Hidden Dragon, Do Not Use! Advancing by Retreating

At this moment, in the office deep inside the Hall of Affairs, Wang Pingying took out a map of the Eastern Immortal Sea, spread it out, and quickly found the location of the blessed land discovered by Chen Dengming.

"It's in such a remote location, right in the middle of a strait. No wonder no one has discovered it all these years. It seems that the man surnamed Chen was right; there really is no sect within a radius of five hundred nautical miles."

Wang Pingying felt frustrated upon seeing this.

The Eastern Immortal Sea is vast, with an area comparable to most of the Four Regions, but its population is much smaller, making it a place of sparsely populated seas.

It's normal to be uninhabited for 500 nautical miles.

However, this would mean watching as the Longevity Sect, an outsider, reaps such a huge benefit, using the resources of the Eastern Immortal Sea to make a comeback. Wouldn't this be cultivating a formidable competitor for the top sects of the Eastern Immortal Sea in the future?

"Forget it, the top leaders don't care. They just sit back and let the Longevity Sect, this outsider, come in. I suppose they've reached a tacit agreement on their interests."

As a middle manager, why should I be thinking about such lofty things as Donghai Rongguang's exclusion of outsiders? I'd rather just make some profit and be done with it."

Wang Pingying pondered, searching on the map for the nearest powerful sect.

Even top-tier powers would be tempted and unable to remain calm by such a precious resource as Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein.

He sold the information, made a fortune, and then stopped worrying about the rest, continuing to follow the rules.

In this way, he got the money, felt relieved, and also saved face for Bai Zhi.

At this moment, as Chen Dengming entered the Heavenly Heart Realm State of Mind, the power fluctuations of the Heavenly Eye also rapidly subsided.

The reason he was intercepted by the restriction was because the restriction detected fluctuations in his Dao power.

If the intrusion continues, the restriction may not be able to stop the power of the Dao, but it will definitely trigger an alarm.

He sensed that the threat and fear in his mind had weakened, clearly indicating that the protective barrier was also weakening as his power fluctuations subsided.

Chen Dengming maintained a delicate state, his spirit concentrating with the power of his Heavenly Eye, soaring towards a higher level of existence.

It was as if an invisible pair of eyes had peered into the hall and quickly spotted Wang Pingying in the inner room.

The other party is currently communicating with someone through the sound transmission array inside the house.

With his Heavenly Eye abilities activated, Chen Dengming could see the scene, but he couldn't hear what the other party was saying.

Moreover, such communication must involve the level of Divine Sense, which cannot be heard by listening alone.

His gaze quickly shifted and soon landed on the map that the other person had spread out on the table.

Two locations were marked with circles on the map.

One of the locations was indeed the blessed cave he had been searching for.

On another map, the circled location is quite far away, more than three thousand nautical miles, and is marked with the words "Iron Armor Sect".

"Iron Armor Sect"

Chen Dengming felt a strange sensation.

What does Wang Pingying mean by this?

The map marks the discovered karst cave and the Iron Armor Sect. What's the connection between these two places? Or was the Iron Armor Sect already marked on the map before this, or was he just overthinking things?

Chen Dengming then observed Wang Pingying and saw that the man was smiling as he transmitted his voice in front of the sound transmission array. He couldn't discern anything unusual, so he could only keep the 'Iron Armor Sect' in mind for the time being.

At this moment, Wang Pingying to use communication technology to turn off the sound transmission array, walked to the table, looked at the map, pointed to the location of the Iron Armor Sect, smiled, and then walked outside.

Chen Dengming also quickly withdrew his Divine Sense and Heavenly Eye, pondered for a moment, and then activated a Sound-Image Pearl, subtly aiming it at the hall.

Bai Zhi watched this scene with an intriguing expression, a hint of approving smile in her eyes.

A moment later.

Wang Pingying laughed heartily as he returned, bowing to Chen Dengming from afar.

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Chen. Your report has been approved by the higher-ups. This place may indeed be a resource point that no one has discovered. Your Longevity Sect can settle down in this blessed land."

However, there's one thing I need to remind you, Fellow Daoist Chen: if someone can prove that this blessed land was discovered before your Longevity Sect, but was kept secret, then this place is not entirely unclaimed.

Chen Dengming stood up to thank the speaker after hearing the first half of the story, but his expression immediately turned sour upon hearing the second half, and he asked with suspicion.

"If someone were to jump out and claim to have discovered this blessed land long ago, would that mean they discovered it before our Longevity Sect?"

Wang Pingying raised his hand and shook his head, "Hey! Of course it's not that trivial. If someone really said that, they would have to provide evidence."

"Rest assured, our department is absolutely fair and impartial in its work. I'll stamp and authenticate it for you right now."

Chen Dengming felt relieved, his complexion improved, and he nodded slightly in thanks, secretly thinking that he had overthought things.

At this moment, Bai Zhi also gracefully rose and thanked Wang Pingying.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Dengming received the certificate of the uninhabited blessed land, which Wang Pingying stamped.

He then left with Bai Zhi.

Outside the temple, the leaves of the Wutong Tree on both sides of the street occasionally drifted down in the wind, mingling with the misty Spiritual Qi, like colorful butterflies in flight.

Chen Dengming walked side by side with Bai Zhi for a moment, then stopped, bowed, and expressed his gratitude.

"Many thanks to Her Highness the Saintess for taking time out of her busy schedule to arrange a meeting with Elder Wang and for witnessing my application to register my blessed land."

Bai Zhi's hair danced in the wind as she smiled and shook her head, saying, "It was nothing, Your Highness Daozi, there's no need to be so polite. You yourself have said that our sect's founding ancestor and your sect's founding ancestor were bosom friends, and my helping you is simply a matter of mutual support. However..."

She paused, her clear, bright eyes gazing intently at Chen Dengming, and said, "After all, what you discovered is a blessed land with Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein."

Elder Wang agreed too readily. Did you observe anything beforehand?

Chen Dengming's heart skipped a beat. It was the other party who had reminded him before, and now Bai Zhi was reminding him again, so it seemed that she had already guessed something.

"Does Your Saintess believe that Elder Wang would go back on his word?"

"No, not at all."

Bai Zhi tilted her head, brushed her hair back with her hand, and gathered it behind her temple. She said, "Since he has already promised you in front of me and even stamped the certificate, the reporting process can be considered officially completed. He probably didn't want the trouble."

But this doesn't fit his usual personality.

Chen Dengming recalled the 'Iron Armor Sect' marked on the map he had seen before and immediately revealed it.

"He was indeed able to bypass the restrictions."

Bai Zhi thought to herself that she could no longer look at Chen Dengming, this Dao Child, with a completely different eye.

Previously, no matter how respectful and humble she was, all she did was superficial work, but now she truly acknowledges the strength of this Dao Child.

"The Iron Armor Sect is a large sect, though it may not be considered a top-tier sect and it doesn't have a legitimate lineage, but it is one of the sects with the most mature research on the Dao of Corpses."

Bai Zhi recounted the situation of the Iron Armor Sect in detail. "This sect has two Nascent Soul Ancestor, one of whom is in human form, and the other is a corpse cultivator who practices the unorthodox path of the Ghost Path. There are also five Golden Core Great Cultivators."

This sect currently only has three level -Third-Rank Spirit Vein, but not a single Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein.

Chen Dengming understood the implied meaning, his eyes brightened and sharpened, and he looked deeply into Bai Zhi's eyes.

"Thank you for the reminder, Saintess Highness."

He composed himself, bowed solemnly, and said, "This matter is of great importance. Please forgive me for not being able to stay in the City of All Immortals any longer. I will definitely come back to the Immortal City to express my gratitude in the future!"

Looking at Chen Dengming's solemn expression, Bai Zhi suppressed a smile, tilted her head back to let the golden sunlight caress her pretty face, and said with a faint smile, "I may not necessarily stay in this City of All Immortals in the future, so Your Highness Daozi, there's no need to be so polite with me. Compared to being called Your Highness the Saintess Maiden, I actually prefer you to call me Bai Zhi."

Chen Dengming was taken aback, then laughed and said, "I don't like being called Your Highness Daozi either. How about you just call me Little Chen?"

Bai Zhi was stunned for a moment, just like when she first met him. She couldn't help but laugh, glared at him, and then suddenly smiled brightly.

"You're really strange. What made you come up with the nickname 'Little Chen'? I'll just call you Fellow Daoist Chen then."

"Alright, Fellow Daoist Bai!"

Bai Zhi chuckled again, feeling that Chen Dengming, who was not particularly humble or polite but was also very approachable, was the real Chen Dengming.

The sense of alienation—being physically close yet feeling worlds apart—has diminished considerably, proving that His Your Highness Daozi has lowered his guard.

She had that brief moment, and perhaps that too was a form of mutual recognition.

Chen Dengming didn't linger. He originally wanted to stroll around the City of All Immortals, browse the shops, sell off some useless items, and buy some gifts for his senior sister and uncle to take back and win their favor.

However, this matter concerns the safety of the sect's blessed land, and he cannot delay for even a moment.

After bidding farewell to Bai Zhi, he retrieved his newly maintained and cleaned spirit boat amidst the polite and attentive farewells of several smiling traveling cultivators, and departed with them waving warmly in farewell.

"Senior Chen, please come again!"

"Next time you come to our boat, we'll definitely give you the best service!"

"We juniors will be waiting for you at any time in the City of All Immortals!"

In the surrounding air, many cultivators looked at Chen Dengming with surprise as he left, politely seen off by several traveling cultivators, and whispered among themselves about which sect this senior belonged to.

Chen Dengming waved with a smile and left gracefully, inwardly smiling helplessly.

In the pursuit of immortality, Wealth, Companions, Dharma, and Place are all important, but wealth is still the most important.

Fifty High-grade Spirit Crystal were enough to moor the spirit boat for less than an hour.

The remaining forty-odd High-grade Spirit Crystal were given as a reward to the traveling cultivators.

How could these people not grin from ear to ear, treating him like royalty?

However, this trip was worth the money; it wasn't a waste of money.

The most correct course of action was to first visit Bright Light Sect and present gifts, and to befriend the Saintess Bai Zhi.

Otherwise, if someone had rushed straight to the Department of Affairs like a fool, they might have been waiting outside for more than ten days without ever seeing Wang Pingying.

Even if they did see it, it would be difficult to get Wang Pingying approve it and stamp it as proof.

This whole process wouldn't be possible without connections, and Bai Zhi's relationship with this top-tier sect's Saintess is of paramount importance.

As for his identity as the Longevity Dao Child, he's now a tiger in the sea, less than a dog.

But this is reality. Before the sect can rise again, before the Spirit Transformation Ancestor returns, this predicament must be acknowledged, the situation must be understood, and one must remain humble and bide one's time.

Whoosh whoosh--

Chen Dengming steered the spirit boat at breakneck speed, quickly breaking through the sound barrier and bursting into clouds of white mist in the air. It seemed that only this extreme speed could release some of the pent-up emotions in his heart.

Iron Armor Sect!

If a sect with two Nascent Soul cultivators and five Golden Core cultivators were to be deliberately harassed by certain individuals, it would indeed pose a significant threat to the Longevity Sect.

Unless one of them is able to finish their service and return.

At the same time.

The cave is a blessed land of craggy rocks, with boulders and debris flowing down the steep cliffs of the strait.

Upon receiving instructions from his main body, Chen Dengming's two clones immediately awakened Qiao Zhaoxian was in the process of cultivation.

Why the Green Hair?

Qiao Zhaoxian impatiently stepped out from behind the boulder and looked at Chen Dengming's Green Hair Heavenly Immortal Clone.

"I'm speaking to you in person now, so be polite and stop calling me 'Green Hair Green Hair'."

Chen Dengming shifted his focus to the Green Hair and frowned.

"Oh, it's me! You should have said so earlier!"

Qiao Zhaoxian's impatience vanished, replaced by a fawning smile. "How did it go, Old Chen? Was it done so quickly?"

"There's been a little trouble."

Chen Dengming shook his head. "I suspect that cultivators from the Iron Armor Sect, three thousand miles away, might come here. Let's prepare accordingly."

"Iron Armor Sect?"

Qiao Zhaoxian, "A guess?"

Chen Dengming immediately used his Divine Sense to inform him of the whole story and the power of the Iron Armor Sect.

Qiao Zhaoxian startled upon hearing this.

"Are you kidding me? A Corpse Path sect with two Nascent Soul cultivators is considered quite powerful among major sects, second only to the top sects. And now you're telling me that the news has leaked to them?"

Chen Dengming frowned. "This is just speculation for now. We need to be prepared."

"Prepare? How should we prepare?"

Qiao Zhaoxian dejectedly, "If even a Nascent Soul True Lord comes, what can the three of us do?"

Oh no, your true form hasn't even arrived yet. Do you think I, along with these two clones, can stop Nascent Soul?

Even if you yourself came, even if the two of us were tied together, we'd still be thinking about how to escape.

Chen Dengming was also experiencing a headache.

Su Yan Yan is leading a large force, and they may have just set off, or perhaps haven't even started yet.

After all, migrating tens of thousands of people is a huge undertaking, and an hour of preparation time is considered incredibly fast.

"I have already notified my Martial Aunt Su to come ahead alone. At her speed, she should arrive in about an hour and a half."

"Let's prepare ourselves first. Maybe we're overthinking it; the Iron Armor Sect might not even come."

The words had barely left his lips.

The sudden gusts of sea breeze were somewhat erratic.

What was originally a gentle breeze suddenly turned into gusts of wind.

In the woods on the cliffs not far across the river, branches swayed and leaves rustled.

An incredibly oppressive atmosphere permeated the air.

Chen Dengming and Qiao Zhaoxian exchanged a glance, both sensing that something was amiss.

Only then did they realize that, without them noticing, the surroundings had become gloomy.

There were no dark clouds overhead, and the sun was still high in the sky, but the light seemed much dimmer.

Looking into the distance, the wind and water were calm, and there was nothing unusual happening.

The thought of one person having two clones evoked a chilling sense of foreboding.

"It's the divine Divine Sense of Nascent Soul cultivator. Nascent Soul True Lord's Divine Sense may have just swept through this area."

Qiao Zhaoxian's face was grim, and he spoke with practiced ease.

Chen Dengming's heart leaped into his throat, and his face darkened.

The thing I least wanted to happen has happened so quickly?

The Iron Armor Sect moved so quickly?

At that moment, the howls of Black Cloud Leopard echoed from the canyon below.

The two immediately flew to the edge of the strait and looked down. On both sides of the strait were huge stone walls. Below the canyon, a surging torrent rushed through the cracks and poured into the bottomless cave below.

The Black Cloud Leopard poked its head out of the cave with a "whoosh," choked on several mouthfuls of water, and struggled wildly in the seawater, looking like a silly dog.

Chen Dengming frowned. "Why did it go down?"

Qiao Zhaoxian shrugged. "How would I know? I only said there was Fourth-Rank Spirit Vein below, and it burrowed down."

Just as they finished exchanging words, both of their clones noticed something and suddenly looked up into the distance.

Within the halo where the sea meets the sky, several barely perceptible beams of spiritual light flickered and emerged, accompanied by a suppressed spiritual power, rapidly approaching this direction.

Qiao Zhaoxian's expression changed instantly, then he breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, it seems that only a few Golden Core cultivators have arrived so far, but a Nascent Soul cultivator's Nascent Soul Divine Sense just swept over. Even if that Nascent Soul is observing this place from thousands of miles away, they can probably get here very quickly. Old Chen, what are you planning to do?"

As he spoke, he turned his head and was dumbfounded to find that Chen Dengming's two clones had already turned around and fled discreetly.

"What are you doing? You're not even fighting and you're already giving up? Are you Chen the Runner or am I the Qiao Taotao?"

"Don't be silly, even Nascent Soul are watching this area. How can we fight? Retreat first, use retreat as a strategy to advance."

Chen Dengming's two clones simultaneously disappeared into the trees, transmitting their Divine Sense.

"They only know that the blessed land is in this strait, but they don't know the exact location of the Spirit Vein. It will take some time to search deep into the caves. What we need now is time. Let's stall for time!"

Qiao Zhaoxian suddenly understood, was full of admiration, and immediately followed suit.

(An extra chapter has been added unconditionally! Please vote for me! Please vote for me for the guaranteed monthly pass!)