Master of Strange Dao

A black-robed man sat inside, drinking tea by himself.

Yu Ziqing's face was as calm as water as he stepped toward the pavilion.

Seeing the man, even though the black robe was utterly unremarkable and there was no aura to be sensed, Yu Ziqing could distinguish merely from subtle movements that this was an old acquaintance.

Yu Ziqing wanted to laugh; he had been waiting for him.

If he hadn't come, Yu Ziqing would have figured out a way to lure him over.

Without him, how else could he deliver certain messages?

He couldn't very well drag Old Song out to stroll around again.

Well, Old Song was indeed a backup plan.

Thinking about what he had to do next, he borrowed the strength of the Five Little Ones to forcibly suppress his laughter.

"What are you holding back?"

The black-robed man asked.

"If I could defeat you, I would have already struck you down."

"Then you'd better hold it in. If you make a move, I'll have no excuse to spare your life."

The black-robed man held a teacup, his tone very calm.

In truth, when he saw Yu Ziqing, he wanted to turn around and leave.

Unfortunately, the last time he asked Yu Ziqing questions, he got answers unusually smoothly.

Even knowing that Yu Ziqing had deliberately told them that information last time to avoid trouble,

others still felt he certainly had some unspeakable means to make Yu Ziqing so cooperative, considering he was a Primordial Spirit Realm strong cultivator.

Moreover, having been there once, it made for easier questioning the second time.

He didn't want to see Yu Ziqing, not wanting to appear within a thousand miles of him even.

Every time he saw Yu Ziqing, he felt like a sharp blade hung over his head, ready to fall at any moment, taking his life.

Now, sensing Yu Ziqing seemed to be suppressing something, clearly stating that if he had enough power, he would kill him.

Yet the black-robed man still dared not make a move.

Just that thought made him feel the blade above his head drop a few inches.

"You don't need to harbor any hostility toward me. To be honest, I don't want to see you either.

I just have reasons I must come to meet you."

For instance, a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure that could speed up his recovery.

His primordial spirit was heavily injured; the last heavenly treasure only mended it, akin to sewing up a wound. Real recovery was still distant.

Recently, things seemed more and more amiss; obtaining a heavenly treasure to first recover was the proper urgent matter.

"I have no grievances with your Jinlan Mountain, and your resentment shouldn't be directed at me."

The black-robed man spoke kindly, which was uncommon when dealing with Yu Ziqing.

"What makes you different from the others?"

"Forget it, I know you went to the Abyss. Where's that Mountain Goat Demon? I only want to ask some questions. If you all answer honestly, I'll leave immediately."

"Dead."

Yu Ziqing waved his hand, and a pitch-black coffin fell to the ground.

From within the coffin, thick Death Qi continuously seeped outward.

Without waiting for the black-robed man to speak, Yu Ziqing directly opened the coffin lid.

The Death Qi surged out, and Old Yang lay within, the Death Qi constantly emanating from him.

"You want to ask him something, ask him yourself."

The black-robed man was somewhat surprised, looking at Yu Ziqing's grim face, seeming ready to strike yet powerless.

He felt it best to hurry up with his questioning as the sword hanging overhead seemed to have dropped a bit more.

This made him feel uneasy.

He somewhat regretted not taking a firmer stand then, controlling his hand, refusing seemingly simple tasks.

The black-robed man waved his hand, thoughtfully closing the coffin lid.

"Don't lump me in with those others; I have little relation to them.

I merely came to ask what happened over there."

"Entered the sealing, all died."

"Could you be more specific?"

"More specific? Inside the seal was a Ninth Tier Peak master who had turned Devilic, killed them all, and that's it."

"How did you survive?"

"Heh, how did I survive? Not because I'm strong, merely because I was lucky, because that master, unwilling to wreak havoc, self-destructed and abolished his Dao at the last moment."

The black-robed man understood.

No wonder he didn't further ask, "After that master self-destructed, how did you get out?" Such nonsense didn't need questioning.

Regardless, Yu Ziqing was a cultivator; facing someone with all cultivation wasted, one hand was enough.

Seeing Yu Ziqing's attitude this time was entirely different from last.

The black-robed man felt it was better to speak kindly, not wanting to take blame unfoundedly.

"Once again, I harbor no malice toward your Jinlan Mountain, nor any grievance. I merely had to come to ask you a few questions.

If you seek vengeance for him, you should look for someone else."

The black-robed man carefully sensed, noticing that his crisis sense seemed slightly diminished.

"If I were to ask who this someone else is, would you tell me?"

"If I were to say, I don't even know his identity, would you believe it?"

"I'd believe you; as a Primordial Spirit Realm strong being, there's no reason for you to deceive someone like me with words."

"There is someone, with a very peculiar aura. Although also Ninth Tier, once you see him, you'd definitely remember. He's chilling and unsettling, making people extremely uncomfortable."

Upon saying this, the black-robed man immediately felt the blade overhead rise significantly.

He then felt more at ease.

As the saying goes, better a fellow traveler dies than oneself, and he didn't even know that person's identity; whether that person lived or died was of no concern to him.

What he cared about was his calamity seemed to be retreating into the distance.

The black-robed man being so forthcoming left Yu Ziqing bewildered.

He was utterly stunned, forgetting what was to be said next.

Did this black-robed man just sell out his teammate like that?

The black-robed man sighed internally with relief; he didn't understand why, but it didn't matter, as long as he could shift his calamity onto someone else. Whoever that may be was irrelevant to him.

"Alright, I'm done asking."

The black-robed man turned and left. Initially planning to inquire about the Shi family, he thought better of it; that person from the Shi family wasn't worth the risk of asking another question here.

He left behind the ostentatious pavilion and teaware, flying away just like that.

Yu Ziqing stood there dazed, not understanding why for a long moment.

Thinking it over and over, he could only assume those people internally also harbored discord, perhaps even having rivalries among themselves.

That black-robed man stated multiple times he bore no grudges or malice toward Jinlan Mountain, fearing any entanglement with it.

Last time, he exercised extreme caution, and this time it seemed even more exaggerated.

Was a Primordial Spirit Realm strong cultivator facing someone weak like himself really necessary?

Or was it a way to use his mouth to inform who he believed were strong within Jinlan Mountain?

These strong individuals were indeed inscrutable.