Unfortunately, Cheng Qian was completely unaware of Master Yan's inner struggles and deep friendship.

His calmness and indifference at this moment was just a show. Three of the people in his group were old, young, sick and disabled, and Cheng Qian was not really a carefree person, so how could he be completely in a trance?

He had only met the island master a few times, and he was a very suspicious person, so there was no trust at all. At this moment, he was trying to regulate his breathing while paying attention to the various movements around him. He thought, "Looking at the confusing situation, there might be a fight soon. It would be best if we could blend in with the independent cultivators. The independent cultivators on Qinglong Island are generally a motley crowd, and they may not be favored by these powerful people. Maybe we can take advantage of the chaos to sneak out."

Then he thought: "If it doesn't work... then I have no choice but to fight. The worst that can happen is that I die here. If I can hold them off for a while, I will die with my eyes closed."

He let it go in his mind and stopped worrying about it. The stagnant true energy in his body actually began to flow much more smoothly.

Amid the panic, the island owner finally spoke and explained, "More than a decade ago, I fought a great demon with a few fellow Taoists. My soul was damaged, so I am still in seclusion to heal my wounds. I wonder what you would like to see?"

Bai Ji pressed on, "So, Island Master Gu is not going to look in this bright mirror?"

The island master glanced at him indifferently, a very tired look flashed across his face, and he sighed: "If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext, even if it is such a ridiculous charge - Lord White House, whether you believe it or not, I have never seen your grandson, and I have never had any soul-devouring lamp in my hand. As for the ghost way..."

He sneered softly, with a hint of sarcasm, as if he was unwilling to participate in this farce.

Zhou Hanzheng raised his eyebrows slightly, tapped his palm with his fan and said, "To be fair, it is ridiculous to say that someone like the island master is a demon cultivator. In the war more than ten years ago, one of the Four Saints died and three were injured. It was very tragic, and it is true. Since the island master said that his soul was damaged and he had been in seclusion for many years to heal his injuries, it doesn't matter if I look at this soul mirror. Anyway, I believe it."

As Zhou Han was saying this, he pinched his five fingers to take back the soul mirror, and immediately left Bai Ji, who had just forced the island owner, alone there, as if he was really a fair man who spoke up for justice!

Bai Ji was so embarrassed that his face immediately turned red. He heard someone behind him sneer, "I'm afraid that Old Bai's life span is coming to an end. His desire to find a grandson is fake, and his real intention is to ascend to heaven by any means necessary, right?"

Bai Ji was furious and asked, "Who are you? Get out!"

A group of people stepped out in response, and the leader was a middle-aged man with a cold face. His eyes and eyebrows showed a sense of "I am not easy to mess with". He looked around with disdain, as if he was checking a group of dog shits of different shapes. Finally, his eyes fell on the master of Qinglong Island and said, "I am Tang Yao from Mulan Mountain. My first disciple Tang Zhen has been missing for a hundred years. I recently heard news about him in your place, so I came to visit you. I am sorry for not being able to greet the island master in advance."

Tang Wanqiu was stunned when he saw the person coming. After a long while, he said in a stammering voice: "...Master?"

For the sake of being a fellow disciple, Tang Yao condescended to glance at her, but he didn't seem to be very friendly and just nodded lightly.

These two people came to Qinglong Island to ask for people as if they had discussed it beforehand. On one side was her master's sect. Even though Tang Wanqiu had left the sect for many years, she felt like she was sandwiched between two huge plywood for a moment, neither of them being a human being.

Zhou Hanzheng said sarcastically: "This is strange. Has Qinglong Island become a place dedicated to recruiting missing people?"

It may be customary for people in Mulan Mountain to speak bluntly. Hearing this, Tang Yao said expressionlessly: "I am not here to ask for someone, but recently someone sent a message to Mulan Mountain saying that they saw Tang Zhen's soul in the East China Sea area. I don't know who is so eager to do good for others. After more than a hundred years, he still worries about the people of other sects. Does Lord Zhou have any ideas?"

Zhou Hanzheng replied without blushing or breathing heavily: "Of course there are still kind and righteous people."

"Benevolence? I've only heard of 'when the great way is abandoned, there is benevolence; when wisdom emerges, there is great hypocrisy.'" Tang Yao, whose stance was a mystery, did not give Zhou Han any face at all. He turned to the master of Qinglong Island and said, "Fellow Daoist Gu, although I have no friendship with you, this useless disciple has become your disciple. I have been grateful for your care over the years. I came here this time to tell you something - we were originally looking for clues in the East China Sea, but we heard a rumor that the demon leader of the Four Saints Fighting was a Bei Ming Jun, and that demon leader had a strange stone in his hand, which fell on Qinglong Island after the battle."

Tang Yao paused, not caring about the island owner's expression, and continued: "They said that you were injured by the big devil and should have died long ago. You have been relying on that strange stone to support you for so many years. I'm afraid that the White Lord also heard about it and came here specifically for that stone, right?"

Bai Ji was caught off guard by this and said angrily, "What nonsense!"

Tang Yao: "Is it that Lord Hu Yanbai knows it himself? I heard that the strange stone has the power to mend the sky, and is also called the 'Wish Come True' stone. It can bring life and death to flesh and bones, and it can improve cultivation. How come Lord Hu Yanbai has been old and immortal, and is he worried about his lifespan? Don't you think about what a good thing the North Sea Demon's thing is!"

Zhou Hanzheng continued meaningfully, "Master Tang, what you mean is that the island master is currently living on a piece of monster stone? This... this is not very decent."

Tang Yao and Zhou Han were talking to each other, and Yan Zhengming was terrified. Others might not know the whole story, but he knew the origin of Lord Bei Ming. He only knew that there were some seniors in the Fuyao sect who had gone astray, but when had they ever had a magic treasure?

When Yan Zhengming thought about this more deeply, a layer of cold sweat almost broke out on the back of his spine. He felt as if they were being skinned and tortured and then hung on the fire.

The island owner did not answer, but just said: "Master Zhou, you have been hiding your identity in my Qinglong Island for decades, so you must have something big in mind."

He completely avoided answering Zhou Hanzheng and Tang Yao's intermittent and echoing probing, but to others, it almost sounded like he had acquiesced.

Seeing the wind turning, Bai Ji immediately said, "Gu Yanxue, you survive by relying on monsters. Are you one of the Four Saints who deceives the world and steals your reputation?"

The independent cultivator shouted even louder, "The sect's skills have always been a secret that is not passed on. Only Island Master Gu recruits independent cultivators to study once every ten years. Do you think he is so generous and just doing good for no reason? Don't dream. Who would be so kind!"

When the cultivator finished speaking, his voice broke and he began to cry. His voice was hoarse and heard under the sound of the waves of the East China Sea behind him. Even those who were not involved in the conversation felt a sense of grief. The dragon that had been dormant was startled again, and it seemed to be about to break out of the water. The disciples of Qinglong Island and the people of Xixing Palace were on the verge of a fight again. However, this time, the cultivators on Qinglong Island all stepped back and watched, becoming vaguely alert.

No one knew who started the fight first, and no one knew how many forces were involved on the island, so the place suddenly became a mess.

At this time, a low "woosh" sound was heard from somewhere, and suddenly more than a dozen cultivators who were originally retreating stood out from the crowd. These people were very strange. They were all fearless and rushed towards the people from the West Palace.

The cultivation level of the independent cultivators was not high, and the one who rushed to the front was immediately beaten to pieces by a sword beam from one of Bai Ji's close followers, dying beyond all possibility of death.

But then, something terrible happened.

The wandering cultivator's internal organs turned into a ball of blood mist that sprayed everywhere, but the four or five pieces of his body were still moving forward like a puppet, as if seeing a ghost.

Although the swordsman from the West Palace had a high level of cultivation, he had never seen such a scene and was so frightened that he took three steps back on the spot.

Looking again, the eyes of these dozen or so casual cultivators were all bloodshot, and a ferocious black aura could be vaguely seen behind them.

Bai Ji was shocked and angry and said, "Gu Yanxue, what else do you have to quibble about?"

Before he finished speaking, the casual cultivator who had been speaking so impassionedly just now suddenly let out a howl that was not like a human voice. His entire body exploded from the chest, and his skin cracked inch by inch, revealing the purple blood vessels and veins underneath. Then this bloody man grabbed Bai Ji's back with his bare hands.

Bai Ji had practiced for nearly a thousand years, so he naturally wouldn't let him get caught. He slapped his hand back, and a palm-sized demon-subduing pestle flew out from his sleeve. It swayed twice in the air, and suddenly stretched to more than a person's length. It fiercely stabbed into the bloody man's crown, nailing him to the spot.

Who would have thought that the bloody man would not die. He was pierced into a skewer by the demon-subduing pestle, but he was still struggling. After a moment, he suddenly exploded, blasting himself into countless pieces of flesh and blood emitting black air.

There were screams from the crowd. Those blood clots were actually highly poisonous and could not be touched.

Zhou Hanzheng's expression changed: "This is the way of drawing souls in the magic practice. A secret symbol is blown into the souls of others without anyone noticing, and those people can be controlled by him."

As soon as these words came out, a large space suddenly appeared beside the island master. Even the original disciples of Qinglong Island looked at their island master in surprise and suspicion - among the powerful people in the world, who else except the four saints could draw the secret talisman?

It seemed as if Tang Yao had been waiting for him to say this. Upon hearing the voice, he turned to the island master and held his long sword horizontally. Tiny flames were already bursting out from the head and tail of the sword, which was the result of his condensed true energy.

Tang Yao said: "Island Master Gu, what do you mean?"

The island owner smiled bitterly and said, "There is no point in making excuses."

Tang Yao asked: "So the strange stone is in your hands?"

His true colors were finally revealed, and after lifting the thousands of fig leaves, he revealed the coveted gem.

However, there were still some people who were unwilling to see the situation clearly. Tang Wanqiu immediately stepped forward and stood beside the island owner, and said tactlessly: "Master, I guarantee with my life that the island owner cannot be a demon cultivator, and it is even more impossible for him to covet any demon creatures!"

"Shut up," Tang Yao growled softly, "Tang Wanqiu, you are getting more and more outrageous. Even if you have left your master, you are still a member of Mu Lanshan. Do you want to betray your master and ancestors?"

Tang Wanqiu was suddenly covered in shameless malice and immediately opened her eyes wide. At this moment, even if she was deceiving herself, she understood that at first glance, the words of the head of Mu Lanshan sounded more high-sounding than Zhou Hanzheng, but it turned out that he had more ill intentions than Zhou Hanzheng.

Tang Wanqiu's face turned pale. After a long silence, she spoke word by word, "Then...then please expel me from the sect, Master."

The island owner sighed, "If you are praised by the world, you will be slandered by the world. It's okay, Wanqiu, you don't have to be like this."

Tang Wanqiu gritted his teeth, unmoved like a turtle eating a weight.

The island owner was about to speak again, but heard Zhou Han, who was standing not too far away, speaking slowly under the bloodstained sea: "I still don't believe it. How could the island owner hide it? Sect Leader Tang, how do you know that the so-called strange stone is on Qinglong Island? Maybe it was annihilated with the great demon? Have you already found out the origin of the Lord of Beiming?"

As soon as these words came out, the island owner's face finally changed. He suddenly grew in size, and his palms slapped Zhou Hanzheng like covering the sky. The man who had been tired and indifferent finally became angry: "Who is your master?"

Zhou Han was trying to evade the attack in a panic, and said in a half-seriously panicked tone, "I am clearly defending the island owner. What does the island owner mean by this?"

Tang Yao intervened and stood between Zhou Hanzheng and the island owner: "What? Are you going to kill someone to silence them?"

The two great men of the time started fighting fiercely. Yan Zhengming, who was in a state of confusion, heard the island master's whisper to him, urging him, "Take your fellow apprentices and blend in with the casual cultivators. Leave quickly while the chaos is going on. Don't mention Fuyao Mountain anymore, let alone your master—you know nothing!"

In a flash, Yan Zhengming's confused mind suddenly figured out a clue - Zhou Hanzheng clearly knew the relationship between Fuyao Sect and Bei Mingjun, which was a threat.

If the island master refuses to admit that the stone is in his hand, he will investigate the matter of Lord Bei Ming coming from the Fuyao Sect. If the stone is not in the hands of the Four Saints, then of course it must still be in the Fuyao Sect!

With such a thing as "wishes come true, life and death, and flesh and bones", even if you are just a little bit suspected, you are destined to be at the center of controversy. Who cares whether you are innocent or died in vain?

Yan Zhengming looked at the shouts and cries of killing on the entire island and felt like he was a fish caught in a crack, with countless knives and chopping boards on his back.

He knew with a shudder of fear that he should carry Xiao Qian on his back and leave immediately with his fellow disciples, but how could he have a clear conscience and let the island owner stand in front of him while being deserted by his friends and relatives?

Yan Zhengming froze in place for a moment, unable to make a decision.

The island owner suddenly shouted, "Tang Wanqiu!"

Tang Wanqiu was struck by lightning when he heard this. His expression changed several times. Finally, he gritted his teeth, turned to Yan Zhengming and said, "I'll escort you. Let's go."

Yan Zhengming: “But…”

Tang Wanqiu frowned and said, "What are you talking about? The affairs of the previous generation have nothing to do with you, so don't get in the way!"

Li Yun's mind could only turn faster. Of course, he would not fail to think of what Yan Zhengming wanted to understand. At this moment, he was afraid that the head brother would be a hero at an inappropriate time, so he hurriedly shouted: "Big brother, Xiao Qian is injured, and the little sister is still so young... You listen to the senior!"

Yan Zhengming turned to look at him blankly. At this moment, he heard the island owner's voice again. The island owner said without question: "I'll take you there."

The island owner who was fighting with Tang Yao in mid-air suddenly spit out a colorful small tripod from his mouth. Tang Yao was shocked and wanted to retreat when he saw that the situation was not right, but it was too late. A hurricane rose up around the tripod, sweeping over everyone on the ground indiscriminately, like a wind dragon rising from the ground.

Yan Zhengming heard a "whoosh" sound in his ear, and before he could react, he was swept in. He could only hear countless screams mixed with the sound of the wind. He didn't know how far he was blown away, and he felt dizzy for a while.

The next moment, Yan Zhengming felt a tightness around his waist, and a rag stretched out like a ghost and wrapped around his waist. Yan Zhengming was pulled by the strange force and staggered to the ground again. He rubbed his eyes desperately, and then he saw that the other piece of rag was held in Tang Wanqiu's hand. The next moment, Tang Wanqiu threw another person over, and Yan Zhengming instinctively caught it. It was Cheng Qian, who looked unhappy.

"The island owner doesn't trust anyone else, so he asked me to escort you. If that's the case, I can't fail to live up to his trust." Tang Wanqiu said, "Get up, let's go."

Li Yun whispered, "Big Brother, let's go."

Yan Zhengming couldn't help but glance at Cheng Qian. Cheng Qian used the sword in his hand to prop himself up. He must have regained some strength after regulating his breathing. When he received Yan Zhengming's gaze, he didn't say much, but simply said, "It's up to you. You decide."

The wind was surging on the island, and the island owner sent a wind dragon to send them far away. From afar, the island owner's figure was hidden in the countless noises and could no longer be seen. Yan Zhengming felt as uncomfortable as if his heart was in turmoil.

It was not until then that he realized that his idea of ​​"returning to Mount Fuyao to practice cultivation in seclusion without seeking fame and fortune" was clearly a dream of his when he was ignorant of the world.

The world is like the tide, even people like the island owner can only go with the flow, let alone them?

Why is this path to immortality so difficult?

"Let's go," Yan Zhengming whispered, "Let's go."

But where to go?

They carefully followed Tang Wanqiu through the hills and woods, and heard the shouting and screaming gradually fading away.

Tang Wanqiu arrived at the beach and threw the tattered cloth strip into the air. The cloth strip turned into several feet long and floated in the air. She motioned for everyone to get on board and said, "It's impossible to find a boat. You can only leave like this. I don't have such a high level of cultivation, and this cloth strip can't last too long. I can't send you across the sea directly. You should first stay on the nearby deserted islands and take a rest. When the storm passes, we can think of a way."

Yan Zhengming's throat was blocked: "Senior, what about you?"

"I have my own destination," Tang Wanqiu turned to the direction of Qinglong Island, "Master Yan, you don't have to worry. The island master is not doing this for you. That Zhou has sneaked into Qinglong Island for so many years, and those independent cultivators who were infected by the painting soul... It means that someone has been deliberately trying to deal with him, the 'world master'. He has already told me that I must send you away safely no matter what. The island master's life span is coming to an end, and he doesn't have many days left. But as long as he lives, I will protect you for one day according to the agreement with the old friend."

Tang Wanqiu rolled up his sleeves and took the lead in wrapping Han Yuan, Zheshi Shuikeng and others in rags, saying, "No one will protect you from now on, so take care of yourselves."

After saying that, Tang Wanqiu wielded her shabby sword, ignored them, and plunged headfirst into the melee, disappearing from view again.

Other female cultivators were all revered as "fairies". Even if a fairy was so poor that she didn't have the misty white gauze, at least she would have a red hairband. But Tang Wanqiu could only produce a tattered cloth belt, which might have been used as a belt.

People who practice cultivation are immune to foul air, and their bones and marrow are cleansed. Although not all of them are stunningly beautiful, they are all pleasing to the eye. Only she has two sweeping eyebrows and a face that looks like she is collecting debts.

She doesn't know her own limitations, and always knows how to make people hate her. Whenever she opens her mouth, she always brings up things that are not relevant to the topic...

Perhaps apart from his uprightness, Master Tang is really good for nothing.