Suspected to Be Huang Tao?
Mu Wan glanced at the woman on the throne. She had to admit, the woman had a great presence, but she just couldn't help feeling a little annoyed.
However, Mu Wan didn't say anything. After all, she came to make friends, and this woman had a good relationship with Shen Ge. She didn't want to make things difficult for Shen Ge.
Wang Yan remained calm, her face showing no emotion whatsoever. "Alright, these things will be delivered to the palace in a few days. However, we hope that you will not delay or neglect our duties when our people come to serve as officials in the court in the future."
"Please rest assured, I will not delay or neglect this matter."
At this moment, Su Du suddenly sensed someone entering outside the palace's protective barrier. After thinking for a moment, she let the person in, since the person was quite kind. Although he could stand in mid-air, he still knew to knock on the door, and judging from his clothing, he was likely a member of a sect.
"I didn't expect there to be so many people. Fellow Daoists of the Spirit Moon Sect, how can you keep such a thing to yourself? It just so happens that our Sect Master is also interested. I wonder if His Majesty would allow our Purple Qi Sect to participate as well?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a figure appeared on a chair in the main hall. The person had an ordinary appearance, looked to be in his thirties, wore a purple robe, and had a kind face.
"Zhou Shun, protector of the Purple Qi Sect, greets Your Majesty." Zhou Shun raised his hand and bowed slightly to Su Du as he introduced himself.
He's at the Golden Core Stage, and not even one who's just entered the Golden Core.
Wang Yan nodded to Zhou Shun as a greeting. Although the Purple Qi Sect had only been established for a short time, their sect leader was a genuine Nascent Soul expert, and moreover, it was a righteous sect, so it was essential to maintain a good relationship.
For some reason, Shen Ge felt very uncomfortable looking at Zhou, who was sitting in the chair. He frowned and his mood suddenly became somewhat gloomy.
Zhou Shun had noticed Shen Ge long ago. While Shen Ge was observing him, he was also observing Shen Ge in his own way. After watching for a while, he came to a conclusion.
That means there's a high probability that this Shen Ge is the original Shen Ge. He wasn't possessed, or rather, the possession attempt failed. Of course, whether that old monster left any tricks up his sleeve is unknown.
"Fellow Daoist Shen, I didn't expect you to be so lucky. You're still alive after all this." Zhou Shun, also known as Huang Tao, thought to himself, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Your Majesty, our Purple Qi Sect can provide you with Cultivation Resources for the Qi Refining Stage. Of course, it won't be much; it will only be enough for a maximum of two hundred people, after all, our Purple Qi Sect Sect's foundation is shallow."
"Of course, our sincerity goes far beyond this. We will also provide assistance when Your Majesty expands your territory in the future."
"Then I thank your sect for your great help. Please inform your sect leader when this immortal master returns to his sect that I am too busy to pay my respects in person. I hope you will forgive me for any offense I may have caused."
Su Du was very clear about her position. Although she was now the ruler of a country, she was nothing more than an ant to those high and mighty cultivators. She could only befriend these sects and never offend them, otherwise even with the protection of the nation's fortune, she could not escape the fate of national destruction.
"Senior Zhou, have we met before?" Shen Ge suddenly asked.
Zhou Shun's heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm and said, "Young friend, what makes you say that? You are a member of the Spirit Moon Sect, while I am merely a Rogue Cultivator who only managed to join a sect because the sect was recruiting talent. How could we possibly have any connection?"
"Perhaps I was mistaken. I felt an immediate connection with you upon seeing you, as if I had met you somewhere before," Shen Ge, bowing apologetically.
No need for such formalities.
Zhou Shun smiled outwardly, but inwardly he was cursing. "Damn it, is this little brat's intuition so sharp! Even though I changed my appearance and spiritual aura, he still sensed it. I shouldn't have left in the first place; I should have gone all the way! I hope he doesn't connect it to anything, otherwise I'll have to abandon this identity I've just adapted to."
Mu Wan glanced at Shen Ge, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes, but ultimately she didn't ask him through telepathy. Although that person was only at the Early Golden Core Stage and it should be difficult for him to detect the content of their telepathic communication, what if the other party had some Secret Method? No one could say for sure.
Wang Yan glanced at Shen Ge, then at Zhou Shun of the Purple Qi Sect, saying nothing and her expression remained unchanged, but her heart grew colder.
As a woman, and a woman with superb alchemy skills at that, Shen Ge was inevitably more perceptive. She noticed that this person seemed somewhat uncomfortable, even though he didn't show it outright. A stranger who could make Shen Ge feel uncomfortable must either be related to her Cultivation Method or be someone she had a grudge against.
As for the reason related to the Cultivation Method, it's impossible that only Shen Ge felt uncomfortable. After ruling that out, that leaves only the possibility of enmity.
All these years, Shen Ge has only had one enemy on his mind: Huang Tao, who tricked him at White Bone Mountain!
The fact that Huang Tao has been able to hide for so many years despite being wanted by the sect without any clues suggests that he may have been cultivating in that remote corner all along, or that he possesses Law Technique or treasure that can alter his physical form and aura. Although there is no evidence, it is highly likely that this Zhou Shun is Huang Tao in disguise.
But now that this person is a protector of the Purple Qi Sect, it's not so easy to touch him. After all, there's no evidence. If you take action and confirm it's him, that's fine, but if it's not, it might cause a conflict between the two sects. After all, he's a Golden Core Stage cultivator, and even for the sake of the sect's reputation, the Purple Qi Sect can't let him die in vain.
Despite being a relatively new sect, the Purple Qi Sect's leader is quite powerful, and with the addition of several Rogue Cultivator, their Golden Core Stage combat strength is only slightly weaker than the Spirit Moon Sect. This is why Wang Yan didn't want to reveal it. Within the Purple Qi Sect, even if the person was indeed Shen Ge's enemy, Huang Tao, they would have to carefully consider the matter and ensure a fatal blow, otherwise it would seriously affect the relationship between the two sects.
As Wang Yan was thinking these things, Zhou Shun's heart was pounding, but he controlled it well and didn't let these abnormalities leave his body.
"Damn it, this place is teeming with murderous intent intent. I should have never gotten involved in this mess. It would have been so much better to just stay and cultivate peacefully in the Purple Qi Sect. Now it seems I might even be ambushed after leaving here."
Huang Tao, also known as Zhou Shun, was born with an extreme sensitivity to killing. He could sense if someone harbored murderous intent towards him, as long as the person was not far away. This was the source of his confidence in committing such heinous acts in the cultivation Immortal Realm.
The negotiation ended with everyone harboring their own ulterior motives. Both the Purple Qi Sect and the Spirit Moon Sect were willing to provide initial protection, while the Phoenix Dynasty only needed to give up some official positions later on. No matter how you looked at it, it was a sure-fire deal for Su Du.
After it was over Zhou Shun immediately made an excuse and slipped away.
Wang Yan glanced at him and then transmitted her voice to Shen Ge, "Junior Brother Shen, that person is very likely Huang Tao. You should send a voice message to Senior Sister Liuyue and ask her to come and help. I'll go after him first."
Huang Tao!
Upon hearing this, Shen Ge's eyes blazed with fury, and a terrifying Sha Qi immediately erupted from his body. He hadn't expected that after searching for so many years, he would finally have a clue about him. Shen Ge wished he could tear him apart right now!