As if Having Made Some Kind of Resolution

When the true form of the Tengshe revealed itself, all humans and demons understood that things had gotten out of hand.

The Tengshe was a creature of fierce omen, and its way of breaking up a fight was extremely simple: act with fists, not words.

Streaks of flying fire chains tore open rift after rift, naturally wrapping around the necks of certain demons who were still fighting even after seeing its true body.

Zheng Zhaoling could no longer stall for time. Instead, she focused wholeheartedly on suppressing the situation—the longer the Tengshe's true body was displayed, the harder the aftermath would be to handle.

She also employed the ultimate method of her seniors: first, having two Mahayana cultivators suppress half of Yunmeng Ze.

The Mahayana cultivators only needed to release their coercive aura to easily suppress half of Yunmeng Ze.

The remaining half accounted for the time Zheng Zhaoling had promised to delay.

Any more than that, and she would be completely out of ideas.

The Tengshe's true body, formed by Yunze, naturally saw that Zheng Zhaoling was indeed keeping her original promise. She neither stalled nor held him back, but was genuinely helping suppress Yunmeng Ze.

When the True Monarch-level demons of Yunmeng Ze saw Zheng Zhaoling hovering in the sky above, releasing her aura and utilizing divine abilities, they realized that this incident perhaps wasn't a plot by the Yunmeng Pavilion after all.

Since the Yunmeng Pavilion wasn't planning an upheaval, they naturally complied with the orders Yunze had issued earlier.

Thus, this sudden riot in Yunmeng Ze ended somewhat anticlimactically.

It had started inexplicably with massive momentum, but the speed at which it was suppressed was equally fast.

The entirety of Yunmeng Ze grew quiet once again.

Zheng Zhaoling wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed.

However, after things quieted down, there were no further anomalies, and Cui Hao didn't use the token again.

From the looks of it... Cui Hao should have gotten the job done.

Zheng Zhaoling sighed softly and looked toward the east—the location mentioned in Cui Hao's letter.

At this moment, it was calm and peaceful there, as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you for your assistance, Fellow Daoist."

The Tengshe's true body transformed back into human form, and Yunze cupped his hands in gratitude.

Zheng Zhaoling turned her gaze to Yunze. At this moment, Yunze's eyes were still a deep crimson, and the fierce spiritual energy around his body had yet to completely dissipate.

She cupped her hands in return and said:

"This incident is highly unusual. Fellow Daoist must have a lot to investigate, so I won't get in your way. Go ahead and handle your affairs. Once you're done, we can talk."

Seeing Zheng Zhaoling's righteous aura and clear conscience, and knowing her words were sincere, Yunze's internal anger, though not entirely dissipated, softened his tone a bit:

"Then I thank Fellow Daoist for your understanding."

Zheng Zhaoling nodded gently, showing goodwill once more:

"If you need anything, feel free to discuss it with the elders of my sect. You may use my name."

Now that the Tengshe's true form had been revealed, it was no small matter. The sect would naturally ask questions and investigate to confirm the situation.

Although she was a core disciple, it was naturally better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

By doing him a favor now, when the sect inevitably investigated, Yunze would only need to tell the truth, and she would be spared a lot of hassle.

Yunze was slightly confused but nodded in agreement anyway.

After all, with the great name of Yunmeng Pavilion backing him, it would be much easier to suppress those foolish demons who couldn't read the situation and thought they could profit from it.

After expressing his thanks, Yunze turned and returned to the Yunmeng Cave Heaven.

Zheng Zhaoling stood there, watching Yunze leave. Then, she concealed her figure and headed toward Huaze Village.

The matter was settled. Although Cui Hao hadn't made a move during the chaos, it didn't mean his target wasn't the Tengshe—after all, confirming the presence of a Tengshe in Yunmeng Ze might have been his core objective.

As for how to tell, the first step was to see if Cui Hao was still in Huaze Village.

Cui Hao had Golden Core cultivation; if he wanted to hide, he naturally wouldn't be in danger.

If, after finishing his task, he chose to flee Yunmeng Ze without communicating with her, it was highly probable that he had ulterior motives.

Sometimes, a willingness to stay and handle the aftermath was enough to prove whether someone's heart was true.

The commoners of Huaze Village were naturally startled by the sudden commotion, but fortunately, the village wasn't within the blast radius.

Zheng Zhaoling, hiding her presence, passed through the crowds of people standing around curiously wondering what had happened, and headed straight for the shrine. She unceremoniously swept her divine sense inside.

A moment later, Zheng Zhaoling's expression improved significantly.

At the entrance of the shrine.

Zheng Zhaoling pushed the door open and entered.

Cui Hao was still sitting inside, doing nothing at all. He just sat there quietly, as if waiting for Zheng Zhaoling to arrive.

Zheng Zhaoling looked at Cui Hao and took a soft breath.

"I'm sorry," Cui Hao spoke first, looking somewhat guilty. "I didn't know God Yunze's true body was a Tengshe. By doing this, I've dragged you down."

"If you truly didn't know, then naturally you shouldn't be blamed," Zheng Zhaoling said slowly. "The crux of the matter is whether you were trying to find out."

Cui Hao looked at Zheng Zhaoling with a calm gaze.

His Third Senior Sister had completed her mission and was preparing to evacuate Yunmeng Ze.

At this point, he didn't have much left to do. However, if he were to act on his conscience, he needed to stay, give a proper explanation, and see if he could still be of any help.

The Tengshe's appearance alone indicated its extraordinary identity. Naturally, Cui Hao had consulted the walking encyclopedia of the cultivation world—his Third Senior Sister.

After all, since childhood, his Third Senior Sister spent her time either cultivating or reading, and she possessed a near-photographic memory.

During her time at the Tianyan Sect, she had read through numerous precious ancient texts. When it came to wealth of knowledge, his Third Senior Sister was likely unrivaled in the entire sect; even their master probably couldn't compare.

When Cui Hao learned of the Tengshe's true identity and rarity from his Third Senior Sister...

...he understood that this was by no means a trivial matter, and that Zheng Zhaoling herself was likely unaware of it.

If she had truly known, it was highly unlikely she would have forced Yunze into making concession after concession.

Cui Hao couldn't definitively say whether Zheng Zhaoling was a good person, but in this particular matter, she undoubtedly played the role of the good guy.

No matter what, one shouldn't let a good person's heart grow cold.

Cui Hao first gestured for Zheng Zhaoling to sit, then said:

"Naturally, I found out unintentionally. I waited for Fellow Daoist here precisely to have an open and honest conversation with you."

Zheng Zhaoling sat down. Hearing this, a smile touched the corners of her lips.

"If you truly want to be open and honest, you should start by clarifying identities. I don't believe you still don't know who I am."

Hearing this, Cui Hao let out a breath. He looked at Zheng Zhaoling for a moment, then reached for his waist and placed the scabbard containing Wanban on the table.

His master was now renowned across the Five Continents, and his master's spiritual treasure naturally shared that fame—especially its reputation for being able to withstand heavenly tribulations head-on.

As for this sword, Wanban, those who could recognize it all had high cultivation bases, and those who couldn't didn't need to anyway.

Zheng Zhaoling looked calmly at the scabbard on the table.

Cui Hao stroked it gently, then grasped the hilt.

Then, as if making a firm decision.

He pulled with all his might!

The next moment.

It didn't budge an inch.

Zheng Zhaoling cast a suspicious look his way.

What kind of pantomime was he performing?

Cui Hao stared wide-eyed at Wanban in front of him, his tone anxious and aggrieved:

"Boss! You're messing with me at a time like this?!"