Chapter 143: Meeting Again

The elderly cultivator cast his gaze upon Hu San. Since Puppet Yi's cultivation level was considerably higher than Hu San's, the old cultivator had always assumed that Puppet Yi held the dominant position. Now, however, it was evident that Hu San was the one truly giving the orders.

"That is not what you said earlier."

"Earlier was earlier. I have changed my mind now," Hu San said coldly.

"Then what must I do for you to let these commoners go?" the old cultivator asked helplessly. With the initiative now firmly in Hu San's hands, the old cultivator had no choice but to bow his head.

Earlier, seeing that Hu San and Puppet Yi were remnants of the Fire Cloud Cave—a domain that inherently belonged to demons—the old cultivator had assumed that the villagers living under demonic rule would endure a life of endless suffering. Consequently, he had wanted to eliminate Puppet Yi and Hu San to save the villagers.

However, the old cultivator had underestimated Puppet Yi's strength and misjudged Hu San's tactical mind. Given his own abilities, the old cultivator could easily have fled and left the place entirely, but his code of honor refused to allow it. His current disposition was inextricably linked to the events that had transpired at Mount Wuzhang.

"Come and meet our Great King."

Hu San's directive left Puppet Yi utterly perplexed. Puppet Yi secretly transmitted his voice to Hu San:

"Why are you taking him to see the Master?! The task assigned by the Master did not include anything of the sort."

"This old man's strength is on par with yours; he makes for a fine enforcer. Didn't the Great King say he wanted to recruit troops and gather warriors for the Fire Cloud Cave? Don't you think this old man is enough?"

Hu San's explanation silenced Puppet Yi, for what Hu San said was undeniably true.

"Just that?"

"Just that."

"Since that is the case, this old man is willing to accompany the two of you. But there is one condition: you must swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao."

In the Primordial World, karmic entanglement was the heaviest burden one could bear along the path of cultivation. Swearing an oath to the Heavenly Dao meant planting a seed of karma; should one break the oath, retribution would inevitably befall them in the future.

Hu San's expression turned somewhat unnatural. The one truly making the decisions was Yuan Wuji, not him. If Yuan Wuji harbored any other intentions, Hu San had no power to stop them, yet the karmic backlash would descend upon his own head. This left Hu San caught in a dilemma.

Puppet Yi, however, carried no such reservations. He was, after all, a puppet; even if the karmic retribution fell upon him, he had nothing to fear.

Therefore, Puppet Yi resolutely swore the oath before the old cultivator. Seeing Puppet Yi act with such decisiveness, Hu San slowly stepped forward as well. Since he was the masterminding party and Puppet Yi had already taken the oath, he had no choice but to follow suit.

Only after Hu San had also sworn the oath did the old cultivator abandon his resistance and depart from the village of Duoyuan Temple with Hu San and Puppet Yi.

"Rest assured, they have given me their word. You will all be safe."

The old cultivator's words filled the villagers' hearts with a sense of guilt; in their eyes, he had been captured solely because of them.

"Old man, do not be so pessimistic. We are not leading you to your execution," Hu San vaguely hinted to the old cultivator that this journey held no fatal danger for him.

"If you are not taking my life, you expect me to work for you. Do demons ever bring about any good?"

Hu San did not know how to respond. Ultimately, everything depended on Yuan Wuji's attitude. If the old cultivator remained stubborn, Hu San mentally marked him as good as dead.

Ignoring Hu San, the old cultivator turned his gaze toward Puppet Yi.

"Fellow Daoist, we are both of human descent. Why would you aid demons?"

In the old cultivator's eyes, Puppet Yi's strength was undeniably formidable, yet he could not fathom why Puppet Yi willingly lowered himself to serve as a demon's subordinate.

"I care nothing for humanity or whatever else. I obey only my Master."

Puppet Yi's reply left the old cultivator utterly shaken. To take a demon as one's master? Puppet Yi's strength was already on par with his own; just how terrifying must the power of the demon who could command him truly be?

"Old man, do not bother trying to reason with him. He has a one-track mind and only obeys our Great King. You might as well give up."

"You..."

Realizing there was no common ground for conversation, the old cultivator simply closed his eyes and ignored them entirely, a development that suited Hu San just fine.

Back at the Fire Cloud Cave, Yuan Wuji had not deliberately concealed his presence, and thus his aura could be faintly sensed even from outside the cavern.

"This... aura...?" Approaching the entrance of the Fire Cloud Cave, the old cultivator was gripped by a profound terror. The impression left by Yuan Wuji's aura was simply too deeply etched into his memory.

"Old man, why have you stopped walking?"

Hu San and Puppet Yi turned around. Seeing the old cultivator hesitate, they suspected he might be trying to escape and glared at him vigilantly.

"So this is fate! Back then, I chose to flee out of fear, yet now I have delivered myself right to their doorstep. It seems my karmic retribution has arrived—the karma of my betrayal of the late Emperor has finally caught up with me." Two lines of old tears streamed down the corners of the old cultivator's eyes.

Startled by this sudden outburst, Hu San and Puppet Yi hurriedly asked:

"Old man, why are you crying? Surely you aren't frightened out of your wits, are you?"

Without answering Hu San, the old cultivator strode resolutely into the Fire Cloud Cave with the air of one marching to their death.

"What is wrong with this old man?"

"Who knows?"

Although they were clueless as to why the old cultivator's demeanor had shifted so drastically, Hu San and Puppet Yi closely followed behind him.

Inside the cave, Yuan Wuji had already sensed three distinct auras approaching the Fire Cloud Cave. Two belonged to Hu San and Puppet Yi, while the third caused Yuan Wuji to pause for a moment.

"Such a familiar aura. So it is him."

Yuan Wuji had already identified the newcomer. However, how had Hu San and Puppet Yi managed to bring him to the Fire Cloud Cave? The old man's strength was roughly equal to Puppet Yi's; the two of them should not have possessed the capability to capture and drag him back here.

When the old cultivator stepped into the cave, Yuan Wuji's gaze lingered on him for a few extra seconds.

*There are traces of a struggle, but no fatal injuries upon his body,* Yuan Wuji observed the old cultivator, thinking to himself.

The old cultivator stood quietly inside the cavern, uttering not a word and making no sudden movements, resembling nothing so much as an old man awaiting his demise.

Hu San also entered the cave. Seeing the old cultivator standing there, he immediately hurried over to Yuan Wuji and reported:

"Great King, this is the one we—"

"No need to speak. Puppet Yi, come here for a moment."

Rather than listening to Hu San's explanation, it was far more efficient to read it directly from Puppet Yi's mind.

As Puppet Yi stepped up beside him, Yuan Wuji placed a hand atop his head. Within moments, the entire sequence of events became crystal clear to Yuan Wuji.

"You may withdraw."

Fixing his gaze upon the old cultivator, Yuan Wuji curved his lips into a smile:

"Grand Preceptor, it has been a long time."

"Divine Ape King, I know I can hardly escape death today, but I beg you to spare the innocent villagers upon Hao Mountain."

The old cultivator had witnessed Yuan Wuji's methods firsthand at Mount Wuzhang, and it was then that Yuan Wuji had left an indelible mark of terror upon his heart. Though negotiating with Yuan Wuji seemed utterly absurd, the old cultivator could not help but make the plea.