The Modern Martial Immortal

Chapter 232: Escort

Inside an alchemy chamber of the Immortal Alliance, Xie He gave some instructions to his assistant, then left and returned to his quarters. During the last week, he had been feeling distracted and restless. It had all started when a mysterious figure had sent him a dossier.

He did not know how that information had bypassed the perception of Feng Ao, the Dharma Form cultivator who monitored every key location within the Immortal Alliance, and entered his Void Psychic World account. But the contents of that dossier had completely overturned everything he thought he knew. He had already harbored suspicions and, over the past month, had verified them one by one thanks to the new information.

"No wonder the Alchemy Hall never allowed me to access the newest pill formulas. No wonder I was never permitted to use the spirit treasure alchemy furnaces of the Alchemy Hall. No wonder my residence had always been covered by the Life Force Field of a star god. I had even believed their excuse about it being the highest level of protection..." Pain was clearly visible in Xie He’s eyes.

But he quickly suppressed it. He had already used the excuse of running into a roadblock in his alchemy research to explain why he had been in poor condition recently. There was no need to let unnecessary emotions show. The less he revealed, the better, especially now that he suspected that his every move was under the Immortal Alliance’s surveillance.

The question was no longer whether he knew the truth, but what he could even do now that he did.

He was a level 9 alchemy grandmaster who stood at the pinnacle of alchemy skill and a primordial psyche cultivator tempered by Purple Firmament Divine Lightning, but in front of the Immortal Alliance, one of the major forces in Cangwu, he still could not stir up the slightest ripple.

Not unless I escape, at least! If I manage to flee to the Thousand-Beast Sect or the Infinite Star Palace, with my status as a level 9 alchemy grandmaster, I will be warmly welcomed by any major power, Xie He thought.

No! Not by the Infinite Star Palace! Its ties with the Immortal Alliance are far stronger than outsiders imagine. If the Immortal Alliance is willing to pay the price, they might very well drag me back.

Only the Thousand-Beast Sect can truly guarantee my safety. But how can I get there? Why would the Thousand-Beast Sect risk offending a Dharma Form cultivator and a star god to rescue me from the Immortal-Proving Tower?

And who has been capable of bypassing the Immortal Alliance’s Dharma Form cultivator? Which faction does that mysterious power represent? Do they have a way to get me out of here?

Last night, they told me to take a day off today and instructed me to claim I was going into seclusion for research. I have done exactly that. What is their purpose? If they want to take me away to refine pills for them... As long as they can help me exact revenge, I am willing to give my all.

Countless thoughts churned in his heart, yet he dared not reveal even the slightest trace of them. The pressure weighed heavily on Xie He, who had never received any training in such matters.

Suddenly, he received a psychic thought transmission. "Grandmaster Xie He, have you finished packing?"

Recognizing the psychic signature, Xie He abruptly raised his head. His first instinct was to see how Barton, the star god whose Life Force Field enveloped the entire area, would react.

The psychic thought transmission reached him again. "Don't worry. You're safe right now. You can express your emotions and transmit your thoughts freely. Just make sure everything stays within a radius of ten meters."

"Which faction do you represent? Did you approach me because of my alchemy? I can refine pills for you, but—"

—"I will personally take you to exact your revenge. I can even hand Lewis over to you. How about it?"

"You... can do that?"

—"Of course. He is nothing more than a deputy minister under the Punishment Hall."

Xie He’s breathing grew heavier, and his emotions finally fluctuated. After a long moment, he said, "You still have not answered my first question. Who are you? The Thousand-Beast Sect?"

—"Those capable of suppressing Feng Ao, the Dharma Form cultivator of the Immortal Alliance, and sneak past the control of the star god Barton are not limited to the Thousand-Beast Sect or the Infinite Star Palace alone."

The one talking to Xie He was, of course, Yaoguang. Only once he noticed that the alchemist had reached his decision and gained sufficient resolve did he reveal the answer. "I come from the Nine Cauldrons Sect."

"The Nine Cauldrons Sect?" Xie He froze, and his eyes widened. "That's impossible... As far as I know, the Nine Cauldrons Sect is not a powerful sect. How could it possibly—"

—"What you're able to see may not be the truth. The hidden strength of the Nine Cauldrons Sect far exceeds what anyone imagines. Just as you could never have imagined that I could easily evade the perception of Feng Ao and Barton and speak with you."

Yaoguang’s psychic thought carried firm confidence in both the Nine Cauldrons Sect and himself. "Perhaps we still fall slightly short compared to the Infinite Star Palace, the Thousand-Beast Sect, and the Immortal Alliance. But give us twenty years, and I believe that the overall strength of the Nine Cauldrons Sect will no longer be inferior to any of them!"

"This..." Xie He’s couldn't help but doubt those words.

It was not the Thousand-Beast Sect. It was not even the Lunar Sect or Dharma Heaven Pavilion. Finding out it wasn't one of those major sects was a bit of a disappointment. But no matter which sect he joined, it would be better than remaining in the Immortal Alliance.

At the thought that he had served the sect that had personally annihilated his family for so many years, his entire body trembled. He even felt the urge to chop off his own hands.

He took a deep breath and calmed himself. "Very well. I will trust you. I have prepared my belongings and sorted out my affairs. I claimed I ran into a roadblock in my research. For the next three days, I don't need to appear before them. Now... what should I do?"

—"Take your things and follow my instructions," Yaoguang told him.

As an alchemy grandmaster, it had been effortless for Xie He to purchase a refined artifact storage pouch. He left his room practically empty-handed.

As soon as he stepped outside, he started receiving detailed directions on how to move.

—"Turn left. Wait three seconds."

—"Go straight. Walk quickly for thirty meters."

—"Tired? You can rest beneath that small tree for twenty-six seconds."

As Xie He listened to Yaoguang's instructions, walking step by step, a storm gradually rose in his heart. Every single instruction from this member of the Nine Cauldrons Sect has helped me avoid anyone moving through my residential area. It feels like the Immortal-Proving Tower's headquarters have no defenses whatsoever. How could this be? Has this person already breached all of the Immortal Alliance’s detection systems?!

"This cannot be achieved with a spirit treasure. You are a Dharma Form cultivator, aren’t you?! The Nine Cauldrons Sect actually has a Dharma Form cultivator! You’ve hidden it far too deeply," Xie He could not help but ask through a psychic thought.

—"I told you, the potential of the Nine Cauldrons Sect is far more astonishing than you imagine. And with the sect’s atmosphere, once you arrive, you will not be disappointed. Your life can begin anew in the Nine Cauldrons Sect," Yaoguang responded, smiling faintly.

Xie He did not reply. By now, he was starting to believe what Yaoguang said earlier. The strength of the Nine Cauldrons Sect truly exceeded what anyone had imagined.

Following Yaoguang’s guidance, Xie He made several twists and turns and quietly left the core area of the Immortal-Proving Tower's headquarters. Once he was out, things became even easier. Even the guarded entrances required little attention.

Yaoguang transformed his psychic thought into illusions, briefly distracting the guards when needed. Taking advantage of those moments, Xie He passed through with ease. The guards felt slightly fatigued afterward, but sensed nothing unusual.

Half an hour later, Xie He finally reached the public area on the outer perimeter of the Immortal-Proving Tower.

Yaoguang appeared before the alchemist, greeting him with a smile. "Hello."

Seeing him, Xie He paused, surprised. "You..."

He extended his perception toward the fluctuations of psychic thought emanating from Yaoguang and felt disbelief surge through him. "It’s you?!"

"It is," Yaoguang replied.

"You are a Dharma Form cultivator! Someone who should be standing guard over the sect. And you're actually here?" Xie He felt both moved and unsettled.

He had not expected the Nine Cauldrons Sect to send a Dharma Form to personally escort him. That alone made him deeply aware of how much the sect valued him. Yet he felt the decision was reckless. After all, the value of a Dharma Form cultivator far exceeded that of an alchemy grandmaster.

"Relax. I told you, the Nine Cauldrons Sect possesses far more power than you imagine. For now, I will arrange for you to leave Seven Hills City and head to Bolin City, where Lewis is located. Also, conceal your departure as long as possible. Even one extra day helps," Yaoguang said, smiling.

After witnessing a Dharma Form come to receive him, Xie He no longer felt any resistance toward joining the Nine Cauldrons Sect. When he heard they would head to Bolin City...

He hesitated briefly, then said, "There is no need to rush that matter... as long as the Nine Cauldrons Sect remembers it."

"If we don't avenge you, you will not be able to settle your heart and focus on alchemy. So we will fulfill that promise first. It is our commitment to you," Yaoguang answered calmly.

Xie He said nothing more. But the sect’s attitude greatly increased the goodwill in his heart.

"There is a Dharma Form mark on you. I will remove it," Yaoguang said.

"A Dharma Form mark?!" Xie He’s expression darkened.

Over the past few days, he had come to understand that the Immortal Alliance had never truly trusted him. Hearing Yaoguang expose the truth left him with the bitter feeling that decades of effort had been wasted.

While his mood weighed heavily, Yaoguang's psychic thought swept over his body, precisely wrapping around a faint trace of psychic thought so subtle it was nearly undetectable. Yet it was not immediately erased.

Though Xie He was not a Dharma Form, he was a top-tier primordial psyche perfected master who had survived the Purple Firmament Lightning Tribulation. He could clearly see that Yaoguang’s technique far surpassed the Dharma Form cultivator within the Immortal Alliance. That was why Yaoguang could extract the mark without destroying it.

"All done," Yaoguang said.

With the mark sealed, Yaoguang had already led Xie He outside the Immortal-Proving Tower, where a middle-aged man waited in a hovering car. He was a hidden agent of the Nine Cauldrons Sect, who had been planted within the Immortal Alliance in the vicinity of Seven Hills City.

"Follow him and leave Seven Hills City first. I will catch up with you later," Yaoguang instructed.

Xie He nodded solemnly. "Please be careful!"

Yaoguang smiled and gave him a reassuring look. He soon watched the level 9 alchemy grandmaster depart. Once Xie He had left, Yaoguang quickly turned back, and soon after, he entered the depths of the Immortal-Proving Tower.

Unlike before, when he was escorting someone out, this time he had come for the batch of top-tier pills prepared for auction in half a month, which were valued at over one hundred million and capable of rapidly increasing his cultivation.