Opening

"What a haul."

Bai Ye took stock of the spoils he had gained on this trip and nodded in satisfaction.

Honestly, killing people and taking their treasures truly was the fastest way to make money in the Great Thousand World. There was no other.

These mercenaries were probably old hands at this sort of thing. Their wealth far surpassed that of ordinary disciples from major factions. Of course, that might also have been because mercenary life was so unstable that they had grown accustomed to carrying all their possessions with them.

Still, the greatest gain from this trip was this.

Bai Ye tossed the scroll in his hand.

He had already gone through the Divine Art, Nirvana Finger, and its contents had been clearly committed to memory.

This Divine Art truly was marvelous. Or rather, all the spiritual arts and Divine Arts of the Yan Tian Sect were quite marvelous.

Compared to ordinary spiritual arts and Divine Arts, they placed greater emphasis on studying the various laws of heaven and earth.

At the core of Nirvana Finger was the cycle of life and death. It was a rare healing Divine Art, and Divine Arts of this type were even scarcer than sealing Divine Arts.

Spiritual energy itself possessed healing properties, so very few people cultivated this kind of Divine Art.

Over time, such Divine Arts had come to seem rather useless. In the Great Thousand World, not a single super faction had established itself solely through healing and medicine.

In Bai Ye's memories, the foremost medical faction in the Great Thousand World should have been the Medical Saint Sect of the South Sea. Even its strongest expert had only reached the peak of the Earth Supreme realm.

Among those who followed this path alone, those capable of touching the Heavenly Supreme realm were exceedingly rare.

He was getting sidetracked.

Back to this Divine Art.

Bai Ye condensed an ice dagger in his hand and lightly drew it across his arm. Bright red beads of blood immediately welled up and flowed down his arm. He crushed the Ice Blade in his right hand, and a cluster of pale, ghostly white flame seemed to ignite at his fingertips.

Then, he gently touched the wound with his finger.

The flame was not scorching. On the contrary, it was bone-chillingly cold.

Bai Ye felt that this was probably an effect brought about by his unique spiritual energy.

But that was not important. What mattered was the effect of this Divine Art.

In just an instant, the wound cut open by the Ice Blade vanished without a trace. If the blood had not remained, no one would have been able to tell that there had once been a wound there.

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes and stared at where the wound had vanished for a long while.

He was not looking at the restored skin, but at the spiritual energy corrosion that had originally been mixed into the wound and had now disappeared without a trace.

Though there had been very little of it, that slash had indeed contained some spiritual energy infused with cold energy.

It was like a curse, like poison. Once it touched someone, it was difficult to remove.

Bai Ye had not expected the effect of this finger strike to be so astonishing. This was no longer mere healing.

It seemed he had still underestimated the mysteries of the Yan Tian Sect's Divine Arts.

"Bai Ye?"

Hearing the voice, Bai Ye flipped his hand and put the Nirvana Finger scroll back into his Mustard Seed Bracelet. Then he turned around.

A pretty young woman was slowly approaching atop the cliff where he sat.

Meng Youran?

Bai Ye looked calmly at her with his gilded gold eyes. "What is it?"

"Uh... nothing."

Meng Youran could clearly sense the indifference in Bai Ye's tone. She stopped, maintaining an appropriate distance from him—not too distant, but not too close either.

"What are you doing here?"

Meng Youran took the initiative to ask.

"Enjoying the wind."

"..."

Meng Youran looked at him helplessly.

"If you were just going to brush me off, you might as well not say anything."

"Oh." Bai Ye nodded.

"..."

She truly was not good at dealing with cold people like this.

Meng Youran sighed inwardly, then shifted her gaze toward the grand hall in the distance.

She had come to this cliff precisely because it offered a clear view of the mysterious hall that had drawn everyone here.

Meng Youran thought Bai Ye had likely chosen to sit here for the same reason.

"Isn't the Demon Sand Sea a no-fly zone?"

Meng Youran looked at the distant sea of sand with a puzzled expression.

"How are we supposed to get over there?"

Her attitude was not distant in the slightest. She acted entirely familiar with him, her voice crisp and pleasant enough to naturally inspire goodwill.

"They might build a bridge," Bai Ye answered, studying the terrain of the Demon Sand Sea. "A long bridge made of spiritual energy, leading directly to the hall."

Building a bridge truly was the best way to deal with a no-fly zone.

"Oh, I see."

Meng Youran wore an enlightened expression. Bai Ye merely glanced at her, with no intention whatsoever of continuing the conversation.

He sat on the cliff, swinging his legs as he looked down at the Demon Sand Sea below.

The "demon" in Demon Sand Sea did not refer solely to its flight restriction. More importantly, the sea of sand could "eat people." Anyone trapped within it would have their spiritual energy drained and be forcibly devoured. That was the truly terrifying aspect of the Demon Sand Sea.

Meng Youran kept her eyes fixed on the grand hall without relaxing for even a moment.

Yet Bai Ye always felt as though she were searching for something.

What exactly had this girl come here for?

Was there something over there?

Bai Ye looked toward the grand hall, but after watching for a long time, he could not make sense of anything.

So he stood up. Without greeting Meng Youran, he turned and headed straight for the distance.

"Huh? Are you leaving?"

Meng Youran finally shifted her gaze away from the hall and looked at Bai Ye.

Bai Ye waved a hand, leaving her with a carefree silhouette as he strode away.

Watching his figure disappear, Meng Youran immediately let out a breath of relief. Then she promptly turned her attention back toward the hall. "Where did it go? Was I wrong? That's impossible."

She might have guessed wrong about other things, but she could not possibly be wrong about something like this.

How strange. She would wait a little longer.

"Bai Ye, something's happening."

The reason Bai Ye had turned and left the cliff was that he had heard Xue Liuli's voice.

Silver light flickered in his eyes as Mirror Flower, Water Moon activated, concealing his whereabouts. He then crushed a Thousand Mile Talisman, and the light screen from Xue Liuli's side appeared before his eyes once more.

This time, Xue Liuli did not appear on the screen. It showed only the situation at the camp of the Five Great Mercenary Groups.

Bai Ye immediately spotted the situation Xue Liuli had mentioned.

Under Xue Liuli's secret art surveillance, a figure clad in a black cloak had appeared inside the camp of the Five Great Mercenary Groups. The person wore a Demon Mask and moved stealthily. If not for the potency of Xue Liuli's secret art, he would have been extremely difficult to detect.

Such attire was far too distinctive and conspicuous. Unless someone was impersonating him, this person had to be Mu Youze from their group.

Why had he gone alone to the mercenary camp?

He was acting so covertly that he did not seem to be connected to the mercenary groups. He looked more like he was trying to steal something.

Bai Ye leaned against a nearby rock and watched the man's every move.

Mu Youze remained near one particular tent. Because he wore a mask, it was impossible to see his expression.

He stood there completely motionless, suppressing every trace of his aura as much as possible. It appeared that he was eavesdropping on the conversation inside the tent.

"Can you get any closer?"

Bai Ye spoke toward the light screen.

"No." Xue Liuli gave a negative answer. "There's a Seventh Grade Supreme inside. If I get any closer, I'll be discovered."

Secret arts were not omnipotent. In the face of a gap in cultivation, even the most exquisite secret art would ultimately have its limits.

Bai Ye nodded and said nothing more, merely watching the screen in silence.

Time passed bit by bit. Mu Youze remained motionless throughout, showing remarkable patience.

What exactly was he listening for?

Bai Ye narrowed his eyes.

Could it be that this man also knew about the "key"?

The "key" was not a secret among the upper ranks of the Five Great Mercenary Groups. The fundamental reason the Mad Lion Mercenary Group had been able to unite the Five Great Mercenary Groups for this operation was precisely this "key."

So perhaps Mu Youze, like him, had caught a vice-captain and learned about it?

"Someone entered the tent."

Xue Liuli spoke to remind him. Bai Ye looked toward the screen and saw that the person entering was a man dressed in a blue robe.

That style of clothing should belong to one of the Five Great Mercenary Groups—the Wind Sparrow Mercenary Group.

This was the tent of the Wind Sparrow Mercenary Group's leader.

With his arrival, Mu Youze finally made his next move. He extended his right hand, his palm open as ink-black spiritual energy gathered within it and slowly took the shape of a small black bird.

The bird flew into the tent and vanished with a flicker.

What was he doing?

Bai Ye lightly tapped the rock behind him with his fingers, considering the technique Mu Youze had just used.

It was undoubtedly a Divine Art.

What was that Divine Art's purpose?

Why had he specifically waited until that Wind Sparrow Mercenary Group member entered the tent before using it?

There was another strange person in this group now.

And Mu Youze's concealment abilities were exceptionally strong. He had remained around the tent for so long without being noticed by the Wind Sparrow Mercenary Group's Seventh Grade Supreme. This method was truly impressive.

Unlike Bai Ye, who relied on the illusion art Mirror Flower, Water Moon, Mu Youze used a genuine stealth technique.

His surname was Mu?

Combined with that stealth technique, his origins were worth considering.

As Bai Ye pondered these matters, his brows suddenly furrowed. He abruptly raised his head and looked into the distance.

It was the direction of the Barren Wood Main Hall.

"Why so early?"

Bai Ye was somewhat puzzled. Then he looked at the light screen.

"Come back first. You don't need to watch them anymore."

"What happened?"

Xue Liuli asked.

Bai Ye exhaled, sensing a pressure that seemed to originate from the primordial wilderness. That vast aura was slowly awakening.

"The Barren Wood Ruins..."

"have opened."

"Damn it."

Within the Wood Spirit Clan's group, the leading man gritted his teeth as he watched the opening hall. Spiritual energy surged throughout his body, perfectly displaying the rage in his heart.

"Hmph. You couldn't even keep watch over one person. Your talent hasn't improved your intelligence one bit."

If Bai Ye had been here, he certainly would have recognized the person delivering those mocking, sarcastic remarks. It was his old acquaintance, Mu Qian'er.

With her arms crossed, she cast a scornful glance at the man beside her, making no attempt to hide the contempt in her eyes.

"Mu Qian'er, if you really want to die, I can help you!"

The man suddenly turned toward Mu Qian'er, his eyes filled with blazing fury.

"Right back at you." Mu Qian'er paid no heed to his anger. "All I want now is to cut our losses in time."

"Young Master, Miss Mu Qian'er is right. The hall has already opened. We must hurry."

An old man behind him spoke softly, his tone exceedingly respectful.

"I know, I know." The man cried out in frustration. He lowered his head to look at the hall, the emotions in his eyes like a suppressed volcano as he forcibly pushed down the fury in his heart.

"Third Elder, notify the leaders of those five mercenary groups. Have them gather immediately. The plan has to be moved up... Tch, damn it!"

As he spoke, the man could not help but curse again.

They had originally been given plenty of time to prepare. According to the plan, they would have been able to enter the ruins first and have the members of the Five Great Mercenary Groups guard the entrance, allowing them to occupy the ruins to the greatest extent possible and conveniently search for what they wanted.

But now, because of that damned bastard, all their plans had to be brought forward.

"I'll tear her to pieces."

The man's voice was thick with Killing Intent.

Mu Qian'er smiled softly. This impotent rage truly amused her.

Just as she had said before, all of this man's talent had gone into cultivating spiritual energy. He simply had no brains.

With such a powerful lineup, they had still let that "key" escape—and escape all the way to the ruins, at that. To put it plainly, he was truly stupid.

She really did not like collecting the heads of stupid people.

To put it plainly, Mu Zhenting was nowhere near as good as his older brother, Mu Lianfeng.

She truly wanted Mu Lianfeng's brain. It would definitely have great value as a collectible.

Of course, among everyone she had encountered so far, the one with the greatest value as a collectible was still that person.

She wondered when she would finally be able to cut his head from his neck.

Mu Qian'er became somewhat distracted as she pondered the matter.

At this very moment, the entire Demon Sand Sea had erupted into turmoil.

The grand hall, which had previously remained completely still, suddenly began to move. Its tightly shut doors were slowly opening.

Countless streaks of flowing light shot rapidly toward the hall. The opportunity was right before their eyes.

Within the nameless tavern in the Demon Sand Sea, a pair of deep eyes watched the direction in which the hall was opening, an unfathomable light flickering within them.

From the quiet depths of darkness, a long sigh slowly rang out.

"Has it... still been opened?"

What this sea of sand would face next was likely a true bloodbath.

At the morning assembly spot.

The seven-person squad gradually arrived.

Bai Ye glanced at Mu Youze, who stood silently off to the side, narrowing his eyes without saying a word.

"Good. It seems there's no time to wait."

Du Long rubbed his fists together.

"Let's go."

As his words fell, all seven transformed into streaks of flowing light, shooting into the sky and speeding forward.

Before the Barren Wood Main Hall, a cloaked woman coldly gazed at the hall and the doors thrown open for her. Without hesitation, she stepped inside.

She wanted to become strong enough to take control of her own fate!

Even if... she had to cultivate forbidden arts, it didn't matter.