"Senior Qingxuanzi, you must not!" Jiang Yashan cried out in alarm.
Zhongli hurriedly spoke as well.
"Senior Qingxuanzi, please think twice. This is merely Extreme Yin's delaying tactic—he has only just entered the Tribulation Transcendence stage and knows he is no match for you, Senior, so he devised this scheme to make you lower your guard for the time being. If you truly believe his lies and step into the Divine Blood Sect's territory, he will surely gather all the Divine Blood Sect's strongest cultivators and use the sect-protecting grand formation to trap and kill you."
Qingxuanzi had clearly taken Zhongli's advice to heart. The trace of contemplation in his gaze toward Song Wen vanished, leaving behind only coldness.
Seeing this, Song Wen said, "Fellow Daoist Qingxuanzi, Zhongli is merely a Mahayana cultivator. How much insight could he possibly possess? Why should you believe him? You know perfectly well the strength of Ying Wu and me. If the two of us joined forces, especially with you injured, search your conscience—would you truly be a match for us? If I truly bore ill intent toward you, why would I need any delaying tactic?"
The chill in Qingxuanzi's eyes faded, replaced by scrutiny.
"Extreme Yin, I admit that you are not exaggerating. But Daoist Nun Suwei and I once joined forces to ambush you and Ying Wu. Do you truly bear no grudge over that?"
Song Wen said, "Though you once attacked Ying Wu and me, in the end, it was merely a conflict of interests. There is no deep-seated blood feud between us. Moreover, the Divine Blood Sect has just weathered turmoil and is in dire need of capable people. I have only recently entered the Tribulation Transcendence stage and may be unable to deter certain people with ulterior motives. Thus,