A blind man cultivates immortality and witnesses the great secret of the holy maiden in her bridal c

Chen Yang stood on the empty street, his heart filled with inexplicable doubts.

The entire town was deathly silent. Every household had its doors and windows tightly shut, and not a single sound could be heard. An eerie atmosphere enveloped the area. Completely bewildered, he shook his head helplessly and could only continue walking forward along the street.

Just then, a male and a female cultivator walked towards them from the front.

The two caught a glimpse of Chen Yang walking slowly towards them out of the corner of their eyes. They first stopped and looked him over subconsciously, but the next second, their expressions suddenly changed. They lowered their heads almost simultaneously, looking panicked, and turned around to run away frantically in the direction they had come from.

The two fled at an extremely fast pace, their movements hurried and revealing a strong sense of fear and hostility.

This scene deepened Chen Yang's doubts.

He was quite certain that he had never seen these two cultivators before, and that he had no past grievances or recent enemies. However, the instinctive wariness and hostility in their eyes was incredibly real.

Without a second thought, Chen Yang took a step forward, his speed suddenly increasing, and hurriedly called out to stop them: "Fellow Daoists, please wait!"

He quickly caught up with the two and asked in a calm tone, "What happened here? Why is everyone in town running away from me?"

The two fleeing figures suddenly stopped, their bodies stiffening slightly as they hesitated for a moment.

Finally, the male cultivator steeled himself and slowly turned his head, staring warily at Chen Yang, while continuing to back away, ready to escape at any moment.

His tone was curt, carrying obvious distance and resistance: "Fellow Daoist, please leave. Our Xiangshui Town does not welcome any unfamiliar cultivators. Please leave this place immediately."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yang frowned even more deeply, his doubts deepening: "Why aren't outside cultivators welcome?"

"I have come from a distant country beyond the borders, only to ask for directions to the Kunze Sect, and have no intention of causing trouble."

"I'm curious, why do the cultivators of your Ze Kingdom act so strangely? Does the entire kingdom forbid outsiders from setting foot and wandering around?"

Upon hearing that Chen Yang was not a native of Ze Kingdom, a clear look of surprise flashed in the male cultivator's eyes, but his wariness remained undiminished. He scrutinized Chen Yang from head to toe, seemingly trying to discern the truthfulness of his words.

Seeing this, the female cultivator beside him quickly reached out and quietly tugged at the male cultivator's sleeve, signaling him with her eyes to stop talking.

The two stopped talking, exchanged a glance, turned around and sped up, disappearing into the end of the alley in the blink of an eye, completely avoiding Chen Yang.

Chen Yang stood there, completely bewildered and utterly perplexed.

Just as he was pondering to himself, a rapid whooshing sound came from the distant horizon.

Seven or eight figures, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind, sped toward this place.

The leader was an elderly man with white hair and beard, whose demeanor was steady and whose eyes were sharp. As the crowd approached, they all stopped. The old man's gaze fell on Chen Yang, and he politely bowed.

Chen Yang turned around and looked at the person who had come.

He noticed that the seven people were dressed uniformly, and each of them had a large, eye-catching character "镖" (biao, meaning escort) embroidered on the front of their clothes, clearly indicating that they were a team of escort agents traveling around.

Chen Yang pondered to himself that every cultivator in the Central Continent possessed a storage ring, capable of storing ordinary supplies themselves. Ordinary merchant caravans and escort agencies were extremely rare. Only when transporting giant demonic beasts or exceptionally enormous creatures would an escort agency be needed.

With this thought in mind, Chen Yang returned the greeting with a cupped hand and spoke first: "Greetings, fellow Daoists. I am new to this place and only came to ask for directions. I wonder what has happened in Xiangshui Town, and why everyone in the town avoids me like the plague?"

The white-bearded old man smiled gently upon hearing this, his tone carrying a hint of understanding and helplessness: "It seems that you are indeed new to the Swamp Kingdom and are completely unaware of the changes here. May I ask where you wish to go? Perhaps I can guide you."

"I'm going to Kunze Sect," Chen Yang said directly.

Upon hearing the words "Kunze Sect," the old man's eyes lit up, and he quickly nodded, "So you're a fellow Daoist! What a coincidence!"

"Why don't you come with us back to the escort agency to rest for a while, and then we can set off together later? Our escort agency is currently escorting a batch of demon beast supplies to Kunze Sect for handover."

Chen Yang's eyes flickered slightly.

The place was eerie, and the townspeople were filled with fear and on high alert, but he felt no fear whatsoever.

With his current combat strength, even if the Golden Core Peak Sect Master of Kunze Sect came in person, he would be able to deal with him with ease, so he naturally had no need to be afraid of the escort team from a small town.

Chen Yang did not refuse, nodded slightly in agreement, and followed the seven escort agency cultivators toward the giant escort agency in the very center of Xiangshui Town.

Upon entering the security agency's compound, one finds everything already prepared for departure.

A team of more than twenty escorts stood in neat formation, each with a focused demeanor and complete equipment, clearly seasoned veterans with years of experience in escorting goods.

In the center of the procession, several enclosed carriages pulled by giant monsters were parked. The carriages were solid and heavy, sealed off layer by layer, making it impossible to see what was inside, giving them a mysterious feel.

Directly in front of the caravan, a solemn and composed old man stood with his hands behind his back, his sharp eyes fixed on the caravan in front of him. His aura was dignified and imposing.

Upon seeing the white-bearded man and his group return with the unfamiliar Chen Yang, the old man turned to look at them.

The white-bearded old man quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting, and respectfully reported, "Patriarch, we just encountered this fellow Daoist from beyond the realm outside the town. He was on his way to the Kunze Sect, so I took the liberty of inviting him to travel with us."

Upon hearing this, the head of the escort agency looked Chen Yang up and down carefully.

He quietly spread his divine sense and instantly discovered that the young man in front of him, though seemingly restrained, actually possessed profound knowledge and was a powerful expert at the early stage of the Divine Power Realm!

A flash of respect crossed the old man's eyes. He quickly cupped his hands in greeting, his attitude humble: "So it's you, fellow Daoist at the Divine Power Realm, who has graced us with your presence. I am Ma Wenxi, the manager of this Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Since you are also heading to the Kunze Sect, you are welcome to travel with my group. It will be good to have someone to look after you on the way."

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist Ma." Chen Yang nodded slightly in return, then got straight to the point, expressing his doubts, "I am Chen Yang. I have come here with many questions, and I hope Fellow Daoist Ma can enlighten me."

"Why do all the cultivators in Xiangshui Town avoid me, an outsider? And why do the thick, heavy clouds that never dissipate over the marshland imprison the airspace, preventing even cultivators from flying away?"

Upon hearing this question, Ma Wenxi's smile slowly faded, and he let out a helpless sigh, his eyes filled with heaviness and bitterness.

"It seems that Fellow Daoist Chen has truly just entered the Swamp Country and is completely unaware of the recent calamities our country has suffered."

"To be honest, Zeguo has recently undergone a major change. The entire territory is shrouded in eerie dark clouds that never dissipate. Strange poisonous rain constantly falls from the clouds, eroding the land and infecting living beings."

"Because of the rampant poisonous rain, all cultivators in the entire Ze Kingdom are now living in fear, extremely wary of any unfamiliar cultivators from outside, and never getting close to them, for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves."

"However, fellow Daoist, you can rest assured that as long as you do not fly through the air and walk on solid ground, you will not be contaminated by the poison of the clouds and will not be in danger of losing your life."

Chen Yang grew increasingly puzzled and pressed further, "Since it's a nationwide calamity of poisonous rain, why haven't any powerful local figures stepped in to suppress and resolve it? Furthermore, why is this natural disaster specifically targeting unfamiliar cultivators from elsewhere?"

Ma Wenxi sighed again, shaking his head repeatedly, his tone laced with ambiguity, unwilling to elaborate: "Fellow Daoist Chen, some things are better left unsaid."

"You are ultimately not a person of my Ze Kingdom. After you finish your business on your way to Kunze Sect, it would be best to leave this place as soon as possible. There is no need to delve too deeply into this matter, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."

Seeing that the other party was adamant and clearly unwilling to reveal the inside story, Chen Yang did not force the issue or continue to press for details.

He cupped his hands slightly, his expression calm: "Since that's the case, then I won't bother you any longer. I only hope that the team can set off as soon as possible and arrive at Kunze Sect as soon as possible."