The World that Tao Rules, Volume 14, page 9
"Now, I want to see what other world I will go to after leaving this Blood Path World."
As Jiang Yun recovered from his shock, he regained his ability to think.
The man's few words made him suddenly realize, "Could the way to other worlds be hidden in this trial land?"
"Trial land!" The man was surprised and asked, "You mean this is a trial land?"
"Yes!" Jiang Yun openly shared the memories he saw inside the disciple from Dao San Palace.
After hearing this, the man suddenly understood, "I thought the people from the Dao God Temple were just chasing us, but I didn't expect this place to be used as a trial land by them!"
As the man spoke, a hint of hostility appeared in his eyes, showing that he had been chased and hunted more than once.
But now, Jiang Yun didn't have time to ask about the other person's experiences. Instead, he continued to ask, "Taoist friend, do you know when Xue Mucheng entered this Dao Prison?"
Actually, Jiang Yun was not concerned about Xue Mucheng, but about the Snow clan, or rather, about Xue Qing!
All the people in the Snow clan believe that Xue Mucheng left the Mountain-Sea World and went to other worlds, leaving behind the teleportation array of the Li Fire Snow Palace and a drop of his monster blood, so they could go to other worlds.
But now, Xue Mucheng is in the Dao Prison, so naturally Jiang Yun worried whether the entire Snow clan has also been sent to the Dao Prison.
The skinny man shook his head and said, "I don't know when he entered the Dao Prison. After all, our relationship is not as you imagine. We are not friends, we just had a bit of a spar!"
"Spar?"
The skinny man fell into silence again, for a quite long time this time, until he sighed and said, "You saved my life, so fine, I won't hide it from you!"
"My name is Hou Muran, a disciple of the Zhen Dao Sect! Zhen Dao Sect is one of the Nine Great Dao Sects, have you heard of it?"
Jiang Yun certainly had heard of it, he just didn't expect that the man named Hou Muran in front of him would also be a disciple of the Nine Great Dao Sects!
However, this also puzzled him, "Aren't the Nine Great Dao Sects and Dao God Temple getting along well?"
"Getting along well!" Hou Muran sneered, "There are some things I can't say, but the relationship between the Nine Great Dao Sects and Dao God Temple is very complicated."
"In short, the reason I know Xue Mucheng and can discover methods to reach other worlds is because I am skilled in formations."
Through Hou Muran's story, Jiang Yun finally learned about the experiences of this disciple from Zhen Dao Sect.
After being sent to the Evil Path World, he was also lured by a so-called friend to enter the trial grounds within that world.
At that time, he didn't know it was a trial ground, but with his skill in formations, along with better luck than others, he accidentally stumbled upon a teleportation array at the center of that trial ground.
After activating the teleportation, he was sent to the Golden Path World, appearing right where Xue Mucheng was, and trapped in a formation.
That formation was the Nine Snow Loop Array.
As fellow cultivators of formations, Hou Muran naturally understood the brilliance and power of the Nine Snow Loop Array, which tempted him to break the formation, eventually leading him to meet Xue Mucheng.
The two of them exchanged their understanding of formation techniques with each other.
Afterwards, Hou Muran left the Golden Path World and ended up in the Blood Path World.
He was cautious of Jiang Yun before because he didn't know him well and he wanted to keep his identity hidden.
He thought that criminals like him who could travel between different worlds were rare and not many people could do it.
He believed that the people from the Dao God Temple hadn't noticed his unique presence, otherwise they would have captured or killed him already.
Knowing Hou Muran's experiences gave Jiang Yun a better understanding of the seven layers of the Dao Prison, but he still had a question.
"Mr. Taoist friend, do you know anything else about this trial ground?"
Even though the other person didn't know this was a trial ground, he had been running with him for two days and set up a large formation to prevent surveillance, which showed he must have some knowledge about this place.
Hou Muran remained silent for a moment before saying, "Since I've told you so much already, I'll share a bit more. I learned this when I was in the Zhen Dao Sect."
"Regarding Dao Prison, even though it's just a prison, in reality, it only detains some extremely powerful criminals!"
"I don't know about the other levels of Dao Prison, but in each world within levels seven, eight, and nine of Dao Prison, there's a supremely strong criminal being suppressed!"
"As for the truth about Dao Prison, it is said to be related to something that happened a long time ago."
Jiang Yun couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
Hou Muran softly uttered two words, "Tao Seal!"
Chapter 778: Return a Favor With a Favor
Tao Seal!
Another Tao Seal!
Hearing these two words again, Jiang Yun's heart was no longer shocked but instead incredibly calm.
Ever since leaving Mang Mountains, all the mysteries surrounding me are closely linked to these two words!
Now, even the truth about Dao Prison is somehow related to Tao Seal.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Yun calmly continued to ask, "My Taoist friend, is there more?"
But Hou Muran shook his head and said, "There is nothing more!"
"I only heard about this incident by chance from a very old senior in my sect, who mentioned just this much and then fell silent immediately, as if there was some great taboo."
"At that time, I never imagined that one day I would be sent to Dao Prison. Otherwise, I would have tried my best to find out more clues about Tao Seal and Dao Prison."
With that, Hou Muran stopped talking and a hint of helplessness appeared on his face.
Originally, Jiang Yun thought he would learn more truths from Hou Muran, but to his surprise, Hou Muran also only knew this much.
Although this left Jiang Yun somewhat disappointed, he could only return a wry smile at Hou Muran's experience.
"Let's continue our previous topic!"
After a short silence, Hou Muran continued, "I am not sure how many worlds there are on the seven layers of Dao Prison, but among the three known worlds, each one is suppressing a powerful being."
"The place we are in right now, known as the trial ground, was actually specially created to detain them, in a separate space!"
"Although they are suppressed, they have not died, so they are very aware of everything happening here."
Hou Muran's words reminded Jiang Yun of the void space from before, the countless Blood Crystals, and especially the giant "镇" character rune made of Tao Marks!
Now, he finally understood.
It turns out, the greatest demon suppressed in this Blood Path World is that blood demon!
Naturally, the reason for hearing that sigh earlier and constantly feeling watched since entering this world all stemmed from that blood demon.
Just as Hou Muran mentioned, even though they are suppressed and sealed, they are still alive.
"Okay, I've said all I can say. I don't know anything else. Remember, a favor to save a life is never forgotten! Goodbye!"
At that moment, Hou Muran stood up, bowed to Jiang Yun again, and prepared to leave.
"Wait!"
But Jiang Yun called out to Hou Muran, "Your body has almost depleted its spirit energy, and even the poison inside can't be suppressed anymore. If you trust me, I can help you remove some of the poison from your body!"
Hou Muran was chased by five disciples of the Dao San Palace for two days, then he even killed a fighter of the ninth level of Earth Protection Realm, and finally escaped with Jiang Yun for another two days. This led to him setting up this large formation, so now his spirit energy is almost exhausted.
Although Jiang Yun believed that Hou Muran might have other ways to stay alive, he still decided to help him out.
Hou Muran frowned slightly, looking at Jiang Yun with a puzzled expression.
Clearly, he had never encountered a cultivator like Jiang Yun before, who not only saved him but also wanted to help him remove the poison from his body.
Jiang Yun continued, "I have a good relationship with the Golden Toad clan, so I know their detoxification methods!"
The way the Golden Toad clan detoxifies may seem magical to outsiders, but once revealed, it's actually nothing special, especially to Jiang Yun, who is also a pharmacist.
"Why are you helping me?" Hou Muran pondered before speaking.
"Your current condition is somewhat related to me, and I am also a disciple of the Seeking-Tao Sect, one of the Nine Great Dao Sects. We are kindred spirits in a way!"
Jiang Yun's response made Hou Muran's face change slightly. Even though they had been chatting for a while, Hou Muran had not asked for Jiang Yun's name and background, so he never expected Jiang Yun to be part of the Nine Great Dao Sects.
After hesitating for a moment, Hou Muran nodded and said, "I'll rely on you, Taoist friend!"
Jiang Yun then took out a Detox Pill, crushed half of it, and used the method of pill turning into mist to help Hou Muran remove the toxins from his body.
An hour later, Jiang Yun not only helped Hou Muran eliminate many toxins from his body but also gave him a Spirit-Enhancing Pill.
Holding the Spirit-Enhancing Pill, Hou Muran suddenly smiled and said, "I used to be a bit like you!"
While speaking, he threw a jade slip to Jiang Yun and said, "You saved me twice, and I have nothing to repay you. Here are some of my personal insights on formations, including Xue Mucheng's Nine Snow Loop Array!"
The young man was a disciple of the Nine Great Dao Sects and had a noble heart.
However, being in the Dao Prison changed him. He became distrustful and wary of everyone.
Jiang Yun's actions touched him deeply, reminding him of his old self, even though Jiang Yun had his own reasons.
He gave the jade slip to Jiang Yun as a token of gratitude, hoping to pass on his knowledge of the Dao in case he died one day.
Jiang Yun was surprised when he received the jade slip. He had never expected any repayment from the young man, knowing the value of the jade slip.
The jade slip was not only beneficial for him but also a great opportunity for his disciple, Liu Peng.
Hou Muran grinned and asked, "By the way, what's your name, brother?"
"I am Jiang Yun from the Seeking-Tao Sect!"
"I am Hou Muran from the Zhen Dao Sect!"
The two friends greeted each other again and smiled at each other. Hou Muran said, "Since that's the case, Brother Jiang, shall we go together to the Nine Blood Tower?"
"I can't," Jiang Yun politely declined. "I have some personal matters to attend to. Brother Hou can go first, and we'll meet again at the Nine Blood Tower."
Although Jiang Yun really wanted to go with Hou Muran, he thought about needing to be careful of Yue Qing, which might put Hou Muran in danger, so he refused.
Jiang Yun's refusal made a hint of dissatisfaction flash in Hou Muran's eyes, though it was hard to notice.
Clearly, after Jiang Yun helped him remove poison and shared his formation insights, Hou Muran had already considered Jiang Yun a trustworthy friend.
In this challenging place, if the two of them could travel together, they would be much safer and greatly increase their chances of reaching the central location.
However, he didn't expect Jiang Yun to refuse, which shattered the good feelings Hou Muran had just developed towards Jiang Yun.
Even though he thought this way, Hou Muran didn't show any expression on his face and nodded, saying, "Alright, we'll meet again later!"
Despite Hou Muran's disguise, Jiang Yun's sharp eyes could not miss that hint of dissatisfaction in Hou Muran's eyes.
Jiang Yun understood that the other person misunderstood him, but he felt it was best not to explain too much. He could only say helplessly, "Brother Hou, let's leave here together!"
As they spoke, the two of them walked out of the large formation. Hou Muran bowed to Jiang Yun and said, "Goodbye!"
Jiang Yun also raised his clenched fist, but at that moment, he suddenly saw a very inconspicuous black small flying insect above his head!
At first, Jiang Yun didn't pay attention to the small flying insect, but suddenly his body stiffened!
This is the place where the blood demon is suppressed. How could there be any small flying insects here?
Chapter 779: Half Step Life and Death
"What's wrong?"
Hou Muran noticed Jiang Yun's sudden stiffness, which naturally didn't escape his attention, making him ask with a bit of confusion.
While speaking, he also looked up following Jiang Yun's gaze and saw the black small flying insect, his expression changing instantly.
Jiang Yun can think of, he naturally can think of.
And the next moment, Jiang Yun already grabbed Hou Muran's shoulder, pulled him back towards the large array behind them.
But at that moment, a cold voice suddenly came from the sky, "Where do you think you're going!"
The voice was like thunder, directly shattering the black little insect into a black smoke.
A huge hand stretched out from the black smoke, reaching towards Jiang Yun and Hou Muran.
The hand emitted a chilling coldness, freezing everything it touched into white ice crystals.
Even Jiang Yun and Hou Muran's bodies were covered in ice crystals, completely frozen and unable to move.
They were only half a step away from the large array behind them!
This half step was like the boundary between life and death, crossing it meant living, failing meant death!
Looking at the hand that was getting closer and closer to him, Jiang Yun couldn't help but sigh in resignation!
He knew instinctively that this hand belonged to Yue Qing!
At this moment, it was clear that Yue Qing was giving it his all!
Faced with a full-force palm strike from a cultivator in the Daoxing Realm, he knew he couldn't withstand it or dodge it. All he could do was wait for the hand to grab him.
Being captured was one thing, but what really worried Jiang Yun was the thought of Hou Muran getting involved because of him.
If he hadn't left the formation side by side with Hou Muran, the sight of Hou Muran alone might not have provoked Yue Qing to act!
However, it was too late to mention all this now.
Just as Jiang Yun was about to give up resistance, he suddenly felt a faint surge of energy entering his body.
Though the energy was weak, it felt like a needle piercing through the countless ice crystals covering his dantian area.
The thousand-mile embankment collapsed due to an ant hole!
Although just a tiny needle eye, it caused a slight loosening in Jiang Yun's frozen cultivation!
Therefore, in an instant, all his cultivation inside him erupted, breaking most of the ice crystals on his body, finally allowing his body to move.
Jiang Yun's palm exerted force again, and he and Hou Muran's bodies finally managed to take a difficult half step backwards and fell back into the formation!
Outside the formation, Yue Qing's hand naturally grabbed air.
This made Yue Qing's angry roar resonate in the sky again, "Damn it!"
In the next moment, Yue Qing's figure finally appeared in the sky, staring coldly at the large formation below.
At this moment, all Yue Qing could see in his eyes were countless random rocks scattered on the ground. He couldn't see Jiang Yun and Hou Muran's figures at all, nor feel their presence.
The large formation set up by Hou Muran was a new formation he comprehended after exchanging insights with Xue Mucheng in the "Golden Path World".
