Blind Monk

Instantly upon seeing his figure, the soldiers bowed.

"This martial artist greets the Imperial Prince!"

*'What's with the difference in treatment? You were ready to kill me in front of my ancestor, but when it's him, you're all respectful?'* Bai She glared at the man with disdain, ignoring Qing Long's arrival.

"Rise, senior. You embarrass me. A junior should greet a senior, not the other way around." Qing Long replied with a humble smile.

Then he did the same.

"This junior greets the senior."

The soldier nodded with a smile, as if validating something.

"You're always humble despite your talent, Imperial Prince... I'd chat longer, but the Patriarch awaits."

"As you say, senior. I was on my way to meet my dear fiancée when I saw all this commotion. Young Master Hu is back, but what of my martial brother?"

"Well, Young Master Xuan perished in the Lower Realm. Even his essence was devoured."

The cultivators watching from afar, and even the powerhouses in the shadows who hadn't yet heard the news, were shocked by what had happened.

"The Black Turtle Clan's talent is dead?"

"Isn't it that good-for-nothing's fault for leading him to the Lower Realm?"

"To hunt the Devourer... I wouldn't be surprised if Bai She was in cahoots with him."

"Shh, do you want to die?"

"So, do you think the Imperial Prince intervened to help him?"

"I doubt it. They've never had a good relationship."

"And the situation has nothing to do with the Celestial Dragon. He wouldn't get involved in a conflict between two ancestral families." another added.

Many cultivators commented on the scene, unsure of what might happen.

"What do you mean, senior!? That Devourer will become a scourge... Xuan Shen's fate saddens me deeply." Qing Long sighed, looking at Bai She.

"Young Master Hu, it seems the situation is against you."

Qing Long had already pieced together what had happened: Bai She had dragged Xuan Shen into another scheme in the Lower Realm, they accidentally encountered the Devourer, and Xuan Shen ended up dead. Now, the Ancestral Clan, enraged, would accuse Bai She of colluding with the Devourer and demand his death as justice.

*'Young Master Bai She may be a hedonist who disrespects his elders, arrogant, lecherous, sadistic, and a troublemaker, but he wouldn't ally with the Devourer to kill Xuan Shen, who was like his little brother.'* Qing Long concluded in his thoughts.

"I understand the Patriarch's feelings, but shouldn't he be judged by the Immortal Tao Sect? It seems many disciples witnessed this."

"Imperial Prince, with all due respect, stay out of this matter." The soldier said respectfully.

"Qing Long, I don't need your help. You can leave." Bai She declared, finally standing up.

"I won't hide behind the sect, my family, or my master. I'll personally ask my mother to ensure there are no repercussions, even if the Patriarch kills me. It's my incompetence and weakness that caused my little brother's death." Bai She stated, positioning himself beside the soldier ready to follow them.

Not only were the soldiers themselves shocked by his words, but everyone present couldn't believe their ears. When had the lecherous coward of the Hu family started taking responsibility? It was unprecedented.

Qing Long raised an eyebrow. Usually, Bai She wouldn't hesitate to use the sect's name or his master's to get out of trouble. But now he stood firm.

"Very well, Brother Hu." Qing Long nodded, then disappeared into the clouds as if he'd never appeared.

The man from the Black Turtle Clan finally snapped out of his stupor.

"Alright, let's go—"

"It's quite unexpected from Young Master Hu..."

"Who?"

Before he could sense the presence, he saw an old monk sitting casually on the ground. Beads adorned his neck, wrists, and ankles. His eyes were closed, his robes simple and seemingly poor, and he was even barefoot.

"We greet the Blind Monk!"

Everyone present knelt, for this was a figure who rivaled the most powerful in the world. He was the only disciple of the Buddha in his lifetime and the chief monk of the Forbidden Cave, Manesh.

He was a very important figure who never left the cave in thousands of years and never involved himself in worldly affairs unless they concerned the extreme Yin Qi of the Cursed City.

Manesh looked at Bai She for a few minutes, then at the others who remained kneeling without moving.

*'He's young, maybe he doesn't know who I am.'* He thought, seeing that Bai She stood straight with no sign of bowing or greeting him.

He waved his hand. After all, such formalities didn't really interest him.

"How interesting. I sensed the extreme chaotic Yin Qi from miles away. I even thought the Abyss of Absolute Evil had appeared, but it turns out it was just your wound oozing with that foul energy. So, young man, where did you get this injury? Your cultivation must have taken a huge hit."

No one dared speak, for just like the Orthodox Cult, the Forbidden Cave was highly respected—not only for their power but for what they represented. The Forbidden Cave, with Buddha, the purifier of the Absolute Evil from the Cursed City. And the Orthodox Cult, which worshipped the Immortal Lotus, the innate adversary of the Devourer. In an era where the Devourer had already appeared, it would only be a few more years before the Holy Lotus emerged.

"I fought the Devourer."

"Is it true?"

The blind monk asked, standing up from the ground.

"It is, old monk."

The man from the Black Turtle wanted to reprimand Bai She for speaking so casually to the blind monk, but he waved his hand. Such worldly attention didn't interest him.

"Interesting. So you survived!?"

Bai She simply nodded, not quite understanding the old man's thoughts.

"Senior, without meaning to offend, the Patriarch asked us to bring him—"

"No need. He's under my responsibility."

"What!?"

Sweat instantly dripped down his forehead. If he didn't bring Bai She back dead or alive, he and his subordinates would perish.

The man fell to his knees.

"Please, senior, reconsider this matter."

Manesh remained indifferent.

"If little Zheng Xuan disagrees, let him come find this weak old monk." He retorted sarcastically.

"Senior—"

Bai She was increasingly confused when the monk appeared before him, grabbing him by the collar, and then they disappeared.