Hidden Two, Yin Thirteen

At the campsite below the mountain, a great river rushes by, its current swift and turbulent.

Zuoqiu Ting his folding fan, remaining as still as a clay statue, and sat in his tent, listening for the second time to Zuoqiu Baiming and Zuoqiu Lanlan recount their encounters in the mountains, not missing a single detail.

The two elders, both nearing a hundred years old, stood to his left and right, respectively, their eyes occasionally flashing with a fierce light.

In the southern border, someone actually dared to oppose Zuoqiu Courtyard, and he was ruthless in his actions, intending to wipe them all out.

This is not a simple contest over Immortal Soil; rather, it shows that the disciples of Tianya Ridge, Coffin Mountain, Sui Sect, and Three Chen Palace have absolutely no respect for them, the leading sect in the Southern Territory.

Without a sense of awe, rebellious acts will become more and more common, just like the Lingxiao Palace today.

The white-bearded elder standing to the left of Zuoqiu Ting sneered, "Tianya Ridge and Coffin Mountain are understandable, after all, the Four Extremes Ape King and that Living Spirit Forbidden are indeed extraordinary, so their disciples are naturally full of confidence. But what are Sui Sect and Three Chen Palace? Young Master, this matter must be explained, otherwise they might think that the Southern Territory has changed hands."

Zuoqiu Baiming touched his broken leg, which was still throbbing with pain, and said in a deep voice, "The Sui Sect Zuoqiu Courtyard too arrogant. They don't even respect a junior from the Xue Family. We've been too lenient with them all these years. They've come to regard the Zuoqiu Courtyard as part of the Jiu Li Tribe and think that Myriad Gate Families are just clay figures."

Zuoqiu Lanlan's eyes were red. "Brother Che was directly Di Ran by Di Ran. The ruthlessness of Coffin Mountain is even greater than that of the Sui Sect."

Zuoqiu Baiming said, "Many forces in the southern region have united. We can no longer be careless. If we don't break them up, once they take Lizhou, we will be their next target."

Zuoqiu Ting calm, his thoughts drifting to the Thirty-three Li Mountain: "According to your account, you were with Sima Tan when you were knocked unconscious?"

Zuoqiu Lanlan's pretty face, which had been filled with pain and resentment, turned red with embarrassment in an instant, and she dared not look up at anyone.

"Good."

Zuoqiu Baiming then added, "It must have been a sneak attack by the people of the Sui Sect and Tianya Ridge. It's just a pity that my Departed Spirit Human Skin is broken; otherwise, even if I had lost a leg, I certainly wouldn't have been ambushed like this."

Zuoqiu Ting said, "However, you were safely sent down the mountain, and you did not lose any of the Immortal Soil or rare medicines you possessed."

Zuoqiu Lanlan said, "It must have been Sima Tan who saved us. He... his combat strength is probably no less than that of Senior Brother Baiming, and he also raises Seven Mysterious Insects. For the people of the Sui Sect and Tianya Ridge to provoke him is to court death. Given time, he will surely have a illustrious reputation among the younger generation of martial artists in the Southern Territory."

Zuoqiu Ting looked at Zuoqiu Lanlan with surprise, feeling that the two must be hiding something, and laughed, "Is he that strong? Sister Lanlan rarely praises a young man to such an extent."

Zuoqiu Lanlan didn't hold back her praise, "His cultivation and combat strength are secondary; what's truly remarkable is his exceptional personal charisma and rare character. Otherwise, how could the two of us have made it down the mountain alive? Senior Brother Baiming, right?"

Zuoqiu Baiming had no idea what happened after he fainted, and he wasn't even sure if he had been knocked unconscious by the Seven Mysterious Insects.

Who knows, did the two of them already have an affair while they were on the mountain?

He said, "Young master, the celestial mist has dissipated, but Sima Tan has not descended the mountain. I suspect he has left from another direction, and the large amount of Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine and Golden Spring that he seized from the martial artists of the Three Chen Palace and Coffin Mountain must have been pocketed by him."

Zuoqiu Baiming was unaware that Sui Sect and Tianya Ridge had also been ambushed and their entire army wiped out.

Zuoqiu Lanlan said, "Sima Tan may have encountered some danger."

Zuoqiu Baiming sneered, "If he's sending us down the mountain, why doesn't he return to the camp with us? It's obvious he wants to keep the treasure for himself."

Zuoqiu Ting didn't want to listen to their argument, so he got up and walked out of the tent, gazing at the lush and towering Thirty-three Li Mountain. The air was fresh, and the energy of the Dharma was abundant.

The glow of dawn and the clouds had retreated to the mountaintop.

If the martial artists of the Five Seas Realm were still lingering in the mountains, they would surely have already spontaneously combusted and died by now.

He walked towards the stone tablet at the entrance to the mountain.

There, hundreds of people, vehicles, and strange beasts gathered. In this Immortal Realm, almost all the Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine in the explorable areas had been harvested, except for the eerie and majestic Thirty-three Li Mountain, so naturally they all gathered here.

Who wouldn't want to transform into Pure Immortal Body?

Who wouldn't want to quickly break through to the top ranks of the younger generation, and then sit back and watch the world unfold?

As for the unexplorable areas deep within the Immortal Realm, old fellows at the Dao Seed Realm have been falling one after another there. The latest news is that a giant at the Longevity Realm has also perished there. It is terrifyingly dangerous, and many people are considering retreating.

Before the enormous, wall-like stone tablet, the younger generation of martial artists from various factions were engaged in heated discussion and debate, as if something major had happened.

The young leaders of the Four Great Sects, Tianya Ridge, and Coffin Mountain all had cold and somber expressions.

After waiting in vain for Xue Qi, Chen Song, Di Ran, and the others to return, they dispatched martial artists at the Spring Realm to search for them in the mountains, only to bring back a large number of corpses.

The corpse was found to be missing all its treasures and wealth, indicating that it must have been caused by human error rather than some strange occurrence in the mountains.

"Who is it? If I find out, I will cook them alive, boil them, fry them, and eat their flesh and sleep on their skin." Mie Di was filled with rage and didn't know how to vent it, so he could only utter these harsh words while secretly observing everyone present.

"This is very targeted; it feels like something the Jiu Li Tribe would do."

The image of "Sima Tan" appeared in Shi Shishi's mind, but he felt that with his cultivation level, he was not capable of accomplishing such a great thing.

Could it be the legendary Jiu Li Hidden Gate that has made its move?

"The Dharma King Shi Shi is impressive; he pointed out the most crucial point in one sentence. This is an encirclement and suppression of the Four Great Sects, and Tianya Ridge has also been implicated."

Chen Wenwu added, "A large number of magical artifacts, Crimson Haze Exotic Medicine, and Golden Spring have been stolen, and most of them will likely end up on the market. If we investigate, we'll definitely be able to trace the source. The Three Chen Palace will avenge this!"

Of the three most accomplished young Perfected Person in the Three Chen Palace, two have fallen in succession, a truly devastating loss.

Now, only Chen Wenwu remains.

Zuoqiu Ting silently observed the corpse laid out on the ground, his smile growing wider as he thought to himself, "What a Li Weiyi! His appetite is too great. How many treasures did he seize? He used the Talisman Robe of my Zuoqiu Courtyard to enter the mountains, made a fortune, and then fled with the treasure. Can a monk escape, but can a temple escape?"

"Is the Hidden Lord here?"

Li Weiyi surveyed the low grasslands and hills before him. His view was unobstructed, and there was no sign of human presence for dozens of miles. Where was there any trace of the Hidden Lord's arrival?

"Whoosh!"

A crack suddenly appeared on the small hill in front of them, which was only a few dozen meters high, and an invisible veil was lifted.

The Hidden Lord's imposing figure appeared, wearing a metal mask and a wide black robe. He exuded an air of authority without being angry, and said from afar, "Wei Yi, is your cooperation with the Zuoqiu Courtyard going well? Have you helped them dig up Immortal Soil?"

Li Weiyi observed the curtain and discovered the Formation Script. He quickly climbed the hill and reported, "We've dug up nearly a pound of Immortal Soil, along with a large amount of spiritual soil. Zuoqiu Baiming has already brought it down the mountain."

"A pound is a bit too little, but establishing a relationship with the Zuoqiu Courtyard is the most important thing. You will have many areas for cooperation in the future. Speaking of which, it was I who personally went to invite the Old Ancestor of the Zuoqiu Courtyard to Lizhou," said the Hidden Lord.

Hidden Twenty-Four and Hidden Twenty-Three followed closely up the mountain, both with natural expressions, not daring to expose the truth about Li Weiyi's sneaking away and embezzling funds.

Li Weiyi felt a slight unease and said, "Isn't the Hidden Gate about concealment? Why not just hand it over to Cangli, the inheritor, for cooperation? By the way, if the Hidden Lord goes to invite the Old Ancestor of the Zuoqiu Courtyard, won't the existence of the Hidden Gate be exposed?"

The Hidden Lord, who never smiled in front of other hermits, chuckled and said, "For thousands of years, as two transcendent forces in the Southern Territory, the Zuoqiu Courtyard and the Jiu Li Tribe have been spying on each other. Among them, the most intense spying has been conducted by the Hidden Gate."

"You don't think that the Zuoqiu Courtyard doesn't have its own Hidden Gate? For Myriad Gate Families, Myriad Ancient Clan, Myriad Sects, the existence of Hidden Gate is an open secret."

"The Jiu Li Tribe and the Hidden Gate of the Zuoqiu Courtyard compete with each other, secretly clashing in magical battles. But they also cooperate to subdue other forces in the Southern Territory that have the potential to grow into Myriad Gate Families and factions."

"These dirty jobs are usually done by the two Hidden Gate; they won't allow a third force with tens of millions of members to emerge in the Southern Territory."

"Furthermore, to gain the support of the Zuoqiu Courtyard, the Jiu Li Tribe... especially the Hidden Gate, must demonstrate the strength befitting Myriad Ancient Clan and offer a sufficiently high price."

Li Weiyi sensed something unusual and his expression turned grave. "The situation has become so perilous that we must seek the help of Zuoqiu Courtyard to overcome this crisis?"

The Hidden Lord's gaze was profound. "The entry of Tianya Ridge into the fray was unexpected; no one anticipated that the Demon Race would dare to get involved in the struggle for supremacy. Of course, even so, it's not necessary to have the help of the Zuoqiu Courtyard. Rather, there are easier ways to resolve the issue; why fight alone?"

"Weiyi, if you want to be Hidden Person, you must understand one principle. As a leader, you can't just consider how to fight the enemy to the death; you should also consider minimizing your own casualties while achieving victory."

"Since the hermits follow you, you must take good care of them."

" In the Seven Prefectures of the Southern Territory, power struggles and infighting abound. Barbarian bandits, powerful clans, influential families, sects, Demon Race, gangs... powerful figures are everywhere. To survive, we must seek allies as much as possible. We need allies, and the Zuoqiu Courtyard needs them too."

Beside Hidden Lord, there were two other figures dressed in black, who had been observing Li Weiyi.

"How should we address these two?"

Li Weiyi's gaze shifted to them.

One of the figures, dressed in black, had fair skin and a round, soft face, appearing to be in his early twenties. He stepped forward, showing no disrespect for Li Weiyi despite his relatively low cultivation level, and greeted him with a fist and palm salute, "Yin Thirteen."

"Hidden Two."

The other man was shorter, with a thin face, deep eyes, and a commanding presence; he looked to be in his thirties or forties.

Both of them were dressed in high-level magical artifacts Nightwalker's Robe.

The difference is that a corner of a blue brocade official robe can be seen inside Yin Thirteen's Nightwalker's Robe, indicating that he has an extraordinary identity.