Old Man Wang's dismembered head remained still, opting not to answer and Di Tanxue did not press him for one either.
Just like that he walked away, leaving behind the old man all alone to gaze at the starry night sky.
"Brother, if you were here you surely wouldn't let me suffer such humiliation right?"
The old man's head muttered a long while later. With a melancholic look in his eyes, he seemed to reminisce about a time decades past and in the end turned an excited gaze towards the way Di Tanxue had left.
Despite his head being cut off from his body, the old man was still alive and kicking with no visible discomfort. This was an eerie display of how tenacious a peak Mortal Transcendence cultivator's lifeforce is.
*****
Far away, Di Tanxue seemed to feel an itch on his back and turned around.
"...?"
Finding nothing, he shrugged and continued on his way to Young Master Xu Tian's carriage.
Now that he'd confirmed Old Man Wang's identity as a Parasite of Destiny, Di Tanxue would need to revisit every single thing that happened today after meeting Young Master Xu Tian's entourage with a suspicious but keen eye.
Maybe it might reveal something about the goal Old Man Wang had wished to achieve.
First and foremost the very process of Di Tanxue meeting this group of people was highly suspicious and most likely something Old Man Wang had achieved by manipulating the strings of destiny.
What happened next also had hints of manipulation to it.
And lastly, the very fact that Di Tanxue noticed something amiss and confronted Old Man Wang was a matter of great suspicion.
For a while Di Tanxue deliberated whether it was the right decision to snatch Old Man Wang's Threads of Destiny away from him. Maybe this was the very result that the old man had wanted to achieve?
If true these threads might carry a certain amount of danger….
After all was said and done, Di Tanxue ultimately chose to keep these threads. No matter the danger, they were a highly valuable treasure that might prove useful in times of need.
As for why Di Tanxue did not kill Old Man Wang… it was a hornet's nest he did not wish to poke in his current situation. The force behind a Parasite of Destiny is never to be trifled with.
More than this, what he was truly apprehensive about was something else.
I've gotten too complacent….
Di Tanxue commented, reflecting upon his own state of mind in the past couple days.
Him regaining his freedom, the unfortunate death of Brother Ling and his own metamorphosis into a Pilgrim plus a vessel of resurrection for Divine Spirit Crimson.
Too many developments had happened in the past two days one after another such that it gave him no time to come to terms with his own feelings. Hence he had done the only thing he knew best.
Casting away everything negative to one side of his mind, he had focused only upon the positives which, at least for him, was a highly effective way of coping with the hardships of life.
Still, the only reason Di Tanxue could remain so calm and relaxed while faced with an eventual possession attempt by Divine Spirit Crimson was because he had a method to delay it by a year or two.
As for what would happen after that period of time… in a manner Di Tanxue had prepared himself for death.
'Brother Ling died protecting you, you let him die! What right do you have to enjoy your freedom?!"
It was this constantly echoing accusation in his mind that had actually managed to considerably suppress his will to live. Blaming himself for the death of Brother Ling, Di Tanxue had intended to follow in his footsteps after getting just a brief look at the world.
Now however…. He did not appear so keen about that.
Just a single day outside as a free man had helped him regain the intense will for survival that had kept him alive even during the past eight long years as a miserable blood cauldron.
"Brother Ling, you've always known I'm a selfish and self-centred bastard. I'm sure you wouldn't blame me for this right?"
A melancholic smile appearing on his lips, he once again reaffirmed his will to survive come what may.
Di Tanxue's confrontation with Old Man Wang had actually acted as a type trigger for this change in his mind.
A thoughtful look appearing on his face, Di Tanxue hardened his sense of vigilance to the outside world.
The world of cultivation is an unjust forest filled with myriad predators and even more wily old foxes. Every step and move needed to be made with great consideration.
Di Tanxue's encounter with Old Man Wang had once again reinforced this concept in his mind.
"Seems like I might need to consider taking the initiative in my own hands;"
He decided in his mind as he looked down at his shadow.
*****
Twenty-four days later.
Insider Young Master Xu Tian's carriage. Di Tanxue lazily leaned back on the carriage walls and looked around.
Young Master Xu Tian and Lady Hua Ming were huddled in a corner, whispering sweet nothings among themselves.
YoungShou, Young Master Xu's attendant, was seated outside in the driver's seat, talking to the carriage Beast, Little Unicorn.
As for Old Man Wang, he was sitting right across from Di Tanxue deep in meditation.
Nearly a month ago, the morning after their confrontation, the old man had returned with an intact body and remained in this state of meditation since then. The only time he would wake up was every other night for a glass of wine.
When that happened, he would invite Di Tanxue along, which Di Tanxue would not refuse. Silently drinking a glass of wine each, they shared a tactic understanding never broaching the topic of their confrontation.
During the last month, except for resting, eating delicious food and reading various books that Young Master Xu had on him, Di Tanxue had done nothing much.
This was a precious opportunity for Di Tanxue to relax both mentally and physically and he did not let it go to waste.
This whole month, he had mentally prepared himself for what he was about to do.
Except for this, the one other thing he did was to experiment with his anchor to find a possible solution for it inadvertently revealing clues about Di Tanxue's special physical state.
Whenever he took out his anchor for Fairy Hua Ming's Initiation Ceremony, he would simultaneously conduct his experiments and now he was fairly certain of what gave away his identity to Old Man Wang.
While he had no way of validating it, what he had guessed initially might indeed be true.
It was most likely related to the numerous souls of Pilgrims confined inside his anchor's lower engraving. They, or their souls to be exact, like every other living creature must have a unique spiritual signature of their own and the old man must've sensed those signatures.
An anchor with countless spiritual signatures, even a dimwitted person could have guessed it to be related to Soul-Devouring Phantoms and Pilgrims. A single physical body hosting numerous souls was their unique characteristics after all.
At the end of his experiments, Di Tanxue had also devised a few ways to hide these spiritual signatures but their effectiveness was yet to be tested.
"We're about to reach the Flaming-Crescent Domain;"
Attendant YoungShou informed them from the carriage driver seat.
"You can stop at the entrance of Starry River road, no need to accompany me to the domain."
It was Di Tanxue who said this. He had already informed Young Master Xu Tian that he wouldn't be accompanying them to the Northern-Port and would instead take his leave near Flaming-Crescent Domain.
Half an incense stick worth of time later Di Tanxue left the carriage under the reluctant gaze of Young Master Xu Tian and walked away after bidding them goodbye.
Originally he had planned to enjoy his life of freedom for a while longer, visiting the Northern-Port, trying out all their delicacies and exploring the Blood Ocean while he waited for the envoy of Prisoner's Immortal Valley hidden in a nearby shadow to complete their evaluation and reach a decision…but.
He ultimately chose to change his plans due to apprehension.
Crimson Echo was a world with no lack of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, the longer he waited the more chances there were for a variable to appear. As such he had made the decision to take the initiative.
If the envoy was taking too long to reach a decision and did not appear so keen on helping out Di Tanxue with his predicament, then he would force them to reach a decision, one that would benefit him!
It was a life-threatening gamble that he was willing to make for a chance at a long life and a better future!
Walking for an incense stick worth of time at moderate pace, his surroundings went from barren to lively. Frequently coming across fellow travellers dressed in an attire similar to him and various merchant caravans, he soon reached the domain entrance.
There, the presence of security personnel was minimal. Except for those necessary for the maintenance of orderliness, there was nobody extra.
With no verification of identity and no security check-ups, Di Tanxue was smoothly allowed to enter the Flaming-Crescent domain.
That was when the real verification began as a faraway gaze focused onto him, sweeping across his figure in great detail.
This was the Lord of the Flaming-Crescent domain personally examining Di Tanxue for any abnormalities or danger!