Chapter 137: Calculation

After hesitating for a brief moment, though still puzzled as to why the other party had left the lotus soil behind, Old Master Yu could not afford to dwell on it. He hurriedly beckoned to the cloud of mist and directly summoned it over.

Although the mist had hovered steadily without changing, the moment it fell into Old Master Yu's palm and he channeled his magical power into it, it condensed rapidly. Eventually, it transformed into a blood-red clod of earth about the size of a palm, resting quietly in the old man's hand. This was the true form of the lotus soil; its previous manifestations had merely been different shapes.

The instant the lotus soil recovered its true form, anyone observing the top-grade nether spirit grass on the island closely would have noticed that the previously robust stalks were now beginning to wither.

Soon, the rich red light shrouding them started to fade. In a short while, all those top-grade nether spirit grasses regressed into the appearance of ordinary nether spirit grasses, merely growing slightly larger in size than usual.

Of course, at such a critical juncture, no one paid any attention to the nether spirit grass that had once been considered the most vital treasure.

The moment they saw the red clod of earth held in Old Master Yu's hand, both of the despairing young masters and Madam Yu, whose expression had been complex and ambiguous, felt a sharp jolt in their hearts. They realized that all the secrets of the Yu Estate must be connected to this clod of earth; without it, the Yu Estate was nothing more than an ordinary settlement.

Yet, looking at the colorful, strange light barriers protecting Old Master Yu, the small yellow bell hovering above his head, and the endless array of black iron rulers revolving around him, all three of them could not help but wear bitter smiles, which rapidly transformed into utter despair.

Who could have imagined that a supreme martial arts expert of the Jianghu world was actually a practitioner from the legendary world of immortal cultivators? Looking back now, everything that had happened today seemed like a cruel joke.

By this time, Old Master Yu's natal corpse puppet had already slain the last of the martial artists and, reeking of blood, slowly closed in on the two young masters and Madam Yu.

Facing this terrifying, blade-proof entity, and more importantly, facing the mysterious immortal cultivator Old Master Yu, the three of them felt no urge to resist. They obediently gathered together in the direction driven by the corpse puppet.

The three exchanged glances and offered bitter smiles, but none of them had any inclination to speak further.

Old Master Yu carefully stowed the lotus soil away into his storage stone. The fact that the hidden opponent had still not made a move brought a long, profound sigh of relief to his chest.

Since the lotus soil was preserved, everything else remained salvageable. Consequently, Old Master Yu's mood actually lightened considerably.

However, this momentary ease instantly turned oppressive again the moment he caught sight of his three relatives being driven forward by the corpse puppet.

Thinking of his daughter—the very bond that connected him and his wife—thinking of the immense effort he had spent pushing her realm to the peak of the Second Layer of Fa Gathering, and thinking of that supreme-grade nether spirit grass which would serve as his nearly sole reliance in the future, Old Master Yu felt a hatred so intense it made his teeth itch. He wished he could devour the three people before him alive, piece by piece.

"I am curious, do you know? Even now, I remain terribly curious. I want to know, how on earth did the three of you manage to reach this island? The jade bridge is still there, but with the corpse puppet standing guard, it would be utterly impossible for the likes of you to slip past it unnoticed. Tell me, and perhaps, considering our past ties, I might let today's transgression pass without punishment."

So consumed by rage was Old Master Yu that he abandoned his usual self-referential pride, speaking plainly as "I," which vividly illustrated the depth of his fury.

The three exchanged glances, a glimmer of hope rekindled within their despairing gazes. After all, even a vicious tiger would not devour its cubs. Although the crime they had committed was grave, perhaps for the sake of paternal and marital bonds, they could still beg for their lives?

The eldest young master, Yu Fan, swallowed hard, glanced at his second brother, and replied cautiously, "Reporting to Father, this matter was orchestrated by one of my second brother's subordinates. This child only knows that the man's surname is Chen; beyond that, I know nothing."

"After arriving at this estate, all our movements were arranged by that martial artist surnamed Chen. But once we reached the island, that martial artist suddenly vanished, which ultimately alerted the patrolling corpse guards and drew Father's attention."

"Oh?"

Old Master Yu's eyes widened. He let out a cold chuckle as he turned his gaze to his second son, Yu Xian, and said, "I wouldn't have thought your subordinates included such capable and unusual figures. It seems I underestimated you previously. Not bad, you truly are my seed. Tell me how this actually played out!"

Yu Xian hastily replied, "Father, everything Eldest Brother just said is the truth. I don't know much about this Chen Yu either. I only knew he was a first-rate martial artist proficient in tracking, and he had long been helping me gather intelligence, so I never kept my guard up against him. As for where he is right now, I truly have no idea."

"Chen Yu?"

Old Master Yu paced back and forth with a frown, then suddenly chuckled. "Judging by your tone, does that mean Chen Yu was not present during the fierce battle just now? In other words, he is not dead yet?"

"Yes, this child can stake his life on it. Among the martial artists who just died, Chen Yu was definitely not one of them. The moment we set foot on the island, he claimed he was going ahead to scout, and then he disappeared."

Yu Xian nodded repeatedly.

"And what about you? How did you manage to bring people in? Heh, to think you would dare trespass into the forbidden grounds—Geng Yuhu, you have a lot of nerve!"

Without committing to whether he believed them, Old Master Yu suddenly glared fiercely at Madam Yu.

"Why must Your Lordship ask questions to which you already know the answer? If Yu Xian hadn't helped, how could this concubine have possibly entered?"

Geng Yuhu appeared remarkably composed. Although flashes of fear occasionally crossed her eyes, outwardly she remained completely steady.

"This old man is asking why you came here in the first place. Judging by your actions, I fear you too came for the secret of the top-grade nether spirit grass. You are not like these two brainless fools, so you must have had a reason for coming. Speak, who instructed you, and why did you choose tonight to raid the estate?"

"Heh, isn't that obvious? Your Lordship is truly pretending not to know. Yu Ning's fake romance became reality and she actually found herself a husband. The two young masters feared their status would be threatened, and this concubine naturally feared that Your Lordship would pass the secret on to Yu Ning and disappear forever. If that happened, given my status, trying to find the secret afterward would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens."

Geng Yuhu rolled her eyes, appearing thoroughly disdainful of the question.

"Secrets, secrets... I have always asked myself whether I ever treated any of you unfairly. For the sake of this meaningless secret, was it really worth it?"

Old Master Yu paused, looking somewhat hurt, before sighing, "Fine, fine. Ning'er is already dead, the formation has been breached, and this Yu Estate can be considered utterly ruined. In this world, I have only a few relatives left. Regardless of what motives you harbor, I will not pursue this matter any further. The formation here has lost its balance and will soon be swallowed by the blood fiends. With your cultivation levels, your bodies and bones will undoubtedly be pulverized into nothingness. Hurry and leave."

Waving his hand despondently, Old Master Yu turned and walked into the shadows, disappearing almost instantly. No one knew where he had gone.

Stunned, the three exchanged bewildered glances, dumbfounded by the turn of events. Yet, to their pleasant surprise, the jade bridge on the island—which had previously vanished—suddenly materialized once again.

Before the three could overthink it, the pool of blood surrounding the island began to churn. Within mere breaths, the bloody water surged with an overwhelming momentum, swallowing half the island in the blink of an eye.

Whether human or plant, anything engulfed by the crimson water was dissolved away instantly, leaving behind nothing at all.

Watching the blood rise higher and higher, leaving less and less footing on the island until a vast majority of it had completely vanished, the three no longer hesitated. They leaped onto the jade bridge together, preparing to flee.

Yet at that very moment, the entire jade bridge suddenly transformed into a streak of colorful light. The instant the island was completely submerged by the blood, the jade bridge soared into the air, resting diagonally across the firmament like a brilliant rainbow.

Suddenly, a wisp of dark aura flashed violently across the suspended jade bridge, followed immediately by a figure completely shrouded in black mist appearing on the bridge deck.

With a slight wave of the figure's hand, the two young masters rolled their eyes and collapsed face-first onto the wooden planks. Only Madam Yu remained unscathed, though her face was frozen in sheer panic.

"Brat, I've finally found you!"

A chilling voice, reminiscent of a dying, solitary wolf, reverberated through the sky. A flash of red light cut across the air, and the island—which had just been entirely eroded by the bloody water—reappeared as if untouched. Everything upon it remained exactly as before, showing no traces of having been corroded by blood at all. Everything that just transpired felt like nothing more than a shared dream.

Old Master Yu stood right where he had been originally, looking as though he had never moved an inch.

Gazing coldly at the rainbow bridge in the distance, Old Master Yu pointed a finger. The rainbow bridge instantly transformed into a seven-colored shackle, slamming fiercely onto the mysterious figure and dragging him down from the sky with brutal force.

A sudden surge of black mist erupted from the mysterious figure, behind which images of primordial fierce beasts continuously flickered. Amidst the roar of beasts, the mysterious figure's body began to expand, slowly straining against the seven-colored shackles. Yet as his body grew, the colorful shackles expanded right along with it, tightening further and further until crisp cracking sounds resembling firecrackers echoed out.

"Good, good, good! What a powerful illusion formation. It seems this sovereign still underestimated you."

Realizing that struggling was futile, the mysterious figure abandoned the effort, reverting to his original size, and rasped, "Even if Daoist Friend Yu has trapped this sovereign, do you truly believe you can keep me here? This sovereign made a mistake coming to the island this time, but I have not employed any malicious methods. Everything that happened here has nothing to do with this sovereign; Daoist Friend must not be deceived by others."

"Haha, Yu has his own judgment and does not require Daoist Friend's concern. If Daoist Friend believes a few empty words can buy your freedom, I'm afraid that is wishful thinking. The lingering malevolent Qi of the Nine-Nether Blood Fiend Formation can only condense the Myriad Phenomenon Luo Barrier once. Yu went to great lengths to trap you, and once Daoist Friend escapes, Yu lacks the means to pull it off a second time."

"I hold the utmost admiration for Daoist Friend's escape arts. Once struck by my Soul-Trapping Shackle, all your divine abilities and magical powers are directly halved in potency. Furthermore, every time you execute a spell, the shackle will sink deeper into your flesh. To spare Daoist Friend further agony, I advise you to make an honest confession, lest things become difficult for both of us."

"Hand over the top-grade nether spirit grass, and I can let you leave!"

Cold light gleamed in Old Master Yu's eyes as the iron rulers danced before him, locking his gaze firmly onto the mysterious figure.