Chapter 310: Senior Brother Dai: I Won't Be Surprised No Matter What Happens This Time

"Is this the Dao Observing Sect?" Qin Yanyan exclaimed, standing before the mountain gate of the Dao Observing Sect.

As one of the five great immortal sects, the Dao Observing Sect was exceptionally active within the cultivation world; even a cultivator like Qin Yanyan, who rarely left her home, had heard of its grand name and exploits—slaying demons, eliminating devils, and defending justice—each of these deeds bore testament to its formidable strength.

Even her mother, Su Yiren, had been full of praise for its might, even suggesting that the Dao Observing Sect might very well be the most powerful among the five great immortal sects.

Upon passing through the grand protective array of the sect, she could distinctly perceive the contrast between this place and the outside world; the temperature and humidity were artificially regulated to the most comfortable levels, and the density of spiritual energy was significantly heightened, nearly rivaling that of her own home.

One had to bear in mind that her household consisted of only herself and her mother, Su Yiren.

As a grand cultivator of the Body Integration Stage, Su Yiren had only managed to elevate the spiritual energy density of a single mountain to such a degree.

Yet the Dao Observing Sect spanned a hundred thousand miles, and its spiritual energy density was comparable to her own home, which was truly terrifying.

"Is this the legacy accumulated over one hundred and twenty thousand years?"

As three men and one woman entered the mountain gate and traversed a bamboo forest, ripples stirred within the murmuring river that flowed through the groves, and the waters surged upward to form a river spirit.

"Halt! Lu Yang, Meng Jingzhou, who is this you are bringing into the Dao Observing Sect?"

The river spirit wielded two axes, one of gold and one of silver, staring at Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou with an unfriendly expression.

The river spirit served as a defensive line for the Dao Observing Sect, preventing petty and malicious figures from slipping inside.

When the two vice leaders of the Immortal Cult had entered the Dao Observing Sect previously, the river spirit had not intervened only because of Yun Zhi's secret instructions to leave the matter alone.

Otherwise, even with Lu Yang leading them, those two vice leaders of the Immortal Cult would not have even been able to cross the threshold.

"This is Qin Yanyan, a relative of Junior Brother Li," Lu Yang introduced openly.

"A relative?" The river spirit looked suspiciously at Qin Yanyan, whose cheeks were slightly flushed, and then at Li Haoran, who bore a peculiar expression.

"I possess information on every single disciple of the Dao Observing Sect, so how is it that I have never heard of Li Haoran having a relative named Qin Yanyan?"

Li Haoran thought to himself that two months ago, he hadn't known either.

Lu Yang gave a brief explanation: "It is like this; you should know that Junior Brother Li has a fiancée."

The river spirit nodded.

"Junior Brother Li's fiancée has a daughter, and that is Qin Yanyan."

The river spirit: "!"

Hearing the river spirit claim to possess information on all the disciples of the Dao Observing Sect, Meng Jingzhou’s eyes lit up, and without a second thought, he blurted out: "Then you must know the Eldest Senior Sister's age..."

Lu Yang suddenly sensed danger and reacted with lightning speed, kicking Meng Jingzhou away and cutting his question short.

If you want to die, don't drag the rest of us down!

"Li Haoran, is what he says the truth?" Drawing from experience, the river spirit could not place absolute trust in Lu Yang's words.

Li Haoran hesitated for a moment before nodding: "It is the truth."

The river spirit felt a sudden surge of respect for Li Haoran and granted the four passage.

"Go on in. You know the rules of the sect; certain areas are not to be entered without permission."

The first destination the four arrived at was the Mission Grand Hall.

After all, their initial purpose upon leaving the sect had been to complete a mission.

Though they had encountered a few unexpected twists, the mission was ultimately accomplished.

"Eldest Niece, wait here at the entrance. The Mission Grand Hall is somewhat special; no one may enter without the permission of an Elder-level figure," Lu Yang said to Qin Yanyan apologetically.

Qin Yanyan waited at the entrance of the Mission Grand Hall; as a new face, the disciples passing to and fro would instinctively cast glances at her. Thin-skinned as she was, she could hardly bear such torment, her toes nearly curling through the floor.

Suddenly, two figures caught Qin Yanyan's attention.

"I heard from Senior River Spirit that Senior Brother Lu has come to the Mission Grand Hall. Come, let's find him so he can give us some pointers!"

"Senior Sister Tao, there's no need to be in such a hurry. If we wait at the entrance of Heaven Gate Peak, we are bound to run into Brother Lu eventually."

A male and a female figure conversed as they walked toward the Mission Grand Hall.

"Oh, a new face." The woman noticed Qin Yanyan, who was standing awkwardly, not knowing what to do with her hands and feet, and stepped forward to greet her warmly.

"My name is Tao Yaoye, and this is Mangu. Who are you?"

"Senior Brother, we are here to report on our mission," Lu Yang said to the senior brother on duty at the front desk.

"The female ghost mission from Guhuai Town, right? Just a moment." Behind the senior brother lay piles of archives; he turned around and deftly pulled out a thin file from the very bottom.

Strangely, despite pulling the file from the absolute bottom, the mountain of archives above remained entirely unaffected, completely motionless.

Lu Yang keenly noticed that these files were not actually stacked on top of one another; rather, they were levitating in the air, appearing as a pile only because they were spaced so closely together.

Lu Yang handed over the account of the events, the certification issued by Mayor Fan, and the non-harm argument concerning the female ghosts.

That senior brother had been stationed at the front desk of the Mission Grand Hall for a long time and was well-versed in many things; though using female ghosts as a gimmick to drive the local economy sounded absurd, to his knowledge, Mayor Fan's actions were not unprecedented.

It was simply that such matters could not be publicized on a large scale, so they remained rarely known.

"Junior Brother Lu, regarding your request in the report to register the three female ghosts with the Dao Observing Sect, someone will head out for an on-site investigation later."

The Dao Observing Sect eliminated demons and vanquished devils, but they did not slay every monster or spirit upon sight; for those ghosts and demons that had caused no harm to humans, the Dao Observing Sect would register them after ensuring they had no history of harming people or potential for danger, lest they be harmed by certain righteous cultivators who failed to distinguish right from wrong.

Should any righteous cultivator insist on eradicating Xiao Qi and the other two ghosts, they would only need to present the registration certificate from the Dao Observing Sect, and the opponent would tactfully back off.

"You also stated in the report that the three female ghosts were absorbing Yang energy under someone else's orders. What is the nature of this matter?"

"This matter involves a demonic cult; I need to report it to Senior Brother Dai," Lu Yang said solemnly.

"Just a moment, then. I will pass the word along."

"Lu Yang and the others want to report to me again?" At that moment, Dai Bufan had shrunk in size and was encased within a massive sphere of water; he was not alone in the sphere, as sharks, whales, octopuses, and other fierce beasts bared their sharp teeth, staring intently at him.

Upon hearing that Lu Yang wished to see him, he broke free from the water sphere, his body returning to its original size. He opened his mouth and swallowed the water sphere along with those ferocious beasts whole into his stomach.

This was one of his combat methods, allowing him to drag enemies into a sphere of water and let the aquatic beasts tear their bodies to pieces.

"Let them in."

Dai Bufan pondered; this time, besides Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, there was also Li Haoran. Could the situation this time be related to the Nine Nether Cult?

"How is it that every time these two go on a mission, it involves a demonic cult?" Dai Bufan wondered to himself, suspecting that birds of a feather flocked together, and that Lu Yang's duo shared a mutual attraction with demonic cults.

However, no matter what situation Lu Yang reported this time, he would not be surprised.

What else could it be? At the absolute most, they had successfully joined the Nine Nether Cult.

Lu Yang and the other two found Dai Bufan, and Lu Yang confessed with utter honesty:

"Senior Brother Dai, the three of us have established a new demonic cult."