Xiao Yuhan was taken aback, feeling somewhat uneasy. He wondered if Senior Brother Liu had discovered Bai Yao's identity. His words were so certain, and there seemed to be an ulterior motive. He immediately asked, "Why would Senior Brother say that?"
Liu Jiantang sneered, waved his hand to indicate that he would not continue the topic, and then simply picked up the Suhan sword that had lost its spiritual energy and fell silent.
The two waited for almost two hours before the Imperial Advisor Zhang Chengfeng finally returned, holding an imperial edict in his hand. "It's done! Please follow me!"
Xiao Yuhan glanced at him, "It seems that the Emperor of Great Yan is quite reasonable!"
Zhang Chengfeng walked ahead and smiled, "His Majesty said that the Heavenly Sword Sect has the right to inspect this array core at any time. This array has protected our Great Yan for thousands of years and has a great relationship with the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Hearing him say this, Xiao Yuhan became even more convinced that the Lingsu City formation was related to the Heavenly Sword Sect's formation.
The group walked through the bustling city streets and arrived at the foot of the imperial city. There was a small Taoist temple at Zhengyang Gate. The temple was called Lianyun Temple. It was very dilapidated and almost no one came to burn incense. The stone steps in front of the gate had probably been renovated. According to Zhang Chengfeng, this Taoist temple had basically no income and was supported by the imperial court.
Xiao Yuhan never imagined that the core of the protective array of Lingsu City would be located in such an inconspicuous place.
The two entered the temple. Zhang Chengfeng was clearly not visiting this place for the first time. He led them into the temple and went directly to the inner courtyard behind the Three Pure Ones statue. There, they found an old Taoist priest wearing a tattered Taoist robe.
He sat at a stone table next to a peach tree in the courtyard, with wine and meat laid out on the table. His dark feet were placed on his stone stool, making him look extremely slovenly.
Upon seeing the three enter, he looked up and glanced at Zhang Chengfeng, seemingly having known him for a long time. He said softly, "Little Zhang, it's not even time to pay the monthly wages yet, why are you here again?"
Zhang Chengfeng bowed respectfully, "Senior, these two are elders of the Heavenly Sword Sect. They have come today to inquire about the events of the past few days. Please forgive us for disturbing you."
"Since you know you're disturbing this old man, you still dare to come? What? Looking for trouble?" The slovenly old Taoist priest glanced at the three of them and said with great disdain.
At this moment, Liu Jiantang and Xiao Yuhan exchanged greetings. Upon seeing the man's attire, Xiao Yuhan thought that he was very likely a master. That's how it's written in martial arts novels: any peerless master is very likely to be a sweeper, a cook, or a slovenly beggar on the street.
They immediately asked respectfully, "Senior, we two truly had no intention of offending you. However, this matter involves the Heavenly Sword Sect, so we had no choice but to come and investigate!"
"So, who is that little girl who came to cause trouble for me a few days ago?" the old Taoist asked while eating.
"She is my senior sister. If you would be so kind as to tell me, I would be extremely grateful!"
The disheveled old Taoist priest shook his head. "Sigh, this roast chicken is so dry and bland, and the rice wine from Lingsu City is as delicate as a young girl. It's not satisfying at all..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuhan immediately understood. He took out a bottle of "Tianquan Brew," a specialty liquor of the Heavenly Sword Sect that he had treasured for many years, from his storage magic treasure and placed it on the table. "Senior, please try this!"
The old Taoist priest opened the wine gourd, sniffed it, then took a sip and exclaimed with delight, "Tianquan Brew! I haven't tasted this wine in years! It's excellent! Alright, kneel down and kowtow to me twice. Ask me anything you want, and I will answer anything I can."
Upon hearing this request, Xiao Yuhan's expression changed. He thought to himself, "How can this strange old man be so shameless? Doesn't he want people to kneel down?" Just as he was about to object, Liu Jiantang pulled him aside and he immediately knelt down.
"Senior brother, what are you doing?"
"Don't ask, just kneel down!"
Xiao Yuhan, with some doubt, followed Liu Jiantang and performed a full kneeling ceremony.
The old Taoist priest burst into laughter, quickly rising to help the two men to their feet. "Hey! You two young men are quite something! Even your master's master would have to kneel before me, you've got a good deal!"
As he spoke, the old Taoist priest looked at Zhang Chengfeng and said, "Young Zhang, you should go back first. There are some things I'm about to say that you'd better not listen to, given your own stance!"
Imperial Advisor Zhang Chengfeng, realizing his own limitations, took his leave and departed.
Only then did Liu Jiantang turn to Xiao Yuhan and explain, "Junior Brother Xiao, this senior is an elder of our Heavenly Sword Sect. Didn't you see the spirit seal of the Boundless Universe Sword on his arm? It's the same as the one on our Sect Leader. As far as I know, only past Sect Leaders and those who may succeed to the position of Sect Leader possess this spirit seal that allows them to wield the Boundless Universe Sword!"
The old Taoist priest sat back down on the stone bench, then gestured for the three of them to sit down. He continued to praise Liu Jiantang, saying, "You young man have a good eye, not bad! In the early years, there was a struggle between swordsmanship and Taoism in the Heavenly Sword Sect. Every sect leader was chosen from among sword cultivators and Taoist cultivators. I was the one who lost the competition. It was only in recent years that I gradually became the designated sect leader, so it's normal that you don't know about it."
Xiao Yuhan seemed to be deep in thought, then looked at the old man and asked, "Since you are a member of the Heavenly Sword Sect, why are you here guarding the defensive array of Lingsu City?"
The old Taoist priest frowned. "Don't you know? The so-called array eye is not just the array eye of these two great arrays, but the spiritual vein of this place. So it's no secret that the great array built on this spiritual vein can have astonishing power. Any old fogey who's a bit older knows this."
Xiao Yuhan pressed on, "How old are you, senior?"
"I don't remember either, but when I was guarding this place, it seems that the Great Yan Dynasty had not yet been established."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuhan was astonished. She thought that the Great Yan Dynasty had a history of more than a thousand years, which meant that the old Taoist priest had lived for more than a thousand years. Such a lifespan was considered long among cultivators. Without a doubt, this old man was definitely above the Dao Integration Realm.
Xiao Yuhan thought for a moment, then immediately got back to the point, "Senior, we want to know where the two people who came to explore the array's core that day went, or do you have any information about them?"
The old Taoist priest thought for a moment, then slowly said, "Those two were very strange. They exuded a repulsive aura. I'm old and can't quite remember where I felt that aura before. I can confirm that they came for the array's core, but I don't know exactly what they wanted to do. The only thing I can be sure of is that the kid is not human."
Upon hearing this, the two brothers exchanged a glance, then murmured, "Not human? What do you mean by not human?"
“He doesn’t have three souls and seven spirits; he’s a living corpse!” the old Taoist priest explained after thinking for a moment.
Xiao Yuhan became increasingly puzzled and pressed on, "Even demons, without a soul, cannot live, right?"
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