Heaven-Sent Opportunity

"My master is dead. I want to find a new master," Hua Qingzhu said.

Yang Zhengshan was stunned. "Your master is dead? Who was your master?"

"Hua Qingshu. Everyone called him the Wanhua Demon Emperor!" Hua Qingzhu did not hide anything.

Yang Zhengshan froze completely. "You said your master was the Wanhua Demon Emperor?"

"That's right!"

"He's dead?"

"Mm!"

"Who killed him?"

"Chang Buzai!"

Yang Zhengshan drew in a deep breath. "The Wuchang Ghost Sect's Sect Master, Chang Buzai?"

"Mm!"

"When?"

"Just now, about an hour ago!" Hua Qingzhu looked at Yang Zhengshan and said with utmost seriousness, "Can you help me find a new master?"

Yang Zhengshan felt that the impact was a little too great.

The Wanhua Demon Emperor was dead!

That truly had been beyond his expectations.

No, it had gone beyond his imagination.

Although he did not know the Wanhua Demon Emperor's exact strength, he knew that the Wanhua Demon Emperor had existed for ten thousand years.

This was not something someone else had told him. He had deduced it himself.

After speaking with Wu Wei Zheng, he had learned that there were many old antiques in this world who had come from ten thousand years ago.

The Wanhua Demon Emperor was not an ordinary Demon Cultivator. No one could explain his origins, and no one knew what race he belonged to, so he was very likely one of those old antiques from ten thousand years ago.

The Hua Qingzhu before him had also proven his guess.

What level of cultivation and strength would an old antique from ten thousand years ago possess?

Golden Core Peak, or Half-step Entering Dao?

If the Wanhua Demon Emperor had only been at Golden Core Peak, he should not have been able to subdue the myriad demons in the Wanhua Mountain Range.

Yang Zhengshan remained silent for a long time before finally digesting the news.

"What kind of new master do you want to find?"

"Someone inside that great hall just now!"

"Inside the great hall?" Yang Zhengshan's expression shifted slightly. There was only one person in the great hall, and that was Yu Qingyi.

Apart from Yu Qingyi, there was no one else in the Longevity Palace at that moment.

Yu Qingyi was in seclusion, Yang Zhengshan was refining pills in the Pill Hall, and there was nothing else to do in the Longevity Palace. Red Cloud and Green Mist were both handling affairs in the Immortal Official Department, while the others responsible for serving them had gone off to cultivate.

This fellow actually wanted to find Yu Qingyi as her new master!

"Why do you want her as your new master?"

"Because her attainments in the Path of Spirit Bestowal are the highest in the entire Myriad Flower Domain!"

"The Path of Spirit Bestowal?" Yang Zhengshan suddenly understood.

The Path of Spirit Bestowal came from the Wanhua Demon Emperor. He had already verified that point long ago.

As for what kind of new master a Spirit Treasure wanted to find, that depended entirely on its own wishes.

It could find a new master who had reached a certain height in a particular Dao Intent. It could also find a new master with no cultivation at all. It could even choose not to find a new master and instead hide somewhere on its own.

A Spirit Treasure was not a Spirit Artifact. A Spirit Artifact would lose all its power without a master and could only fall into a deep slumber.

A Spirit Treasure, however, could absorb spiritual energy and store power even without a master. It could do whatever it wanted, provided it did not run into a Golden Core cultivator.

Although an ownerless Spirit Treasure could still unleash formidable might, it was vastly inferior to one with a master.

If it encountered a Golden Core cultivator, it might even be captured by them.

Once it fell into a cultivator's hands, it would lose its freedom.

Hua Qingzhu actually wanted to acknowledge Yu Qingyi as her new master. This had greatly exceeded Yang Zhengshan's expectations.

But the world was unpredictable. Some things simply happened in the most unexpected ways.

A heaven-sent opportunity was not difficult to understand.

As for stopping her—

What a joke. Why would Yang Zhengshan stop her?

This was a Spirit Treasure!

A true Spirit Treasure!

Yu Qingyi had formed her Core through the Martial Dao path, and her Golden Core was no different from that of a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who had formed a Core.

Her Golden Core was round and flawless, and she had also comprehended her own Dao Intent. Compared with the False Core formed using the Nine Tripod Divine Pill, it was far stronger.

However, Core Formation through the Martial Dao also had its shortcomings. The greatest flaw was that Yu Qingyi had no Natal Spiritual Artifact of her own. She had never possessed a Life-Bound Magic Treasure, so naturally she had no Natal Spiritual Artifact now either.

But if Hua Qingzhu was willing to acknowledge Yu Qingyi as her master, then Yu Qingyi's shortcoming of lacking a Natal Spiritual Artifact would be made up for. With Hua Qingzhu's full assistance on top of that, Yu Qingyi's future Dao Path could be said to be boundless.

Golden Core Peak would no longer be a distant hope, and even Half-step Entering Dao would not be out of reach.

"You can acknowledge her as your master, but you'll have to wait a little longer!" A glint flashed through Yang Zhengshan's eyes, and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Wait for what?" Hua Qingzhu asked in confusion, her expression adorably blank.

She was a Spirit of Artifact, a Spirit of Artifact that had existed for ten thousand years, yet she was as innocent as an ignorant young child.

It became clear with a little thought.

The Wanhua Demon Emperor had stayed in the Demon Ruins Land for ten thousand years and had basically never ventured outside.

Hua Qingzhu had always followed the Wanhua Demon Emperor, so naturally she had rarely gone out either.

Put simply, she had never seen the world and had lived for more than ten thousand years in vain.

"She's in seclusion. After she comes out, I'll take you to see her," Yang Zhengshan said.

Hua Qingzhu lowered her head and thought for a moment. "Okay!"

She had merely never seen the world; she was not stupid.

The circumstances were stronger than the person!

In Yang Zhengshan's hands, she had no ability to resist.

Although she could not investigate Yang Zhengshan's cultivation, she could sense that this fellow before her was not much weaker than her former master.

Faced with such a powerful existence, she did not dare to be too presumptuous.

Thus, she obediently stayed in the Pill Hall.

Yang Zhengshan was still refining pills and did not have much energy to spare for her, so he simply let her remain in the Pill Hall.

Wanhua Mountain Range.

The mighty Yin Soldier Army crossed mountain after mountain and headed south. Before long, it entered the hinterland of the Central Mountain Area, which was also the hinterland of the Wanhua Demon Court.

Faced with the terrifying Yin Soldier Army, the remaining forces of the Wanhua Demon Court could no longer hold out and fled one after another.

Li Zhuo had died, and the Blazing Phoenix Clan could only seal off their Grotto-Heaven and hide inside, not daring to come out.

After Xuan Ling narrowly escaped, he immediately led his people away.

The other demon races also fled in droves. Some escaped into the Hengshan Mountain Range, some fled to the Southern Region of the Southern Desolation Land, and others headed south all the way to the South Sea.

In just a few months, the Demon Court that had dominated the Wanhua Mountain Range had fallen apart. Countless Demonic Beasts fled in all directions like wild horses breaking free of their reins, throwing the situation within and around the Wanhua Mountain Range into even greater chaos.

The destruction of the Wanhua Demon Court naturally could not escape the notice of the various forces in the Myriad Flower Domain.

The news swept toward all directions like a sudden gale.

Emerald Lake, Myriad Beast Sect.

Wu Wei Zheng sat in a brightly lit hall. Beside him stood a white-robed, vigorous-looking man with white tiger fur growing at his temples, amber vertical pupils, and black tiger stripes spreading across the back of his hands.

This white-robed, vigorous-looking man was none other than Xiao Shan, one of the Eight Elders of the former Wanhua Demon Court and the Demon King of the Red Forehead White Tiger Clan.

Xuan Ling had once led the Wandering White Crane Clan to Emerald Lake, but later he had led them back to the Wanhua Demon Court.

Xiao Shan had also once led the Red Forehead White Tiger Clan out of the Wanhua Mountain Range. He had taken his people directly to the Southern Region of the Southern Desolation Land.

Although he later received news that the Wanhua Demon Emperor had dispatched a Treant army that repelled the Yin Soldier Army of the Wuchang Ghost Sect, he had not chosen to return to the Wanhua Demon Court.

He clearly understood that the Treant army's victory was only temporary. The Wuchang Ghost Sect would continue attacking the Wanhua Demon Court.

With the situation still unclear, he was unwilling to return.

Thus, he remained in the Southern Desolation Land. However, he had not expected that a Great Power was hiding there as well.

When Wu Wei Zheng came knocking, he had been somewhat defiant, but after Wu Wei Zheng had tormented him, he could only submit.

And so, he became the foremost general under Wu Wei Zheng.

At this moment, Wu Wei Zheng was slightly different from when Yang Zhengshan had last seen him.

Wu Wei Zheng's aura had become deeper and more unfathomable.

After awakening for more than a hundred years, his strength had basically recovered to its peak, reaching the Half-step Entering Dao level.

There was also a man in a Black Feathered Robe kneeling before Wu Wei Zheng in the hall.

"Reporting to the Great King, everything I said is true. The Yin Soldier Army had already killed its way into Li Huo Volcano. When I left, I personally saw many Yin Soldiers Rush Into Li Huo Volcano!" the man in the Black Feathered Robe said fearfully.

He was a member of the Cangming Dark Eagle Clan. However, the Demon King of the Cangming Dark Eagle Clan had already died in battle during their previous conflict with the Wuchang Ghost Sect. After their Demon King's death, the members of the Black Eagle Clan had been forced to rely on the Blazing Phoenix Clan and do some Chores for them near Li Huo Volcano.

He had not known beforehand that the Wanhua Demon Court had been defeated. But when the Yin Soldier Army charged up Li Huo Volcano, how could he not understand that the Wanhua Demon Court was finished?

Li Huo Volcano lay in the southern part of the hinterland of the Wanhua Demon Court. The Yin Soldier Army's ability to charge up Li Huo Volcano meant that it had already broken through the Wanhua Demon Court's heartland.

Fortunately, he had been quick-witted and chosen to flee the moment he saw the Yin Soldier Army.

Relying on the speed of the Black Eagle Clan, he had quickly escaped the Wanhua Mountain Range. He had not expected, however, to crash straight into Emerald Lake and be captured on the spot by a Demon King.

The person who captured him was none other than Xiao Shan.

He recounted everything he had seen and heard in meticulous detail to Wu Wei Zheng and Xiao Shan. Although Xiao Shan had been mentally prepared after hearing it, he was still utterly shocked.

The Wanhua Demon Court had been destroyed!

How was that possible?

What about the Wanhua Demon Emperor?

Xiao Shan was Surprised and Doubtful. He found the situation unbelievable while also feeling confused about the Wanhua Demon Emperor's fate.

Wu Wei Zheng, on the other hand, looked perfectly calm.

"Hua Qingshu is dead!"

"Who is Hua Qingshu?" Xiao Shan asked instinctively.

"The Wanhua Demon Emperor!" Wu Wei Zheng said indifferently.

He also knew Hua Qingshu. The two of them had been opponents in the previous Struggle for Authority. Unfortunately, they had both been newcomers in that Struggle for Authority and had been inferior to those old antiques, so they had ultimately both failed.

That was right. They had both been defeated by the Tianxian Dao Master, and the Tianxian Dao Master had not merely lived for ten thousand years. He had already survived for Over Twenty Thousand years.

Before competing for the Position of Authority, he had already spent ten thousand years cultivating in seclusion.

Ten thousand years of seclusion, ten thousand years of accumulation, ten thousand years of plotting—he had ultimately ascended to the Position of Authority through the Martial Dao.

The spread of the Martial Dao had actually begun fifteen thousand years ago. At first, the Tianxian Dao Master had not promoted the Martial Dao on a large scale, spreading it only within a limited area.

Bit by bit, gradually and steadily, it spread. Unbeknownst to anyone, after thousands of years of evolution, the Martial Dao had spread throughout nearly the entire Myriad Flower Domain and even into the Spirit Desolation Land.

By the time the others began competing for the Position of Authority, the Tianxian Dao Master had already been sitting securely like a fisherman on a watchtower.

Although some people had noticed something unusual about the Martial Dao during the Struggle for Authority, by then the Martial Dao had already spread throughout the Myriad Flower Domain and could no longer be stopped.

When the Struggle for Authority ended, the Tianxian Dao Master had ascended to the Position of Authority without the slightest surprise, becoming the new Dao Master of the Myriad Flower Domain.

At that time, Wu Wei Zheng and Hua Qingshu had both been competing for control of the Wanhua Mountain Range, and in the end, all their efforts had come to nothing.

Wu Wei Zheng had chosen to sleep in the Water Flood Dragon River, while Hua Qingshu had hidden himself in the Demon Ruins Land. Both of them were waiting for the next Struggle for Authority.

Speaking of which, Hua Qingshu had still been Wu Wei Zheng's old opponent.

Wu Wei Zheng knew very well that if he could, Hua Qingshu would absolutely never give up the Wanhua Mountain Range.

Since the Wuchang Ghost Sect had invaded the hinterland of the Wanhua Mountain Range, it meant that Hua Qingshu had already fallen.

"The Wanhua Demon Emperor is dead!" Xiao Shan cried out, his eyes widening in utter disbelief.

Wu Wei Zheng ignored him and lowered his eyes, sinking into thought.

Why had they fought over the Wanhua Mountain Range?

Because the Wanhua Mountain Range was one of the largest Spirit Veins in the Myriad Flower Domain.

The distribution of Spirit Veins in the Myriad Flower Domain followed a pattern. It was basically laid out as two horizontal lines and one vertical line: the Wanhua Mountain Range, the Hengshan Mountain Range, and the Ten Thousand Waters Vein.

The Ten Thousand Waters Vein did not refer only to the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters. It also included the vast region east of the Wilderness of Ten Thousand Waters and was a Spirit Vein centered on Water Veins.

The Spirit Veins of places such as the Yunxiao Mountain Range, the Southern Desolation Land, and the other regions could not be considered major Spirit Veins in the entire Myriad Flower Domain.

Simply put, the three largest and most important Spirit Veins in the Myriad Flower Domain were the Wanhua Mountain Range, the Hengshan Mountain Range, and the Ten Thousand Waters Vein.

The Ten Thousand Waters Vein covered the broadest area, spanning nearly half of the Central Region. The Hengshan Mountain Range came next, followed by the Wanhua Mountain Range.

It seemed that the Ten Thousand Waters Vein and the Hengshan Mountain Range were more valuable to contend for than the Wanhua Mountain Range. That was not wrong. However, the Ten Thousand Waters Vein and the Hengshan Mountain Range lay in the Central Region, where countless forces occupied the two veins. Seizing them was practically impossible.

By contrast, the Wanhua Mountain Range had only one Wanhua Demon Court and did not contain so many complicated forces. Thus, the Wanhua Mountain Range had become the focus of several Struggles for Authority.

Moreover, a Dao Master had once emerged from the Wanhua Mountain Range—the Wanhua Dao Master.

This further increased the importance of the Wanhua Mountain Range and caused many people to focus their attention on it.

It was not that whoever occupied the Wanhua Mountain Range would be able to sit in the Position of Authority. Rather, whoever occupied the Wanhua Mountain Range would have a much greater chance of winning the Struggle for Authority.

Wu Wei Zheng had also had designs on the Wanhua Mountain Range. However, he had expended too much while sleeping and needed time to recover. Hua Qingshu was in the Demon Ruins Land, and although he had rarely shown himself during those ten thousand years, he had still controlled the Wanhua Demon Court.

Therefore, after awakening, Wu Wei Zheng could only retreat and choose to leave the Wanhua Mountain Range to build up his strength.

He had originally thought that he would have a showdown with Hua Qingshu, but he had not expected Hua Qingshu to lose the Wanhua Mountain Range so quickly, and perhaps even his life.

"There are fewer than a hundred years left before it ends!"

Wu Wei Zheng thought to himself.

He would not give up. However, if he wanted to scheme for the Wanhua Mountain Range, he needed more strength.

Although he feared no one now, he had not become so arrogant as to think he could repel the Wuchang Ghost Sect by himself.

I need Helpers!

As Wu Wei Zheng pondered this, a not-quite-familiar face appeared in his mind.

It was Yang Zhengshan.