Chapter 354: Chapter 11 Siege, Self Rescue (3rd Update!)_1

Seeing Bu Chan’s calm demeanor, the few Xuli Sect cultivators were slightly taken aback.

Somewhat inexplicably, their haughty attitudes were subtly subdued.

“We suspect that foreign demon cultivators have infiltrated this place, we are ordered to conduct a search, please step aside,” the leading cultivator said.

Hearing this, Bu Chan’s face showed a timely hint of surprise. She then subtly nodded her head, unobstructed, and stepped to the side.

“In that case, please proceed as you wish,” she said.

A few disciples from the Xuli Sect wasted no time after seeing this and proceeded with their intrusion.

Wang Ba, who was observing through his spiritual sense, noticed that they had searched his house and, in the end, they took away the left-over Spirit Condensing Incense from his meditation room, as well as his Spirit Jade Futon used for meditation.

Soon, having found nothing, these people walked out somewhat disgruntled.

Before leaving, they even begrudgingly dug up the spirit field in the grass where the Class I Spirit Plant was planted.

“Let’s go, onto the next one!” they said.

Seeing this, Wang Ba secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Recalling Bu Chan’s calm demeanor when facing the cultivators from the Xuli Sect earlier, she acted composed and unruffled.

Wang Ba was not only surprised but also filled with joy.

Had Bu Chan not withdrawn the Spirit Beast in time and removed the formation before they broke in, thus avoiding their detection of the Class III formation, an inevitable conflict with the cultivators from the Xuli Sect would have ensued.

If that had happened, although he might have been able to escape this place, staying in Yan State would be practically impossible.

Moreover, Bu Chan’s clever move of purposely leaving behind the futon, Spirit Condensing Incense and the Spirit Plant in the spirit field.

This way, she not only prevented the Xuli Sect cultivators from leaving empty-handed and getting angry out of embarrassment, but also avoided raising their suspicion by leaving too clean of a scene.

One could say that Bu Chan was able to think of all this in such a short time and arranged everything methodically. Her composure truly exceeded Wang Ba’s expectations.

In his impression, he still vaguely thought of Bu Chan as the naive young girl he met when they first met.

However, recalling the assertiveness of Bu Chan when she expressed her feelings for him, a sense of realization rose in Wang Ba’s heart.

Perhaps this was the real Bu Chan, a woman who never lacked courage and wisdom.

However, in front of Wang Ba, she willingly concealed her brilliance and silently supported him.

She fulfilled Wang Ba as well as herself.

Perhaps, this is one of the meanings of the word “cultivation partner”.

Wang Ba had a hint of realization in his heart.

Bu Chan, who had lightly finished such a huge task, stood at the door, without intentionally hiding her close relationship with Wang Ba. Her gaze fell on him, natural and relaxed.

Seeing this, Wang Ba couldn’t help but silently commend her.

It’s better this way, deliberately avoiding it would more likely draw the cultivator’s attention.

After all, most cultivators are keen observers. Deceiving them is not an easy task.

Soon, after interrogating several cultivators who had followed Wang Ba out, the Xuli Sect cultivators finally came over to him and started to question him.

Because of Wang Ba’s identity as a Foundation Establishment cultivator, he was questioned by one of the two late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.

He had a gentle face and appeared to be very amiable.

However, Wang Ba did not dare to underestimate him.

“Hehe, please don’t be nervous, my name is Wang Tang. How should I address you?” he asked. To Wang Ba’s surprise, the man did not rush to question him, instead, he started to chat leisurely.

“Nice to meet you, Brother Wang. My surname is Zhao,” Wang Ba quickly put on a flattered look.

“Surname Zhao… Do you have any relation with Zhao Wei from the Changyi Society of Shanli?” Wang Tang asked, still smiling warmly, but his question made Wang Ba inwardly startle!

Thoughts raced through Wang Ba’s mind. After a brief pause, he didn’t hesitate and said:

“Who is Zhao Wei? My name is Zhao Feng, and I don’t know this person.”

I’m sorry, senior brother! Wang Ba thought to himself.

He was not afraid of his name being revealed, after all, he had lived in the cultivator gathering place for so long, and while people knew his surname was Zhao, no one knew his full name.

As for the name Zhao Wei, it was a false name he used to cover his identity as Master Shen Fu.

“Hehe, I see. I was just curious, Zhao Wei is also an early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, just like you… Hehe, what a coincidence,” Wang Tang said, laughing.

Then, he suddenly asked, “By the way, have you ever used chicken essence?”

“Well… I have used it,” Wang Ba didn’t hide it as many rogue cultivators around here knew about it. It was something he couldn’t hide even if he wanted to.

“Oh, in that case, you’ve been to the Changyi Society in Shanli, right? So, have you seen auctioneer Zhao Wei from the Changyi Society?”

“Hehe, I was just asking, please don’t overthink it,” Wang Tang continued to be polite.

However, Wang Ba had already grown extremely wary.

Thoughts raced through his mind. He shook his head quickly and said:

“I’ve never met this person you’re talking about. Isn’t the Changyi Society always hosted by Brother Wen?”

Wang Tang stared at Wang Ba for a few breaths, then suddenly smiled again:

“It seems like you haven’t been there recently. For the last two Changyi Society meetings, Zhao Wei was the one conducting the auction.”

“Hehe, so that’s what it was,” Wang Ba also put on a smile and a hint regret: “It’s a shame I missed it. It would have been interesting to meet someone else named Zhao, who knows, we might even be related by blood.”

“Indeed, it is a pity,” Wang Tang agreed and then turned serious: “Brother Zhao, shall we begin now?”

“Please go ahead,” Wang Ba appeared sincere.

“Do you know Master Jin, who is adept at alchemy? Are you… ”

“Are you associated with the Zhenling Palace? How about Huifeng Valley? What about the Danlong School? Or are you related to other minor sects? How about the Wujing School…”

Even though they claimed to be searching for demon cultivators, none of the questions asked were related to them.

Wang Ba understood their intentions clearly, and for these questions, he answered impeccably.

“Master Shen Fu who excels in making chicken essence? I’ve heard of him, but unfortunately, I don’t know him.”

“A cultivator proficient in the Hundred Arts? My partner happens to be good at growing Class I spirit fields… Oh, other than that, I’m not very familiar with it.”

“The Wujing School… I once had an encounter with one of their Golden Core elders, but he has long been deceased…”

During his answers, his emotions ranged from surprise to reminiscence, confusion, and cluelessness.

There were no loopholes therein.

The questioning session.

Soon, a thin, Foundation Establishment cultivator quietly walked up to Wang Tang, said something in a low voice, and …

Wang Tang nodded, then immediately turned to Wang Ba with a full-faced smile:

“Haha! Congratulations, my friend, I knew you were innocent of any involvement with those demon cultivators.”

“On that note, please feel free to head back.”

Wang Ba was taken aback.

However, he didn’t lose his composure and quickly bowed in salute:

“Then I shall take my leave. Thank you for your courtesy.”

“It’s just part of my duty, nothing to stress about.”

Wang Tang responded with a broad smile.

However, as Wang Ba entered the house, the smile on Wang Tang’s face gradually disappeared.

At the same time, the thin and frail cultivator nearby showed a look of confusion:

“Senior Brother, didn’t I just mention it? This Zhao Feng clearly knows Zhao Wei exists, yet he denied it. There’s definitely something off, why did you let him go?”

Upon hearing this, Wang Tang sneered coldly:

“No rush, he won’t get far. Go, assign a couple of men to question his companion thoroughly, we need to buy some time.”

“Also, it seems like we’re going to catch a big fish this time!”

“A big fish?”

The thin cultivator looked puzzled.

Wang Tang smiled:

“Junior Brother Xu just sent me a sound transmission. Among this group of Foundation Establishment cultivators, he found a Master Mi who is skilled at crafting ‘Class II Thunder Seeds’.”

“There are also some others who appear to have intricate connections with famous Hundred Arts cultivators…”

“An unexpected joy!”

“Clearing out these gathering spots of the rogue cultivators seems quite valuable.”

With that, a chill flickered in Wang Tang’s eyes:

“However, our strategy has to change slightly. We’ve made a big gain this time, but we can’t let the members from Huifeng Valley and Danlong School know. Any rogue cultivators that can be taken away should be; those who can’t … kill them on the spot!”

“Kill on the spot?”

The dry and thin cultivator was visibly shocked.

Although Xuli Sect was notorious for its merciless treatment of rogue cultivators, they rarely went so far as outright murder, fearing a collective outrage.

Although they’ve beaten the rogue cultivators to pulp, given the large quantity of rogue cultivators, there were bound to be a few powerhouses among them. Most of these powerful rogue cultivators had left the Yan State, but one could never rule out the possibility that provoking them too much would bring them back.

“Just clean up carefully afterward, no need to worry.”

Wang Tang dismissed his concerns and quickly gave out instructions:

“Perform a quick sweep one more time to ensure there are no escapees.”

“As soon as we’re certain, move in immediately!”

“Hurry up!”

“Yes!”

The thin cultivator responded instantly.

Swiftly,

A few more Foundation Establishment cultivators appeared around Bu Chan, probing him with numerous questions.

These questions were incredibly detailed, even leaning towards the petty and boring side.

Standing behind the formation only a partition away from Bu Chan, Wang Ba couldn’t help but frown slightly.

He had a feeling that Wang Tang’s questions were not as simple as they seemed.

However, he had no idea where the problem might lie.

“Hold on, it might not be the questions themselves, but something else?”

He suddenly remembered that every time someone finished questioning, that thin cultivator would go over and whisper into the interrogating cultivator’s ear.

It was as if this thin cultivator was the one deciding whether or not the answers were correct.

This cultivator probably had an ability to judge the truth in a person’s words.

Realizing this, Wang Ba became increasingly uneasy.

Especially when he noticed that the Xuli Sect cultivators at the door were asking more and more detailed questions to Bu Chan, and many questions started to become repetitive, he finally felt a strong sense of danger.

“That Wang Tang, he’s probably stalling.”

“But why would he do that?”

Wang Ba pondered, but couldn’t come up with the reason.

However, he couldn’t shake off the ominous feeling in his heart.

The spiritual sense of cultivators become increasingly sharp with advancements in cultivation level and soul strength, and Wang Ba did not dare to ignore this intuition.

“No! I can’t wait any longer!”

Wang Ba gritted his teeth and finally made a decision.

Without any hesitation, he used another Teleportation Talisman connected to a ‘Teleportation Array Plate’.

In an instant, he disappeared from his initial location.

When he reappeared, he was in a cave beneath a cliff.

Without any hesitation, Wang Ba immediately sent out two Sound Transmission Talismans.

After doing so, Wang Ba used the original Teleportation Talisman once again.

And returned to the room in his house.

…

In the sky above Baiyun Prairie and towards the direction of Huifeng Valley,

Streaks of light from flying magic tools were speeding across the sky.

However, at that moment, the leading streak of light seemed to perceive something and abruptly halted.

A figure emerged from the light.

It was the cultivator surnamed Feng from Huifeng Valley.

He stared ahead with focused eyes.

Although the surrounding cultivators didn’t understanding why, none dared to question it and they all stopped as well.

Soon, a Sound Transmission Talisman came flying in from a distance and landed in the hands of the Feng cultivator.

The Feng cultivator’s face showed a confused look.

However, when he saw the content of the Sound Transmission Talisman, his expression changed instantly.

Surprise, joy, rage…

“Senior Brother Feng, what…”

The long-faced cultivator next to him couldn’t help asking in confusion.

Like waking up from a dream, the Feng cultivator directly threw the Sound Transmission Talisman at the long-faced cultivator.

Reading the contents, the long-faced cultivator only needed to see the first line before his expression changed as well.

“Master Shen Fu is at the gathering place of rogue cultivators on the southeastern corner of Baiyun Prairie…”

“And it’s currently surrounded by the Xuli Sect?!”