'What are you looking at? Never seen a handsome guy before?'

Yang An couldn't help but flinch, and he immediately realized what the problem was.

'The Buddha's Radiant Wheel and the Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell both just appeared behind me. Is that why this mysterious old man has taken notice?'

Instinctively, Yang An concealed both the wheel and the Technique, pretending he hadn't seen a thing as he prepared to leave.

'This old man is far too powerful. And that short sword in his hand is radiating an incredibly dense stench of blood and an aura of slaughter.'

Yang An had the distinct feeling that the man might strike him down at any second.

'To avoid any complications, it's best to slip away now.'

Yang An immediately took flight, heading in the direction he'd just come from. That area had already been cleared of both Cultivators and Demon Fiends, making it the least dangerous place to be.

But before he could get far, an immense pulling force erupted from behind him. It was as if countless hands had grabbed him in an instant, forcibly dragging him backward at high speed.

Yang An's heart sank. 'The old man is making his move!'

The thought had barely crossed his mind, and before he could even attempt to resist, he found himself hovering in the air above Ten Directions Palace.

Now, they were face to face, only two or three meters apart.

The old man had a few age spots on his face, and his expression was a mixture of amusement, appreciation, and a hint of solemnity.

Yang An, however, was still trying to process what had happened, and the atmosphere hung awkwardly between them.

He quickly realized, however, that the old man hadn't attacked him. He had only pulled him closer and was now staring at him with that strange expression. He likely wanted to ask something.

'Maybe my life isn't in immediate danger, then.' Bolstered by this thought, he carefully chose his words and ventured a question.

"Senior, may I ask for what reason you have summoned me?"

'He's most likely a high-ranking figure in the Golden Thread Pavilion, someone with an extraordinary status. Just from his power and bearing, I can tell he's far above any State Lord.'

Yang An didn't know what rank was above State Lord within the Golden Thread Pavilion. Bow Lady had absorbed a great deal of information about the Treasure Temple Domain, but she wasn't omniscient.

'You don't hit a man who's smiling at you,' as the saying goes. It was best to be as polite as possible. If the old man responded in kind, the situation would become much easier to manage.

Hearing Yang An's question, the old man didn't respond immediately. Instead, he lifted his short sword and gently wiped the blade with his sleeve.

The moment his sleeve touched the blade, the flesh of the old man's arm began to visibly distort, rippling like a liquid.

His arm returned to normal only after he finished wiping the blade and lowered it. He then looked back at Yang An and grinned, revealing a set of bone-white teeth.

"If I'm not mistaken, that technique you just used was the Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell, wasn't it? And that wheel... Hmm, let me think. It seems to be related to the Great Virtue Temple as well. Is it the Bright King Wheel or the Great Sun Wheel? Or maybe the Nine Marvels Wheel? It looks like it hasn't reached its full potential yet!"

The old man stroked his chin, musing aloud.

Across from him, Yang An's mind was in turmoil.

'He could tell all that with just a glance?'

It wasn't surprising that the old man recognized the Great Brightness Buddha Golden Zen Spell; its characteristics were quite distinct.

But the Buddha's Radiant Wheel was another matter. Even Yang An himself only knew that it was manifested from the fusion of several Sacrificial Bones; he had no idea what it was called.

Yet the old man had rattled off several names, all of which sounded incredibly powerful.

Though Yang An didn't understand the specifics, he was utterly stunned.

'It's likely I'll only learn its name once I've gathered all the required Sacrificial Bones and allowed the Buddha's Radiant Wheel to fully evolve.'

'This guy seems to know a lot about Great Virtue Temple!'

'What do I do? He's not going to think I'm a spy from Great Virtue Temple, is he?'

Yang An panicked slightly, but he concealed it well, his expression remaining perfectly calm.

Still, since the old man had already identified his techniques and abilities with such certainty, there was no point in hiding them any longer.

"Senior is correct. I acquired both of these abilities from Great Virtue Temple. The Great Brightness Buddha technique came from De Lan, the Grand Abbot of a hundred temples of Great Virtue Temple, while the other came from a small temple that is also connected to them." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Facing this old man was just like facing his former master, Elder Life Crane. Though the man did nothing, Yang An felt an immense pressure weighing down on him.

He couldn't afford to be passive. It was better to be upfront and state his position clearly than to let the old man call him out.

After hearing Yang An's reply, the old man couldn't help but laugh.

"Heh, I simply recognized the origin of your techniques. It piqued my interest, is all. No need to be so tense.

Great Virtue Temple's Magic Techniques are never taught to outsiders. The fact that they've ended up in your hands proves you weren't sent by them. I won't harm you. I just have a question for you."

'A question?'

Seeing that the old man didn't seem to wish him harm, Yang An breathed a small sigh of relief, though he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Please ask, Senior. If I can be of assistance, I will tell you everything I know."

"You're a straightforward one, young man. You really suit my tastes."

The old man chuckled, then raised his short sword again.

'Tastes?!!'

Hearing that keyword and seeing the old man raise his short sword again, Yang An instinctively started to back away, fearing the man was about to reveal his true, hostile intentions.

But the old man made no other move. He simply held the short sword to his chest, aimed it at the bloody hole there, and plunged the blade inside.

Instantly, the sea of blood roiling within the hole began to surge and boil like a vast ocean.

As the blade entered the wound, torrents of blood swarmed onto the sword, as if being absorbed by it.

The old man's frame, which had just been filled out by all the flesh and blood he had plundered, rapidly shriveled once more in the blink of an eye.

When the sea of blood in the hole had vanished completely, the old man's body returned to its previous withered, emaciated state.

He lightly clapped his hands together, producing a dry, rustling sound, as if dusting off flakes of dried blood.

Once his hands were clean, he finally spoke again.

"I just wanted to ask… are you interested in becoming my disciple?"

"..."

Uh...

Yang An had not expected the old man's "question" to be *this*. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond; his mind just went blank.

'Seriously… Do I look like I was born to be someone's disciple?'

'I finally got rid of Elder Life Crane, became the Sect Leader of the Mystic Path Sect, and now this happens before I've even had a chance to warm the seat.'

'No way! I'd rather die than do it!'

'Isn't being a Sect Leader who calls his own shots a much better deal?'

"If you're not willing, that's fine. I'm a very reasonable person. If you don't want to be my disciple, you can always be my Tripod Furnace instead. The choice is yours, heh heh."

"..."

"Disciple greets Master!"

The moment the old man finished speaking, Yang An's Heart began to pound in his chest, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He had his pride. Having just escaped the clutches of Elder Life Crane, he had no desire to fall into another Demon Cave.

But in that same instant, an endless sea of blood had surged from the hole in the old man's chest, surrounding him completely. Even the very space around him seemed to freeze solid.

An invisible, crushing pressure descended upon Yang An. He knew that if he dared to show the slightest resistance, he would be instantly ground into a bloody pulp.

'So, what choice did he really have?'

'It was just one more master. When he thought about it that way, it wasn't so hard to accept.'

'Besides, one master was already dead…'

"Hahahaha!"

The old man burst into a delighted laugh, his eyes filled with approval for Yang An.

"A wise choice!"

"..."

'Honestly, Yang An really wanted to smack this old bastard with a club. But he couldn't beat him. And he didn't have a club.'

'The pressure from the sea of blood alone was indescribably terrifying. Perhaps even that sword strike from earlier hadn't been the full extent of the old man's power.'

'This sea of blood was both a threat and a demonstration of his power.'

'It had been the same way back when he was weak and facing Elder Life Crane, but this new old man was far, far stronger.'

Yang An had only managed to kill Elder Life Crane by relying on the suppression from the Outer Continent's Power of Rules. But he couldn't feel any trace of that same suppression affecting this old man.

'To be unaffected by the Power of Rules, you either had to be an Original Spirit… or a being at or above the Insect Dao!'

'His previous judgment of the old man's power had been way off.'

'Wise choice, my ass! There was no choice at all!'

'How did a trip to Ten Directions City to get the Golden Thread Sect Seal end with him getting roped into this?'

Yang An couldn't understand it, but for now, all he could do was play it by ear.

"From now on, you will stay by my side. When things in Celestial Jing State are concluded, you will return with me."

"Oh, right. What's your name? Do you have a Daoist title?"

"Disciple's… name is Yang An. I am the Sect Leader of the Mystic Path Sect in San Valley City of Zichuan State."

Yang An used his real name. In front of a Great Power like this, a fake name would likely be useless.

And sure enough.

As soon as Yang An stated his name, the old man tapped his thumb against his other fingers a few times, as if calculating something, before nodding in satisfaction.

"A Sect Leader, you say? Unexpected, but no matter. I'll have a word with that Jiudeng fellow later and tell him to look after you."

'Jiudeng? Could that be the State Lord of Zichuan State?'

'From the sound of it, he won't force me to cut ties with the Mystic Path Sect? I can still go back?'

A flicker of doubt appeared in Yang An's mind.

'The way the old man forced him to become his disciple showed he was a cunning old fox. People like him were just like Elder Life Crane—you couldn't trust a single word they said. It was always best to stay on guard.'

Having learned Yang An's identity, the old man withdrew the raging sea of blood back into his body, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Outsiders call me Elder Zhuan Yu. Remember that."

Elder Zhuan Yu said, clasping his hands behind his back again and speaking one word at a time.

Yang An nodded in acknowledgment.

The instant Yang An lowered his head, a peculiar glint flashed in Elder Zhuan Yu's somewhat murky eyes, where Yang An's reflection was mirrored. A faint smile touched his lips.

'In recent years, the conflict between the Golden Thread Pavilion and Great Virtue Temple in the Treasure Temple Domain has grown increasingly fierce.'

'But now…'

He looked at Yang An.

'He seemed to have found a way to deal with Great Virtue Temple!'