Chapter 300: Ominous

The voice seemed to come from an extremely distant place, echoing back and forth across the sky, its lingering sound unceasing.

Upon hearing this, the scar-faced man and Lu Ji paused slightly and indeed did not move.

While everyone was still astonished, they saw dark clouds churning high in the sky, and a silver light, like a comet trailing its tail, swept across from afar, dragging a long silver tail.

Seeing this, Yun Ni's eyes flashed, and an indescribable feeling arose in her heart.

Bai Fengyi first hesitated slightly, then a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, revealing an expression of surprise.

Within the dark clouds, silver light burst forth, and a silver gourd about seven or eight zhang in size emerged, covered with spiritual patterns and flowing light traces, looking extremely extraordinary.

A red rope was tied around the waist of the gourd, with a lover's knot in the middle, and the two ends hung down long, fluttering in the wind.

An old Taoist priest, nearly fifty years old, stood alone on the gourd, facing the wind. He wore a brand-new moon-white Taoist robe that rustled loudly in the wind. His demeanor, full of vitality and spirit, somewhat resembled that of the sword-carrying man.

If Han Li were present in this square at this moment, his jaw would likely drop, for standing on the silver gourd was none other than the perpetually drunken Hu Yan Taoist.

Today, Old Taoist Hu Yan was the complete opposite of his usual slovenly image. His somewhat gray hair was combed neatly, without a single strand out of place, and was tied high with a brand-new purple-gold lotus crown.

Beneath the lotus crown was a face tinged with a bit of vicissitude, its features clearly defined against the backdrop of his trimmed beard. Especially his originally drowsy eyes, now bright and spirited, occasionally revealed a glint of sharpness that gave him an extraordinary bearing, as if laughing at the world.

His Taoist robe was spotless, with a gleaming green jade belt around his waist, and a vermilion wine gourd hanging by his side, also cleaned as if brand new.

Lu Ji looked up at Hu Yan Taoist, a chill in his eyes. The sword, already sheathed, was drawn a few inches with a clang, revealing a snowy white sword light.

“I know this man. He is one of the Thirteen Golden Immortal Sect Masters of the Candle Dragon Sect, known as Hu Yan Taoist. Why is he here?” The scar-faced man squinted his eyes, then his expression changed slightly as he stopped Lu Ji.

Hu Yan Taoist was obsessed with fine wine, alchemy, and puppet arts. In his early years, he often left the sect to travel, but later rarely left the Gu Yun Continent. Thus, Lu Ji did not recognize him. However, as an elder of the Ten Directions Tower, he was well-versed in the major figures of the entire Northern Cold Immortal Domain and recognized him at a glance.

Yet, what made him so vigilant was not Hu Yan Taoist's identity.

Figures like the Thirteen Golden Immortal Sect Masters of the Candle Dragon Sect were all recorded in the Ten Directions Tower. Besides their origins, techniques, and cultivation levels, detailed information on their temperaments and preferences was also collected and organized. But he clearly remembered that for this Hu Yan Taoist, although there was some information on his experiences and preferences, the combat evaluation recorded in the investigation dossier consisted of only two simple words: “Ominous.”

Given the Ten Directions Tower's formidable investigative capabilities, there were no more than ten people in the entire Northern Cold Immortal Domain who could earn such a two-word evaluation, and this Hu Yan Taoist was one of them.

Thus, this man was by no means an ordinary person.

“If we were to be driven back by a single word from a Golden Immortal, you might as well take down the sign of the Ten Directions Tower when you return.” Lu Ji glanced at him and said coldly.

“Fellow Daoist Lu Ji, don't be hasty. This man dares to appear alone, so he is likely prepared. Let's see how things develop first... If he is unwilling to see reason, then we two will test the depths of this Hu Yan Taoist today.” The scar-faced man transmitted his voice solemnly, simultaneously informing the other of Hu Yan Taoist's evaluation in the Ten Directions Tower.

Upon hearing this, Lu Ji's expression remained unchanged, appearing noncommittal, but he did not immediately act.

The Ten Directions Tower members in the square, though unaware of the identity of this suddenly appearing Hu Yan Taoist, could tell that he was on the side of the Holy Puppet Sect. Feeling his undisguised powerful Golden Immortal aura, they all looked at each other, not daring to act rashly.

After all, although the Ten Directions Tower seemed to have the upper hand at the moment, the decisive factor in the battle was still the Golden Immortal cultivators present. Now that both sides had two Golden Immortals, the original situation had naturally undergone a dramatic change.

In fact, many people's eyes flickered as they began to consider cutting their losses and making a direct escape.

In the center of the square, Yun Ni, who had removed her illusory mask to reveal the red fox mask, looked up at the old Taoist Hu Yan, whose robes fluttered in the high sky, her gaze somewhat dazed.

After staring fixedly for a long while, she finally curved her brows and revealed a gentle smile.

“You came after all...”

She murmured to herself, her tone carrying both joy and a hint of reproach.

In her eyes, the figure of Hu Yan Taoist atop the silver gourd gradually blurred, slowly overlapping with another figure in her memory—the young Hu Yan Taoist.

Back then, Hu Yan was handsome, with a jade-like face and vermilion lips. The lotus crown on his head was always tied meticulously, and his moon-white Taoist robe was always immaculate. He appeared neat and pure, with an extraordinary bearing.

At that time, he had not yet become so addicted to drinking. On one side of his waist hung the silver gourd, and on the other, a red sword. Though called a Taoist, his romantic demeanor made him more like a sword immortal.

Later, at some point, a vermilion wine gourd began to hang from his waist, and the red sword was casually slung behind his back. The sword immortal became a drunken sword immortal, his romantic charm undiminished, with an added touch of carefree elegance.

But when it came to matters of the heart, he was ultimately not adept. Entangled among the three, Bai Fengyi chose to escape, and he also chose to escape, leaving Yun Ni alone, always waiting, holding onto her persistence.

And so she waited, all these years.

No matter what, he came today, so he would no longer run away.

On the other side, Bai Fengyi took a deep look at the figure in the sky, then withdrew his gaze and looked at Yun Ni beside him, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. All the entanglements in his heart suddenly melted away at that moment.

“Sect Master Hu Yan, does the Candle Dragon Sect truly intend to oppose our Ten Directions Tower and meddle in this matter?” The scar-faced man stepped forward and asked Hu Yan Taoist loudly.

“A bunch of shady fellows hiding in the dark, how dare you speak so arrogantly? Dealing with you doesn't require the sect's intervention; I alone am enough.” Old Taoist Hu Yan glanced at the scar-faced man with a contemptuous look and said calmly.

After speaking, he took down the wine gourd from his waist, took a gulp, and swept his gaze downward.

When his eyes fell on Bai Fengyi, his brows raised slightly, and he muttered in confusion, “Why doesn't he seem as big as I remember...”

Although Yun Ni didn't hear what he said, she could guess what he was referring to from his expression. Her eyes darkened, and she gave a cold snort.

Bai Fengyi, feeling his gaze on him, turned his head uncomfortably and averted his eyes.

Bai Suyuan observed the subtle changes in the expressions of these three. With her sharp mind and the previous clues, she had already figured out something.

The “faithless man” and “coward” that her master and ancestor had mentioned earlier were most likely this Elder Hu Yan.

“A bit old, but much more pleasing to the eye than that dark-skinned fellow... Bah, why compare him to that guy!” Bai Suyuan first muttered softly, then a blush crept across her jade-like cheeks, and she spat lightly.

“Was it you who said they couldn't leave?” When Hu Yan Taoist put the wine gourd back at his waist, his gaze fell on Lu Ji again, and he asked coldly.

As he spoke, the huge silver gourd rapidly shrank to its normal size, spun around, and flew back into his hand.

“Hmph! If you want to fight, then fight! Why waste words?” Lu Ji's eyes turned cold, and he retorted without backing down.

Before his words faded, he leaped into midair, confronting Hu Yan Taoist from a distance of over a thousand zhang.

“Hehe, no rush, no rush. Don't you like to bully the few with the many? My beans haven't seen the sun in a long time either. If I don't take them out to bask in the light, they'll really get moldy.” A sly glint flashed in Hu Yan Taoist's eyes as he waved his hand and said with a smile.

With that, he formed a hand seal with one hand, held the silver gourd upside down with the other, and moved his lips slightly.

The spiritual patterns on the silver gourd blazed brightly, and a blurry white light shone at the gourd's mouth. Black beans shaped like broad beans continuously flew out, scattering toward the ground like water poured from a silver pot.

“Rustle, rustle”

A sound like falling rain rang out incessantly, as nearly a thousand densely packed black beans covered half the sky.

“Ding-dong” sounds echoed from the periphery of the square. Each black bean, upon hitting the ground, immediately emitted a dazzling black light, rapidly expanding and transforming. Amid a blur of light, they turned into giant black bean soldiers, each about a zhang tall.

These black-clad bean soldiers were much taller than ordinary people. They wore no armor, only half a flame-shaped black mask on their faces, and each held a huge black axe in their hands, looking very robust and powerful.

Compared to the scar-faced man's green-armored soldiers, the number of black-clad bean soldiers Hu Yan Taoist summoned was much smaller, but their aura was significantly stronger. Moreover, although their faces were identical, the expressions on the half of their faces not covered by the mask were not dull; instead, they showed some human-like changes in expression, suggesting considerable intelligence.

Seeing this, a hint of surprise flashed deep in the scar-faced man's eyes, and a thought of retreat immediately arose in his heart.

His Dao soldiers were clearly inferior in quality to these black-clad bean soldiers. Moreover, after the large-scale consumption earlier, many had been lost, and his original numerical advantage was almost completely gone. If a real fight broke out, the consequences were predictable.

And the advantage of having two Golden Immortals on their side was also lost after Hu Yan Taoist joined. Continuing further would obviously be meaningless.