Gou Zai Fei Men made up myths

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Master Chiyang waved his hand, signaling him to calm down. He stared at Shen Mo and slowly said, "The matter of inheritance can be postponed for now. The resources will be divided 60/40, with our sect taking 60%. Furthermore, you must swear a great oath against your inner demons, promising not to conceal any crucial information about the 'Boundary Stone' and the core of the secret realm from our sect. In addition, the exit of the secret realm must be guarded by people sent by our sect."

Shen Mo quickly calculated in his mind. A 60/40 split, although still a loss, was still acceptable, given the opponent's superior strength. Although the Great Oath of the Inner Demon had constraints, it also offered a lot of room for maneuver.

While jointly guarding the exit is a form of surveillance, it is also a form of indirect protection, temporarily preventing external forces from directly intruding.

"Agreed." Shen Mo pondered for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "But I also have conditions. During the agreement period, your sect shall not interfere with the internal affairs of my Qingyun Sect in any way, nor shall it harm my disciples. Furthermore, when dealing with potential crises in secret realms, such as the one involving the demon from just now, you must prioritize cooperation."

"Agreed." True Master Chiyang agreed readily. He needed time to recover from his injuries, and he also needed the Azure Cloud Sect as a "stepping stone" for exploring the secret realm and a buffer against the turmoil surrounding the "Boundary Stone." A limited cooperation was in the best interests of the Blazing Sun Sect at present.

"In that case, I ask that you, senior, join me in establishing a Heart Demon Pact, with the Chaos Sea as our witness." Shen Mo forced out a drop of blood essence and sketched a simple contract rune in the air.

Master Chiyang flicked his finger, and a drop of essence blood containing the Daoist essence of the Golden Core merged into the rune. The rune shone brightly, transforming into two streams of light that entered the space between the two men's brows. The contract was established, binding them to their inner demons.

Seeing the contract established, Master Chixiao, though unwilling, dared not disobey his ancestor and could only snort coldly before turning his head away. Shi Tie and the other two also breathed a sigh of relief; although they felt aggrieved, they had at least temporarily avoided the worst outcome.

With the agreement reached, the tense atmosphere eased considerably. Both sides occupied separate areas and focused on treating their injuries.

Before closing his eyes to meditate, Master Chiyang gave Shen Mo one last look and said meaningfully, "Shen Mo, I hope you take care of yourself. The waters of this secret realm are deeper than you imagine. Cooperation may be the only way out for your Qingyun Sect."

Shen Mo smiled slightly but did not reply. He simply cupped his hands and said, "Senior, rest assured, I know what's important."

At the edge of the Chaos Sea, after that brief and fragile negotiation, the two sides clearly occupied two relatively stable areas, each seizing the time to heal and recover.

A silent wariness and alienation filled the air. The little bit of affection they had shared in their previous fight against the demons was as thin as a cicada's wing in the face of real interests and old grudges.

A few days later, once his injuries had stabilized and were no longer hindering his movements, Shen Mo decided not to linger. Despite his still weakened state, he bowed respectfully to the Red Sun True Person opposite him, who was meditating with his eyes closed, his voice calm and undisturbed: "Senior Red Sun, now that this matter is settled, I must return to my sect to handle the aftermath. Farewell."

Master Chiyang slightly raised his eyelids, his golden eyes sweeping indifferently over Shen Mo, letting out a soft, ambiguous snort as a response. His injuries were more severe, requiring more time to recuperate, and he was happy that Shen Mo and the others left first, to avoid mutual suspicion.

Master Chixiao stared coldly at the backs of Shen Mo and the other three until they disappeared into the depths of the chaotic mist before reluctantly withdrawing his gaze.

Leaving Meteor Cliff and navigating the perilous outer reaches of the Chaos Sea, Shen Mo and his companions dared not be careless in the slightest. Although they had reached a temporary agreement with the Blazing Sun Sect, none of them could guarantee that the other party wouldn't renege on their promise.

They deliberately chose secluded and chaotic paths, relying on Zhao Qingyan's perception of the remaining restrictions and Shen Mo's subtle grasp of space, to bypass several obvious spatial rifts and energy storm zones without any major incidents, and proceeded in a circuitous manner towards the connecting passage between the Flowing Cloud Secret Realm and the main world.

The atmosphere was tense and oppressive throughout the journey. Shi Tie was holding his breath, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and he would occasionally turn back to glare fiercely in the direction they had come from, cursing in a muffled voice, "Damn it! If it weren't for that old man Chi Yang taking advantage of my misfortune, I would have... Humph!"

Su Xiao gently advised, "Senior Brother Tie, please be patient for now. It was already difficult enough for the Sect Leader to secure this agreement; at least it bought us some time. The Blazing Sun Sect is powerful; we can't afford to fight them head-on."

Zhao Qingyan, however, was more concerned with practical matters. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly as she cautiously surveyed her surroundings, and she whispered:

"Senior Brother Sect Leader, that agreement... the Great Oath of the Heart Demon has strong binding force. Should we fully share information about the 'Boundary Stone' and the core of the secret realm? Also, having them jointly guard the exit of the secret realm is tantamount to putting a knife to the throat of our sect."

Shen Mo's face remained pale, but his eyes had regained their usual depth and composure. He swallowed a "Spirit Nourishing Pill" specially made by Li Xiaocao, feeling the medicinal power slowly nourishing his damaged meridians and consciousness, and slowly said:

"The Great Oath of the Inner Demon has its flaws. It only says 'critical information must not be concealed,' but the interpretation of what constitutes 'critical' is not entirely in their hands. As for the guards at the exit, they are surveillance, which is also a kind of barrier. In the current situation, stabilizing the Blazing Sun Sect and avoiding immediate conflict is the top priority. We need time to digest what we have gained and improve our strength."

He glanced at the three of them, his tone grave: "After this battle, you should understand that even with Foundation Establishment cultivation, one is still walking on thin ice in such turmoil. Qingyan, your understanding of array formations has greatly increased. After returning, you need to digest that scroll, 'Detailed Explanation of the Flowing Cloud Array Formation,' as soon as possible and try to improve the mountain-protecting array."

"Junior Sister Xiao, your divine sense is sharp; you're in charge of gathering intelligence from the outside world, especially clues about the fragments of the 'Boundary-Stabilizing Compass.' Junior Brother Tie, your strength is extraordinary; the training of the Battle Hall disciples must not be relaxed. Study the newly acquired fragment of the 'Mountain-Shaking Body Technique' carefully. The future of the sect depends on real strength!"

"Yes! Senior Brother Sect Leader!" The three answered resolutely. Having survived a life-or-death ordeal, their eyes had become even more resolute. Shi Tie touched the jade slip in his pocket that contained the body-refining technique, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit. Su Xiao and Zhao Qingyan also clenched their fists secretly, feeling the heavy responsibility on their shoulders.

Several days later, after many hardships, the four of them finally crossed the outer edge of the Chaos Sea without any major incidents and found a stable spatial node leading to the main sect of Qingyun Mountain.

When the familiar, thick halo of clouds and mist came into view, the four of them couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, an indescribable sense of peace welling up within them. Finally... home!

The disciples guarding the mountain gate saw four disheveled but familiar figures from afar. They were initially on guard, but once they recognized the sect leader and three elders, they burst into earth-shattering cheers!

"It's the sect leader! The sect leader is back!"

"Elder Shi! Elder Su! Elder Zhao! They're all back!"

"Quickly! Open the array gate! Report to Elder Han!"

The news spread like wildfire throughout Qingyun Mountain! The long-suppressed worry and panic transformed into a torrent of ecstatic joy!

Countless disciples poured out of their caves, alchemy rooms, weapon-making halls, and martial arts training grounds, converging on the main peak square like a tide, their faces beaming with excitement and anticipation.

Elder Han Lin and Li Xiaocao had already rushed over upon hearing the news. Seeing that Shen Mo and the other three, though all injured and weak, had returned unharmed, they were overjoyed, their beards trembling with excitement: "It's good that you're back! It's good that you're back!"

"Sect Leader! I was so worried!" Li Xiaocao's eyes reddened as she quickly stepped forward and distributed the best healing pills she had prepared to the four of them.

"Elder Han, Junior Sister Xiaocao, thank you for guarding the sect." Shen Mo nodded to the two of them. Although he was tired, he felt relieved to see that the sect was in good order and the disciples were in good spirits.