Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen left Demon Subduing City, traveling through the air at a steady pace, befitting a nascent soul cultivator's escape speed.
When he was about 60,000 to 90,000 kilometers away from the city, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure approximately 10,000 kilometers ahead to his left.
Though the person wore a wide-brimmed hat and thin veil to conceal their face and aura, Song Wen immediately recognized Ye Bing.
"Immortal Maiden?" Song Wen transmitted telepathically.
Ye Bing paused slightly at the familiar voice, turning her head to look.
"Gou Jun?"
"It's me."
"Why have you changed your appearance again?"
"To infiltrate Demon Subduing City more easily."
Ye Bing glanced behind Song Wen, a hint of amusement in her voice.
"Even you can slip up sometimes? Looks like you've been spotted!"
Song Wen scanned the area behind him with his divine sense, detecting a man and a woman rapidly closing in from about 3,000 kilometers away.
"Just two ants I deliberately lured out. Immortal Maiden, wait here a moment while I deal with them. Then I'll come find you."
With that, Song Wen ended the telepathic communication and descended into the dense forest below.
Ye Bing wasn't sure what Song Wen was up to, but she didn't press the matter. After flying across thousands of miles, she continued her journey toward Demon Subduing City.
Meanwhile, the man and woman pursuing Song Wen remained completely unaware of his exchange with Ye Bing. They chased him into the dense forest.
Following Song Wen's lingering aura, they tracked him to an underground cavern.
There, Song Wen stood atop a steep rock wall within the cavern, as if awaiting their arrival.
"You've been chasing me for quite some time. What can I do for you?" he asked.
The pair were the early-stage nascent soul steward of the shop and the early-stage Divine Transformation cultivator she had summoned.
"How dare you investigate Young Master Jiang Yushan in Demon Subduing City? You clearly have no respect for the Jiang Family. With Master Chang Heng himself here, you have no chance of escape. If you truthfully explain why you were investigating Young Master Jiang Yushan, perhaps we'll grant you a swift death," the female cultivator said haughtily.
Song Wen's gaze swept over the male cultivator called "Chang Heng," and a cold smile curled his lips.
"So you're not actually from the Jiang Family. If I lose my life here, it would be a rather pointless end."
"A mere late-stage nascent soul cultivator dares to speak such arrogance!" Chang Heng glared at Song Wen with disdain, as if sizing up livestock for slaughter.
"Audacious!" the female cultivator roared. "How dare you disrespect Master Chang Heng..."
Her words were cut short.
Suddenly, an overwhelming aura erupted from Song Wen, like a mountain collapsing or a tsunami surging forth. Accompanied by vast quantities of gray-white Malevolent Qi, it spread in all directions.
The female cultivator and Chang Heng's faces instantly paled, their expressions turning to sheer terror.
Chang Heng, being a Divine Transformation Stage cultivator, reacted slightly faster. Before the Malevolent Qi could reach him, he barely managed to conjure a Mana Shield to protect himself.
Yet when the Malevolent Qi swept over them, it felt like a raging storm. It merely knocked them back several dozen feet, causing no actual harm.
As they regained their footing and realized they were unharmed, they felt no relief at their narrow escape. Instead, their faces grew even paler.
The Malevolent Qi had sealed the entire cavern. Escape was impossible, and even their senses of the outside world had been severed. They were completely trapped.
What plunged them into even deeper despair was the aura emanating from Song Wen, an overwhelming, ceaseless surge like a raging tide—the oppressive presence only a Void Refinement Stage cultivator could wield.
"Senior... this junior acknowledges my error. I have offended you, and humbly beg for your magnanimity in sparing my life."
Among the two, it was the female cultivator with the lower cultivation level who first snapped out of her terror. She immediately dropped to the uneven ground and knelt, pleading desperately for mercy.
Seeing this, Chang Heng hastily descended and knelt beside her.
"Senior, please see through this! This vile woman deceived me, clouding my judgment and driving me to pursue you. It's all her fault! I was merely manipulated by her!"
The female cultivator shot Chang Heng a disbelieving glare.
Song Wen showed no interest in their dog-eat-dog spectacle. He drifted slowly forward, coming to a stop before them, his gaze sweeping down from above.
"If you answer my questions truthfully and to my satisfaction, I might consider sparing your lives."
"Senior, please ask. This junior will answer truthfully to the best of my knowledge," the two cultivators said in unison, their eyes burning with a desperate hope for survival, as if grasping at a lifeline.
"Where is Jiang Yushan?" Song Wen asked.
The hopeful light in their eyes immediately dimmed. They exchanged a sidelong glance, their expressions darkening further.
"It seems..." A chilling aura began to emanate from Song Wen, "you truly don't know Jiang Yushan's whereabouts!"
The female cultivator quickly spoke up, "Jiang Yushan hasn't appeared in Demon Subduing City for many years. This junior genuinely doesn't know his current location. However, if Senior spares me, I promise to repay your kindness by investigating and finding out where Jiang Yushan is."
Chang Heng chimed in, "Senior, I'm like a brother to several Divine Transformation Stage elders of the Jiang Family. If you let me return, I'll definitely extract the information from them."
Having painstakingly lured these two out, only to find them useless, Song Wen's face grew increasingly sinister.
"Two worthless pieces of trash, and you think you'll live to return?"
As he spoke, two blood-colored tentacles extended from beneath his feet.
The tips of the tentacles split open like the gaping jaws of giant serpents, lunging at the pair.
"Spare..." The female cultivator's plea was cut short as the blood-colored tentacle engulfed her.
Chang Heng attempted to resist, but the flying sword he summoned was struck away by the tentacle before he could activate it. He soon met the same fate as the female cultivator.
Song Wen retracted the tentacles and Malevolent Qi, then strode out of the cave, his expression tinged with disappointment.
Just outside the cave, he saw Ye Bing waiting anxiously.
"Who were those two?" Ye Bing asked.
"Two Demon Subduing City ants eager to earn merit and rewards," Song Wen replied.
Ye Bing immediately understood that Song Wen had deliberately lured them here.
"Did you manage to extract any useful leads from them?"
Song Wen shook his head. "What about you? Has Ye Guqiu uncovered Jiang Yushan's whereabouts?"
Ye Bing sighed. "Ye Guqiu reviewed all the Jiang Family intelligence the Ye Family had gathered over the past twenty years, but found no leads. All we know is that Jiang Yushan appeared in Demon Subduing City roughly ten years ago. That was his last public sighting; his whereabouts since then remain unknown."
Song Wen's brow furrowed deeply, and he remained silent.
Seeing this, Ye Bing continued, "It seems Jiang Lanruo is the only one who knows Jiang Yushan's exact location. Do we have to force our way into Demon Subduing City?"
Demon Subduing City was a crucial stronghold against the beast tide, undoubtedly protected by an extremely powerful Entrapment Formation.
Even if Song Wen was confident in his ability to handle Jiang Lanruo, getting caught in such a formation would likely spell disaster.
Ye Bing couldn't help but feel deeply worried.
"Besides Jiang Lanruo, there's likely one other person who knows Jiang Yushan's whereabouts," Song Wen said slowly.
(End of the Chapter)