262: A Traitor Among the Elders! Exploring the Fallen Forbidden Zone

A little over half a day later.

Through his conversations with Xing Huiguang and the two patriarchs, Chen Dengming gained a clear understanding of the current situation of the sect and the four regions, as well as the mission he was to undertake—to open up new Mountain Gate and blessed lands for the Longevity Sect outside the four regions, and to be ready to receive the sect as it completed its great migration.

In a sense, this mission also seems to be a test given to him by his ancestors.

If he can complete the task successfully, he will succeed Xing Huiguang as the leader of the Longevity Sect, taking charge of a top-tier sect.

He probably scoffed at the idea of a mission when he was Rogue Cultivator.

This is as ridiculous as discussing ideals with someone who spends their days pondering whether a single steamed bun should last for two or three meals.

But for Chen Dengming, now Longevity Dao Child, the concerns are no longer about daily survival.

It's no longer just an individual's problem, but a problem for an entire sect.

The resources and fame he enjoys today are all tied to the Longevity Sect; their fortunes are intertwined, one prospers and the other suffers.

The mission of the sect naturally fell on the shoulders of this Longevity Dao Child.

"We have a path over there in the Land of Corruption. It's a bit risky to go that way, but it's very well-developed."

That was explored and opened up many years ago by the First Ancestor and the First Progenitor.

Decades ago, I also went to clear it once, solved some minor problems, and that road should still be safe now."

Longevity Hall, the Second Ancestor Jiang Jian paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, giving instructions to Chen Dengming.

"Young Chen, didn't you have that old dragon's clone technique? I heard you've improved it even more."

We can send a clone to scout ahead first, and once we've confirmed it's safe, we can bring some people over.

"Stay at the sect for now and prepare the necessary Law Technique and Law Treasure. Xiao Ge will fully cooperate with you."

"Alright, thank you very much, Second Martial Uncle."

When the two patriarchs told him they would arrange for him to go beyond the Four Regions to find a new blessed land for his sect, Chen Dengming had already foreseen that his sect might have a path leading to the Four Regions, just like the Northern Spirit Sect.

These pathways are crucial resources that sects keep absolutely secret; they are a backup plan left behind by a sect.

Entrusting him with this backup plan now undoubtedly demonstrates the trust and high expectations placed on him.

However, he would prefer to stay in the sect for a while longer rather than set off immediately.

"Plan before you act" and "Make thorough preparations" are the old traditions of the Gou Dao Zhong people of the Longevity Sect.

At present, the mission assigned to him is merely a preliminary plan to prepare for unforeseen circumstances. Taking a steady and pragmatic approach is far better than rushing into it.

During this time, he had ample opportunity to exploit Master Ge's resources and prepare the necessary Law Technique and Law Artifact.

"Junior Brother, you must remember that you can't see into someone's heart. You can't trust people too easily, especially when you're traveling."

Xing Huiguang gave a special instruction, his expression slightly tired and sentimental.

Chen Dengming's heart skipped a beat, realizing what had happened, and asked, "Senior Brother Xing, what's wrong?"

Xing Huiguang shook his head, looking disappointed, and said, "Your Senior Brother Zhu has been betrayed by a traitor."

He's been with the Longevity Sect for so many years, and we've known each other for a long time. I never imagined I'd misjudged him.

"Zhu Guangbiao?"

Chen Dengming was taken aback, feeling both puzzled and deeply moved.

More than ten days ago, when he was secretly arranged to leave by the sect, he already knew that there was a traitor within the sect.

He deliberately left behind a clone to impersonate him, also to lull the traitors within the sect into a false sense of security.

Unexpectedly, the traitor was Zhu Guangbiao.

The other party had once been a pro-war advocate and had even led him in Battlefield.

Later, he even caused trouble for the sect because he was too high-profile, which made the sect resentful. Unexpectedly...

Xing Huiguang shook his head. "He has already confessed. In fact, when you participated in the decapitation plan to deal with the Demon Prince, he had already betrayed you once. He revealed the information about the Beheading Mission to the Demon Prince in advance, giving the Demon Prince time to make arrangements and secretly summon six Demon General."

"If it weren't for your unexpected combat strength, Junior Brother Chen, you would all have been in grave danger in that battle."

Chen Dengming frowned, a chill running through him.

No wonder that top-secret decapitation operation planned by the Eastern Region fell directly into the Demon Prince's trap; it turns out Zhu Guangbiao had already betrayed them.

Second Ancestor Jiang Jian coldly said, "This little Zhu is a traitor."

Actually, he hadn't completely defected; he had been wavering between the Eastern and Western Regions factions. This time, unaware of our plan, he thought the sect was in dire straits, so he completely betrayed us. He has now been apprehended and imprisoned."

Upon hearing this, Chen Dengming was at a loss for words.

The human heart is the most complex and unpredictable thing.

Even though he had mastered the Heart Inheritance of the Human Immortal Orthodox Lineage, he could not see through the deepest thoughts and malices hidden by cultivators of the same realm at a glance, unless he invaded their minds.

Even Senior Brother Xing couldn't see through Zhu Guangbiao, so it's normal that he misjudged him.

"Alright."

At this moment, the Third Ancestor Su Yanyan gazed at Chen Dengming and said, "The First Ancestor is listening to the First Ancestor's sermon, preparing for his future breakthrough to the Divine Transformation Realm, so he will not be able to see you."

The Western Regions' Devil Cultivator and the Northern Region's alliance of cultivators are also preparing a new offensive, and we may not see you again for some time to come.

There are many powerful figures beyond the four realms. When you go there in the future, remember not to be reckless or aggressive. Do you have any other requests? Tell me."

Looking at the Third Ancestor's gentle yet captivating demeanor, Chen Dengming was deeply moved and quickly bowed.

"This disciple wishes to return to the land of the Daoist lineage once more, to see if I may have another fortuitous opportunity gain enlightenment."

Furthermore, this disciple wishes to learn the Seven-Colored Bright Mirror Destiny Technique. Even if I cannot use it now, there is no harm in learning it first."

The Seven-Colored Bright Mirror Destiny Technique, once successfully cast, can detect another person's Spirit Root and lifespan potential.

This is something Chen Dengming has wanted to learn for a long time.

Putting everything else aside, once He Yingyu breaks through to the Golden Core stage, he can use the Seven-Colored Bright Mirror Destiny Technique to assess her lifespan potential and reasonably urge her to cultivate the <Life-Damaging Seedling Pulling Technique> to elevate her superior-grade Spirit Root to the superior grade, thus giving her hope of entering the Nascent Soul in the future.

They talked in the Longevity Hall until night. After obtaining the map of safe routes to the Fallen Forbidden Zone from the Longevity Sect's records from the Second Ancestor, Chen Dengming took out the sea map from the Northern Spirit Sect and handed it to the two ancestors for study before leaving satisfied.

His request has been fulfilled.

However, even if he were to enter the Heavenly Immortal Hall within the Longevity Daoist Land again, he might not be able to absorb more Immortal Celestial Dao Power.

Unlike the Daoist script in the Ancient Human Immortal Palace, once obtained, even if one cannot use it skillfully, it will exist in his Sea of Consciousness in the form of Daoist script and be taken away. Eventually, as his State of Mind improves step by step, it will dissolve and transform into Daoist power for his own use.

The Immortal Celestial Lineage of the Longevity Sect requires a significant improvement in one's own Strength Realm or understanding of the Dao of Longevity in order to absorb more Dao power; otherwise, it is impossible to acquire it in advance.

Therefore, even though the Third Ancestor Su Yanyan agreed to Chen Dengming's request to enter the Daoist Land, it did not mean that he could continue to acquire Dao power.

Moreover, regardless of the lineage, the power of the Dao is finite, not infinite.

According to the Second Patriarch, this power originated from the legacy of the predecessors of this path.

It could involve a Dao-merging expert, or it could involve an immortal.

Therefore, even a trace of Dao power can manifest many miraculous aspects.

Therefore, Chen Dengming could understand why many major sects with established traditions would only select one Dao Child in each era.

This is because the resources of the traditional moral code are also extremely limited.

At night.

After entertaining Gongshu Zai and several other Golden Core Elder who came to visit, Chen Dengming looked at He Yingyu, who was cleaning the cave abode, and shook his head.

"Senior sister, I already said to recruit some Daoist boys to handle these miscellaneous tasks."

"Hey, I know you don't like being disturbed in your cave abode."

He Yingyu clapped her hands, smoothed her messy hair, and put her hands on her hips. "It's just a few small things, a quick snap of the fingers, it won't take much time."

You're becoming more and more virtuous and capable.

Chen Dengming walked over with a smile, put his arm around He Yingyu's slender waist, and said, "However, let's try to spend less time on these miscellaneous tasks and more time on cultivation. I hope you can break through to the Golden Core stage as soon as possible."

While dealing with Chen Dengming's mischievous hands, He Yingyu feigned a coquettish resentment and said, "I don't have your talent, so even if I wanted to hurry, I'm powerless to help."

Chen Dengming said with a smile, "Then I'll lend you a Junior Brother today, but you shouldn't trouble me with this kind of help every day."

"What? Do you want me to bother someone else?"

"How could I bear to!"

Afterwards.

Chen Dengming, his body bare and imposing, sat on the bed in his cave abode, bathed in moonlight, his mind sensing the condition of his two clones.

Black Hair, who was sent to Heguan City, has already met with Jiang Qiang, Black Wind, and others.

Fortunately, Heguan City is the site of an alliance of sects from the Eastern Region, so its safety is guaranteed.

Even though the Nascent Spirit Transformation cultivators fought each other some time ago, it didn't have a significant impact on this place. No demonic sects or cultivators from the Northern Region invaded this area, and Jiang Qiang and his group were able to develop peacefully by relying on the wasteland.

However, Chen Dengming knew that this stability was only temporary.

Once a new war breaks out, it will be more intense than many before. Heguan City may not even be able to be defended, and it may even be more dangerous here, because Nascent Soul Old Monster will be coming down one after another.

Chen Dengming had always wanted Jiang Qiang and the others to develop a stable force, and then bring his two children, Chen Jing and Chen Yiran, who had always wanted to enter the Cultivation World, over.

Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

Several years have passed, and he, as the father, has still found it difficult to create a safer environment for his two children in the Cultivation World than Nan Xun's.

"The affairs of the celestial realm and the mortal world are separate; a hundred years pass in the blink of an eye."

Chen Dengming sighed, unable to find a suitable solution for the time being. He then turned his attention to another clone who was still in the Fallen Forbidden Zone Wasteland.

He then took out the map that the Second Ancestor had given him from his Storage Bag.

After the map was unfolded, Chen Dengming inputted a wisp of Spiritual Qi, and a portion of the map and path of the Fallen Forbidden Zone was displayed.

He himself is represented by a small green dot, appearing at the very edge of the map, signifying that he is far from the Fallen Forbidden Zone.

This type of map, which can record one's specific location, is also a special magical Law Artifact. Its function is simple, similar to a wartime map.

Following the map, Chen Dengming sensed where his clone should be located at this moment.

Finally, in a region of the Fallen Forbidden Zone on the map, the location of the clone was anchored.

In this way, while he was sitting in the Longevity Sect's cave abode, his clone had already begun its exploration game in the Fallen Forbidden Zone on his behalf.

He only needed to refer to the map to determine the location of his clone, and at the same time remotely control the clone to go to the safe road opened up by the sect many years ago, and try to leave the Four Domains through that road.

"Make a few more copies of the map first, and then send another clone to prepare for taking over."

Chen Dengming established a connection between his mind and his clone, and then communicated with his clone's mind along this connection.

Soon, his mind and body were already inside the clone, in the Fallen Forbidden Zone.

Suddenly, I felt a chilling aura all around me, as if I were inside an extremely cold glacier. It was a cold that penetrated to the bone and even to the soul, rather than just a cold temperature in the ordinary sense.

A rustling sound came from all around, revealing a dark, dense forest, with wisps of pale blue mist drifting about like thin gauze, mysterious and eerie.

The wind howled through the woods, occasionally punctuated by sharp, ghostly whistles, and it seemed as if eerie eyes were peering out from the leaves.

In the grass, between the rocks, and in the bushes, it seemed as if hundreds of wild ghosts were howling in unison.

If a normal forest is home to birds and insects, then this forest is home to chilling souls.

"Huh?"

Zhu Xun's voice came through, and the Ghost Old Man noticed that Chen Dengming's clone was acting strangely, staring at him with his large, bell-like eyes.

Chen Dengming jolted awake, his mind returning to his body.

He glanced at Zhu Xun beside him and saw that the Ghost Old Man exuded a strong Sha Qi and possessed even greater spiritual power.

Clearly, the golden core he had previously consumed had increased his strength.

The ghosts howling deep in the surrounding forest seemed to sense the Sha Qi Zhu Xun from Zhu Xun. They only dared to howl from a distance, but dared not approach, as if protesting the powerful Ghost Old Man's rash intrusion, making noises from afar.

Chen Dengming listened carefully for a while, then became somewhat bewildered. "What level of Yin Language is this? I can't understand any of it. The ghosts here probably all speak ancient dialects."

"Acting in two places at once is a bit too rigid. How can we not pay our respects to the local authorities upon arriving in this esteemed place, and even drive away these ghost brothers? We can't abandon the fine traditions of the Old Chen."

Chen Dengming shook his head, gave Zhu Xun a 'heh' sound, and instructed his brothers to invite some ghosts and monsters who had something to say to come and chat.

The Ghost Old Man, Zhu Xun, had been unable to contain his desire any longer, and upon hearing the command, he immediately flew away.

Soon, even more ghostly howls echoed from the depths of the forest, filled with panic, before quickly receding into the distance.

Before long, the Ghost Old Man Zhu Xun flew over, holding two ghosts in one hand and several struggling ones stuffed into his fanged mouth.

Chen Dengming was very satisfied with Zhu Xun help from the underworld. He knew that by making an example of a few, and then capturing a few more, it would be easier to extract some information from these garrulous ghosts, provided that these wandering spirits still retained some basic memories and intelligence.

Unable to communicate in a shared Yin Language, Chen Dengming had to expend some Mental Strength to Mental Strength with these ghosts.

He eventually learned that this area was still on the Fallen Forbidden Zone, with less Yin Qi, and that even ghost generals, let alone ghost kings, would not appear there.

Chen Dengming immediately pointed to the path drawn on the sect's map and asked if the road ahead was safe.

Upon seeing the direction he pointed, the ghosts were both frightened and excited, and gave a series of chaotic gestures that left Chen Dengming completely bewildered.

He finally figured it out: according to the ghosts, the area in that direction was a 'no man's land'.

It is said that a powerful ghost general or even a ghost king once died there. After that, ghost generals would occasionally appear there, but they never occupied the place.

However, precisely because no ghost generals occupy the area, the Yin Qi there has bred some treasures and resources over the years, and many ghosts linger there.

Chen Dengming immediately understood, "It seems that this path has been opened up by the sect many times. The First Ancestor once killed the Ghost King there, and the First and Second Ancestors killed the Ghost Generals there. It has almost become a forbidden place."

However, after so many years, no one has reopened the area, and new resources have sprung up there, which still attracts some daring ghosts to occasionally gather them."

From this perspective, the path pioneered by this sect still carries certain dangers.

However, the danger isn't particularly great.

Chen Dengming planned to have his clone and the Ghost Old Man Zhu Xun the area first.

After several rounds of exploration and refinement, my true self will be ready to come and give it a try.

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