"Han Zhuo, are you really going to ally with him? I know you have an innate Divine Ability that senses fortune and misfortune. Would an alliance with that man truly help our cause?"
Far away, having already crossed two mountains, the two from the Youqiong Clan spoke in hushed voices.
At Na Yuan's words, Han Zhuo scoffed. "How could we ally with him? I held back because I sensed danger. Fighting that man would bring more harm than good. But they suppressed an envoy of the Sacred Hall—that's like poking a hornet's nest. Trouble will keep coming. An alliance would bring us no benefit; we'd only have to help them hold off the Sacred Hall's forces. Better to let them draw the Sacred Hall's attention away from us."
Yuan laughed. "I see. That man subdued Jiu the moment he struck, so his Dao Attainment must be considerable. Letting him keep the Sacred Hall occupied would indeed save us a great deal of trouble."
No sooner had Yuan spoken than a voice sounded beside them—
"With that assurance, this old man can rest easy."
"Who's there?"
Han Zhuo and Yuan's expressions changed sharply. They turned toward the voice and saw an old man in Golden Adornment walking slowly toward them, Buddha Light forming a halo behind his head.
"Who are you? How dare you eavesdrop on us?"
Han Zhuo demanded an answer, but inwardly he was deeply wary.
The man had come this close without either of them noticing. If he had not spoken, they might still have been none the wiser!
The old man merely shook his head and smiled. "Ask like that, and how could you expect an answer?"
The sudden arrival was, of course, Chen Cuo's Golden Lotus Incarnation.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Han Zhuo's