Chương 223: Chapter 112: Learning the Truth, Frozen to the Bone

"Fellow Daoist is as sharp and alert as expected." At that moment, a subtle smile touched the corners of the madman's lips. The lingering aura of insanity vanished entirely, replaced by eyes that shone with brilliant, calculating intelligence. With a casual wave of his hand, a translucent shimmering light rippled through the air, forming a subtle Sound-isolating Restriction that wrapped around the two of them. Only then did he let out a low chuckle.

"Since you have already seen through my act, you have undoubtedly guessed the purpose of my visit today." Reyn filled a porcelain cup to the brim with spirit wine, tilted his head back, and downed the fiery liquid in a single smooth motion. His expression remained unreadable as he said calmly, "I expected you to come three days ago. I did not anticipate you delaying until today."

"It could not be helped. The surveillance over me is suffocating," the man replied, letting out a bitter sigh. He cast a quick, vigilant glance around the room before turning his gaze back onto Reyn, a spark of genuine curiosity dancing in his eyes.

"I was under constant guard and had to exhaust every trick at my disposal just to slip out for a brief moment. I must return shortly. But tell me... are you truly not curious to know why I sought you out today?" Reyn fell silent for a short beat, his gaze dark and heavy. His low baritone resonated softly within the restricted barrier.

"It undoubtedly concerns the Mu Family Ancestor assisting me with my Foundation Establishment, does it not?" The madman's frame jolted violently upon hearing those words. His eyes widened in sheer astonishment before he burst into a fit of dark, unrestrained laughter.

"Magnificent! Fellow Daoist is truly extraordinary! I suspect that old bastard still has no inkling that his disguise as a benevolent mentor has already been thoroughly seen through by you!" As he spoke, his voice cracked with a venomous, bottomless hatred. His fingers subconsciously tightened around his porcelain cup until the delicate clay shattered, reduced to fine, powdery dust in an instant. Reyn set his own cup down onto the table. His expression grew darker, like a tempest brewing over the horizon.

"While I harbored certain suspicions in my heart, I remain ignorant of the actual truth. Since you clearly know the details of this scheme, would you care to enlighten me?" The madman lapsed into silence for a moment, then let out a cold, self-deprecating laugh.

"Since I came here today, I naturally intend to reveal everything to you. Otherwise, the transaction we are about to make could hardly succeed." Reyn made a quiet gesture, inviting him to continue. His face betrayed no shock or alarm; he had clearly anticipated the mention of a trade long before the man spoke. After a brief hesitation, a wave of profound bitterness washed over the madman's countenance.

"Listen to a story I have to tell, Fellow Daoist, and you shall learn everything you wish to know."

"Seven years ago, in the distant Youzhou region, there lived a rogue cultivator named Shen Zui. He was blessed with phenomenal Spirit Root aptitude—a natural talent comparable to those possessing a Heavenly Spirit Root. Though his cultivation resources were severely limited as an independent traveler, he nevertheless managed to break through to the Early Foundation Establishment stage at the young age of seventeen.

He instantly became a sensation across Youzhou, his fame eclipsing all his peers as endless sects scrambled to recruit him into their ranks. Yet, youth and sudden fame breed arrogance. Without the slightest hesitation, he spurned every grand invitation, boldly declaring that he would become the supreme rogue cultivator of the realm!" Shen Zui took a sharp breath before continuing, his voice trembling with dormant emotion.

"Later, he crossed paths with a rogue who was attempting to violate a female cultivator. Shen Zui struck him down on the spot, only to discover afterward that the scum was the Young Sect Master of a prominent local faction. Instantly, he brought a catastrophic calamity upon his own head. Though he possessed extraordinary encounters and combat prowess far surpassing ordinary cultivators of his realm, he was ultimately tracked down by a Golden Core expert from that sect.

He suffered grievous, near-fatal wounds and was brought to the very brink of annihilation."

"Yet, right at the precipice of death, an old man clad in cyan Daoist robes descended gracefully from the sky. With a mere glance, the elder annihilated that Golden Core pursuer instantly! Following his rescue, Shen Zui accompanied the old man back to his family estate. Having been saved from the jaws of death, Shen Zui was filled with boundless gratitude.

Seeing that the elder possessed sky-reaching cultivation, he gladly bowed and entered his lineage as a disciple, vowing to cultivate with utmost dedication so that he might one day repay this life-saving grace."

"The elder treated him with incredible warmth, viewing him as his own blood. He guided his cultivation, bestowed supreme techniques, and gifted him precious medicinal pills. For a time, Shen Zui felt deeply grateful to the heavens for such fortune. Thus, three years passed in the blink of an eye. Shen Zui's cultivation advanced at a meteoric pace, reaching the absolute peak of Foundation Establishment Great Circle, standing just a hair's breadth away from the Golden Core stage!

Seeing this, the elder meticulously prepared a grand setup, declaring that he would personally assist Shen Zui in forming his Golden Core and stepping into the ranks of high-tier powerhouses."

"On the day designated for core formation, the old man handed him a pill, claiming it to be an invaluable miracle medicine capable of increasing his chances of successful core formation by twenty percent. Shen Zui felt overwhelmed with gratitude and swallowed it without hesitation... only to find that everything inverted into a nightmare in the span of a single breath! As the pill's toxic potency dissolved within his belly, his entire pool of mana and his Primordial Soul were instantly sealed shut.

And within the secluded chamber where he was meant to condense his core, a second person appeared—a direct blood descendant of that very elder."

"Faced with such a sudden turn of events, Shen Zui was consumed by immense shock and fury. He could not comprehend why the master who had treated him like a loving father for three years would abruptly transform into a monster. Was it all a facade? A meticulously crafted snare from the very beginning? Fortunately, during his early years of wandering, Shen Zui had consumed a rare, exotic spirit fruit.

Its dormant medicinal efficacy remained hidden within his flesh, allowing him to quietly neutralize the restrictive poison sealing his cultivation! Once the master departed the chamber, Shen Zui erupted, overpowering the descendant, and executed the Soul-Searching Art upon his mind! From that memory search, he uncovered everything... a horrifying reality that turned his hands and feet completely ice-cold." As the story reached this point, an uncontrollable shudder wracked the madman's frame.

His eyes bloodshot, overflowing with pure, unadulterated venom. Reyn snapped his head up abruptly. The hand clutching his wine glass tightened so hard that thick, blue veins bulged prominently against his skin.

"It was the first time Shen Zui realized that such evil existed in this world," the madman spat, his voice trembling with fury.

"That through a sinister array, one could completely consume a cultivator's entire flesh essence, vitality, and even their Primordial Soul—and then forcefully plunder their Spirit Root to bestow it upon another!"

"It was also the first time he understood why the master's bloodline produced a continuous stream of peerless geniuses, generation after generation, allowing their family to reign supreme over all surrounding sects!"

"The grand reputation of their clan was built entirely upon such despicable, vile, and predatory atrocities!" The madman hyperventilated, heavy, ragged breaths escaping his chest as the madness flared wildly across his face once more. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. With a tiny exertion of force from Reyn's hand, his porcelain wine cup shattered completely.

The rich, aromatic spirit wine drenched his palm and ran down his fingers, yet he seemed completely oblivious to the cold liquid. After a long pause, a bitter smile tugged at the madman's lips, his gaze freezing into a chill.

"To survive, Shen Zui utilized a forbidden secret technique to disguise himself as a mindless lunatic, feigning complete brain damage and psychosis. That old ghost was exceedingly cautious; though he did not detect the deception, he kept Shen Zui trapped by his side ever since. And so, by playing the fool, Shen Zui managed to cling to a pathetic, lingering existence until this very day." Having finished his tale, the madman grabbed the entire wine jar, tilted his head back, and chugged the liquor recklessly.

Wine spilled down his chin and soaked his ragged clothes. Bitter sorrow pooled in his expression, yet his bloodshot eyes burned with an murderous, sweeping intent. Reyn remained utterly silent. The pale hue on his face gradually smoothed out into a mask of terrifying composure. Yet, the storm brewing within his dark eyes did not abate in the slightest; instead, it raged with escalating violence, solidifying into a frigid, lethal aura that enveloped his entire physical form!

Although he had long felt an invisible net tightening around him and sensed that Mu Daguang and his clan were harbouring sinister motives, hearing the cold, unvarnished truth still chilled his blood to the very core! Spirit-Devouring!! According to the madman's tale, the vile method utilized by the Mu Family to plunder and devour a cultivator's Spirit Root was identical to the ancient Spirit-Devouring Secret Art that Yu Meiren had previously warned him about!

In an instant, every lingering anomaly clicked together into a terrifying, coherent picture! Mu Yunshen's suffocating surveillance under the guise of hospitality; the Mu Family Ancestor's ecstatic, near-manic joy when Reyn tested his Spirit Root; and the ravenous, hidden greed that occasionally flickered beneath Mu Nianxing's warm and noble exterior! Everything made horrifying sense now! A surge of bone-chilling frost erupted from the depths of Reyn's heart, accompanied by an intense, violent impulse to slaughter!

'They deserve to die! Every single one of them deserves to burn in hell!' Reyn roared silently in his mind, his soul blazed with cold, murderous wrath. A heavy, suffocating silence descended between the two men. A moment passed.

"Daoist Shen Zui, since you have come seeking me today and revealed all these secrets so openly, can it be that you out of the goodness of your heart came to warn me, hoping I would take this opportunity to flee the Mu Family?" Reyn's face turned thoroughly overcast. A bone-chilling light flickered deep within his cold gaze, and his voice sounded like muffled thunder grinding through the air.

"With a mind as sharp as yours, Fellow Daoist, why bother probing me with such empty words? As I mentioned before, I came here to strike a mutually beneficial transaction with you." Shen Zui slowly set down the heavy earthenware wine jar with a soft clatter. The absurd, drunken demeanor on his face vanished completely, replaced by a deadly serious, unwavering expression.

"I possess a method that can allow the two of us to escape the clutches of the Mu Family, but it requires your full assistance to succeed." Reyn's eyes glinted with calculating intensity. He remained still for a long moment before answering in a cool, measured tone, "Fellow Daoist, you are under the constant surveillance of that Manifest Saint old ghost, making it virtually impossible for you to break free on your own. I, on the other hand, am technically a free man within these grounds.

With a few subtle maneuvers, stepping out of the Mu Family's perimeter is hardly a difficult task for me. That being the case, there seems to be no reason for me to throw myself into danger and take such a massive risk alongside you." Shen Zui heard his words, yet not a single ripple of surprise or annoyance appeared on his calm countenance. Instead, he simply offered a flat, indifferent response.

"Fellow Daoist, focus your consciousness and conduct an internal inspection of your spiritual body. Take a close look at the third finger on the left hand of your Primordial Soul. Tell me whether or not there is a dark, pitch-black crescent mark etched upon it." At those words, Reyn's expression turned utterly horrific in an instant. Closing his eyes, he immediately sank his Divine Sense deep into his inner sanctuary, directing his spiritual gaze straight toward his Primordial Soul.

Sure enough, right upon the second phalange of the third finger on his Primordial Soul's left hand, he discovered a sinister, pitch-black crescent mark quietly embedded deep within his soul essence! Damn it! When on earth did that old ghost plant a tracking hand on my spiritual body without me knowing?!

"That dark crescent mark was personally planted by that Manifest Saint old ghost. It exists upon both of our Primordial Souls," Shen Zui said impassively, his voice completely void of emotion.

"The moment either of us strays further than a hundred li from his presence, he will instantly sense it. Did you truly believe you could escape with your life under such circumstances?" Silence descended upon the room. Reyn remained still for several breaths, his face darkened like a storm cloud, before he rasped out in a stern, resolute voice, "What do you need me to do? Speak plainly."

"Good!" Shen Zui's eyes instantly lit up with a sharp, brilliant light as a smile touched his lips.

"Fellow Daoist is indeed a man of ruthless conviction! In a crisis like this, one must act with total decisive speed. The longer we delay, the more perilous our situation becomes."

"Over the past four years, although I have played the part of a raving lunatic to deceive the Mu Family, I have been secretly searching for a way to neutralize and break this tracking mark. Just recently, I finally made a breakthrough. I need you to help me gather all the obscure items recorded within this Jade Slip so that I can forge a specialized magic artifact to completely mask our spiritual presence. Within the slip, I have also included a secret method to contact me.

However, you must gather every single item and deliver them into my hands within three days." Reyn reached out and caught the emerald Jade Slip. Sinking his Divine Sense into its interior, he quickly scanned the detailed list of rare spiritual materials. After a brief pause, he gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"I can procure these items. However, you must swear a Demon Heart Oath right now—once this magic artifact is successfully forged, you are absolutely forbidden from slipping away on your own and abandoning me behind." In the ruthless, dog-eat-dog cultivation world, deceit and treachery were as common as everyday meals. To ensure his own survival, Reyn had no choice but to exercise extreme caution at every step. Shen Zui cast a half-smile toward Reyn, fully understanding his paranoia.

Without the slightest hesitation, he raised his hand and directly swore a binding Demon Heart Oath to the heavens, letting the unseen rules of the Dao forge the contract.

"Now then, Fellow Daoist, does this ease your mind?"

"I have been out for quite a long time today. To prevent those sentries from becoming suspicious, I shall take my leave first." The moment the words left his mouth, Shen Zui suddenly hoisted the heavy clay wine jar and began gulping down the fiery spirit liquor recklessly. Strong wine splashed outward, drenching the front of his robes, while a hazy, completely unfocused stupor rapidly flooded his sharp eyes once again.

At that exact moment, the Mu Family cultivator who had been knocked unconscious on the ground let out a low groan. Slowly lifting his heavy head, he rubbed his eyes in utter confusion and disorientation. By then, Reyn had already retrieved a delicate porcelain wine cup, spinning it casually between his fingers. Looking down at the groggy guard, he let out a light laugh and joked, "Fellow Daoist, your tolerance for alcohol is truly a rare sight to behold.

To fall unconscious after just a single cup—the saying must have been written specifically for you!"

"Heheh... fallen after a single cup... fall... falling right onto the ground! Useless, utterly useless... you can't even hold a candle to me! Heheh, I'm the absolute best... Not only is my cultivation supreme and my talent sky-high, even my drinking skill is the greatest under heaven!" Having played the part of a madman for four long years, Shen Zui had mastered the art of lunacy to perfection.

Stepping into his role without a second's delay, his unhinged shouting was so authentic that even Reyn was nearly fooled by the performance. Upon hearing those taunts, a bright, burning flush instantly surged across the Mu Family guard's face. He cursed inwardly, knowing that while his alcohol tolerance was never exceptional, he had never blacked out so embarrassingly after a single cup before. Could it be that the kick from this century-old Snow Wine was truly that terrifying?

"I have deeply disturbed Senior Brother Reyn today. I will take this fool away immediately so as not to disrupt Senior Brother's peace any longer," the guard stammered out, his face burning with humiliation. Reaching out, he forcefully grabbed Shen Zui by the wrist and began dragging the raving madman toward the exit. Reyn maintained a polite, gentle smile on his face, offering no resistance as he watched them walk toward the courtyard gates.

"Wine... my wine... I want to keep drinking... Little Grey, why are you pulling me?!"

"Let's go, let's go, my grand ancestor! Bringing you out today was already breaking the rules. We need to hurry back right now before the patrol catches us, or I'm going to suffer a terrible punishment!" As the squabbling voices gradually faded into the distance, the easy smile on Reyn's face vanished inch by inch. His expression darkened completely into an icy, sinister scowl.

With a dangerous, deadly glint flashing past his dark eyes, he turned on his heel and strode briskly back into the privacy of his inner chamber!