This Is What a Villain Is Like

Chapter 177: Chapter 94: Four Saints Ancient Celestial Skill, How Could They Be So Close?

As he finished speaking, a smile touched his lips. He was relieved, but more than that, he was happy.

Even when the world suspected him, Ling Zhuyun was still willing to trust him.

This trust naturally brought him great joy.

"Logically speaking, if you’re suspected of being a remnant of the Blood Immortal Sect, then Ling Zhuyun should be under suspicion as well. And yet, she’s managed to wash her hands of it completely..."

Old Ghost let out a knowing, derisive laugh.

Ye Ming faltered, then began to defend Ling Zhuyun. "She’s the Saintess of the Jasper Pool Sect, not a loner like me. She has to consider her Sect; she has no choice."

"Enough about Ling Zhuyun. The most dangerous person on this journey was clearly Jiang Lan, yet now there isn’t a single whisper of news about him. That’s what I can’t figure out for the life of me."

Old Ghost changed the subject. If he kept talking about Ling Zhuyun, he feared Ye Ming would start an argument.

"That man is an expert at hiding. Why would he let anyone notice him?"

"But now that you mention it, Old Ghost, I’m starting to have my doubts. Jiang Lan showed up at the Blood Red Plateau that day just to refine a weapon, and it caused such a massive disturbance."

"So why is he here now? What’s his goal? Is he after Purple Mist True Monarch’s inheritance? But with his level of power, I feel like he shouldn’t be too interested in these legacy items."

"Do you think he could be the one orchestrating all this from behind the scenes? Since he appeared at the Blood Red Plateau, there’s no guarantee he doesn’t possess some of the Blood Immortal Sect’s legacy."

Ye Ming’s brow furrowed. He was deeply puzzled by this, though he knew it was purely his own speculation.

Old Ghost fell silent. Ye Ming’s instincts had always been frighteningly accurate. As just a Residual Soul, it was difficult for him to sense much of anything.

But Jiang Lan was indeed hidden far too well. To this day, the number of people who knew his true strength could probably be counted on one hand.

His cultivation base, his realm, the true extent of his power—it was all a complete mystery.

"You’d better hope your feeling is wrong this time. Otherwise, the consequences... would be unthinkable."

A heavy feeling settled in his heart as well.

Combined with the fact that Ye Ming was suddenly being framed as a Blood Immortal Sect remnant, it seemed an invisible net was slowly closing in on him from the shadows.

Within the Secret Realm, night had fallen, but the depths of the Ancient Medicine Garden remained a scene of chaos and turmoil.

In many of the gardens, radiant mists billowed. One could see cultivators fighting to the death, and the roars of Demon Beasts echoed as they warred with these intruders.

Figures flickered around the thatched cottage. Taking advantage of the night, many had already made their way toward the stone cliff on the back mountain.

A vast, ancient stone wall stood there, exuding an aura of primordial wildness. It seemed as if Immortal Charm and the intent of the Dao were interwoven upon its surface.

It was as if it had fused completely with the entire cliff.

Yet no one could get close to it.

The stone wall emanated a heavy, overwhelming pressure. No living creature could get within a hundred feet of it; to observe it, one had to watch from a distance.

Many of the younger generation who had rushed here were now gathered, some sitting cross-legged, others frowning in deep thought.

Still others were using Secret Skills and various other methods of divination and analysis, attempting to uncover the stone wall’s secrets.

But the wall remained just a wall—ancient and dark, bearing no patterns, only the marks of time’s passage.

The exposed rock near the ground was covered in vines and moss. If this were in the outside world, no one would have given it a second glance.

"Someone as kind and magnanimous as Purple Mist True Monarch would never deceive us."

"It is simply that we are too blind to perceive the wall’s miraculous nature. We must have no affinity with the Four Saints Ancient Celestial Skill."

A few cultivators who had arrived early and had been sitting here all day sighed, their faces filled with resignation.

Some people stared so intently at the wall that their eyes turned red and became completely bloodshot.

But it was no use. They still saw nothing. No matter how they looked, it was just an ordinary stone wall.

Aside from the overwhelming pressure it exuded, it had no other aura whatsoever.

Despite this, a steady stream of cultivators continued to arrive. They jockeyed for favorable positions, refusing to give up as they observed the wall intently.

One person’s forehead and cheekbones began to glow as they attempted to use a Divine Soul Secret Technique, extending their Divine Sense toward the wall. But a moment later, they let out a muffled grunt. Their body trembled, blood trickled from the corner of their mouth, and their face instantly turned deathly pale.

"I refuse to believe it! I’m going to see for myself just how strong this pressure is and why it won’t let us get near."

At that moment, a young Celestial Pride, who had been sitting stock-still for an entire day, could no longer bear the agonizing wait. He leaped to his feet with an angry roar, intending to force his way through.

A divine light exploded in his eyes. His entire body was enveloped in a hazy golden glow, making him look like a deity wreathed in the sun’s fire as he charged straight for the stone wall.

Simultaneously, with a swipe of his hand, a blood-red war-halberd materialized. The Void hummed, and the weapon seemed to pulse as if it had drunk the blood of countless beings.

A boundless Evil Qi flooded the area, causing the expressions of all the cultivators present to change as a chill ran down their spines.

The next moment, the Void shuddered violently. The young cultivator swung his war-halberd, but he was instantly sent flying, spitting blood as he crashed into the ground far away.

’This stone wall is that uncanny? You can’t approach it, you can’t touch it, and you can’t even attack it?’

Ye Ming, who had just arrived, witnessed this very scene and was utterly astonished.

He quickly collected himself and moved forward, intending to find a good spot to see if he could discern anything from the wall.

Not long after Ye Ming arrived, as he was focusing his full attention on the stone wall...

A sudden hubbub of excited chatter arose not far away. He lifted his head to look, and his pupils contracted and trembled.

His breathing grew unsteady, and his fists clenched subconsciously.

A slender, graceful figure in a snow-white dress stood there. Her face was hidden behind a light veil, her dark hair dancing in the breeze. Bathed in the faint moonlight and the distant, glowing clouds, she looked as cold and transcendent as the legendary Moon Fairy.

And at her side, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with her, was a man in white robes. He was exceptionally handsome, a faint smile playing on his lips as if he were in conversation with her.

From a distance, they looked like a perfect, beautifully matched pair.

It was Jiang Lan and Ling Zhuyun.

Behind Jiang Lan, Li Daoyi, Ao Xu, and the others had also arrived and found their own spots to sit and observe the stone wall with their various methods.

’How could Zhu Yun be with Jiang Lan? And why are they standing so close?’

’What happened between her and Jiang Lan while I was gone? Why is she so brazenly standing close to him?’

Watching this scene, Ye Ming’s mind was in turmoil. He couldn’t calm down, and a wave of irritation and annoyance washed over him.

Whenever he had been alone with Ling Zhuyun, he had strictly observed propriety, always worried about upsetting her. He had always kept a respectful distance when they spoke, never daring to get as close as Jiang Lan was now.

From his angle, it almost looked like Jiang Lan and Ling Zhuyun were pressed up against one another.

This filled Ye Ming with a bitter sense of injustice. The Saintess he had always admired, the one he wouldn’t dare to have a single profane thought about, was now standing so intimately with another man.

’Zhu Yun must have been tricked by Jiang Lan somehow.’

’There’s no way she would get so close to him for no reason.’

Ye Ming had a firm will. Although he was deeply agitated, he took several deep breaths and managed to calm himself, making sure not to reveal any outward signs of distress.

His identity had to remain hidden for now, so he could only bury these questions deep in his heart. It wasn’t the time to go and confront Ling Zhuyun.

Just as Ye Ming’s mind was reeling...

The ancient, dark stone wall suddenly seemed to emit a strange ripple of energy, startling all the cultivators in the vicinity.

Ye Ming, too, was forced to focus his attention on it. He saw the stone wall tremble faintly as bits of dirt and grime began to flake off its surface.

Layer after layer of the stone’s outer shell peeled away, and a faint light began to pulse from within.

In the next instant, a brilliant light shot toward the heavens. The ethereal forms of the Vermilion Bird, True Dragon, Black Tortoise, and White Tiger materialized one after another, piercing through the pitch-black sky.

The light was blindingly intense. It formed into the Four Spirit Sacred Beasts, projecting them onto the night sky and instantly illuminating the entire area as if it were broad daylight.