Chapter 221: Pressure Arrives.

  Mental power is a powerful tool. While the rest of the clan was still bewildered, Cao Ying had already sensed something was amiss.

  This wasn't a strange person, this wasn't a human!

  Instead, it was a strange puppet, crafted by some unknown means!

  Its power was immense, comparable to that of the Cao family patriarch, and it was also incredibly intelligent, capable of speaking human language.

  Cao Ying scanned the surroundings, trying to locate the person controlling the puppet, but even with her mental power reaching its maximum range, she couldn't detect anything unusual.

  "Sir... may I know what you want from me?"

  Cao Ying asked, gazing at the puppet with a strange gaze.

  While seemingly speaking to the puppet, she was actually communicating with its controller.

  Although the puppet's arrival was unexpected, she began to deduce something: the person behind it must be facing some restrictions, unable to come in person due to special circumstances, and therefore had sent a puppet to find her.

  But Cao Ying was puzzled. If a puppet as powerful as the Cao family patriarch couldn't solve the problem, what was the point of seeking her out?

  How could the person behind it be so sure of her help?

  The seventh-level puppet had spirituality, but it was still insufficient, requiring Chen Guan's control. Beyond a certain distance, Chen Guan's control became increasingly difficult, and he could no longer clearly grasp the situation. It was as if a fog had enveloped his vision and his ears were blocked.

  Therefore, Cao Ying's inquiries, now muffled by the whispers of a dream, fell on Chen Guan's mind, thousands of miles away.

  However, he was certain they were at the Cao family.

  Having meticulously studied the map for so long, Chen Guan had memorized the cities marked.

  Not being able to hear Cao Ying's inquiries didn't matter. Chen Guan exerted himself to control the puppet, simply repeating the key information.

  "Cao Ying. Danta looking for Xuanyi... Qingce Manor... Yaochen."

  The distance meant the message wasn't complete, but fortunately, he managed to get it across.

  Hearing the fragmented syllables, Cao Ying's heart trembled slightly.

  Who was Xuanyi?

  Now one of the three great Danta figures, a renowned figure throughout Zhongzhou!

  Having spent five years in seclusion in the Danta, becoming a core disciple and even learning from Xuan Kongzi, Cao Ying was naturally no stranger to Xuan Yi.

  She was also familiar with Qingce Manor and had visited it before. Despite its size, it only housed three or five people. The owner was a refined and refined man with considerable skill, appearing simple from the inside out.

  And Yao Chen,

  despite having been missing for years, was still quite famous, especially among aspiring alchemists preparing to participate in the upcoming alchemy conference.

  After all, he was once the champion and later hailed as the number one alchemist in Zhongzhou!

  Because of his relationship with Xuan Kongzi, Cao Ying knew a little more than outsiders did, aware that Xuan Yi and Yao Chen shared an unspoken bond.

  Thinking of Xuan Yi's care for her, Cao Ying knew this matter was truly serious. Since this Medicine Master was involved, it was bound to be something more serious.

  As soon as her thoughts turned, Cao Ying had a plan in mind.

  Without further delay, she turned to face the middle-aged man above her.

  "Father, I need to go back to Danta."

  "But you just got back, and what this person said might not be true."

  "This is a matter of great importance. Whether it's true or not, I have to tell Master and the others."

  If it's fake, at most it'll just waste a little time and energy, but if it's true...

  The comparison between the two makes it clear which is more important.

  "Alright, I was planning on having you guide Cao Dan."

  "Next time."

  With a farewell, Cao Ying acted decisively, flying directly towards the wormhole in the city.

  After flying some distance, she noticed that the puppet was still standing at the gate, dazed and not following.

  Immediately, she flipped her slender hand and swung out a long whip.

  The puppet didn't resist, allowing her to restrain it and pull it into the sky.

  Hanyun City is not close to Shengdan City, requiring two wormholes to transit, each one taking about two days.

  During the tedious journey, Cao Ying repeatedly tried to communicate with the person behind the puppet, but unfortunately, due to the distance limit, the effect was not significant.

  It wasn't until two days later, after emerging from the Shengdan City wormhole, that the situation suddenly changed. The puppet, which had once seemed almost idiotic, suddenly became incredibly agile. Even its speech was no longer halting, but increasingly fluent, and communication was no longer a problem.

  "Thank you,"

  the puppet, having been dragged along, suddenly spoke.

  Cao Ying's face was filled with astonishment, her eyes shifting as she realized something more.

  "No need. Senior-Martial-Uncle Xuanyi has been very kind to me. Since this involves Master Yao, I should have informed her. I simply hope what you say is true. Otherwise, I'm helpless. But Master and Senior-Martial-Uncle will not let this go easily."

  "Excuse me, judging by the puppet's behavior, you should be near Shengdan City right now. Why did you go all the way to Hanyun City to ask for my help?"

  Cao Ying was a little puzzled, not realizing that the puppet and Chen Guan were not in the same place to begin with, and had assumed the puppet had made a special trip from Shengdan City to Hanyun City.

  "It's a long story."

  Following Cao Ying, Chen Guan, through the puppet's mouth, recounted, without concealing too much, how he had fallen for the Phantom Poison Monster and his current predicament.

  Listening to the icy puppet's ramblings, Cao Ying looked puzzled.

  "A useless Netherworld Poison Fire actually managed to attract a Dou Zun master. You're truly unlucky... And that Qingce Manor? I've been there several times before, even met the owner, but I didn't realize he was so well hidden. Don't worry, since you know the Medicine Master's whereabouts, Senior Brother Xuanyi will surely help you escape."

  As they chatted, they arrived at the Dan Tower.

  This was undoubtedly the most magnificent complex of buildings Chen Guan had ever seen. Unfortunately, he couldn't see it in person at this moment, so he didn't feel like expressing his feelings.

  Following behind Cao Ying, she was met with constant greetings and head-turning. Clearly, she was incredibly famous within Danta.

  Without further delay, one puppet and one man made their way directly to Danta's upper echelons and knocked on Xuanyi's office door.

  Unfortunately, there was no response.

  "Master Xuanyi doesn't seem to be here. Come with me and ask Master. He should know where he's gone."

  Arriving at the innermost room on the same floor, Cao

  Ying knocked on the door, and this time, she finally received a response.

  "Hey, disciple, didn't you just return home? How come you're back so soon? What's that puppet behind you?"

  An easygoing old man behind the desk asked with a smile. It was clear he was in a good mood, genuinely pleased with his disciple, which was why he was so affable.

  "Master, I've come back for something urgent. Where's Senior Brother Xuanyi?"

  Cao Ying bowed and replied seriously.

  Seeing this, the old man also became more serious.

  "An acquaintance came over today. She should be meeting him in the city. What is it you're talking about?"

  "This... friend has discovered the whereabouts of Medicine Venerable, but due to a special situation, Senior Brother Xuanyi needs a small favor."

  Cao Ying stepped to the left to make room. As she introduced him, she realized she didn't seem to know the name of the person behind him.

  As expected, upon hearing the words 'Medicine Venerable,' Xuan Kongzi's expression grew even more serious.   

  He didn't ask how the puppet knew, simply asking directly.

  "Yao Zun Zun? Yao Chen? Really?"

  With his keen eyes, he clearly saw the puppet's peculiarity.

  Chen Guan, far away in Qingce Manor, closed his eyes tightly as he controlled the puppet, nodding affirmatively.

  Seeing this, Xuan Kongzi no longer hesitated. His immense spiritual power spread out, finding Xuan Yi within Shengdan City and sending a telepathic message.

  "What a coincidence! Feng Zun Zun has been searching for that old man for years, and he happened to be in Shengdan City today. He must be thrilled to hear this news."

  "The Feng Zun Zun from Xingyun Pavilion?" Cao Ying asked curiously.

  "Yes, that's him. Feng Xian and Yao Chen are close friends. He's been searching for Yao Chen ever since he disappeared. Actually, he's the one who wants to find Yao Chen the most, bar none, even more than Xuan Yi."

  Xuan Kongzi shook his head and sighed.

  As he spoke, two figures suddenly appeared at the door.

  One was a slender figure, dressed in azure. His excitement was palpable, and a faint aura emanated from him. Chen Guan, using the puppet's vision, felt nothing, but Cao Ying, beside him, trembled slightly, feeling immense pressure.

  Considering what Xuan Kongzi had just said, it was clear this person was most likely Yao Chen's close friend, Venerable Feng Xian.

  Beside Venerable Feng was a woman in palace attire. Time seemed to have left few traces on her, instead imbuing her with a charm not typically found in young women.

  One of the Three Great Leaders of Danta, Xuan Yi!

  "Any news on Yao Chen?"

  Venerable Feng asked eagerly upon his sudden appearance.

  Xuan Kongzi waved his hand to block the powerful aura he unconsciously exuded, his brow furrowed slightly.

  "Sorry, I lost my composure."

  Seeing Xuan Kongzi's expression, Venerable Feng realized his mistake and immediately nodded in apology to Cao Ying. Despite Xuan Kongzi's presence, his temper was still quite mild.

  "Your Excellency is welcome,"

  Cao Ying chuckled and shook her head, moving to the other side of the puppet.

  "Xuan Kongzi, let's get down to business,"

  Xuan Yi, who stepped forward, addressed him. His face was calm, but the emotion deep in his eyes was hard to conceal.

  Xuan Kongzi smiled and nodded, looking at the puppet.

  Following his gaze, Xuan Yi and Feng Zunzhe also looked over.

  Fortunately, it was only a puppet. If it were a real person, it's unclear whether it could withstand the pressure of three Dou Zun masters.

  When it came time to explain, Chen Guan immediately controlled the puppet to step forward.

  "Three seniors, I have indeed met Yao Zunzhe on many occasions. Back when I was in the Black Horn Region, I was ambushed by a villain named Han Feng. Fortunately, I had a hidden weapon and was able to escape death and kill him. It was also after this incident that, by chance, I met a young man carrying a black ruler in the desert. His name was Xiao Yan, from Wutan City..."

  "Get to the point."

  After listening to the puppet for two or three minutes, still only hearing the names Han Feng and Xiao Yan, Feng Zunzhe couldn't help but urge anxiously.

  Why don't you start from the beginning of the world?

  "Beside that Xiao Yan, there was an aged soul. Later, Xiao Yan and I became friends, and I personally encountered this soul. I learned that it was none other than Yao Chen, the renowned Medicine Venerable!"

  "Soul? Are you saying Yao Chen is dead?"

  Feng Zun's aura suddenly leaked out, then retracted, losing his composure once again.

  Cao Ying felt relieved, having anticipated this and moved to the other side of the puppet.

  "Yes, Medicine Venerable died at the hands of Han Feng and the Soul Palace. Fortunately, his soul escaped and there's still hope for resurrection, but his condition is very poor now."

  "Son! I saw that fellow's evil intentions long ago!"

  Feng Zun frequently interrupted, leaving Xuan Kongzi and Xuan Yi feeling helpless.

  "What happened next? What happens now? Where is Yao Chen now?"

  "Venerable Yao...hiss...I apologize, Venerable. I controlled this puppet with my mental energy, and it's extremely draining. I'm nearing my limit and can't maintain it anymore. Wait a few...a few days until I recover."

  As soon as he finished speaking, the puppet froze, standing there coldly, motionless.

  "Just when I got to the point, it's gone. What does this mean? What does this mean?"

  Venerable Feng, nearly losing control of his emotions, approached the puppet and slapped it, but it was still useless. He

  immediately turned to look at Xuan Kongzi and Cao Ying, looking almost broken by the torture of the broken chapter dog.

  To make the gentle Venerable Feng show such an attitude, it must be said, was quite a skill.

  Xuan Kongzi spread his hands, implying that he didn't know.

  The pressure suddenly fell on Cao Ying...

  Three pairs of eyes stared at her, and Cao Ying inexplicably wanted to kick the puppet beside her.

  Others didn't know, but she had brought the puppet all the way here, never stopping early or late, and now she had to pretend to be dead.

  She was certain it was intentional!

  Chen Guan had no other options. What if he revealed Yao Chen's whereabouts directly, and the others ignored him and went looking for him?

  While he remembered them as relatively good people, and direct disclosure was fine, the stakes were high, so he erred on the side of caution. He didn't want to stay in Qingce Manor for another decade or eight. A slight hiccup, using Cao Ying to reveal his purpose, was undoubtedly more appropriate.

  Unable to withstand the three people's intense gazes, Cao Ying unreservedly recounted everything she had learned along the way.

  "This kid is quite interesting. He clearly wants to know Yao Chen's information and rescue him. It's a fair deal, each getting what they want. However, I never thought this Lü Xiu from Qingce Manor was actually the old monster Youdu in disguise." Xuan Kongzi

  chuckled and shook his head, not seeing the difficulty in this matter.

  Venerable Feng had clearly heard of this person before, and with a look of disdain, he said, "Just an old fellow who only knows how to fake his own death to escape. Should we go together?"

  He glanced at Xuan Yi.

  Xuan Yi nodded, a man of few words, a man of few ruthless character.

  "Move immediately!"

  At the same moment, outside the Black Mist Mountains,

  the tranquil space suddenly rippled, and then, a towering, imposing man suddenly appeared.

  His majestic eyes, a faint purple hue, scanned the messy battlefield, a dangerous glint gathering.

  "You dare to move one of our people? You're courting death!"

  (End of Chapter)