner's location."
In his haste, Han Tao clearly had no intention of taking things slowly.
But if Fu Mingxu were replaced by his own master, Qi Muyuan wasn't sure he would be calmer than him.
Moreover, although dragons can transform into human form, their nature remains that of beasts, making their personality traits even more difficult to understand.
Thinking about it this way, Qi Muyuan could strangely understand his feelings at this moment.
His words, spoken from Fu Mingxu's perspective, were clearly more useful than a thousand other words. Han Tao finally calmed down, the golden light in his palm went out, and he looked at the first ray of dawn appearing on the horizon before landing from mid-air.
Seeing this, Xie Buwen silently breathed a sigh of relief.
"Let's go, we'll explore again tonight." Qi Muyuan transmitted his voice to him, then looked up at Xie Buwen and smiled, "I didn't expect your sect's protective formation to be in a state of constant activation."