What Secrets Was the Black Moon Sacred Land Hiding?

Within a virtual space Monster Race, in a cluster of palaces nestled among towering peaks.

The Lord of the Youmo Master looked coldly at the Universe Venerable, a creature in the form of a bluish-black fish-bird with wings on its back and fins on its belly, below the steps, and asked, "Are you sure? That old ghost Kuishen's Ancestral God Stele is the inheritance of the Suolun Master? And that genius of the Luoxiao Race obtained it?"

"This message came from Venerable Wuhe of the Prison Race," Venerable Fish-Bird said respectfully. "I think the Prison Race intentionally spread this message."

"The geniuses of the Luoxiao Race will definitely try to obtain the Origin Heart. Could it be that the Prison Race suffered a loss?" The Youmo Master said coldly, "No wonder! The Prison Race must have had doubts about the Ancestral God Stele long ago, which is why they tried so hard to win over Kuishen Venerable. But they never expected that after Kuishen Venerable betrayed our Monster Race Alliance, he would instead side with the Human Race, allowing humans to benefit."

The Venerable, in his fish-bird form, asked, "Should we raise the ranking of that Luoxiao Race genius named Chiling?"

The Youmo Master snorted, "What's the use of just raising his ranking? Does being ranked higher mean you can get rid of him?"

The Monster Race has a ranking of human geniuses they want to assassinate; previously, the top two were King Mengsui and Seven Sword King.

After Jiang Yao passed through the Primal Heaven-Reaching Mountain, which was at the Domain Lord level, the Monster Race gave Jiang Yao the first place and quickly devised an assassination plan.

Chiling, on the other hand, ranked fifth.

"Then let's put him in second place for now," said the Youmo Master. "After all, it's the inheritance of the Suolun Master, which is definitely stronger than the inheritances obtained by the King Mengsui and the Seven Sword King. It's not an exaggeration to rank him first. It seems that Jiang Yao has never obtained any powerful inheritances? Hmph, humans are lucky. They've produced the King Mengsui and the Seven Sword King one after another, and now two more geniuses have emerged."

"I will report the matter of the Ancestral God Stele to the Demon Ancestor. As for Chiling, we'll deal with him after he leaves the Giant Axe Secret Realm. Humanity's higher-ups will definitely value such a genius highly. Our operations within Human Territory are far inferior to those of the Zerg. Pointless assassination attempts are meaningless. Let's deal with Jiang Yao first. Besides, we don't even need to lift a finger. The Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance is definitely more anxious than we are. If we provoke those beasts, humanity will have a headache."

The Youmo Master Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance had always maintained neutrality among the Four Peak Races, not getting involved in the struggles between the top races and other super powers, and its status was quite transcendent. However, the inheritance of the Suolun Master would definitely stimulate the nerves of these behemoths.

A vast starry sky, filled with countless spatial vortexes, with an endless vortex surrounding a majestic mountain range several light-years high at its center.

Powerful auras surged from the pitch-black mountains, reaching straight into the starry sky, with occasionally some colossal beasts of various shapes flying among them.

On the mountain, people built one huge temple after another.

Inside one of the incredibly majestic palaces, adorned with countless reliefs of Huisuo Behemoth, a strange, ape-like creature, entirely blue in color, lay reclining in the center.

Its eyes suddenly opened, and endless lightning flickered within its pupils. Surrounding the pupils was a vortex of time, as if every second was a process of the birth and death of a lightning universe.

"Greetings, Jinyuan Master." A Venerable the Huisuo Behemoth rushed in and bowed respectfully with a somewhat anxious expression.

The strange behemoth sat up, looked down, and slowly said, "Qinglin, what is it?"

Venerable Qinglin hurriedly said, "I just received news that the 'Ancestral God Stele' that Kuishen Venerable obtained in the Treasure Land the Ancestral God Sect is none other than the Beast God Weapon 'Lieque' of the Lord of Suolun Master! And the inheritance within has already been obtained by a genius of the Luoxiao Race!"

"What?"

The powerful voice made Venerable Qinglin feel his blood tremble.

The Jinyuan Master suddenly opened his eyes wide, and spacetime within the hall trembled.

"The Ancestral God Stele Lieque... where did you get this information?"

Venerable Qinglin hurriedly said, "It's news from the Prison Race. The other super powers should know about it by now."

"The Kuishen Venerable... the Luoxiao Race..." The Jinyuan Master murmured twice, "So that's how it is. Where is that Luoxiao Race genius?"

Venerable Qinglin's expression was solemn. "The Luoxiao Race has long been a subordinate race of humanity. That Luoxiao Race genius is named Chiling. He has been taken in as a disciple by the Virtual Gold Master. News has come from the Prison Race that he has obtained the Origin Heart, and there are no longer any obstacles on his path to immortality. The Virtual Gold Master will definitely take him in as a personal disciple."

"Virtual Gold Master." The Jinyuan Master's pupils constricted slightly. "This is troublesome."

The Virtual Gold Master is about the same strength as him, both being fourth-tier Universe Master. The Jinyuan Master is not afraid of him, but the Virtual Gold Master is backed by the Giant Axe Founder. As a pillar of a peak race, the Virtual Gold Master's disciple is definitely not someone that can be easily provoked or manipulated by just anyone.

The Jinyuan Master's pupils thundered, and he coldly said, "The Progenitor is in the Universe Ocean. I will find a way to report this matter to the Progenitor as soon as possible, but the Suolun Master's Beast God Weapon and its inheritance must be retrieved."

Venerable Qinglin also showed an expression of agreement.

The once-powerful lineage of the Huisuo Behemoth surpassed even the Golden Horned Beast and the Qiuhe Behemoth, making it the strongest lineage in the Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance. The Suolun Master was also superior to the Golden Horn Master, making him a true Fifth Order Peak Universe Master. Furthermore, he had a close relationship with the Three Ancestor Gods of the Ancestral God Sect.

For countless years, the Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance, especially the Huisuo Behemoth lineage, has never given up sending outstanding geniuses to the Ancestral God Sect's Treasure Land or the Ancestral God Secret Realm to search for the inheritance of the Suolun Master, especially the "Liesuo Plate," which was once the symbol of the supreme authority of the Huisuo Behemoth lineage.

However, no one expected that the Suolun Master would disguise his Beast God Weapon as a stone tablet, which had already been found by Kuishen Venerable and taken away openly under the name of "Ancestral God Stele".

The Starry Sky Behemoth Alliance, especially the Huisuo Behemoth lineage, absolutely cannot tolerate the Suolun Master's Beast God Weapon and its inheritance falling into the hands of other forces.

While the major powers of the Primal Universe were in an uproar over the inheritance of the Suolun Master, Jiang Yao had already put these matters behind him. He teleported directly from the manor to Xingyao Island Xuanshang Branch of the Virtual Universe Company.

Marquis Qiyu, who was in charge of the Commerce Department, Marquis Jinwu, who was in charge of the Ministry of the Military Department, and Bibo Marquis, who was in charge of the Ministry of the Military Department, were all gathered together.

"Your Prince Jiang Yao, the detailed investigation results you requested regarding the slave trade in the Black Moon Sacred Land are in order," Marquis Qi Yu said with a smile. "Our Virtual Universe Company's Commerce Department controls the economic lifeline of the Xuanshang Universe Country. Although we are not involved in the slave trade, no matter how secretive a business transaction is within the Universe Country, it cannot escape the investigation of our intelligence system."

Jiang Yao picked up the documents handed to him by Marquis Qiyu and asked curiously, "Is there really something fishy about the slave trade in the Black Moon Sacred Land?"

Although he asked this question, Jiang Yao already had a judgment in his mind. Could the Highest Points Mission given to him by the Virtual Universe Company be set arbitrarily? The slave trade has always been in a gray area. Perhaps due to the needs of resource allocation and intra-tribal competition, slaves are tacitly allowed to exist. However, many aspects of the slave trade can easily violate the laws of the Universe Country and even the rules of the Virtual Universe Company. It's just a matter of whether or not it will be investigated.

Marquis Qiyu laughed and said, "As Your Highness expected, the Black Moon Sacred Land does indeed operate some businesses that do not comply with the laws of the Universe Country. The Black Moon Sacred Land mainly focuses on raising and breeding slaves. Among them, a small number of slaves are not traded through the slave market or other formal channels, but exist as ornamental or competitive slaves to attract cosmic warriors or some noble clan scions to watch."

"Competitive slaves?" Jiang Yao frowned.

The Cyclops -like Marquis Jinwu picked up the conversation, saying, "It's about participating in some killing games or Life-and-Death Battle. For example, thousands of slaves are gathered in a Killing Field and made to kill each other to determine the last survivor. Or it's like a 'life-or- Life-and-Death Battle's that imitates the Giant Axe Coliseum, where slaves duel to determine the winner."

Bibo Hou snorted lightly, "Some people just have this kind of hobby, and there are even quite a few Immortal God among them. It's utterly boring."

Jiang Yao nodded to indicate that he understood. This was not uncommon. There were gladiatorial arenas on the ancient Earth before he transmigrated here, and many nobles enjoyed watching duels between slaves, or even slaves fighting wild beasts.

However, whether before or after his transmigration, the living environment within the Lingtong Race was relatively peaceful and civilized. Even battles were conducted in the Virtual Universe Network, posing no danger to life. It was only after Jiuyuan's fall that the Lingtong Race's situation became difficult.

Therefore, the concepts established by Jiang Yao over two generations have not been dissolved, but rather reinforced. He cannot accept the living environment and way of life of the Prison Race.

Moreover, because many members of the Lingtong Race had experienced the tragic fate of becoming slaves during the stalemate and battle with the Four Sacred Lands after the fall of Jiuyuan, Jiang Yao was very disgusted by the slave trade and found it even more difficult to accept cruel forms of killing like the "Killing Game".

Marquis Jinwu said heartily, "Does Your Highness intend to punish the Black Moon Sacred Land? Hehe, the God Lord Huono of the Black Moon Sacred Land, Hono, is no simple man. I haven't stretched my muscles in a long time. If Your Highness wishes to punish the Black Moon Sacred Land, I will lead an army to escort you directly to the Shewolf Starfield, capture Huono, and the charges on the investigation report will be enough to imprison him in the Star Domain Prison for thousands of epochs."

Jiang Yao silently looked at the records in the investigation report. The slaves involved in the "killing game" and "life-or-death duel" were basically Planetary Level or stellar level, and their numbers were not "large"—not at the level of billions or tens of billions. They mainly attracted some cosmic merchants, cosmic warriors, or scions of powerful forces to watch.

Unless the Virtual Universe Company directly grants him the authority to judge, sentencing the high-ranking officials of the Black Moon Sacred Land and the God Lord Huono to a Star Domain Prison spanning thousands of epochs would already be a severe punishment.

Of course, punishment is necessary. Jiang Yao knows that he cannot change many things he disapproves of, such as the slave trade, and cannot save all slaves. But when he encounters such gray and black areas that violate the laws of the Universe Country, he will not turn a blind eye. He will punish one if he can and save one if he can.

Jiang Yao initiated synchronous transmission across the Virtual Universe Network.

"Should we send the investigation report?"

"Once the investigation report is delivered, the first stage of the mission will be considered complete. The completion rating will be based on the content of the investigation report, and the second stage of the mission will be unlocked."

Jiang Yao was somewhat surprised. Simply sending out the investigation report was considered as completing the first stage of the mission? And it would directly unlock the second stage of the points mission? This was too easy.

He was about to upload the investigation report when he suddenly stopped.

Noticing Jiang Yao suddenly pause while holding the investigation report, Marquis Qiyu asked somewhat nervously, "Is there a problem?"

"Why does the Black Moon Sacred Land have so many Planetary Level slaves?" Jiang Yao asked, somewhat puzzled. "There are indeed many Planetary Level slaves on the market, but the Black Moon Sacred Land is the ruler of a vast star field. Why would they care about the trade value of Planetary Level slaves?"

Although Planetary Level and even Apprentice Level slaves are the most numerous in the slave market, the largest transactions are mainly involving stellar-level and cosmic-level slaves. Planetary Level slaves are not even considered cannon fodder in any slightly powerful force. The value of one hundred million Planetary Level slaves is less than one hundred thousand Universe Coin, and the profit is even more meager.

The Black Moon Sacred Land is the sole ruler of the Shewolf Starfield. Its strength and influence are equivalent to the combined strength of the six Sacred Land of the Kasolo Empire. The Planetary Level slave trade doesn't even consider such Sacred Land, let alone the Longshan Company, which was once a mortal enemy of the Yanhe Branch and only had Domain Lord- level expert in charge.

Marquis Qiyu laughed and said, "Your Highness, many forces buy Planetary Level slaves as servants. There are many well-trained, beautiful, and handsome Planetary Level slaves whose prices are actually quite high."

Jiang Yao thought to himself, "Something's not right, there's a problem."

He nodded calmly, but remained composed, and said with a light smile, "I am very satisfied with this investigation report. Thank you for your hard work, all three of you. I'll treat you to drinks another day. I have some matters to attend to within the clan, so I must take my leave now."

As Jiang Yao watched Jiang Yao leave Xingyao Island, his Marquis Qiyu suddenly darkened.

"He doesn't believe this investigation," the tallest of the three, Jin Wuhou, said quietly. "The investigation into the Black Moon Sacred Land is most likely just a points-earning mission for him."

Marquis Qiyu narrowed his eyes and said, "So what if it's a points-based mission? Points-based missions don't require 100% completion, and besides, they don't test 100% completion. Moreover, as the personal disciple of the Chaos City Lord, does Jiang Yao lack a few tens of thousands of points?"

Marquis Bibo sighed softly, "I'm afraid he might get serious."

"Seriously? Does he intend to investigate himself?" Marquis Qiyu scoffed. "You all know who Huono is. What could he possibly find out?"

Jin Wuhou said, "He can ask the army to cooperate. With a large army pressing in, how can Huono resist?"

Marquis Qiyu sneered, "So what if he doesn't resist? In the end, all they can find out is what's in the investigation report. Does he think he can actually enter Huono's God Kingdom to find out the truth? I hope he understands what it means to know when to stop. Only when everyone is happy can there be peace in the world. Otherwise, even if he is the personal disciple of the Chaos City Lord, he may not have a good ending. I don't believe that the points task the company gave him was just to let him cause a big mess."

Inside the Yuxiang Mountain, Jiang Yao lightly tapped his fingers on the table.

"Could it be that the Black Moon Sacred Land is really hiding some secret?" He could clearly sense that the three leaders of the Xuanshang Branch were covering something up.

Jiang Yao wasn't incapable of blending in with the crowd, and he never intended to cause trouble for the three giants of Xuanshang Branch. However, not actively seeking trouble didn't mean he was willing to be fooled.

Moreover, he truly abhorred the slave trade. If the Black Moon Sacred Land harbored even greater evils, such as the heinous crimes committed by the Blood Demon King's subordinates that Luo Feng faced during the points mission in the original work, Jiang Yao could not turn a blind eye, either from a moral or emotional standpoint.

"It seems we really need to explore this Black Moon Sacred Land."