Chapter 636: Teacher Si Ling

Cang Xu's encounter with Jian Gui was accidental, he hadn't sought him out intentionally.

Thus, the location where they met was no longer Jian Gui's captivity quarters.

The reason for his rescue lay in the immense value of Jian Gui's background, which offered Cang Xu vast room for speculation.

True to Cang Xu's expectations, Jian Gui behaved like an ordinary person, displaying no combat prowess whatsoever.

This was because Zhou Zhang had personally sealed him, rendering his powers unusable.

Yet after being saved, Jian Gui's subsequent actions deeply puzzled Cang Xu.

Weakened to the level of an ordinary man, why wouldn't he attempt to escape? Instead, he sought to enter the Ocean Mother Nest, wasn't that courting death?

Judging by his past actions, he was certainly not one to take reckless risks!

“Then what's going on here?” Cang Xu silently questioned himself.

He had once been a noble steward. He had held that position for many years. Interacting with all social strata, he had witnessed the scheming of the upper classes and recognized the cunning of the lower classes.

This experience gradually ingrained in him the habit of thinking in terms of conspiracy.

Why would Jian Gui head toward the Ocean Mother Nest at this perilous moment?

He feared death, yet now he was actively courting it.

He must have his own plan and purpose!

The likelihood of death, as he saw it, was far lower than what an outsider like me perceived!

Could it be that the two saint levels who came to ambush them were lured here by him?

No, that's unlikely.

These two saints were human, not necromancers, they carried not a trace of undead aura.

Cang Xu had just been piloting the Deep Sea Monster Fish and, through the tower spirit, had uncovered Qian Xing and Da Han’s identities.

Thanks to the War Merchant, though his database was incomplete, it was more than sufficient for the survivors!

It was incredibly useful!

His database cataloged transcendents across the entire world.

Naturally, only those who were renowned or possessed unique qualities made the cut.

Qian Xing and Da Han were among them.

Both were saint level, that alone qualified them for inclusion in the War Merchant's intelligence network.

Cang Xu couldn't see the specifics of the two squads, but the Deep Sea Monster Fish's reconnaissance capabilities far surpassed his own.

“They are Qian Xing and Da Han, both from the Fire Beard Pirates!”

“The probability of them collaborating with the necromancer is very low.”

“Could it be that, just like in the battle on the Underworld River, the necromancer faction has quietly received reinforcements?”

“Did Jian Gui make contact?”

This was Cang Xu's natural conjecture.

He knew it was entirely possible.

The bonds between souls were profoundly mysterious. Zhou Zhang had sealed Jian Gui, yet failed to sever this connection. Certainly, the bond had weakened.

But it could not be fully cut.

Thus, even under Zhou Zhang's watchful eye, Jian Gui and other necromancers could pull off underhanded maneuvers, engaging in large-scale memory forgery operations.

By extension, it was entirely plausible that Jian Gui had utilized this soul-to-soul link to locate powerful reinforcements.

“Perhaps the undead orthodoxy has even developed specialized methods...”

Another testament to the power of soul connections was the divine spell [Believer Perception].

Cang Xu understood: Though his commander benefited from the divine domain's amplification, even without it, the young commander could still sense figures like the big guy and Lan Zao.

Such vast perceptual range utterly transcended conventional spells!

As a magician, Cang Xu had his own interpretation: "The range of the divine spell [Believer Perception] isn't exaggerated because the deity itself possesses an exaggerated perception range. The commander isn't a deity; he's only at the gold level, yet he still possesses such an extraordinary perception range."

“The connection between souls cannot be described by conventional distance.”

“Or rather, the distance between souls differs from conventional concepts—it is a mystical concept.”

“Why is the range of Believer Perception so exaggerated?”

“Because faith and divine power have transformed the believers. Their soul essences continually converge and align, making the distance between souls grow exceedingly close."

By the time Cang Xu reached this conclusion, only an instant had passed in the outside world.

He immediately addressed Jian Gui: “How can we possibly enter the Ocean Mother Nest now?”

"Lord Jian Gui, curiosity is indeed one of a magician's finest qualities. You have praised me for it before, but we must also assess the situation."

"The risks of proceeding now are too great. You have not yet broken free from the seal! If Lord Zhou Zhang is defeated and the enemy's saint level attacks, they will undoubtedly slaughter us in the Mother Nest without mercy. If Lord Zhou Zhang succeeds and returns to find you in the Mother Nest, she will never forgive you."

“After all, you are not me. You are not yet a Charming Blue believer.”

Jian Gui laughed heartily and waved his hand. “Then go.”

Cang Xu hesitated, then slowly shook his head, his expression grave. “I cannot.”

“You saved me. Having encountered this, I cannot stand by and watch you die.”

With that, Cang Xu forcibly intervened, using only the spell, mage hand, to hoist Jian Gui into the air.

Jian Gui's eyes widened in fury as he shouted, “Stop! Stop! Stop!”

“Xu Jia, this is my personal choice.”

“Leave me be.”

Cang Xu shook his head. "Don't forget, I'm also a Charming Blue believer. I won't stand by and watch an outsider enter the Ocean Mother Nest."

“Believer?”

Jian Gui sneered. "Give me a break. You saw us forging memories and never reported it. Your faith is nothing outstanding!"

Cang Xu sighed and spoke honestly, "Even if you're right, I can't let you go to your death. You're a legitimate heir of the undead orthodoxy, closely tied to the Twelve Saints. In the future, I'm counting on you to guide me and help me connect with the orthodox factions."

"Qi Ling and Xiao Wang Zi are already dead. If you perish here too, when the undead orthodoxy investigates afterward, I'll be the sole survivor. How could I possibly explain that? If your faction misunderstands me, there'd be no way to clear my name."

“So, to be safe, I'll take you with me.”

Jian Gui was speechless.

Under normal circumstances, he would have been furious, enraged, even filled with hatred.

But his relationship with Cang Xu was anything but normal.

Yet one crucial point must not be forgotten.

Jian Gui controlled Cang Xu. He had already tampered with Cang Xu earlier, leaving the latter's life and death entirely at Jian Gui's whim.

In truth, Cang Xu had already successfully neutralized these arrangements through the fishman youngster's divine spells.

Not only that, the youngster had further employed divine spells to imbue Cang Xu with specialized deception effects.

For a time, the youngster lacked confidence in resolving the hidden mechanisms within Cang Xu, unsure of his ability.

But after becoming a divine emissary and acquiring numerous advanced divine spells, he practiced several times, his confidence soaring.

Ultimately, he successfully eliminated the hidden threat within Cang Xu.

Jian Gui remained unaware of this development. In his perception, the hidden mechanism within Cang Xu still existed.

This belief granted him a significant psychological advantage.

He persistently believed Cang Xu was merely his pawn, under his control.

Moreover, Cang Xu's actions did not stem from malice. He gave Jian Gui the impression—Cang Xu genuinely and sincerely wanted to save my life!

Whether it was repaying a debt, returning a favor, or seeking future benefits by aligning with the undead orthodoxy, all these motives seemed perfectly reasonable. Jian Gui understood and even accepted them.

In fact, Jian Gui found Cang Xu's straightforwardness refreshing, perceiving him as someone who acted with integrity.

Anger, rage, affection, and a sense of control, these emotions tangled together, coalescing into a helpless, powerless feeling that was both laughable and exasperating.

Just as Jian Gui wrestled with how to persuade Cang Xu, a figure materialized beside them.

Jian Gui was utterly astonished.

He hadn't expected him to appear so effortlessly!

Cang Xu also stared at the mysterious arrival, his expression shaken.

This transcendent resembled an elderly man, radiating only bronze level energy, vibrant and alive, without a trace of undead aura.

Yet Cang Xu recognized him instantly: “You... You're... Teacher Si Ling?”

Teacher Si Ling smiled at Cang Xu.

His features were ordinary, human in appearance, with a gentle demeanor, like an old scholar secluded in a mage tower.

He nodded slightly, studying Cang Xu with interest. “You recognize me?”

'Of course!'

“Your wanted posters are plastered all over the Main Plane, practically everywhere,” Cang Xu thought, stifling his inner rant.