Outside the carriage, a tall, thin old man with prominent cheekbones spoke in a deep voice.
“Forget it, Tuo Mi Guardian, since Master has already agreed, just do as he says. However, my Shadow Law Body is only one step away from completion. By then, my Physical Body will even be comparable to low-level Yao Beasts.”
The man in the red long robe with an evil charm on his face played with the skull in his hand, his eyes flickering as he slowly spoke.
“It’s just a pity that finding a suitable sacrifice is a bit troublesome. That wolf cub from the Snow Wolf Tribe is quite suitable.”
Hearing the young man’s words, Tuo Mi Guardian, the black-robed elder, changed his expression and said.
“Saint, the Snow Wolf Tribe has always been protective of its own, and its strength is not weaker than our Sect. That Wolf Qi is also the Clan Chief’s son of the Snow Wolf Tribe. It’s best we don’t set our sights on him, lest we accidentally trigger a large-scale war between our two forces, especially at this time.”
“What about the Snow Wolf Tribe? They’re just barbarians. When this Saint’s divine achievement reaches Major Achievement in the future, I will lead the Sect to bring them under our Sect.”
The young man was, more accurately, Kamura, the Saint of the Tianluo Sect.
“Your subordinate believes that Saint will have this ability in the future, but now is not the time.”
Tuomi then chimed in.
“I understand, Tuo Mi Guardian. This Saint is not that foolish. However, this Saint’s cultivation cannot be delayed; I need to speed up the collection of sacrifices.”
“The Sect Master has already ordered the five Protectors to search for suitable candidates in various places. Some time ago, Protector Taha sent news that he found a good prospect in a small and medium-sized force on an island in the East Sea, and he has already sent him back to the Sect for cultivation.”
“Hmph, I already know about this matter. That kid is only 12 years old. Although his Bloodline potential is good and his physique and Qi and Blood far exceed those of his peers, it will take several years for him to grow up, even with the Sect’s resources.”
Hearing this, Kamura snorted coldly, a displeased expression on his face.
“To make me waste several years, hmph, it’s better to try my luck in this war.”
Tuomi simply kept his eyes down, showing no intention of continuing the conversation.
Kamura also noticed that he seemed to have lost his composure and did not continue to dwell on the topic, a wicked smile appearing on his face.
“Alright, Tuo Mi Guardian, let’s not talk about this anymore. This time we are responsible for receiving those of Dark Star. How is the information investigation on those people? Tell me.”
“Reporting to Saint, we just received news that something seems to have gone wrong with Dark Star’s Crimson Crystal Mine transportation, and the mission has been temporarily put on hold. They may need to rearrange the route. Only our reception route for this trip has had no issues, and the mission can continue, but we need to go deeper and receive them earlier.”
Hearing this, Tuomi spoke softly.
“Something went wrong? Hmph, this so-called Dark Star seems to be just a bunch of useless people. Out of 5 transportation routes, four of them had problems.”
Kamura shook his head slightly, a hint of sarcasm on his face, but quickly sneered again.
“Since nothing went wrong on our Tianluo Sect’s side, it’s good to complete it early, so as not to delay this Saint’s cultivation. As for the reception, there’s no need to bother; just wait for them to come.”
Hearing this, Tuomi frowned slightly and said.
“Saint, this seems a bit improper. After all, red crystal stone is related to the front-line war and cannot be treated lightly. Moreover, the one responsible for the escort mission this time is also a seed Genius from Dark Star, a Disciple of a Transforming Void Grandmaster.”
“Especially according to the information your subordinate received, this child is the only Disciple of Li Shenjun, an old-brand Grandmaster in Dark Star. This Li Shenjun was a top expert in the third Realm of Grandmasters more than a hundred years ago.”
“Oh? A three-Realm Grandmaster!”
Hearing this, Kamura’s face showed a hint of surprise.
With his status, he naturally knew very well that Grandmasters also varied in strength, and a three-Realm Grandmaster was a rare expert even within the entire Southern Qi.
“He’s actually on the same level as Master, tsk tsk. Since that’s the case, then let’s go forward a bit. Oh, and give me that kid’s intelligence information.”
*
*
In the dense mountain forest.
The lush vegetation was beyond imagination, with giant ancient trees, thick enough for a dozen people to embrace and nearly a hundred meters tall, visible everywhere.
The dense branches and leaves intertwined, almost completely blocking out all sunlight in the sky, leaving the entire mountain forest dim.
“Is this the Yuan Qi Mountains? Such an environment is indeed far from comparable to ordinary mountain forests.”
Through the carriage window, Lin Sheng’s gaze fell on the mountain forest several miles away, his face showing a hint of emotion and surprise.
The convoy was currently moving through dense bushes, with people clearing a path in front for the carriages to pass.
In this mission, there was not a single weak person; besides a few Divine Transformation Realms, the rest were basically experts in the Bones Transformation Realm.
Although the bushes were extremely dense, almost a person’s height, for these Martial Artists of extraordinary cultivation, clearing a path was nothing. With a surge of strength, they swept away the obstructive bushes and dead trees.
The route the convoy was currently on wasn’t even considered the outer perimeter of the Yuan Qi Mountains, merely at the border. The exaggerated mountain forest he saw was the true outer perimeter of the mountain range.
And the outer perimeter already presented such a sight, which was enough to show the extraordinary nature of the Yuan Qi Mountains. Lin Sheng focused his vision and could see figures flashing through various colorful miasma and mist.
Just the outer area alone was no less impressive than the deep areas of the Congyun Mountains.
It was hard to imagine what the deeper parts of the Yuan Qi Mountains would look like.
Lin Sheng even had the urge to enter and explore it thoroughly.
However, he understood that now was not the time. After all, there might be truly terrifying existences of the Essence Transformation Beast level in the mountain range ahead.
Although it was just a rumor, Lin Sheng believed that it was definitely not as simple as groundless rumors. Otherwise, with it being sandwiched between the two behemoths, Northern Yan and Southern Qi, how could the two countries just watch such a treasure mountain without doing anything?
Given the scale of the Yuan Qi Mountains, the various exotic beasts within it would be a massive amount of wealth, not to mention that there would definitely be no shortage of various Heaven And Earth Treasures inside.
And as far as he knew, for thousands of years, the two countries had basically only conducted beast and mineral mining in the outer areas. Other than that, they had not shown any intentions towards the central and deeper parts.
This unusual reaction, to some extent, also meant that the two countries had some reservations about the Yuan Qi Mountains.
It should be known that both countries had terrifying existences of the Supreme Grandmaster level, not to mention numerous Grandmaster powerhouses.
Although he did not think he would attract the attention of terrifying Essence Transformation Beast-level exotic beasts, it was still better to be cautious. After all, this trip was primarily for the mission. The Yuan Qi Mountains were right there; he could come whenever he wanted in the future.
His strength had surged again, but if he were to attract several Yao Beasts at once, even if he wasn’t afraid, the people in the convoy would very likely suffer.
Therefore, Lin Sheng lowered the carriage curtain, preparing to begin his cultivation.
His previous closed-door cultivation had yielded significant gains, but he still hadn't met the requirements to shed his demonic body, so he needed to intensify his training.
Now, he was less than ten days away from reaching the rendezvous point.
He aimed to shed his demonic body and enter the Bones Transformation Realm within ten days.
At that point, his strength would undoubtedly increase significantly.
Lost in thought, he closed his eyes and entered a state of cultivation.
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
Fulong City, Guiyuan Pavilion.
“What!? Not only is Lu Mei dead, but two Dragon Beard Teng Snakes were also lost inside Yu Hai Pass City? Even the Purple Spider Magic Array was broken!? All of this was done by Lin Sheng alone!!”
Gong Wei's eyes widened, bloodshot, his face filled with disbelief. He clenched his fists, looking at Luo Yin who sat above him, finally unable to resist confirming.
“Master, you’re lying to me, aren’t you? You must be lying to me.”
“What do you think?”
Looking at his most beloved third Disciple in such a state, Luo Yin shook his head slightly and said slowly.
Below, whether it was Luo Lie, Yuan Fang, or Qi Ning, their expressions, while not as exaggerated as Gong Wei’s, were not far off.
Everyone's thoughts were of disbelief, even feeling as if it were a fantasy.
Especially Luo Lie and Yuan Fang, putting Lu Mei aside for now, they had personally faced the Dragon Beard Teng Snake. Its speed was so fast that it was almost impossible to react, and its terrifying attack power could easily pierce through a Divine Transformation Realm's protective Qi and penetrate their body.
Even now, they remembered it vividly.
Even Luo Lie, who considered himself no weaker than a Late Stage Divine Form Martial Artist, didn't have much chance of winning against a single Dragon Beard Teng Snake.
Let alone facing two at once, plus Lu Mei, a genuine Late Stage Divine Form Martial Artist, and especially with a grand array like the Purple Spider Magic Array.
Being placed within the Pass City, the power of this Purple Spider Magic Array, even if not as strong as the grand array in Fulong City, was definitely much stronger than those in ordinary Fu Cities.
Furthermore, besides all this, there were also several Divine Constables present.
Under these conditions, Yu Hai Pass City was absolutely a net from which there was no escape.
Qi Ning likewise couldn't believe it. Faced with such a situation, even if their reinforcements had arrived in time, they probably wouldn't have been able to retreat unscathed.
Unless a Grandmaster expert made a move, or five or more Peak Divine Form experts.
Otherwise, anyone facing this situation would surely die.
But miraculously, Lin Sheng and his group not only successfully escaped, but also killed Lu Mei and his people, along with two powerful Yao Beasts, on the spot.
And from Luo Yin's words, all these things were done by Lin Sheng alone.
Looking at the incredulous expressions of the people below, Luo Yin showed no surprise at all. In fact, when he first heard this news, he wasn't much better off than them.
After all, this matter was too shocking; probably no one would believe it, but the facts were right before their eyes, leaving no room for disbelief.
He flipped his wrist, and a letter appeared in his hand.
“This is a letter that Shui Zhi and the others just sent over. It records the course of events. You’ll know whether it’s true or false once you read it.”
With that, the letter shot out.
Gong Wei raised his hand, immediately caught the letter, eagerly unfolded it, and read it carefully.
The more he read, the more bloodshot his eyes became, and his emotions seemed to grow more agitated, but by the end, he suddenly slumped onto a nearby chair like a deflated ball.
Subsequently, Luo Lie and the others took turns reading the letter.
Only then did everyone believe the truth.
“It’s actually true…”
Yuan Fang murmured blankly.
“How can there be such a pervert? What a monster!!”
“Master, if I’m not mistaken, this Your Excellency Lin Sheng’s cultivation hasn't even entered the Bones Transformation Realm yet, has it?”
Luo Lie's face was also shaken. He took a deep breath and slowly asked.
“He just recently dispersed his cultivation; his cultivation should be at most in the initial stage of Blood Transportation.”
Luo Yin slowly said.
“Such a person, joining our Dark Star, can be considered the hope of our Dark Star.”
Luo Lie quickly calmed his shaken mind, revealing a helpless smile as he spoke softly.
“Indeed, I must admit Divine Lord’s discernment is still so remarkable.”
Luo Yin also showed a smile on his face, smiling faintly, but quickly his expression became serious, and he spoke solemnly.
“This matter, before Lin Sheng returns, is to temporarily remain undisclosed.”
“Disciple understands.”
Their expressions also became serious, and they nodded solemnly.
Even Gong Wei was no exception.
They were all members of Dark Star, and naturally hoped that Dark Star would become stronger and stronger, changing the current passive situation of being suppressed by Northern Yan and forced to operate in the shadows.
And Lin Sheng had given them hope of changing all this.
Time flowed, and quietly, nine days had passed.
The events that occurred in Yu Hai Pass City had spread with the wind, quietly circulating throughout Huanghai Road and even the entire Great Yan.
After all, in this incident at Yu Hai Pass City, a large number of imperial troops and many high-ranking officials died tragically.
Although the authorities deliberately suppressed the spread of the news, there are no impenetrable walls in the world, and some whispers still spread out.
But compared to this, what was more shocking was the demise of two top forces in Huanghai Road.
Sea Moon Sect and Nine Stars Gate, even within the entire Great Yan, were well-known top forces.
Their sudden destruction by the imperial court on charges of treason and colluding with the enemy immediately caused an uproar.
For a time, various major forces and Sects reacted, although there were no major movements on the surface.
But beneath the surface, undercurrents were surging, and various preparations were being made.
After all, no one wanted to be suddenly destroyed like the Sea Moon Sect, ending up with their Legacy cut off.
Compared to the major forces that did not act rashly, the small and medium-sized forces, which were already on edge, had no more qualms.
Many small and medium-sized forces allied with each other, and some even brazenly attacked the imperial court, plundering county towns before taking their elite Disciples and fleeing into the mountains, concealing their whereabouts.
Of course, more small and medium-sized forces sold off their assets and secretly moved to other places, fleeing the troubled areas.
For a time, Northern Yan, which was already showing signs of chaos, completely fell into disarray.
*
*
Northern Wilderness.
Thump, thump, thump…
Urgent footsteps quickly passed along the dirt road.
On both sides of the road, one could occasionally see mangled corpses and severed limbs, as well as emaciated, shabbily dressed bodies that had just breathed their last.
Various wolf beasts and vultures surrounded the corpses, burying their heads in them, gnawing. Even when carriages passed by, these red-eyed wild beasts showed no fear, continuing to gnaw.
Some even raised their bloodthirsty eyes, greedily looking at the passing carriages, looking as if they wanted to rush forward to pounce and hunt.