The Confession

As the dizziness in his mind faded, Ye Wudao opened his eyes.

Hu Lianfeng was holding his gurney mid-air, preventing him from falling to the ground and worsening his injuries.

Seeing this, a hint of warmth stirred in Ye Wudao's heart.

If he didn't have the intention of using me as a human cauldron, this master wouldn't be half bad, he sighed to himself.

He struggled to shift his head, taking a look at his surroundings.

He was not at the edge of a cliff, nor in that dense forest, but on a beach.

He even spotted several commercial vehicles not far away, though their own car was nowhere to be seen.

"Master, where is this?"

Ye Wudao asked Hu Lianfeng in a soft voice.

Hu Lianfeng shrugged and sighed, "We have a bit of a walk ahead of us; we landed on the opposite side from where we arrived."

"That's the only downside to the spatial rift in Sea City—it randomly teleports you to the beaches on either side of the cliff."

"If you're unlucky and the car is parked on one side while you land on the other, you end up having to take a long detour."

With that, he pushed the gurney forward.

He had only taken two steps before he stopped.

The wheels of the gurney had sunk deep into the sand.

The sand here was quite soft, and since the gurney's wheels were small, they easily became bogged down.

Hu Lianfeng shook his head helplessly and reached out to lift Ye Wudao off the bed.

"I'll have to carry you; this gurney won't move on the sand. Tell me if you feel any discomfort!"

He said this softly to Ye Wudao.

Ye Wudao nodded, "Master, I'm sorry for the trouble!"

Hu Lianfeng sighed, "What trouble? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't be this badly hurt!"

Having said that, he carried Ye Wudao and began walking along the beach.

He didn't walk slowly, yet Ye Wudao felt no swaying.

The moonlight filtered through the clouds, spilling over them and coating them in a layer of silver.

After walking for about seven or eight minutes, Ye Wudao looked up at the cliff overhead and asked with some confusion, "Master, is this the same cliff we jumped from?"

"Why can't we see the spatial rift from here?"

Hu Lianfeng laughed, "Space is three-dimensional, but a spatial rift is two-dimensional."

"That's why we can only see the rift from its front; it's invisible from the back."

"It's like your clothes—if you tear a hole in them, you can see what's behind the fabric."

"But if you dig a hole in the sand, you can't see what's behind the sand, because behind the sand is just more sand and dirt."

"Otherwise, why do you think such a massive rift only has guards stationed inside the dense forest?"

Ye Wudao nodded. Hu Lianfeng's explanation was simple and easy to understand; he grasped the meaning perfectly.

Carried in Hu Lianfeng's arms, he watched the moon in the sky and gradually became lost in thought.

After a while, Hu Lianfeng asked softly, "Disciple, let me ask you: do you know the true purpose of the Northern Dark Divine Art?"

These words instantly pulled Ye Wudao's thoughts back.

He looked at Hu Lianfeng's earnest expression and muttered to himself, No way! Did he figure it out? That shouldn't be! I didn't give anything away!

Seeing Ye Wudao's silence, Hu Lianfeng felt he had his answer.

He smiled and said, "You must know by now, right? After all, the final few lines of the Northern Dark Divine Art are quite explicit."

"You've already mastered the basics of the Northern Dark Divine Art, so it's only natural you'd see it."

"You can speak freely. Even if you know, I won't make a move on you ahead of schedule."

At these words, Ye Wudao smiled.

He hadn't expected Hu Lianfeng to be so blunt.

He replied in a calm tone, "That's right, I know."

"To draw the internal energy of others through the Shaoshang meridian and store it in my own Qi Sea—only the orthodox Northern Dark Divine Art of the Xiaoyao sect can achieve this. Draw one part, store one part, never leaking, accumulating ever thicker, like the vast depths of the Northern Dark Heavenly Pool, capable of floating a Kun of a thousand miles."

"These lines essentially describe the Northern Dark Divine Art's ability to absorb others' internal energy to strengthen oneself."

"However, if you hadn't told me about the final lines of the technique, I wouldn't have easily guessed your objective."

Hu Lianfeng chuckled upon hearing this, "You mean the warnings of the technique?"

"If the enemy's internal energy exceeds one's own, the sea water will backflow into the rivers, which is extremely dangerous. Be cautious, be cautious."

"Therefore, anyone who has practiced internal energy must completely forget their previous learning and focus solely on the new technique. If there is the slightest mixture or confusion, the two energies will clash, leading to immediate madness, vomiting of blood, and the destruction of all meridians. It is the most dangerous thing of all."

Ye Wudao replied softly, "The general meaning of these two warnings should be that one cannot absorb the energy of those with higher internal power, nor can one absorb the energy of those practicing other internal arts; one can only absorb the internal energy of those who also practice the Northern Dark Divine Art."

"Seeing those two sentences, I actually knew what was going on at the time."

"My mother told me that in this world, no one is good to you for no reason."

Hu Lianfeng was silent for a moment, then smiled. "I didn't expect you to have such talent when it comes to comprehending cultivation techniques."

"Those two sentences were tucked into the manual's incantations. When I first encountered the Northern Dark Divine Art, I didn't understand them either; it wasn't until later that my master told me."

"It's no wonder Elder Qin said your future achievements would surely surpass mine."

Ye Wudao was a bit surprised, then realized what he meant and muttered softly, "Elder Qin?"

He glanced at Hu Lianfeng, and in his heart, he roughly understood.

No wonder Hu Lianfeng was telling him all this; it turned out Elder Qin had spoken with him.

Hu Lianfeng ignored Ye Wudao's surprised look and simply said in a low voice, "Elder Qin told me to handle it as I see fit!"

"I want to ask what you think."

Ye Wudao was silent for a while, then said softly, "To be honest, I am very grateful to you for teaching me martial arts."

"However, I still have to take my revenge. If you really intend to use me as a cultivation vessel, I certainly won't sit still and wait for death."

Hu Lianfeng nodded. "That's only natural!"

He paused, then continued, "I'll be honest with you, too. I did intend to devour your internal energy once you reached the initial success stage of the Houtian Realm."

"Elder Qin told me that even if I devoured your internal energy, it would be impossible for me to advance to the Xiantian Realm."

"I am over seventy this year, and at the Houtian Realm, one lives to be at most a hundred or so before it's all over. I likely won't be getting out of here."

"Rather than gambling on an uncertainty, it is better to choose one with greater hope."

"Elder Qin said your martial arts talent is good, and I believe what Elder Qin says."

"Therefore, I have changed my mind. I want you to help me take my revenge!"

Ye Wudao was stunned. He hadn't expected Hu Lianfeng to be so open and honest about this matter while he was injured.

He asked in a low voice, "Is your enemy the one you mentioned earlier, the one at the initial success stage of the Houtian Realm?"

Hu Lianfeng shook his head with a smile. "No! That was just a lie I told you."

"In this life, I, Hu Lianfeng, have never left any regrets in my actions."

"A martial artist at the initial success stage of the Houtian Realm—I could never let him live, nor could I ever keep him in my thoughts."

"The weak are not worthy of being my enemies!"

"My true enemy is the real hegemon among all the families in Haicheng—the Zhang Family."

"Back then, when I advanced to the great success stage of the Houtian Realm, I was full of spirit, but I inadvertently offended Zhang Yuanlin."

"That animal Zhang Yuanlin disregarded the rules of the Jianghu and slaughtered my family of six."

"To take revenge, I killed thirty people from his wife's family."

"Then, I turned myself in and entered Haicheng First Prison."

"I knew that was the only way to escape the Zhang Family's assassinations."

"No matter how arrogant the Zhang Family is, they wouldn't dare enter Haicheng First Prison to assassinate me. After all, the prison system is connected to the Rift World and is watched by experts at the Grandmaster Realm."

Ye Wudao pursed his lips and asked, "What is this Zhang Yuanlin's cultivation level?"

Hu Lianfeng gave a disdainful cold snort. "Zhang Yuanlin? He is merely at the initial success stage of the Houtian Realm."

"The truly terrifying one is not Zhang Yuanlin, but his father, Zhang Jianye."

"Zhang Jianye is a martial artist at the great success stage of the Xiantian Realm, and he is the only one among all the families in Haicheng to reach that level. In Haicheng, aside from the commander of the Demon Slayer Guard who can suppress him, everyone else has to take a detour when they see him."

"Additionally, let me tell you one more piece of information about Elder Qin."

"In fact, Elder Qin was also sent to Haicheng First Prison by Zhang Jianye personally because he offended the Zhang Family."

"Elder Qin was the leader of the Azure Dragon Gang, the largest gang in Haicheng, with a cultivation at the initial success stage of the Xiantian Realm. Back then, he could walk sideways anywhere in Haicheng."

"It is just a pity that Zhang Jianye broke through to the great success stage of the Xiantian Realm first."

"Elder Qin was ultimately one move behind, and the foundation of the Azure Dragon Gang was buried."

"If you can gain Elder Qin's support, there is hope for helping me take my revenge."

"The prerequisite is that your martial arts talent must be enough to move Elder Qin."

"As of now, Elder Qin is only paying attention to you; he is still far from being moved."