Central State, a land dominated by the Four Great Dynasties, was vast and boundless, an outstanding people and auspicious land, rich and prosperous.
Amidst a range of spiritual veins stretching a thousand miles, the Extreme Yin Sect was situated upon the mountain peaks most abundant in spiritual energy.
At the summit of the immortal mountain, inside the most magnificent palace, Zhang Huan sat upon a luxurious main seat crafted from gold, silver, and jade, looking down with indifference amidst the clustered clouds.
Below, dozens of figures stood respectfully to one side, expressionless, as if their souls had been drained away, mechanically listening for commands.
This was precisely the old lair of the old Sage Zhang Huan had encountered in Saint City.
The higher-ups of the Extreme Yin Sect below had already been completely refined in their consciousness, becoming puppets, and their memories had been thoroughly examined as well.
Thousands of years ago, another Daoist tradition was situated in this place, and within a radius of a thousand miles, it was also quite a significant force.
After the sect master of the Extreme Yin Sect became a Sage, he cast his eye on this place, using power to oppress others, forcefully occupying the land, destroying its Daoist tradition, and founding the Extreme Yin Sect here.
Ever since then, it had continued, and the Extreme Yin Sect grew increasingly powerful, annexing dozens of Daoist traditions and firmly occupying a thousand miles of territory right up to the present day.
The identity of the sect master had never been disclosed to others. Acting mysteriously, he constantly plundered resources, taking some away from time to time.
Although the higher-ups had doubts, no one dared to speak out. A wisp of their fundamental soul was already controlled by the old Sage, leaving their life and death not up to them, forcing them to submit to the old Sage's actions.
This Extreme Yin Sect has long been controlled by the Ruthless Bloodline, held in the grip of the old Sage, plundering resources for over a thousand years.
In the memories of the old Sage, Zhang Huan knew that just this single force supplied an immense amount of resources, with sources and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures being inexhaustible, exceeding the net worth of the old Sage a thousand or ten thousand times over.
Furthermore, the Ruthless Bloodline controlled an unknown number of forces; the old monsters of Saint City knew of three or four alone, and the resources they plundered were far beyond astronomical.
These controlled forces were collectively called branch hubs, and their primary task was to occupy mountain strongholds and plunder local resources.
With so many resources piled up, the strength of the Mysterious Figure Saint King was hardly surprising, and Zhang Huan even suspected that there were even stronger entities of the Sage realm within the Ruthless Bloodline.
I have already buried the useful things on my person upon the hills surrounding the Desolate Ancient Forbidden Land, so I am not afraid of anything going wrong.
Zhang Huan muttered to himself. Before coming to this place, he had left everything he previously sliced open in Saint City, as well as a portion of his net worth, to his true body, opening up a ruin of which only he knew the method to activate.
Although he had the Imperial Weapon as a fallback and had no need to worry about the safety of his life, just in case of future trouble, he still left some life-saving items for his true body of later generations.
Zhang Huan sought out and captured the Ruthless Bloodline to make them cooperate and reveal the method for breeding the demonic fetus, as well as the various profound secrets of the Indestructible Heavenly Art.
Put oneself in their shoes, such a demand touching the bottom line was something Zhang Huan himself would never agree to, and the Ruthless Bloodline would naturally feel the same. Therefore, a fight was inevitable, and Zhang Huan had not expected a peaceful resolution.
The Demonic Jar originated from the Ruthless Emperor. He did not know if the Ruthless Bloodline had a method to awaken the deity of the Imperial Weapon. In the event of some blood sacrifice or the like that stirred the deity to rebel, the situation would completely flip.
However, he figured they likely lacked such a method; if they had one, they would have long since snatched it back from the hands of the bandits of later generations, and could not possibly allow the other party to brandish the Imperial Weapon of the Ruthless Emperor with impunity.
They're coming!
Zhang Huan's heart stirred. The writing on the black ancient token grew deep, emitting a pitch-black brilliance and seeping wisps of demonic Qi to form several characters.
This was the method of contact within the memories of the ancient Sage. Every time the Mysterious Figure arrived, the token would experience abnormalities to inform him of the location, and the place of meeting was different every single time.
Quite cautious. They must have also made preparations to slip away.
Watching the small characters composed of demonic Qi dissipate, Zhang Huan hypothesized that since the other party was so cautious, they must have suffered losses in this regard and maintained vigilance.
The old monsters of Saint City had once spoken of such matters.
At that time, if he could not take the other party down with thunderous momentum, some mishap might very well occur.
Zhang Huan transformed into the appearance of the old Sage, concealed the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Jar in his sleeve, and his gaze flickered incessantly.
Passing over a thousand mountains and rivers, a ray of divine light flew through the air, descending amidst a peach blossom orchard.
This place was sparsely populated, with peach trees blanketing the mountains and plains, flowers blooming in full splendor, and fluttering petals filling the air. It was a fine location for seclusion.
"This senior."
An aged and withered old man leaning on a crutch walked over with a limp.
"Are you the appointee? A senior ordered me to deliver an item to you."
There was not the slightest fluctuation of magical power on the old man's body as he tremblingly spoke to Zhang Huan, appearing like a victim swept up in the affair.
Hah, a puppet indeed.
Zhang Huan sneered inwardly. This person behind the scenes was truly crafty.
His eyes pierced through the facade, perceiving that this old man had long since become a puppet, manipulated by someone. This frightened appearance was merely acting, and his eyes were pitch-black and dead, without a trace of panic.
Pulling out a storage bag, Zhang Huan did not act rashly, searching the heaven and earth with his spiritual sense in an attempt to locate the other party's traces.
"Ah, many thanks, senior, many thanks, senior."
The old man hurriedly bowed in gratitude and slowly walked down the mountain.
Generally at this time, the old Sage's transaction would already be completed. To avoid exposing any flaws, Zhang Huan did not linger, transforming into a ray of divine light that vanished into the horizon.
Spawning a Dao Palace deity and ordering it to return to the Extreme Yin Sect, Zhang Huan stood a hundred thousand miles high in the sky, quietly observing.
He suspected that the other party was still confirming his whereabouts at this moment; otherwise, it was impossible they had yet to reveal their true form, most likely still remaining on guard.
Doesn't matter. As long as I keep a close watch, I will eventually find an opportunity.
Zhang Huan believed he had revealed no flaws. As long as he kept waiting, the other party would sooner or later emerge.
The avatar also took the appearance of the old Sage, suppressing its realm to the Sage realm. The avatar was as conspicuous as a great sun, its Sage might rolling as it swaggered back to the palace.
The old man was still leaning on his crutch at that moment, walking with a limp. He looked up toward the direction of the Extreme Yin Sect, opened the storage bag to inspect it, and suddenly leaped into the air, flying toward the Eastern Wasteland.
Catch up to him!
Seeing this, Zhang Huan immediately concealed his figure and quietly followed behind him.
After continuously winding around for a day and a night, the puppet entered a precipitous cliff.
Sensing with his spiritual sense, a Saint King was indeed hidden inside, along more than ten puppets just like the old man. The resources within the storage bag were casually poured out in the cavern at that moment, piled high like a small mountain and radiating dazzling colors.
Central State alone possessed so many branch hubs, which left Zhang Huan tongue-tied. One had to know that this Big Dipper was right under the eyelids of the Supreme Dao forces; to be able to develop to this extent, this Ruthless Bloodline truly possessed its own unique methods to rise in later generations.
"That old goat of Green Ox Temple is getting more and more out of line. Relying on a bit of contribution, he even dares to demand the Indestructible Heavenly Art. With such a big appetite, isn't he afraid of bursting to death!"
The middle-aged man inside the cave frowned and cursed angrily, his mood extremely dissatisfied.
"This beast, he is merely a kept dog, yet now he even dares to bite back at his master. He cannot be left alive."
The man sneered, his gaze flashing with ultimate murderous intent as if he had already figured out how to kill the other party.
Green Ox Temple—Zhang Huan remembered that this was also a major force in Central State, and a certain Sage was precisely the Old Daoist Green Ox mentioned by the man in the cave.
However, he had heard that this Sage specialized in Daoist Dharma, cultivated a closeness with nature, and broke through whenever he reached his limit. His cultivation method and divine arts were wondrous, yet he never expected it to be the Heaven Swallowing Demonic Art.
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