Zhao Hanchuan's expression froze.
Of course, he knew what his foolish son had done. Ever since he met the famous "Jade-faced Beauty" from the Tianling Cave, that good-for-nothing had completely lost his mind.
To win a smile from the beauty, the unworthy son had exposed many of the secrets of the Xuanming Sect, and in the end, left a ridiculous letter saying that he was "willing to give up the path of cultivation and escape the worldly hustle and bustle with you."
Every time Zhao Hanchuan thought about it, his chest tightened. Today, when he attended the banquet, he only dared bring two trusted subordinates. The rest of the assistance were from other sects, all in case things leaked out!
If the Xuanming Sect found out, not only would his son's life be in danger, but his own life as an elder would be at risk as well.
After all, the title of "Elder" sounded glorious, but in reality, it was just a little face that the Xuanming Sect gave him.
Zhao Hanchuan knew better than anyone that his position was unimportant—he had no great battle achievements and no superior cultivation skills, all of it was because of his hundreds of years of hard work.
Who in the sect truly took him seriously? The tokens of power from the actual managing elders were far heavier than his Elder token.
However, Zhao Hanchuan would never admit to his son's incompetence. He immediately said:
"What do you mean, 'voluntarily becoming your son-in-law'? Clearly, it was your Tianling Cave's enchantress who used charm magic to deceive my son!"
"You say it's about eloping..." He sneered through clenched teeth, "He's probably already locked in your dark prison!"
Zhao Hanchuan stepped forward suddenly, "Stop the nonsense and lay out your conditions!"
He flicked his sleeve, speaking with finality, "But if you plan to extract more secrets of the Xuanming Sect, that's just a pipe dream!"
"Tsk tsk..." The Tianling Cave Master slowly stroked his long beard, "Zhao Elder, your words are a bit too harsh. I'm not interested in your Xuanming Sect's information."
His eyes narrowed as he looked down, his gaze seemingly piercing through the floor, landing on Fang Yuan and his group: "But it's quite coincidental, I've recently hit a bottleneck in my cultivation, and I happen to need some 'food supplements'..."
"And not just me," he added with a sinister smile, "The Chiweng Demon Saint who's visiting is also quite greedy."
"Why don't you leave the few Heavenly Realm cultivators you brought with you, and I'll help you find your son, how about it?"
"What?"
Hearing this, Zhao Hanchuan's face immediately shifted between dark and light. He never expected the other party to set their sights on the few subordinates he had brought!
The Tianling Cave Master, seeing his reaction, continued stroking his antler beard: "Zhao Elder, why hesitate? If I'm not mistaken, these Heavenly Realm cultivators… they all come from remote, minor sects, don't they?"
"Even if they die outside... who would bother investigating?"
Seeing Zhao Hanchuan remain silent, the Cave Master added: "And don't worry about their deaths, I wouldn't harm you. After all, you're still a Xuanming Sect Elder. I don't dare go against the Xuanming Sect..."
"As for those mountain cultivators... well, if they die, they die, wouldn't you agree?"
Zhao Hanchuan's lips twitched, and he was secretly astonished—this old man even knew where his temporary recruits came from!
"Why should I trust you?" he said in a low voice, his spiritual energy subtly fluctuating.
"Simple." The Tianling Cave Master calmly took out a sound transmission jade talisman from his sleeve, tapping it with his finger: "Daughter..."
Moments later, hurried panting came through the jade talisman: "Father... father..."
The voice, tinged with panic, was that of the Jade-faced Beauty.
"Is the Zhao family boy with you?"
"Mm... yes, he is... drinking tea and discussing the Dao with my daughter..."
Zhao Hanchuan's eyelids twitched violently. What kind of tea were they drinking, and why was he gasping like that?
The Tianling Cave Master glanced at Zhao Hanchuan meaningfully: "A father misses you both very much. Come back in a few days."
"Daughter... will obey..."
At the instant the jade talisman's light extinguished, a suppressed groan came through. That panting sound was something Zhao Hanchuan knew all too well—it was his incompetent son!
"Now, do you believe me?" The Tianling Cave Master played with the jade talisman, a faint smile on his lips.
Zhao Hanchuan fell silent. His face turned pale, and his temples throbbed, his fingers creaking as he clenched his fists.
---
On the second floor, the dark room was filled with intense scheming, but downstairs in the banquet hall, the atmosphere had already become taut like a bowstring.
To guard against the nearby demons, the human cultivators, led by Qing Song, unconsciously gathered together, their spiritual energy subtly glowing.
However, the Chiweng Demon Saint seemed completely oblivious, her large copper bell-like eyes fixed on Fang Yuan, and suddenly she grinned, showing her bloody maw, extending her fat fingers and beckoning:
"Young master, come over and have a drink with me... There will be benefits for you."
Her voice was sticky as she swallowed. "Naturally, you'll enjoy it."
Qing Song's group turned pale in an instant, and Su Ying's face flushed red—this filthy beast had just been eating human legs and now wanted Fang Yuan to accompany her for drinks?!
But under the overwhelming pressure, none of them dared to act rashly.
Yet, Fang Yuan suddenly chuckled and tilted his head, eyeing the bloated dragon: "Sorry, I'm the type who... doesn't like sitting with fat pigs."
"…"
The Chiweng Demon Saint's pupils suddenly contracted, her bloated body trembling slightly.
She slowly stood from her gilded throne, and the shadow of her massive figure immediately enveloped the entire banquet hall. Her hoarse voice exuded coldness:
"Fat pig?" Her eyes narrowed into slits between the folds of her flesh. "Young master, you seem to be lacking in good taste."
"Who said that? I'm very perceptive," Fang Yuan suddenly smiled widely, and to everyone's surprise, stood up and began walking slowly toward the cave's entrance.
Qing Song and the others immediately reacted—Fang Yuan was going to escape!
Escaping in front of a Demon Saint-level being might be shameful, but it was indeed effective. However… Zhao Hanchuan was still upstairs!
If they disobeyed the orders and chose to escape now, it would certainly lead to Zhao Hanchuan's furious retaliation in the future!
What's more, this fat dragon probably wouldn't let Fang Yuan escape so easily!
Sure enough, the Chiweng Demon Saint bared her bloody teeth: "Oh, you want to escape?"
"Why don't you try crossing this threshold?"
She didn't even bother to get up, simply tapping the table with her fat paw, each tap sounding like the drum of doom: "Behave yourself, and you might keep your little life, but if you try to escape… I'm actually quite hungry!"
Her threatening words made Fang Yuan, who had almost reached the door, stop in his tracks.
Qing Song's group felt their hearts sink into the abyss. What should they do now…
Should they side with Fang Yuan, or just keep their heads down?
"You have some self-awareness..." Seeing that Fang Yuan didn't dare to escape, the Chiweng Demon Saint grinned, but what happened next puzzled her.
Fang Yuan smiled brightly, his long fingers lightly pressing the door handle, and then exerted force—
"Boom!"
The heavy stone door emitted a dull roar before completely shutting!