# Chapter 1325: Night Rain Xiaoxiang, Heartbreak
After finishing the story, the grief and oppression in Gu Songzi's heart had actually lessened considerably. He took a deep breath, and then all the tears in his eyes disappeared.
"What are you doing? Leave some for this old man."
After Gu Songzi recovered his mood, he discovered that the meat soup in the pot had already been reduced by half. He immediately pounced over and joined the scramble for food.
Half an hour later, an entire large pot of meat soup was completely devoured by the three of them. Even the bones had all gone into the Golden Bat Giant Serpent's massive mouth.
Gu Songzi praised Qing Mo's culinary skills for a while, patted his round belly, returned to the thatched hut, and began studying elixirs again.
Qing Mo stared in the direction of the thatched hut, propping her chin with both hands, and said: "Actually, Senior Gu Songzi is quite pitiful. His entire family was slaughtered, and he can only hide in the dangerous Immortal Mechanism Mountain, living a lonely life in obscurity for hundreds of years. He clearly has a blood-deep vendetta, yet he cannot take revenge."
Zhang Ruochen's gaze was somewhat unfocused. He always felt that Gu Songzi's experience had many similarities with his own. Both had an invincible enemy, like a great mountain pressing down on them, making it hard to breathe.
As long as that great enemy still lived, they could only hide and conceal their identities, unable to show their true faces.
Perhaps only Zhang Ruochen could understand how much pain was in Gu Songzi's heart.
"Master, do you think the Wine Madman was really so afraid of death that he stood by and did nothing?" Qing Mo asked.
Zhang Ruochen's eyes gradually regained their clarity. He said: "In the Yin-Yang Sea, facing so many terrifyingly powerful beings like Zhong Ying Wang, Yi Long Wang, Lei Bu Tian Wang, and Sha Jin Wang, the Wine Madman still ventured alone into danger to rescue me. How could the bond between him and me compare to his bond with Gu Songzi? If he was willing to take such great risks to save me, how could he stand by and do nothing just because he feared death?"
"You mean the Wine Madman must have had some difficulty?" Qing Mo asked.
Zhang Ruochen stood up and looked toward a dark forest. His brow's heavenly eye opened, piercing through layers of formations and trees, and saw the Wine Madman's figure hundreds of miles away. He said: "Why don't you go ask him yourself? Then you'll know the answer."
From inside the formation, one could see outside, but those outside could not see in.
The Wine Madman had not left. He was trying to break into the forest, but the ancient formations within were extremely powerful. Even with his cultivation, he was being blocked.
"If I ask him, will he tell me?" Qing Mo asked.
Zhang Ruochen rubbed his chin and smiled: "A lover of wine must also be a glutton. Since we could use delicious food to get Gu Songzi to tell the story of his past, we should also be able to use delicious food to pry open the Wine Madman's mouth."
Qing Mo was extremely curious. Unable to wait, she immediately rushed into the forest, ready to resolve the doubts in her heart.
However, the formations in the forest were extremely formidable. Entering was difficult, and leaving was even harder. Qing Mo spent three days but still could not find a way out.
"The path in and the path out are definitely different. Rather than exploring on your own, why not let it lead you out?"
Zhang Ruochen's finger pointed toward a distant water stream. There, a giant golden serpent lay in the water, staring eagerly at Qing Mo, its crimson tongue constantly flicking out, clearly anticipating another taste of delicious food.
Last time, the Golden Bat Giant Serpent hadn't even gotten a single sip of soup, only eating the bones of the savage birds. It was truly a pitiful experience.
Qing Mo's eyes lit up, and she immediately understood Zhang Ruochen's meaning.
The next day, Qing Mo easily tamed the Golden Bat Giant Serpent. Then, sitting on the serpent's head, she disappeared into the forest, heading out of the mountain.
For the past three days, Zhang Ruochen had not only been comprehending the tenth layer of Sword Seven, "Sword Unleashed Without Regret," but also continuing to study the Space-Time Secret Scripture and the Time Sword Art.
The power of space and time were Zhang Ruochen's two most important trump cards, so naturally, he had to keep delving deeper into them.
At the same time, the three meridians inside his body had become tougher. As long as he did not circulate his sacred qi too violently, there was no pain at all.
"No wonder Senior Gu Songzi could live in seclusion here alone for six hundred years. This place truly is a wonderful spot for cultivating one's character and studying martial arts."
Every day, Zhang Ruochen could feel his cultivation and sword dao attainments rapidly improving. Such a feeling brought indescribable joy.
After nightfall, the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass in the lake began absorbing the moonlight's radiance, causing wisps of luminous mist to appear between heaven and earth, like silver gauze, bridges formed by points of light. The scene was extremely beautiful.
"Rustle, rustle."
A gentle breeze blew through the forest.
Zhang Ruochen's ears twitched, hearing extremely faint footsteps. At first, he thought it was Qing Mo and the Golden Bat Giant Serpent returning, so he didn't pay much attention.
But soon, Zhang Ruochen sensed something was wrong. He quickly opened his eyes and released his spiritual power to investigate, discovering a group of black-robed cultivators in the forest.
Gu Songzi had already walked out of the thatched hut, standing by the lake, gazing at the shadowy forest. He muttered to himself: "What must come, will come eventually."
A moment later, the group of black-robed cultivators emerged from the forest and appeared on the opposite shore of the spirit lake.
Their faces were all covered with metal masks bearing crescent moon imprints. Seeing the Thousand-Leaf Sacred Core Grass in the lake, they all revealed expressions of amazement.
However, their strength was considerable, and they were clearly well-trained, with steady minds. They quickly withdrew their gazes.
Among the black-robed cultivators, a tall, sturdy man stepped forward. His cultivation had reached the Heaven-Connecting Realm, and his entire body exuded a powerful sacred dao aura. He was clearly the leader of the black-robed cultivators.
The tall man clasped his hands and bowed to Gu Songzi, saying: "Dark Night Palace, Zhao Qilin, pays respects to Elder Ku."
Gu Songzi's expression remained unchanged. He said: "The Dark Night Envoys investigate all secrets of the world for the Divine Cult, rooting out traitors within and probing enemy situations without. Six hundred years ago, the old master guessed that one day, the Dark Night Envoys would find this place. Does Shi Qianjue truly want to exterminate me completely?"
Zhao Qilin said: "Elder Ku misunderstands! Regarding the events of that year, the Cult Leader also feels deep regret and wishes to make amends. That is why he sent this saint to invite Elder Ku back to the Cult, to take charge of the Elixir King Palace as its Palace Master, to revitalize the Divine Cult and restore its former glory."
"Deep regret? Have me return to be the Palace Master of the Elixir King Palace? Hmph, Shi Qianjue wants the formula for the Transformation Saint Elixir, doesn't he?"
Gu Songzi felt no temptation at all toward the position of Palace Master. He let out a dark laugh and continued: "A junior like you couldn't possibly have silently passed through all the layers of formations to get here. The truly formidable figure hasn't shown himself yet, has he?"
"Sizzle, sizzle."
In midair, a spark of fire appeared, rapidly flickering.
The spark grew larger and larger, eventually forming a flame formation diagram dozens of feet in diameter.
An old man in a green robe "grew" out of the flame formation diagram, standing at the center of the diagram. His green pupils stared at Gu Songzi, revealing a sinister smile: "Formation King Palace Palace Master Xiao Mie, pays respects to Elder Ku."
Zhang Ruochen sucked in a breath of cold air. Truly, an extraordinary figure had arrived. A Palace Master-level character had come to Immortal Mechanism Mountain.
The Moon Worship Demon Sect was divided into nine palaces. Each palace's master was a top-tier figure with absolute authority, their status in the Kunlun Realm comparable to some medieval aristocratic clan heads.
Xiao Mie had reached the level of an Eighth-Rank Formation Master. His attainments in formations could definitely rank among the top ten in the Kunlun Realm.
In the Kunlun Realm, Xiao Mie's reputation was thunderous, causing countless sacred realm beings to tremble in fear at the mere mention of his name.
Gu Songzi said: "No wonder the formations here couldn't stop you. So the Formation King Palace's Palace Master has personally come. Truly a grand gesture."
Suddenly, Gu Songzi's expression changed slightly. He sensed something and quickly turned around to look inside the thatched hut.
At some unknown time, a black-robed figure was sitting inside the hut, flipping through the spirit paper on the desk under the lamplight. The movements were elegant, but they startled Gu Songzi into a cold sweat.
Not only was Gu Songzi shocked, but Zhang Ruochen's heart was also pounding wildly.
With his level of spiritual power and perception, he had completely failed to notice when the black-robed figure had entered the hut. How had they entered?
In other words, that black-robed figure could have killed him without him even knowing.
What other extraordinary figure had arrived?
Cold sweat covered Zhang Ruochen's back. He quickly released his space domain and went on full alert.
Of course, if the other party truly wanted to kill him, even full alertness probably wouldn't help much.
"And who are you?" Gu Songzi asked.
"Dark Night Palace Palace Master, Ye Xiaoxiang."
A woman's voice came from inside the hut.
Her voice was extremely ethereal and hazy, making it impossible to determine her age. It sounded like a young maiden, yet also like a middle-aged woman.
"Night rain Xiaoxiang, heartbreak; Red Chamber flying feather, sword unmatched."
This poem was used to describe the two most formidable women of the Moon Worship Demon Sect: one was the Dark Night Palace's Palace Master, Ye Xiaoxiang, and the other was the Saintess Palace's Palace Master, Ling Feiyu.
"Another infamous ruthless character has arrived," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
Ye Xiaoxiang had clearly not found what she was looking for. She put down the spirit paper on the table and walked out of the thatched hut. Her tall, slender figure stood straight, outlined by her black robe into a flawless curve.
"Two Palace Masters personally coming to invite Elder Ku—isn't that enough sincerity?" Ye Xiaoxiang asked.
She was standing right in front of Gu Songzi, yet she gave a blurry, indistinct feeling, like a black hole devouring all the surrounding light.
"Are you here to invite me, or to capture me?" Gu Songzi asked through gritted teeth.
"If Elder Ku is willing to come with us, then naturally it's an invitation. If not, then it's... a capture."
She paused, then continued: "Aren't you curious why, even though you used poison, none of us have fallen?"
Gu Songzi remained silent.
"When I was young, I heard that Elder Ku was one of the foremost poison masters in the world. Coming to invite you, how could we not be fully prepared?" Ye Xiaoxiang said.
"Is that so? Can the poison-repelling treasures you carry block the Nether King Blood Poison?"
Without hesitation, Gu Songzi took out a metal ball and hurled it at Ye Xiaoxiang.
"Bang."
The metal ball burst apart, turning into a cloud of blood mist. Countless blood threads extended outward like an octopus's tentacles, quickly covering the entire area beneath the spirit mountain.