Fang Yuan spent the entire morning searching for Cao Ci, turning Yanxia Peak upside down, only to finally learn that Cao Ci had gone out for training, which greatly angered Fang Yuan.
"If I can't find him, I'll burn down his residence!"
Fang Yuan furiously rushed to Cao Ci's dwelling. After a thorough search, he only found a few bottles of unknown elixirs; everything else had been taken by Cao Ci.
In a fit of rage, Fang Yuan set the residence ablaze, burning it to the ground.
Afterward, he took the few bottles of elixirs to experiment with and discovered they were all aphrodisiacs like Soul-Bewitching Pills, Yellow Dragon Pills, and Hehuan Powder.
Fang Yuan was secretly delighted; these were exactly the items he had been looking for.
Chu Huaian had asked him to investigate the Xuantian Sect, but he had been too busy these past few days to spare any time.
Fang Yuan, not wanting to make things too complicated, planned to go straight for the jugular. His first stop was to ask Min Hong, and if that didn't work, he would drug the Hehuan Sect Master and force her to reveal the secret.
What he thought, he did. That night, Fang Yuan quietly snuck into Min Hong's room and, in the dark, slipped into her covers.
After a passionate encounter, he lay panting on the bed, his face looking a bit gaunt, his spiritual power drained by more than half.
Looking at the still-unsatisfied Min Hong, Fang Yuan gnashed his teeth in frustration, silently enduring the indignity, and then spoke, "Min Jiejie, have you heard of the Xuantian Sect?"
Min Hong, propping her head up, her slender leg casually draped over Fang Yuan, lazily said, "Why do you ask about that? The Xuantian Sect was destroyed four years ago. Were you a disciple of the Xuantian Sect before?"
"Of course not. Look at me, do I look like someone from the righteous path?" Fang Yuan immediately defended himself.
Min Hong nodded in deep agreement, "You don't really. A little demon like you probably wouldn't survive two days in a righteous sect."
Saying that, Min Hong herself laughed.
"I heard before that the Xuantian Sect produced a very powerful genius named Chu Huaian. I've always admired him. Later, the Xuantian Sect was destroyed, and I was just curious how such a large sect could be annihilated?" Fang Yuan brought the topic back.
"I don't know much about the Xuantian Sect's affair, but I do know a little about Chu Huaian," Min Hong's eyes drifted, lost in memory.
"Tell me more." Fang Yuan immediately became interested, grabbing Min Hong's slender leg and flipping over, listening intently.
"It was probably five or six years ago. Chu Huaian challenged the geniuses of various sects, sweeping through them all. Countless geniuses died by his hand.
One genius from our Hehuan Sect died by his hand, who was the Saint Son at the time, and he was also Liu Meiqing's senior brother."
"Chu Huaian was at his peak then, and many powerful figures speculated that in another ten years, Chu Huaian would surely sweep through all the geniuses of Jizhou, push through several major continents, and contend with those monstrous talents in Zhongzhou."
"Things developed as predicted. In the following year, Chu Huaian defeated all the geniuses in Jizhou. It was at this time that the Saint Son of the Limitless Sect, the top sect in the north, stepped forward."
"At that time, it was the championship battle of the North-South Hegemony Competition. Chu Huaian was defeated by his opponent, his cultivation crippled, and he vanished without a trace."
"Later, after some time, the Xuantian Sect was besieged by dozens of sects. That battle was very tragic; it is said that two Soul Transformation stage cultivators even perished."
Fang Yuan was a bit stunned and asked curiously again, "Isn't the Xuantian Sect a second-rank sect?"
"Although it's a second-rank sect, the Xuantian Sect has a very profound foundation, with a history of over ten thousand years," Min Hong sighed.
"Then do you know why those sects wanted to destroy the Xuantian Sect?" Fang Yuan patiently asked the crucial question.
"There were many reasons."
"One reason was to prevent Chu Huaian from growing, and another was to seize the Xuantian Sect's resources, but in my opinion, these are not the most important."
"What's the most important?" Fang Yuan's heart skipped a beat, and he asked urgently.
"When Chu Huaian's cultivation was crippled, according to unofficial rumors, the Xuantian Sect Master and several elders went to the Life Forbidden Zone and brought out a supreme treasure from inside, which healed Chu Huaian."
"What kind of place is the Life Forbidden Zone?" Fang Yuan opened his bright eyes, looking at Min Hong like a curious child.
"It doesn't belong to the Tianxuan Continent; it's a world unto itself, a place that has existed since ancient times. No one knows what's inside, because everyone who goes in dies."
"The Xuantian Sect Master and the others being able to come out alive must mean they grasped some clue. This might be the main reason for the Xuantian Sect's destruction."
"Then why did I hear that the Demonic Cult colluded with the Xuantian Sect and sacrificed a small country, which then led to the righteous sects'Defeat?"
"There was such an incident, but the Hehuan Sect was not involved. For the specific details, the Sect Master might know more, but she's currently in seclusion. If you're interested, you can also ask Liu Meiqing; she might know some inside information."
"Okay, I'll go ask her tomorrow." Fang Yuan nodded slightly.
He would definitely ask, but how he would ask would depend on whether those elixirs were effective.
After getting the information he wanted, Fang Yuan immediately pushed Min Hong's slender leg away, turned over, pulled the covers over himself, and mumbled, "It's too late, time to sleep."
Min Hong was slightly startled, then chuckled, "Why didn't you say it was too late when you climbed into my bed in the middle of the night? And you still want to sleep? No way."
...
The next day at noon, Fang Yuan was slapped awake, opening his eyes groggily.
Min Hong, while tidying her clothes, said, "The Demonic Cult has been very restless recently. The newly appointed Demon God Sect Master is a warmonger, and war is very likely to break out soon. You stay put in the sect and actively prepare for the North-South Hegemony Competition."
"I keep hearing you talk about the North-South Hegemony Competition. What are the benefits of it?"
Fang Yuan had heard about this competition more than once, and Chu Huaian had also instructed him to return to the Hua Xia Sect before the North-South Hegemony Competition began.
"The genius competition is not held by humans; it's a competition organized by the will of immortals. Those who rank high will receive an immortal baptism.
It could be reshaping spiritual roots, or tempering the physique, or tempering the soul, and so on. In short, there are many benefits.
This is not only the glory of the geniuses but also the glory of the sect, concerning the future of the entire sect."
Fang Yuan's eyes instantly lit up. As a Class A war criminal player, how could he miss such a competition?
He had always been dissatisfied with his spiritual roots. Now, with a chance to reshape his spiritual roots, how could he possibly endure not taking it?
He must win it!
"How much time is left until it starts?"
"Less than a month." Min Hong said, and then walked out on her own, "You behave well recently. If you have nothing to do, go cultivate with your senior sister. I'm going to apply for a spot for you now."
"Alright, Min Jiejie, take care." Fang Yuan smiled and waved at her.
Min Hong rolled her eyes at Fang Yuan, then disappeared from where she stood.
As soon as she left, Fang Yuan immediately opened his virtual interface and sent all the information he had gathered last night to Chu Huaian.