Mo Lin held the jade slip and read its contents, his heart filled with mixed emotions for a long moment.
At last, he cupped his hands and bowed deeply. "Thank you, Senior."
For rogue cultivators, once a person died, their belongings became ownerless. Whoever found them could claim them. Even if one chose not to return them, no one would know.
"It was I who received Daoist Friend Mo's gift. If anything, I should be the one giving thanks."
Chen Sanshi asked, "Boy, what do you plan to do next?"
Mo Lin put away the jade slip. After thinking for a moment, he said firmly, "Head south to Heavenly Water Isle and join an immortal sect. Grandfather died for my sake. I… I must walk a great path of immortality so that I can be worthy of his spirit in heaven."
"So be it."
Chen Sanshi knew that the boy's aptitude was neither high nor low, and he would probably struggle to establish himself in an immortal sect. Still, it was not appropriate for him to discourage him too much. He simply handed over a slip of paper. "If one day you find yourself with nowhere to go, you can come here."
Written on the paper was the name of a tavern in a mortal city. It was one of Tianyong City's contact points in Northern Yang Dao.
"This junior will remember it."
Mo Lin spoke with utmost respect.
"Take these as well."
Chen Sanshi handed over several bottles of pills, then patted the young man on the shoulder before turning to leave.
After exiting the market, he returned directly to Dusk Valley and immediately entered seclusion to cultivate.
Time flowed swiftly, like the passing of sun and moon.
Before he knew it, another half year had passed.
While his various skills improved steadily, his immortal cultivation realm also continued to grow.
[Technique: Swallowing Fire Art · Early Stage Foundation Establishment]
[Progress: 455/500]
Unfortunately, Chen Sanshi did not possess the subsequent inheritance of the martial path Dragon Scripture. If he were to switch to another technique, unless it was extremely compatible with the Dragon Scripture, it would very likely limit the upper ceiling of his martial cultivation.
According to the normal progression, his next realm should be the Perfection Stage of the True Force Realm.
After opening the Three Departments, Eight Scenic Deities, and Twenty-Four True Caverns, reaching True Force Perfection meant tempering the Five Gods of the internal organs, merging the five elements into one, and forging what was called "Glazed Organs."
After that, with the aid of heavenly materials and earthly treasures, one could temper the Golden Body—achieving a body of golden essence, glazed organs, and a glazed golden body.
At present, the Bai family's patriarch Bai Liangbi appeared to be cultivating precisely within this realm.
"Boom—!"
A loud rumble outside the cave dwelling interrupted Chen Sanshi's meditation.
It was coming from Daze Market.
He opened the stone door, soared into the air, and gazed into the distance. From the summit of the Daze Main Peak, a dazzling beam of golden light shot straight into the sky.
The day when the seal would loosen was drawing closer and closer. Shengyun Sect had already begun preparing to activate the formation.
According to intelligence later provided by the Zhuxian Sect, once the seal was broken, immortal sects located near Northern Yang Dao would send people to Eastern Divine Continent to investigate.
Time was becoming increasingly urgent.
Meanwhile, the disturbances caused by demonic cultivators across Northern Yang Dao had suddenly quieted in most regions, revealing a strange atmosphere like the calm before a storm.
Only a few places still reported cases of people going missing.
Among them—
Dusk Valley.
In just half a year, more than 20 members of the Bai family had disappeared.
As a result, panic spread throughout Dusk Valley. Even Chen Sanshi had to set aside time every night to personally patrol, yet he never discovered anything.
Several days ago, He had rushed to the scene immediately after an incident occurred and personally encountered the demonic cultivator capable of refining living people into dried corpses.
Unfortunately, the opponent's strength was significantly greater than his own, and he had no way to keep the man from escaping.
Therefore, Chen Sanshi had already decided to secretly bring in outside assistance, hoping to capture the demonic cultivator the next time he made a move.
"Little Zhuzi."
He took out a letter from his sleeve. "Today, deliver this letter to the Zhuxian Sect."
"Your command will be carried out."
Dongfang Jingxing immediately complied.
Chen Sanshi, meanwhile, stepped onto his flying sword and left Dusk Valley, heading straight for Ronghua City.
Wilderness.
"How miserable!"
Shengyun Sect disciple Zhu Qingfeng sat cross-legged on the back of a crane and grumbled to the fellow disciples beside him. "This time we came to Northern Yang Dao and gained nothing at all. Instead, we've been busy like beasts every single day, and at any moment our lives could be in danger!"
"Exactly."
Another disciple chimed in. "After the collapse of the Nine Nether Forbidden Land, Senior Brother Zhang Jinchen and the others all died inside. Recently those demonic cultivators went completely mad, capturing people everywhere to practice their arts. It got so bad that I didn't even dare leave Daze Market and just hid there!"
"Speaking of Senior Brother Zhang Jinchen—"
Zhu Qingfeng said in a deep voice, "Who exactly did this? Their nerve is far too great. Everyone knows Senior Brother Zhang Jinchen was the Second Elder's most valued disciple, the most talented Core Formation seed of our generation.
"Because of this, the Second Elder flew into a thunderous rage and sent a large number of disciples here to investigate. Even another of his true disciples has come."
"Who cares? It's ending soon anyway!"
A junior fellow disciple said, "In at most another half year, once the ancient remnant treasure activates and smashes apart Eastern Divine Continent's turtle shell, we can go back."
"Mm."
Zhu Qingfeng nodded. "This matter has been troublesome, but fortunately the sect merit that can be exchanged for it is considerable. Once we return and receive those resources, our realms will definitely rise another level."
"Heh, enough already."
The older cultivator in the group spoke up. "Let's hurry. The fairy maidens at Huan Cai Pavilion have been especially sought after lately. If we arrive late, there won't be any left for us!"
"Right, right, right!"
At that, Zhu Qingfeng's eyes lit up. Savoring the memory, he said, "If you don't experience it for yourself, you'll never understand its mysteries! Just look at Senior Brother Wang—he's still got a pure yang body even now!"
"Senior Brother Wang is good in every way, just too timid. Especially after reaching Foundation Establishment, he's afraid of getting entangled in karma no matter what he does.
"That Senior Sister Zhao of ours is devoted to him, yet he keeps hiding as far away from her as possible. Who knows what he's thinking?"
The Shengyun Sect group chatted and laughed as they flew toward Ronghua City.
But at that very moment, streaks of blood-red light suddenly lit up above their heads, weaving into a net in the sky and descending over them.
"Not good, an ambush!"
Zhu Qingfeng and the others hurriedly summoned their respective magic tools to deal with the sudden change.
After finally breaking through the heavenly net, they discovered they had long since fallen into layer upon layer of encirclement.
A glance around showed them dense ranks of demonic cultivators everywhere. These people wore masks that concealed their true faces. Each held a different kind of magic tool, and murderous intent surged from their bodies.
"The lot of you have some nerve! Do you even know who we are?!"
Zhu Qingfeng shouted sternly, "We are inner sect disciples of Shengyun Sect! Bullying rogue cultivators is one thing, but daring to lay hands on us—have you grown tired of living?!"
"What does Shengyun Sect amount to? It's not as if we haven't killed your people before!"
"Forget you lot—did those from Guiyuan Sect and Lingji Cavern ever survive after falling into our hands?!"
The masked demonic cultivators charged in without another word.
The Shengyun Sect disciples traveling together numbered only 5 in total. How could they possibly withstand the sudden encirclement and assault of dozens? In the blink of an eye, 4 of them were dead.
Only Zhu Qingfeng, grievously injured, escaped by sheer luck, crying for his father and mother as he fled straight toward Daze Main Peak.
"Withdraw!"
The ghost-faced cultivators had no intention of pursuing. After quickly cleaning up the battlefield, they scattered in all directions and soon vanished without a trace.
Daze Main Peak.
"Rumble—"
The Demon-Smiting Grand Formation had entered a half-activated state. At the position of the formation core floated a golden flying sword containing supreme might from ancient times.
With the spirit vein as its foundation, the formation continuously supplied mana to the ancient remnant sword. Sword qi raged violently, gathering power and waiting to be unleashed.
Not far away, the Golden Core cultivator Shouzhongzi sat cross-legged at the cliff's edge as always.
To his left stood his personal disciple Wang Jun, while on his right stood a young disciple with short whiskers.
"Fourth Elder!"
The young disciple first offered a respectful salute, then urged, "Master has sent another voice transmission, hoping the Elder can find the murderer who killed Senior Brother Zhang as soon as possible."
Shouzhongzi slowly opened his eyes. "Peng Rui, I know your master is grieved over the loss of his beloved disciple, but there has to be a sense of timing, doesn't there? Right now is the critical moment in the operation of the Demon-Smiting Grand Formation. This old man truly cannot free himself."
"What Fourth Elder says is true."
Peng Rui said tactfully, "But the recent actions of the demonic cultivators in Northern Yang Dao have been extremely strange. If they are not dealt with, no one knows what may happen next. That too could affect the greater matter."
Shouzhongzi could not deny that.
The demonic cultivators in Northern Yang Dao were clearly organized and acting according to a plan. Their slaughter could not possibly be aimless. On top of that, Northern Yang Dao was not all that far from the western border, where fighting was unceasing now. No one knew whether there was some connection between the two.
As he was considering countermeasures, his divine sense, spread outward, noticed someone approaching.
"Fourth Elder, it's me, it's this disciple!"
At last Zhu Qingfeng saw the old man and could no longer sustain his sword flight. Reeling, he crashed to the ground and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood.
"Junior Brother Zhu?"
Wang Jun hurried forward. "What happened to your group?"
Seeing Zhu Qingfeng on the verge of passing out, Shouzhongzi flicked a finger and sent a pill into his mouth, then cast a spell to regulate his condition.
Only after a long while did the disciple recover, his breathing gradually becoming steady.
"Speak."
Shouzhongzi said, "What happened?"
"It was demonic cultivators!"
Zhu Qingfeng was agitated, though his voice remained weak as he said, "Today I was patrolling outside Ronghua City together with Senior Brother Li and the others when we suddenly ran into a large group of demonic cultivators—"
He then described in detail everything that had happened a short while ago.
"By your account, they are very likely the ones who killed Junior Brother Zhang?!"
Peng Rui pressed, "Where exactly was this?"
After a round of questioning, he cupped his fists and said, "Fourth Elder, with so many demonic cultivators moving together, they are bound to leave traces behind.
"If you cannot get away, then please assign this disciple a few senior brothers. This disciple will go investigate at once. Perhaps we may gain something."
"Mm…"
Shouzhongzi pondered for a moment. Knowing he could not stop him, he had no choice but to agree. "Very well. I'll leave this matter to you. But you must act with extreme caution. Everything is to be based on your own safety first."
Although the disciple before him was not especially gifted, he was the only surviving blood descendant of Shengyun Sect's Supreme Elder.
And yet he also happened to have been close to Zhang Jinchen, insisting on involving himself in the affairs of Northern Yang Dao.
"Wang Jun!"
Shouzhongzi added, "Your temperament is steady, and this old man trusts your way of handling matters. For this period of time, you will assist Peng Rui in the investigation."
Wang Jun hesitated for a moment, then could only agree. "This disciple understands."
At the same time, in the wilderness among mortal hills, inside a dilapidated ancient temple—
"Your Majesty, it has been handled properly."
Sima Yao gave a detailed report of what had happened.
"Good."
Chen Sanshi said in a low voice, "Proceed according to the original plan. Release a few clues each time and lure them here step by step."
If he wanted to make a move on Daze Main Peak, he first had to find a way to deal with the trouble posed by a Golden Core cultivator.
Next, he would advance steadily, drawing large numbers of Shengyun Sect disciples into the ambush circle prepared in advance.
When the time came, no matter how cautious Shouzhongzi was, it would be very difficult for him to sit by and do nothing. And the moment he moved, Chen Sanshi would have a chance to strike at Daze Main Peak.
Moreover, according to the intelligence he had gathered, Zhang Jinchen, who had previously died at the blind woman's hands, held no ordinary status within the sect. And Peng Rui, who had come to avenge him, was even related by blood to Shengyun Sect's Supreme Elder.
All of these factors increased the odds of success by a few degrees.
As for the rest, he could only do his utmost and leave the rest to Heaven's will.
After making all the arrangements, Chen Sanshi met without pause with the agreed-upon members of Zhuxian Sect and, after nightfall, secretly infiltrated Dusk Valley.
Shangguan Siheng was a genuine late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator.
With him here to help, if that demonic cultivator dared appear again, there was no way he would escape easily.
They lay in wait for several days, and Dusk Valley remained peaceful the entire time.
Not until the 5th day, at around the second night watch, did Chen Sanshi—hidden in the night sky—suddenly hear a disturbance coming from the southeastern corner of the valley.
"Fellow Daoist Shangguan, quickly!"
Even as he spoke, he was already diving toward the ground.
"This is… Bai Laoqi's cave dwelling?!"
Chen Sanshi split open the door with a single sword strike and stormed into the cultivation chamber, only to see a bloody scene before him.
A towering figure, broad and fierce as a tiger, stood in the darkness.
His right hand was clamped tightly around Bai Laoqi's throat, holding him high in the air, while strands of blood qi were being absorbed from the corpse into his own body.
Moonlight spilled into the room, revealing that the surface of the demonic cultivator's arm was covered in dense scales, while sharp claws had grown from his hand. He no longer resembled a human cultivator at all, but more like one of the legendary demon cultivators.
"Bang!"
The demonic cultivator had long since noticed someone approaching. After completely draining the corpse, he stomped his foot, and his body turned into a violent gust of wind as he broke through the window and fled.
"Monster, die!"
Shangguan Siheng had prepared for this for a long time. Both hands formed seals, and the flying sword erupted with azure light, crashing down with mana as vast as the sea.
The demonic cultivator crossed both arms over his heart. The scales covering the surface of his body collided with the flying sword, producing a crisp metallic clang, and under the impact he was forced several steps backward.
Nine-Foot Heaven Collapse!
Chen Sanshi gripped the Xuanyuan Sword, and Water-Element True Force burst out violently, crashing down over the opponent like stormy waves pouring backward.
The demonic cultivator was driven back again, his body like forged steel smashing straight through the cave wall despite its protective formations.
But at the same time, the black hood that had concealed his face fell away, revealing his true appearance.
"Patriarch Bai?"