Chapter 3034

"Nothing I can do. If you were a Celestial Emperor, you’d be the boss," Yan Xiwan retorted with a grin.

Ouyang Tianyun was speechless. He sighed, "Wife, hitting me like that isn’t right."

Yan Xiwan burst into laughter again.

Although the Celestial Emperor had fled because he lost a chess game, his power was undeniable. With a single wave, rain began to fall across the entire cultivation world. The rain contained an antidote.

Rain covering the whole cultivation world was a rare sight, unseen for many years. Naturally, the various sects were curious about what had happened.

However, aside from the rain, everything was normal. In the cultivation world, rain was usually spirit rain, which was beneficial to the body. Many people brought out containers to collect the water for themselves or their loved ones.

At that moment, Yan Xiwan’s antidote took effect. This rain solved the problem for the entire cultivation world.

Of course, someone noticed something was wrong. It was the manager of the Delicious Tower.

Seeing the rain, the manager knew it was spirit rain. He ordered the waiter to collect it and joined in himself. But he discovered that the spiritual energy in the rain seemed to suppress their aura.

The manager’s face changed. "Heavenly Dao must have discovered us."

The waiter asked anxiously, "Manager, what do we do? Should we retreat immediately?"

The manager looked resentful. "Damn Heavenly Dao. The rain contains suppressants. The poison from our Charm Grass on those cultivators is likely already neutralized."

"Then all our years of effort are wasted?" The waiter’s face darkened.

The Delicious Tower’s success relied heavily on the charm induced by the Charm Grass. Now, everything was turning to nothing. This was not good news.

"Waiter, close the shop. We’re leaving," the manager ordered directly.

"Is it okay to leave like this?" the waiter asked.

"We can’t worry about that now. Just say we have family matters and take leave. If Heavenly Dao doesn’t take further action, we can return later." The manager’s plan was the best option for them.

The waiter understood. "I’ll notify everyone. We leave now."

Half an hour later, a sign appeared at the entrance of the Delicious Tower: Closed due to family matters.

"Look, they’ve started retreating," Yan Xiwan and Ouyang Tianyun observed.

Ouyang Tianyun nodded and produced a flying boat. "Let’s follow them."

Ouyang Tianyun boarded first, followed by Yan Xiwan, Lu Fang, and Pan Hongmei.

Once everyone was on board, Ouyang Tianyun applied an invisibility talisman to the boat and followed the manager openly.

"This manager is quite sharp," Pan Hongmei noted, watching the manager hurry while constantly checking for followers.

"Very sharp. So his status among evil cultivators must be high," Ouyang Tianyun said with a smile.

"Likely high," Yan Xiwan agreed.

Pan Hongmei glanced at the shameless couple. "Can you stop smiling so proudly? He just didn’t notice you."

Yan Xiwan raised an eyebrow. "Why shouldn’t I? This evil cultivator is no ordinary person. He could poison so many cultivars with Charm Grass in public. His mind is meticulous. If we hadn’t investigated intentionally, we might not have seen the truth behind the Delicious Tower. Tracking him without him knowing makes me proud."

Pan Hongmei was speechless but had to admit Yan Xiwan was right.

Lu Fang watched the manager. "He’s unexpected. Though he smiles, he observes everything. Even passing a tea shop, he glances three times to check for followers."

Ouyang Tianyun nodded. "He’s formidable. If we hadn’t learned the truth through soul searching, I wouldn’t have suspected he was an evil cultivator."

"It shows evil cultivators have grown stronger," Yan Xiwan said.

The manager did not stop along the way. He drank cold water when thirsty and ate dry rations or fasting pills when hungry. He never stopped.

This urgent journey continued until they reached the edge of the Black River. Only then did he stop. "We rest for half a day, then continue. Restore your energy so we can cross the Black River safely."

No one objected. They sat cross-legged to recover their energy.

Once recovered, someone hunted nearby and started roasting the food.

"Manager, do you think they’ll notice we’re gone?" The waiter phrased it nicely, calling their escape "leaving."

"It doesn’t matter if they know," the manager said with a strange smile. "We’re at the Black River. Once we cross, it’s our territory. What can they do?"

The waiter nodded. Someone handed him a wild chicken. The waiter carefully tore it apart and gave a piece to the manager.

The manager took a bite of a chicken leg. "You eat too. Rest a bit more. The boat should arrive soon. The Black River is hard to cross. We’ll drift for days, so eat well first."

"Yes, Manager." The waiter nodded and started gnawing on a chicken wing.

"They keep mentioning the Black River. What’s special about it?" Yan Xiwan asked curiously.

Ouyang Tianyun shook his head slightly. "The Black River has always existed in the cultivation world. It’s usually calm. It’s called the Black River because it produces black spirit stones. But no one has ever said there’s anything special in it."

"No, maybe it’s not in the river. Do you know what’s on the other side?" Lu Fang asked.

Ouyang Tianyun shook his head again. "I don’t know. I’ve never been to the other side. But my adoptive father mentioned it’s a place lacking spiritual energy, and once you enter, you can’t leave."

Yan Xiwan raised an eyebrow. "But from the manager’s tone, it seems they can enter and leave."