A blind man cultivates immortality and witnesses the great secret of the holy maiden in her bridal c

Chen Yang nodded slightly, his expression calm: "Thank you for leading the way."

Zhou Yunshan quickly laughed, his tone carrying a hint of deliberate flattery: "We should be the ones thanking you! With a top expert like Fellow Daoist Chen leading our team, our escort team's combat strength has increased several times over. The journey has been peaceful, with no one daring to rob or cause trouble, all thanks to your formidable strength!"

Chen Yang simply smiled faintly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, too lazy to engage in further social interaction.

Seeing Chen Yang's cold attitude and unwillingness to say more, Zhou Yunshan felt a sense of displeasure and coldness in his heart.

In his view, even if Chen Yang was hiding his strength and possessed late-stage Divine Ability combat power, there was no need for him to be so arrogant and disdainful of everyone. He himself was a genuine late-stage Divine Ability cultivator, considered a strong figure in his own right, and had never been treated with such coldness before.

Suppressing his displeasure, Zhou Yunshan continued leading the team on their journey.

The caravan continued its journey for another two hours. As dusk fell, the entire world was shrouded in a oppressive twilight.

Just now.

Boom!!!

A sudden, deafening black thunderclap exploded high above!

The thunder wasn't loud or deafening; instead, it carried a dull and eerie tremor. Yet, this single, soft clap of thunder caused all the cultivators in the escort team to shudder violently, their minds jolted, and their faces instantly filled with terror.

The group instinctively exchanged glances, their eyes revealing barely concealed panic.

Zhou Yunshan's expression changed drastically, and he shouted sharply, "It's bad! It's going to rain poison! Everyone, full speed ahead!"

"Teams one and two, move forward immediately to scout the terrain and set up temporary tents! The rest of you, follow me quickly and make sure we're settled before the rain starts!"

As soon as the order was given, all the guards instantly tensed up, unleashing all their spiritual power to speed up their journey.

Chen Yang stopped and looked up at the sky above him, his eyes filled with even more doubt.

The dark clouds over the marshland were extremely thick, layer upon layer, pressing down very low, less than a few hundred meters above the ground. The dark sky completely blocked out the sunlight, shrouding the entire land in gloom and darkness.

Within the dark, gloomy clouds, streaks of pitch-black lightning flickered and roared incessantly. The lightning was as black as ink, without a trace of the golden light of ordinary lightning.

Chen Yang focused his attention on sensing, and a growing sense of unease crept into his heart.

Ordinary thunder and lightning in the world contain a righteous spirit and have the power to ward off evil.

But this black thunder in the swamp is completely the opposite!

Amidst the rumbling thunder, a strange spiritual fluctuation subtly lingered, like a bewitching spell, quietly spreading in all directions.

Just by listening, Chen Yang felt a slight itch in his ears and a faint dizziness in his mind.

Fortunately, the bewitching power of the black lightning was still weak, and it could not shake his powerful and condensed soul at all, nor could it have any effect on him.

However, the surrounding镖局 (escort agency) cultivators were completely affected by this strange thunder.

The group had been traveling all day, their spiritual energy was greatly depleted, and they were exhausted both physically and mentally. But the moment the thunder sounded, everyone seemed to be propelled by an invisible force, completely forgetting their fatigue. Their eyes were filled with a fanatical tension as they frantically rushed forward, using all their spiritual energy.

Ten minutes later, at the edge of the gloomy wilderness where a storm was brewing, a magnificent jade palace, layer upon layer, suddenly came into view. The entire palace was built of seven layers of pure, warm jade, with imposing walls and a pure white exterior. Under the dim sky, it gleamed with a warm, cold light. The walls were thick and tight, without any gaps, making it extremely well-defended.

Seeing this, Zhou Yunshan relaxed slightly, but immediately urged sharply, "Quick! Everyone, go inside and take cover!"

Only now did Chen Yang realize that this magnificent and sturdy jade palace was not a natural relic at all, but a temporary shelter that the caravan had built in advance.

His doubts grew stronger.

It was just an ordinary poisonous rain. Even though the rain in the marshland was strange, ordinary array tents and simple shelters would have been enough to protect them. Yet, the reaction of these cultivators was exaggerated to the extreme.

The fact that they spared no expense in building a jade palace specifically to shelter from the rain is truly superfluous, a complete waste of resources and utterly pointless.

The crowd filed into the Jade Hall. Even in the safe and secure hall, everyone remained tense and anxious, their eyes filled with lingering fear, and the atmosphere around them was extremely oppressive.

At this moment, Zhou Yunshan quickly walked up to Chen Yang, his face showing a polite yet somewhat apologetic expression, and solemnly bowed.

Immediately afterwards, he opened his palm and handed over a finely polished black iron token. The token was engraved with four powerful characters: "Zhenyuan Escort Agency." The lines were clear and the texture was heavy. It was an exclusive token of the escort agency.

Zhou Yunshan's tone was sincere, yet it concealed a sense of distance and calculation: "Mr. Chen, I am truly sorry. According to the rules of my Zhenyuan Escort Agency, although you have accompanied and assisted us along the way, you are ultimately not a member of my agency."

"We are stationed at the Jade Hall this time, and we must live and die with the goods. The rules are strict, and outsiders are not allowed to enter. We will have to trouble Mr. Chen to find another place to take shelter from the rain."

Chen Yang's gaze darkened slightly, his brow furrowed gently, and he quietly looked at the hypocritical and polite Zhou Yunshan in front of him. After a moment of silence, he simply nodded slightly, without arguing or questioning.

Seeing Chen Yang agree so easily and accept it so readily, Zhou Yunshan felt a huge weight lifted from his heart and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He had already prepared a thousand different arguments in his mind, and was even ready to tear off the mask and use both soft and hard tactics. He never expected that Chen Yang would be so decisive and efficient, without the slightest bit of entanglement.

He quickly seized the opportunity, putting on a friendly demeanor, and stuffed the token into Chen Yang's hand, earnestly instructing him: "Mr. Chen, please don't be angry. Keep this security escort agency token close to your body. If you encounter any danger or trouble along the way, show this token, and the security escort agencies within Zeguo will give us some face and protect you."

"We will set off immediately once the rain stops. Please do not go too far, Mr. Chen, and we will travel together then."

Chen Yang lightly gripped the token in his fingertips, his expression calm and composed. He nodded slightly, then turned and strode out of the heavily guarded jade hall.

Once Chen Yang's figure had completely disappeared outside the palace gate, Zhou Yunshan's tense body instantly relaxed, and he let out a long breath.

The other escort agency disciples in the hall also breathed a sigh of relief, their tense expressions easing slightly. They whispered among themselves, their tone filled with a mixture of relief and calculation.

"Great! I didn't expect this cultivator from beyond the realm to be so easily fooled; he actually left obediently!"

"Hopefully he can hold out a little longer! With him protecting us from disaster, our shipment and everyone else can be completely safe!"

"Silence! No more words! We only hope this storm will end peacefully, and that Mr. Chen's survival is our greatest hope!"

Everyone quickly composed themselves, stopped talking, and worked together to seal the doors and windows of the main hall tightly, completely sealing off the entire jade palace and isolating it from the outside world.

Just as the palace doors were completely closed, a deafening explosion resounded in the sky!

Another dull, eerie black thunderclap resounded across the land, followed by a dense downpour that pelted down, washing over the vast expanse of earth.