fēi le yuē yī zhǎn chá de shí jiān ， lín xuān tū rán shēn xíng yī huǎn ， màn màn de tíng
飞了约一盏茶的时间，林轩突然身形一缓，慢慢的停
About a tea's time had passed when Lin Xuan suddenly slowed his movement, gradually coming to a stop.
zhè ér shì yī chù huāng yuán ， suī fēi cùn cǎo bù shēng ， què yě zhǐ yǒu yī xiē dī ǎi de guàn mù cóng ， páng biān ， sǒng lì zhāo shù zuò bǎi yú zhàng gāo de tǔ huáng xiǎo pō
这儿是一处荒原，虽非寸草不生，却也只有一些低矮的灌木丛，旁边，耸立着数座百余丈高的土黄小坡
This was an expanse of barren land, not completely devoid of vegetation but mostly covered by low shrubs. Beside it stood several small mounds, each about a hundred feet high in yellowish earth.
lín xuān bì shàng shuāng móu ， fàng chū shén shí gǎn yìng le yī xià sì zhōu ， chú le yī xiē xiǎo dòng wù ， shén me yě méi yǒu ， lín xuān mǎn yì de diǎn diǎn tóu ， cóng kōng zhōng là xià 。
林轩闭上双眸，放出神识感应了一下四周，除了一些小动物，什么也没有，林轩满意的点点头，从空中落下。
Lin Xuan closed his eyes and released his spirit sense to scan the surroundings. Apart from some small animals, there was nothing else. He nodded satisfactorily before descending from the sky.
“ shào yé ， nǐ zhǔn bèi zài zhè ér fú jī tā liǎ ？”
“少爷，你准备在这儿伏击他俩？”
"Master, are you planning to ambush them here?"
“ ń 。” lín xuān yī biān huí dá ， yī biān shēn chū shǒu lái ， zài chǔ wù dài shàng yī pāi ， guāng huá lián shǎn ， jiāng jǐ gān zhèn qí qǔ le chū lái 。
“嗯。”林轩一边回答，一边伸出手来，在储物袋上一拍，光华连闪，将几杆阵旗取了出来。
"Yes," Lin Xuan replied while reaching into his storage bag, his fingers flashing with light as he retrieved several array flags.
suī rán yǐ zì jǐ zhǔ pú èr rén de shí lì ， duì fù zhōu miǎn fū fù chuò chuò yǒu yú ， dàn wèi le yǐ fáng wàn yī ， lín xuān hái shì zhǔn bèi duō liú yī xiē hòu shǒu 。
虽然以自己主仆二人的实力，对付周冕夫妇绰绰有余，但为了以防万一，林轩还是准备多留一些后手。
Even though his master and servant duo had more than enough strength to handle Zhou Mian and his wife, Lin Xuan still prepared some extra measures in case of unforeseen circumstances.
shí zhǐ huī dòng ， shù dào guāng máng fēn sàn kāi lái ， mò rù tǔ zhōng xiāo shī bú jiàn ， lín xuān kàn le kàn shǒu zhōng de yuán pán ， zhèn fǎ yǐ bèi hěn hǎo de bù xià 。
十指挥动，数道光芒分散开来，没入土中消失不见，林轩看了看手中的圆盘，阵法已被很好的布下。
With ten commands, several beams of light dispersed and sank into the ground. Lin Xuan glanced at the circular disk he held; the array was well set up.
zuǐ jiǎo biān lù chū yī sī mǎn yì ， lín xuān shēn xíng yī shǎn ， lái dào le yī zuò tǔ shān de hòu miàn ， zhāng kāi kǒu lái ， yī dào jiàn máng fēi shè ér chū ， rú qiè dòu fǔ bān de kāi pì le yī zuò jiǎn lòu de dòng fǔ 。
嘴角边露出一丝满意，林轩身形一闪，来到了一座土山的后面，张开口来，一道剑芒飞射而出，如切豆腐般的开辟了一座简陋的洞府。
A satisfied smile played on his lips as he moved swiftly behind a small mound and opened his mouth to release a sword blade that carved out a crude cave like cutting through tofu.
shuō shì dòng fǔ ， qí shí yě jiù gāng gòu róng shēn ér yǐ ， lín xuān zuò le jìn qù ， shōu liǎn qì xī ， yǎng jīng xù ruì ， děng dài nà duì níng dān qī de shuāng xiū dào lǚ 。
说是洞府，其实也就刚够容身而已，林轩坐了进去，收敛气息，养精蓄锐，等待那对凝丹期的双修道侣。
Though it could barely accommodate him, Lin Xuan sat inside, gathering his spirit energy and preparing for the couple of Condensation Core cultivators who were about to arrive.
zhè yī zuò jiù shì shù gè shí chén zhī jiǔ ， lín xuān lái dào zhè lǐ de shí hòu ， tài yáng cái gāng gāng shēng qǐ ， kě xiàn rú jīn ， què yǐ jīng yào cóng xī biān là xià qù 。
这一坐就是数个时辰之久，林轩来到这里的时候，太阳才刚刚升起，可现如今，却已经要从西边落下去。
He remained there for several hours. When he arrived, the sun had just risen, but now it was setting in the west.
rán ér lín xuān bù jí 。 shēn wèi xiū xiān 。 zhè diǎn nài xīn bù suàn shén me 。
然而林轩不急。身为修仙。这点耐心不算什么。
Lin Xuan wasn't anxious; as a cultivator, this level of patience was nothing out of the ordinary.
tā gān cuì dǎ zuò liàn qǐ le qì lái 。
他干脆打坐炼起了气来。
Instead, he sat and refined his qi.
tiān sè yuè dì hūn àn 。 tū rán 。 lín xuān méi tóu yī tiāo 。 zhēng kāi le shuāng móu 。 rán ér yǎn zhōng què míng xiǎn dài zhe chà yì zhī sè 。
天色越地昏暗。突然。林轩眉头一挑。睁开了双眸。然而眼中却明显带着诧异之色。
As the sky grew darker, Lin Xuan's brows suddenly raised as he opened his eyes, clearly showing surprise.
“ shào yé 。 zěn me le ？”
“少爷。怎么了？”
"Master, what is it?"
yuè ér yǒu xiē hào qí dì kāi kǒu 。 yǐ tā dì shén shí 。 zì rán yě gǎn jué yǒu liǎng gǔ jù dà dì líng lì 。 zhèng xùn sù jiē jìn zhè lǐ 。 ruò méi yǒu pàn duàn cuò dì huà 。 jiù shì zhōu miǎn fū fù 。 zhè bù zhèng shì shào yé suǒ xī wàng dì 。 kě tā dì biǎo qíng wèi shén me ……
月儿有些好奇地开口。以她地神识。自然也感觉有两股巨大地灵力。正迅速接近这里。若没有判断错地话。就是周冕夫妇。这不正是少爷所希望地。可他地表情为什么……
Moon asked curiously. With her spirit sense, she could feel two massive amounts of spiritual energy rapidly approaching. If her judgment was correct, they were Zhou Mian and his wife. This was exactly what the master had hoped for, but why did he look so uneasy?
“ yuè ér 。 gǎn jué dào le ma ？”
“月儿。感觉到了吗？”
"Have you felt anything, Moon?"
“ yǔ liǎng gè yuè qián xiāng bǐ ， zhè duì fū fù shēn shàng de qì xī sì hū yǒu nà me yī xiē bù tóng 。” lín xuān mī le mī yǎn ， ruò yǒu suǒ sī de kāi kǒu ：“ suī rán yǎn shì dé hěn hǎo ， kě mó xìng què zài zhú jiàn zēng jiā 。”
“与两个月前相比，这对夫妇身上的气息似乎有那么一些不同。”林轩眯了眯眼，若有所思的开口：“虽然掩饰得很好，可魔性却在逐渐增加。”
"With a comparison to two months ago, their aura seems slightly different," Lin Xuan said, squinting as if deep in thought. "Although they've masked it well, their demonic nature is growing."
“ zhēn shì zhè yàng 。” yuè ér qǐ chū méi yǒu liú yì ， rú jīn tīng shào yé yī tí ， zǐ xì gǎn shòu ， guǒ rán bù jiǎ ：“ wèi shén me huì chū xiàn zhè zhǒng qíng kuàng ？”
“真是这样。”月儿起初没有留意，如今听少爷一提，仔细感受，果然不假：“为什么会出现这种情况？”
"Yes, that's true." Moon initially hadn't noticed but now, after the master mentioned it, she felt it was indeed so: "Why would this happen?"
“ wèn wǒ ， wǒ wèn shuí qù ？” lín xuān mō le mō xià bā ， liǎn shàng lù chū yī sī wán wèi zhī sè ：“ yuè ér ， xiū liàn zhī yú ， yě xǐ huān bó lǎn qún shū ， kě zēng zài shén me diǎn jí shàng kàn guò ， chú le wǒ de 《 yīn yáng jué 》， shàng gǔ shí qī hái yǒu shén me shén tōng ， kě yǐ ràng zhèng mó shuǐ rǔ jiāo róng ， yì qǐ jiān xiū 。”
“问我，我问谁去？”林轩摸了摸下巴，脸上露出一丝玩味之色：“月儿，修炼之余，也喜欢博览群书，可曾在什么典籍上看过，除了我的《阴阳诀》，上古时期还有什么神通，可以让正魔水乳交融，一起兼修。”
"Ask me, who else should I ask?" Lin Xuan stroked his chin with a playful expression. "Moon, in your spare time, you've read many books. Have you ever come across any ancient techniques that could allow both good and evil to coexist and cultivate together besides my Yin-Yang Art?"
“ méi yǒu 。” yuè ér yáo le yáo tóu ：“ shào yé suǒ xí yīn yáng jué shí nǎi dǎ pò xiū xiān jiè cháng lǐ dì nì tiān shén tōng ， chú cǐ zhī wài ， xiǎo bì cóng méi yǒu tīng shuō guò yǒu lèi sì de gōng fǎ 。”
“没有。”月儿摇了摇头：“少爷所习阴阳诀实乃打破修仙界常理地逆天神通，除此之外，小婢从没有听说过有类似的功法。”
"No," Moon shook her head. "The master's Yin-Yang Art is an unprecedented divine technique breaking the norms of cultivation. I have never heard of a similar method."
“ ń ， wǒ yě méi tīng shuō guò ， zhè jiù yǒu xiē qí guài le ， jù wǒ suǒ zhī ， zhōu miǎn fū fù suǒ xí suī fēi xuán mén zhèng zōng ， què yě shì zhèng dào pǒ yǒu míng qì dì gōng fǎ ， kě cóng liǎng rén rú jīn suǒ sàn chū de mó qì kàn ， jiǎn zhí jiù rú níng dān qī de xiū mó yì bān 。”
“嗯，我也没听说过，这就有些奇怪了，据我所知，周冕夫妇所习虽非玄门正宗，却也是正道颇有名气地功法，可从两人如今所散出的魔气看，简直就如凝丹期的修魔一般。”
"Hmm, neither have I. This is strange. According to what I know, Zhou Mian and his wife are not orthodox practitioners but still famous for their techniques. Yet, based on the demonic aura they're emitting now, it's as if they've reached the Condensation Core stage of cultivation."
“ shào yé ， huì bú huì shì tā liǎ shě qì le yǐ qián de zhǔ xiū gōng fǎ ér gǎi xiū mó dào ？”
“少爷，会不会是他俩舍弃了以前的主修功法而改修魔道？”
"Master, could it be that they abandoned their previous main cultivation method and switched to the Dark Path?"
“ zhè nǎ lǐ kě néng ， chú fēi liǎng rén xiān zì fèi xiū wèi ， kě yǔ liǎng yuè qián xiāng bǐ ， tā men de fǎ lì míng xiǎn zēng jìn le bù shǎo 。” lín xuān yōu yōu dì fēn xī dào 。
“这哪里可能，除非两人先自废修为，可与两月前相比，他们的法力明显增进了不少。”林轩悠悠地分析道。
"It's impossible," Lin Xuan said slowly. "Unless they first self-destructed their abilities, but compared to two months ago, their power has clearly increased."
yuè ér xiù méi wēi zhòu ， xiǎn rán yě shì yì diǎn tóu xù yě méi yǒu 。
月儿秀眉微皱，显然也是一点头绪也没有。
Moon frowned slightly; she had no idea either.
“ hǎo le ， bù yòng fèi xīn sī suǒ ， xiǎng yào dá àn zhǐ xū yào jiāng liǎng rén ná xià jiù kě yǐ le 。” shuō dào zhè lǐ ， lín xuān yǎn zhōng yǐn yǐn yǒu yī sī jīng máng shǎn guò 。
“好了，不用费心思索，想要答案只需要将两人拿下就可以了。”说到这里，林轩眼中隐隐有一丝精芒闪过。
"Let's not waste our thoughts on this. We just need to take them down to get the answer." With that, a glint of sharpness flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes.
rán hòu ， tā chóng xīn bì shàng le shuāng yǎn ， lián qì xī yě biàn dé ruò yǒu ruò wú qǐ lái 。
然后，他重新闭上了双眼，连气息也变得若有若无起来。
He then closed his eyes again, making his presence almost undetectable.
dà yuē bàn gè shí chén yǐ hòu ， liǎng dào zǐ sè de dùn guāng chū xiàn zài le tiān biān ， bìng xùn jié yǐ jí dì cháo zhè biān fēi lüè ér lái 。
大约半个时辰以后，两道紫色的遁光出现在了天边，并迅捷以极地朝这边飞掠而来。
About half an hour later, two streaks of purple light appeared in the distance and swiftly flew toward him.
lín xuān de shǒu qiāo qiāo fǔ shàng le chǔ wù dài ， suī rán lí dé shàng wèi ， dàn yǐ tā de yǎn lì ， zì rán yě jiāng dùn guāng zhōng de liǎng rén kàn qīng chǔ ， guǒ rán shì zhōu miǎn fū fù 。
林轩的手悄悄抚上了储物袋，虽然离得尚未，但以他的眼力，自然也将遁光中的两人看清楚，果然是周冕夫妇。
Lin Xuan's hand subconsciously touched his storage bag. Although they were still far away, he could clearly see the two figures from his keen eyesight: Zhou Mian and his wife.
zhǐ shì cǐ kè ， liǎng rén de liǎn shàng yě yǒu shēn shēn de yōu sè 。
只是此刻，两人的脸上也有深深的忧色。
Their faces showed deep concern as well.
“ shī xiōng ， zūn dì fēn shén kuǐ lěi jū rán bèi miè le ， yǒu zhè ge shí lì de ， zhǐ yǒu shǎo mén zhǔ ， nán dào lín xuān zhēn xiàn le wǒ men dì jì huà ？”
“师兄，尊地分神傀儡居然被灭了，有这个实力的，只有少门主，难道林轩真现了我们地计划？”
"Senior Brother, even our divine puppet has been destroyed by that power. Only the Young Master of the Lesser Branch could have such strength. Has Lin Xuan really uncovered our plans?"
“ bù qīng chǔ ， yě xǔ zhǐ shì còu qiǎo bà le ， dàn tā kěn dìng duō shǎo kàn chū le yī xiē duān ní ， zūn fèn nù wú bǐ ， zhè yàng xià qù ， wǒ men yǔ líng yào shān jué liè yě jiù chéng le shí jiān wèn tí 。” zhōu miǎn shuō dào zhè lǐ ， biǎo qíng yě yīn chén le xià qù 。
“不清楚，也许只是凑巧罢了，但他肯定多少看出了一些端倪，尊愤怒无比，这样下去，我们与灵药山决裂也就成了时间问题。”周冕说到这里，表情也阴沉了下去。
"I'm not sure," Zhou Mian said. "It might just be a coincidence, but he must have noticed something. The Elder is furious; this will only lead to us breaking ties with Spirit Medicine Mountain."
suī rán tā xiān qián shuō dé mǎn bù zài hū ， dàn líng yào shān de shí lì kān bǐ zhèng mó ， shì dào lín tóu ， xīn zhōng hái shì yǒu xiē tǎn tè 。
虽然他先前说得满不在乎，但灵药山的实力堪比正魔，事到临头，心中还是有些忐忑。
Although Zhou Mian had earlier seemed unconcerned, the power of Spirit Medicine Mountain rivaled that of both good and evil, so his heart was still uneasy.
lín xuān mī le mī yǎn ， yǐn yuē kě jiàn fū qī èr rén zhèng zài jiāo tán ， kě xī lí dé tài yuǎn ， tīng bù qīng chǔ tā men zài shuō shén me 。
林轩眯了眯眼，隐约可见夫妻二人正在交谈，可惜离得太远，听不清楚他们在说什么。
Lin Xuan squinted as he could vaguely make out the couple talking. However, they were too far away for him to hear clearly.
hěn kuài ， liǎng rén jiù jìn rù le zhèn fǎ lǒng zhào dì fàn wéi ， lín xuān bù zài chí yí ， shēn chū shǒu lái ， qīng qīng yì diǎn 。
很快，两人就进入了阵法笼罩地范围，林轩不再迟疑，伸出手来，轻轻一点。
Soon, they entered the array's range. Lin Xuan no longer hesitated; he stretched out a hand and lightly tapped it.
dùn shí ， yī zhèn líng qì fān yǒng ， bàn suí zhe lóng lóng de jù xiǎng ， dà piàn dì hóng sè yún tuán ， zài tiān kōng zhōng chū xiàn ， jiē zhe ， shù yǐ bǎi jì de huǒ qiú ， rú yǔ diǎn bān ， cóng tiān kōng zhōng hōng rán zá luò 。
顿时，一阵灵气翻涌，伴随着隆隆的巨响，大片地红色云团，在天空中出现，接着，数以百计的火球，如雨点般，从天空中轰然砸落。
Instantly, a surge of spiritual energy erupted, accompanied by thunderous sounds. Large red clouds appeared in the sky, followed by hundreds of fireballs raining down from above.
“ zhè shì shén me ？”
“这是什么？”
"What is this?"
fū qī èr rén jīng dāi le ， biàn qǐ cāng chǔ ， xiǎn rán zì jǐ chéng wéi le bié rén de liè wù 。
夫妻二人惊呆了，变起仓储，显然自己成为了别人的猎物。
The couple was stunned, realizing they had become prey.
xīn zhōng zì shì yòu jīng yòu nù ， dàn tā liǎ yě bù kuì shì níng dān qī de xiū zhēn ， chù jīng bù biàn ， zhōu miǎn dà xiù yī shuǎi ， cóng xiù páo zhōng fēi chū yí miàn bā zhǎng dà xiǎo de dùn pái ， dī liū liū yī zhuǎn zhī hòu ， dùn shí fēng kuáng de péng zhàng qǐ lái ， jiāng liǎng rén tóu dǐng de tiān zhē zhù le dà bàn 。
心中自是又惊又怒，但他俩也不愧是凝丹期的修真，处惊不变，周冕大袖一甩，从袖袍中飞出一面巴掌大小的盾牌，滴溜溜一转之后，顿时疯狂的膨胀起来，将两人头顶的天遮住了大半。
Though alarmed, Zhou Mian's wife, Cao Yue, didn't show any panic as she extended her hand to take off a jade hairpin, which shimmered and transformed into an unusual light circling before her.
ér cáo yuè zé shēn chū shǒu lái ， zài tóu shàng yī zhāi ， yǐ jiāng zuò wéi pèi shì de yù zān qǔ le xià lái ， líng guāng shǎn shǎn ， huà wèi yī dào yì máng zài shēn qián pán xuán qǐ lái 。
而曹月则伸出手来，在头上一摘，已将作为佩饰的玉簪取了下来，灵光闪闪，化为一道异芒在身前盘旋起来。
Lin Xuan sighed; indeed, after a hundred years of marriage, their teamwork was flawless with no gaps.
lín xuān tàn le kǒu qì ， guǒ rán bù kuì shì zuò le bǎi nián de fū qī ， zhè yī gōng yī shǒu jiān pèi hé mò qì ， méi yǒu sī háo lòu dòng kě zuān 。
林轩叹了口气，果然不愧是做了百年的夫妻，这一攻一守间配合默契，没有丝毫漏洞可钻。
The most formidable were dual cultivation partners who, when working together, could unleash far more power than two cultivators of the same rank.
zuì nán chán de jiù shì shuāng xiū dào lǚ ， èr rén lián shǒu hòu suǒ bào chū lái de shí lì yuǎn fēi liǎng míng tóng jiē xiū shì kě bǐ 。
最难缠的就是双修道侣，二人联手后所爆出来的实力远非两名同阶修士可比。
"Moon."
“ yuè ér 。”
“月儿。”
"I know, Master."
“ zhī dào le ， shào yé 。”
“知道了，少爷。”
With a tinkling laugh, Moon's voice gradually faded until it disappeared completely.
bàn suí zhe yín líng bān de qiǎn xiào ， yuè ér de shēng yīn zhú jiàn mó hú ， suí hòu xiāo shī dé wú yǐng wú zōng le 。
伴随着银铃般的浅笑，月儿的声音逐渐模糊，随后消失得无影无踪了。
Lin Xuan then relaxed his expression and tapped his storage bag to summon the Floating Cloud Falling Snow Sword.
lín xuān zhè cái shén sè yī huǎn ， zài chǔ wù dài shàng yī pāi ， jiāng piāo yún luò xuě jiàn jì le qǐ lái 。
林轩这才神色一缓，在储物袋上一拍，将飘云落雪剑祭了起来。
Meanwhile, in mid-air, the couple's expressions were grave. Although they didn't know who their enemy was or where they came from, setting a trap here indicated that this wasn't an easy opponent.
yǔ cǐ tóng shí ， zài bàn kōng zhōng ， fū qī èr rén biǎo qíng níng zhòng ， suī rán bù qīng chǔ dí rén shì shuí ， lái zì hé fāng ， dàn zài zhè lǐ bù xià xiàn jǐng ， xiǎn rán bú shì yì yú zhī bèi 。
与此同时，在半空中，夫妻二人表情凝重，虽然不清楚敌人是谁，来自何方，但在这里布下陷阱，显然不是易于之辈。
Could it be ghosts?
yīn hún ？
阴魂？
No, they chose this secluded area precisely because of its isolation. Besides, their actions had always been cautious; those monsters wouldn't have sensed them.
bú duì ， dāng chū zài zhè lǐ shè lì fēn tán ， jiù shì kàn zhòng le piān pì ， hé kuàng zì jǐ xíng shì yì zhí xiǎo xīn yì yì ， nà xiē guài wù yīng gāi bú huì jué 。
不对，当初在这里设立分坛，就是看中了偏僻，何况自己行事一直小心翼翼，那些怪物应该不会觉。
Young Master?
shǎo mén zhǔ ？
少门主？
It was possible, but he would need more evidence to confirm his suspicions. Even if he were to confront them alone, he couldn't risk a direct confrontation with the two of them.
yě kě néng ， jiù suàn tā xīn zhōng yǒu suǒ huái yí ， kě bì jìng méi yǒu què záo zhèng jù ， hé kuàng yǐ tā yī rén zhī lì ， jiù suàn yǒu xiē shǒu duàn ， yòu zěn me gǎn duì zì jǐ fū qī èr rén fān liǎn ？
也可能，就算他心中有所怀疑，可毕竟没有确凿证据，何况以他一人之力，就算有些手段，又怎么敢对自己夫妻二人翻脸？
Lin Xuan wasn't rash despite being young.
lín xuān suī rán nián qīng ， dàn jué fēi zhè zhǒng lǔ mǎng zhī rén 。
林轩虽然年轻，但绝非这种鲁莽之人。
Could it be another faction? One of the Three Greats of Orthodox Daoism or the Extreme Demon Cave? Or perhaps the Qingshang Sect mentioned earlier, which had grown stronger after facing ghost invasions in this region.
About a tea's time had passed when Lin Xuan suddenly slowed his movement, gradually coming to a stop.
This was an expanse of barren land, not completely devoid of vegetation but mostly covered by low shrubs. Beside it stood several small mounds, each about a hundred feet high in yellowish earth.
Lin Xuan closed his eyes and released his spirit sense to scan the surroundings. Apart from some small animals, there was nothing else. He nodded satisfactorily before descending from the sky.
"Master, are you planning to ambush them here?"
"Yes," Lin Xuan replied while reaching into his storage bag, his fingers flashing with light as he retrieved several array flags.
Even though his master and servant duo had more than enough strength to handle Zhou Mian and his wife, Lin Xuan still prepared some extra measures in case of unforeseen circumstances.
With ten commands, several beams of light dispersed and sank into the ground. Lin Xuan glanced at the circular disk he held; the array was well set up.
A satisfied smile played on his lips as he moved swiftly behind a small mound and opened his mouth to release a sword blade that carved out a crude cave like cutting through tofu.
Though it could barely accommodate him, Lin Xuan sat inside, gathering his spirit energy and preparing for the couple of Condensation Core cultivators who were about to arrive.
He remained there for several hours. When he arrived, the sun had just risen, but now it was setting in the west.
Lin Xuan wasn't anxious; as a cultivator, this level of patience was nothing out of the ordinary.
Instead, he sat and refined his qi.
As the sky grew darker, Lin Xuan's brows suddenly raised as he opened his eyes, clearly showing surprise.
"Master, what is it?"
Moon asked curiously. With her spirit sense, she could feel two massive amounts of spiritual energy rapidly approaching. If her judgment was correct, they were Zhou Mian and his wife. This was exactly what the master had hoped for, but why did he look so uneasy?
"Have you felt anything, Moon?"
"What?"
"With a comparison to two months ago, their aura seems slightly different," Lin Xuan said, squinting as if deep in thought. "Although they've masked it well, their demonic nature is growing."
"Yes, that's true." Moon initially hadn't noticed but now, after the master mentioned it, she felt it was indeed so: "Why would this happen?"
"Ask me, who else should I ask?" Lin Xuan stroked his chin with a playful expression. "Moon, in your spare time, you've read many books. Have you ever come across any ancient techniques that could allow both good and evil to coexist and cultivate together besides my Yin-Yang Art?"
"No," Moon shook her head. "The master's Yin-Yang Art is an unprecedented divine technique breaking the norms of cultivation. I have never heard of a similar method."
"Hmm, neither have I. This is strange. According to what I know, Zhou Mian and his wife are not orthodox practitioners but still famous for their techniques. Yet, based on the demonic aura they're emitting now, it's as if they've reached the Condensation Core stage of cultivation."
"Master, could it be that they abandoned their previous main cultivation method and switched to the Dark Path?"
"It's impossible," Lin Xuan said slowly. "Unless they first self-destructed their abilities, but compared to two months ago, their power has clearly increased."
Moon frowned slightly; she had no idea either.
"Let's not waste our thoughts on this. We just need to take them down to get the answer." With that, a glint of sharpness flashed in Lin Xuan's eyes.
He then closed his eyes again, making his presence almost undetectable.
About half an hour later, two streaks of purple light appeared in the distance and swiftly flew toward him.
Lin Xuan's hand subconsciously touched his storage bag. Although they were still far away, he could clearly see the two figures from his keen eyesight: Zhou Mian and his wife.
Their faces showed deep concern as well.
"Senior Brother, even our divine puppet has been destroyed by that power. Only the Young Master of the Lesser Branch could have such strength. Has Lin Xuan really uncovered our plans?"
"I'm not sure," Zhou Mian said. "It might just be a coincidence, but he must have noticed something. The Elder is furious; this will only lead to us breaking ties with Spirit Medicine Mountain."
Although Zhou Mian had earlier seemed unconcerned, the power of Spirit Medicine Mountain rivaled that of both good and evil, so his heart was still uneasy.
Lin Xuan squinted as he could vaguely make out the couple talking. However, they were too far away for him to hear clearly.
Soon, they entered the array's range. Lin Xuan no longer hesitated; he stretched out a hand and lightly tapped it.
Instantly, a surge of spiritual energy erupted, accompanied by thunderous sounds. Large red clouds appeared in the sky, followed by hundreds of fireballs raining down from above.
"What is this?"
The couple was stunned, realizing they had become prey.
Though alarmed, Zhou Mian's wife, Cao Yue, didn't show any panic as she extended her hand to take off a jade hairpin, which shimmered and transformed into an unusual light circling before her.
Lin Xuan sighed; indeed, after a hundred years of marriage, their teamwork was flawless with no gaps.
The most formidable were dual cultivation partners who, when working together, could unleash far more power than two cultivators of the same rank.
"Moon."
"I know, Master."
With a tinkling laugh, Moon's voice gradually faded until it disappeared completely.
Lin Xuan then relaxed his expression and tapped his storage bag to summon the Floating Cloud Falling Snow Sword.
Meanwhile, in mid-air, the couple's expressions were grave. Although they didn't know who their enemy was or where they came from, setting a trap here indicated that this wasn't an easy opponent.
Could it be ghosts?
No, they chose this secluded area precisely because of its isolation. Besides, their actions had always been cautious; those monsters wouldn't have sensed them.
Young Master?
It was possible, but he would need more evidence to confirm his suspicions. Even if he were to confront them alone, he couldn't risk a direct confrontation with the two of them.
Lin Xuan wasn't rash despite being young.
Could it be another faction? One of the Three Greats of Orthodox Daoism or the Extreme Demon Cave? Or perhaps the Qingshang Sect mentioned earlier, which had grown stronger after facing ghost invasions in this region.