Chapter 152: Demonic Cultivators Reappear

"Didn't you just claim to be broke a moment ago, kid?" Gu Yixiang had barely finished speaking when Lin Xiaobao already slipped away to the side.

Catching sight of Lin Xiaobao, Wen Hongcai hurriedly pulled him aside and filled him in on the affairs involving the Wind and Snow Pavilion, the Flowing Cloud Sect, and the Dragon Family. Clearly, with the resources of the Carefree Pavilion, gathering such intelligence was hardly a difficult task.

After a brief conversation, Lin Xiaobao ruled out the possibility that Wen Hongcai was behind the incident, which was precisely the reason he had hurried over.

Lin Xiaobao had once considered whether Wen Hongcai did this deliberately to curry favor with him, but he quickly realized that someone as shrewd as Wen Hongcai would never commit such a foolish act. Now, with confirmation in hand, Lin Xiaobao fell into deep thought once more.

"You go ahead first. I need to sort out my thoughts!" Standing at the edge of the artifact-exchanging convention, Lin Xiaobao said to Wen Hongcai.

Seeing that Lin Xiaobao was deep in thought, Wen Hongcai knew better than to disturb him. Besides, having finally gained entry into the convention, he indeed had many matters of his own to attend to. For him, the convention was not only a place to unearth rare treasures, but also a prime opportunity to build connections across all factions. After offering Lin Xiaobao a few parting words, he departed alone.

"Brother, I have a fine treasure here. Might you be interested?" Just as Lin Xiaobao was lost in contemplation, a middle-aged man suddenly appeared by his side.

"Oh... Let me take a look," Lin Xiaobao said, eyeing the man with a hint of wariness. Sweeping him with his spiritual sense, he discovered the man was merely at the early stage of the Dao-Heart realm, which immediately set his mind somewhat at ease.

"This... this item..." The man appeared somewhat hesitant. Pausing for a moment, he continued, "My merchandise isn't exactly suited for the light of day. Why don't we go somewhere else? If it turns out you have no interest, we can simply pretend we never crossed paths. How does that sound?"

Lin Xiaobao was slightly taken aback. Could this person be connected to the incident involving the Wind and Snow Pavilion? Weighing the pros and cons in his mind, he nodded and followed the man into the distance.

Although the other party was at the early stage of the Dao-Heart realm, Lin Xiaobao was confident that should the man harbor any malicious intentions, he could hold his ground for at least a short while—and that much time would be more than enough for the experts present to rush to his aid.

Furthermore, suspecting that the man might be linked to the Wind and Snow Pavilion, Lin Xiaobao knew that if he did not cooperate, he would never discover the other's true motives. An enemy lurking in the shadows was always harder to guard against than one standing in the light.

Soon, the two crossed a valley and arrived at a secluded mountain recess. Sensing that they were nearing the outer limits of the safe zone, Lin Xiaobao stopped in his tracks and asked, "Should this place suffice?"

The man turned around, looked at Lin Xiaobao, and chuckled, "It seems you are quite cautious!"

"My cultivation is low, and I'm afraid of dying. It's always best to be careful!" Observing the playful smile on the man's face, Lin Xiaobao could already be certain that the other party had no intention of conducting a simple transaction. As he spoke, his spiritual sense locked firmly onto the man.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Wang Feiyu, and I am a demonic cultivator!" The moment the words "demonic cultivator" left his lips, taking advantage of Lin Xiaobao's momentary distraction, Wang Feiyu flicked his wrists. Four banner flags flew from his hands, embedding themselves into the four corners of the ground and instantly sealing off the surrounding space. At the same time, Lin Xiaobao felt the spiritual energy fluctuations emanating from the man begin to undergo a drastic transformation.

Once the spiritual energy fluctuations around Wang Feiyu stabilized, Lin Xiaobao discovered that his spiritual sense could no longer discern the man's level of cultivation. One had to know that even cultivators in the Dao-Fetus realm could be perceived by the current strength of his spiritual sense; thus, Wang Feiyu's cultivation was likely equal to or higher than the Dao-Fetus realm.

"What do you want?" Lin Xiaobao forced himself to remain calm while simultaneously probing the four corner flags with his spiritual sense, hoping to find a gap in the array's barrier. The fact that the other party had gone to such lengths indicated he still had reservations; as long as he could break out of the arrayed space, he would still stand a chance of survival.

"Nothing much. Not long ago, several of my companions met with a tragic end while searching for fragments of the Chaos Mirror, and your aura happens to carry the trace of a Chaos Mirror fragment. Can you guess what I am thinking?" Wang Feiyu looked at Lin Xiaobao without rushing to make a move, his demeanor resembling a cat toying with a mouse.

"So that's how it is. But I find it rather strange—didn't demonic cultivators perish long ago? How could one still appear?" Lin Xiaobao asked with a hint of perplexity, while frantically trying to establish a connection with Elder Mo within his body.

Though Lin Xiaobao was reluctant to have Elder Mo intervene once more, fearing he might fall into a slumber just like Elder Wu had, he had no other choice given the current predicament. Besides, this situation was different from last time.

Previously, it was necessary to eliminate the three demonic cultivators to seize the Chaos Mirror fragments, but this time, Elder Mo only needed to help him escape the arrayed space, which shouldn't cause him to slip into a dormant state, right?

Faced with such a question, Wang Feiyu wore a trace of puzzlement. "It seems you little fellow know quite a lot. Even across the entire Dragon Soaring Continent, there should be very few who know of demonic cultivators, shouldn't there?"

"That is because I am the one who told him all of this!" Lin Xiaobao's voice suddenly underwent a dramatic change. At that moment, it sounded aged and profound, while the aura radiating from his body surged in intensity.

Sensing the change in Lin Xiaobao, Wang Feiyu's expression shifted drastically. Upon hearing that voice in particular, he involuntarily took two steps back. "You... You are Mo..."

"Indeed, I didn't expect you to still remember this old man!" Elder Mo controlled Lin Xiaobao's body, his hands clasped behind his back. Although the physical vessel remained the same, his temperament was now worlds apart from Lin Xiaobao's.

"Feiyu will forever remember the grace of Elder Mo's re-creation!" Wang Feiyu immediately dropped to one knee and bowed before Elder Mo.

"Can I take this little fellow and leave now?" Elder Mo's voice still resonated with antiquity.

Wang Feiyu stood up without speaking immediately. However, the tightly knitted brow on his face revealed that an intense internal struggle was waging within him.

"You may go!" Wang Feiyu said only after appearing to reach a difficult resolution.

Seeing the other's compliance, Elder Mo conversely stopped rushing. "After reincarnation, how did you end up walking the path of demonic cultivation?"

Without Wang Feiyu needing to explain, Elder Mo already knew the other had undergone reincarnation and cultivation anew. Had it not been so, Wang Feiyu could not possibly possess his current level of cultivation; after all, back in that era, anyone qualified to cross paths with Elder Mo was no ordinary person.

Prompted by this question from Elder Mo, Wang Feiyu's gaze turned deep and distant, as if recalling events from long ago. "Back then, to escape the tribulation of reincarnation, you and Elder Wu attempted to open the path of reincarnation, but ultimately failed. To avoid being crushed to dust by the karmic tribulation, many chose the path of reincarnation and re-cultivation!"

Elder Mo nodded. The tribulation of reincarnation back then was something everyone could foresee yet remained powerless to prevent. The battle between him and Elder Wu was both a contest for supremacy between the pill-refining and array-formation paths, and a hope that their clash might shatter open the path of reincarnation, leaving a sanctuary for the practitioners of the Xuan Sect at the time.