Evil Venerable of the Sword Dao-Chapter 146 - 043: Land of Blood

"Master, I’m just worried about you being alone..."

Feng Ling Bamboo expressed her concerns with apprehension.

The more remarkable Zhou Yan became, the more she worried about his safety.

Clearly, indifference would mean not caring whether someone lived or died. Once you care, even the slightest danger would cause immense worry.

"Not being at ease means I am not strong enough, nor capable enough.

A capable person won’t make those around them worry."

Zhou Yan smiled as he spoke.

"Master, it’s not that I don’t trust your abilities—"

Feng Ling Bamboo, somewhat anxious, hurriedly explained.

"I understand. Go on out, choose anything, but don’t touch anything on the way because it really is a trap.

After you leave, no one will dare to lay a hand on you, they will have reservations."

Zhou Yan said with confidence.

Feng Ling Bamboo’s face turned slightly solemn, then she bit her lip and said, "Master, I will make up for my past mistakes, I’m sorry..."

Her words turned into a sob, even beginning to kneel to apologize.

At that moment, after having experienced life and death, being reliant on each other all the way, she finally understood what was real and what was false.

"Fool, why say such things? Although I was a bit angry before, after I learned the reason, I no longer blamed you. Alright, stand up. After going to the City of No Tears, you’ll probably hear about the emergence of a supreme expert from the Li Family, so even less people will cause trouble for you. Go on out. The City of No Tears also holds great opportunities. I trust you to handle things."

Zhou Yan gently grabbed Feng Ling Bamboo’s arm to prevent her from kneeling.

With this pull, he felt the true beauty of Feng Ling Bamboo’s figure.

"Master, then I’ll go first. Take care of yourself."

Feng Ling Bamboo’s eyes brimmed with tears, turning a bit red.

This cold woman showed such reluctance to leave him, and Zhou Yan felt a sense of unexplainable pride.

"Go ahead, take care as well."

Zhou Yan watched as tears almost spilled from her eyes, her face so similar to that of Feng Lingqing, and despite knowing she wasn’t Feng Lingqing, he found himself inexplicably reaching out to wipe away the tear at the corner of her eye.

This gesture, halfway through, left them both stunned.

But Zhou Yan, even in his brief pause, still completed the motion, while Feng Ling Bamboo’s pretty face suddenly flushed.

In that instant, she felt incredibly conflicted...

Zhou Yan’s memory seemed to freeze at that moment.

...

Clouds flowed like water, meandering through heaven and earth, inside the Nine Lives Gate, everyone had left, now only one person remained — Zhou Yan.

This time, no one doubted Zhou Yan anymore.

Especially when Feng Ling Bamboo had left as well, there was even less reason for doubt.

Zhou Yan was known to be ruthless, all the Cultivators understood, but at the same time, he was also seen as a person of deep emotions and sincerity.

With Feng Ling Bamboo gone, Zhou Yan’s words were deemed one hundred percent credible, which was consistent with everything he showed.

Thus, all Cultivators followed Zhou Yan’s arrangements, entered the Nine Lives Gate, and sought their own paths.

Whereas Zhou Yan just stood quietly for a while before heading back the way he came, returning once more to the place of the Cloud Mist Cliff and the flute-playing figure.

This time, he could still see the woman’s desolate figure, but the calling voice was gone.

Everything here had changed, becoming somewhat different.

Zhou Yan silently returned, and through a series of calculations, he finally came back to the very place where Li Qimeng had left due to an accident.

But it was still so serene here.

The huge blood-colored statue, as if enveloping a lake of blood, appeared like some spectral anomaly, yet as real as anything.

That red, so vivid it seemed to stop one’s heart.

Zhou Yan ignored all of this as he walked alone into the blood-colored land.

Suddenly, the world turned gloomy, with blood-colored rain incessantly falling, yet seeming to pass right through Zhou Yan as if it didn’t exist.

It was like an embellishment in the world, serving an inexplicable purpose.

Walking through this world, it was unclear if there was time or place anymore.

But along the way, Zhou Yan saw many dismembered limbs.

Many Cultivators had died here, young and old, heroic men and beautiful women alike.

But whether in life or in death, their faces were twisted and terrible, their flesh blurred and gruesome.

In such a place, the horizon was endless, yet the blood-colored lake always seemed to be nearby.

It was as though no matter how far one walked parallel to it, one could never escape its proximity.

Zhou Yan gazed ahead. Amidst the rain tinted with blood, he saw an ancient temple-like cottage.

The cottage had two stories and appeared to be a tavern preserved from ancient times.

Silently, Zhou Yan approached, his entire being nearly numb.

Along the way, he saw endless skeletons but not a single Qiankun Ring, indicating that any survivors ahead had already collected the belongings of the deceased.

However, as a fellow Cultivator, the sight of such a massive amount of skeletons couldn’t help but evoke a shared sorrow and a sense of solemnity in his heart.

The path of Cultivation was always fraught with such sadness and cruelty. Among thousands, scarcely one achieved mastery.

Because of this, Zhou Yan no longer harbored much hope for the safety of Li Qimeng and others.

Reality was always cruel. If they had indeed perished here, then there was nothing to be done...

With a light sigh, Zhou Yan couldn’t help but take out a flask of wine and start drinking, sip by sip, yet each mouthful was bitter.

...

"Creak—"

The door of the tavern was already open by the time Zhou Yan arrived.

Inside, there was only one person, an old man with one arm, his body stooped, his beard completely white, and his face covered in wrinkle lines dense as earthworms.

At first glance, one could tell that this was an extremely old person.

For in the world of Cultivators, age was often correlated with being unfathomable.

Yet this old man appeared quite ordinary, with nothing exceptional about him.

Zhou Yan watched him, pupils slightly constricting. He knew that simplicity and ordinariness often corresponded to silent danger. In such a world, to still be alive was the best testament.

"Young man, you’ve finally come."

The old man spoke, revealing somewhat yellowed teeth.

Zhou Yan glanced at him. His hunched back seemed connected by spines, giving off a skinny appearance.

But when he spoke, his voice had some strength and was not weak.

"Could it be that someone was waiting here specifically for me?"

Zhou Yan quietly asked, with an inward shiver.

"Yes... Earlier, a Fairy... a Spiritualist, killed many... Cultivators, yet spared one, leaving him for this old man to guard.

She said that afterward, a genius youth, whose body secretly contained ancient essence blood, would come here with a flask of wine.

She told me to pass this person on to him. If anything were amiss, this old man would surely suffer soul dispersion and death by Tao."

The old man respectfully said.

Zhou Yan said, "Where is the person?"

The old man replied, "Trapped within the Ancient Array behind the room."

Behind the room of the tavern was a space resembling an ancient stable, akin to those used to feed horses, not very large but clean.

Within this modest space, there was an old suppressing Array. The Array was not complex, possessing only the effect of suppression, preventing one from exerting their powers.

And within the Array, a person sat as if frozen in place, motionless.

His eyes were serene as if in meditation, undisturbed. Yet, when Zhou Yan arrived, he reacted and looked over.

Subsequently, upon seeing Zhou Yan, the person’s tranquil gaze suddenly changed, a strong surge of stupefied uncertainty emerging as if he had witnessed something most inconceivable in the world.

Besides that, Zhou Yan’s formidable sensing ability also picked up on an inexplicable fear, a deep, unspeakable terror and trepidation.

Zhou Yan moved towards the Ancient Array, and at this moment, the bound man suddenly shuddered violently as if struck by lightning.

Clearly, his suppression was profound, even lacking the ability to speak.

His mouth moved as if wanting to speak, but no words came out, such was the Array’s restriction.

With a flash of Sword Light from Zhou Yan’s hand, he directly severed the Array’s foundation. As the energy collapsed instantaneously, Zhou Yan suppressed the surge of energy with a terrifying ancient Sword Intent, only then calmly approaching the man.

A casual stroke of Sword Light from Zhou Yan, like a blow from a Sword God unparalleled in this age, truly shocked the still-kneeling male Cultivator.

He sat completely stunned, his expression frozen in place.

After a long while, he regained his composure, feeling the suppression dissipate. He was now much more comfortable, but just as he was about to speak, he realized that due to excessive restraint, his body was somewhat numb and could not recover immediately.

Zhou Yan did not hurry him. He simply stood silently, waiting a moment before he tilted his head back to drink from his flask. Then he asked, "Who are you?"

The male Cultivator had a rather handsome appearance, though his skin was somewhat dark, and his complexion bore hints of sallow yellow. This made his handsome features seem less striking.

Hearing Zhou Yan’s question, he immediately bowed, his voice a bit hoarse, "This one is Pan Yuming."

Zhou Yan’s brows twitched ever so slightly. He nodded and said, "Drink some wine first. Other matters can wait."

Zhou Yan gave him a look, took out a flask of wine, and tossed it over.