He Ping had spent forty-nine days in seclusion practicing his cultivation technique. Not only was he not exhausted, but he was also full of energy. He flew through the air at an extremely fast speed, like thunder and lightning. Even when ships passed by, those on the deck who looked up at the sky could only see a dark bolt of lightning streaking across the sky.
"Flying freely using one's own spiritual power can be considered a privilege of those who have entered the Dao realm. After entering the Dao realm, one's spiritual power is ten, nine, or even twenty times stronger than before, making flight naturally much more convenient."
The cold wind blew his long hair and black robe. After flying for several days, he finally flew from the outer sea into the inner sea near the Great You.
Having entered the inner sea from the outer sea, He Ping breathed a sigh of relief. The outer sea was the territory of the seven great clans, the three major merchant guilds, and the " Four Island Heroes " who were rumored to have close ties with the Taiyi Daoist Prefecture.
As the saying goes, even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. Even though he had already achieved enlightenment, he had no interest in directly confronting these powerful forces.
Moreover, in addition to the aforementioned forces, the three sacred cultivation sites of the Chongyang Palace, Wanqing Sect, and Xuantian Temple will also send people to the outer seas. As for the Mud Sect, compared to the outer seas of the East Sea, they focus more on the South China Sea region, but sending people over is not a difficult task for them.
Ultimately, this place is not like the Great You, where powerful and skilled individuals gather. I am outnumbered and outmatched, so there's no need for me to engage in a head-on confrontation.
The Inner Sea is different. It is the territory of the Great You Navy, the Divine Wind, Yanlong, and Fuyu Sea Kingdoms. Entering the Inner Sea will greatly improve He Ping's safety.
It should be noted that he killed a Lotus Seat Master of the Mud Sect on this trip to the Volcano Sea. " Hundred-Armed Demon Child " Xiao Wubei is no ordinary person; he is one of the most outstanding Daoist masters in the Mud Sect.
With Xiao Wubei dead, the Mud Sect will surely send people to investigate once they receive the news. He Ping is confident that he has handled this matter cleanly, and even a master of the Manifestation Realm might not be able to deduce the specific traces. However, for safety's sake, there is really no need for him to stay in the outer sea any longer.
After entering the inner sea, He Ping chose a cargo ship, secretly sneaked aboard, hid in the hold, and drifted at sea for several days before arriving at a port in the Eastern Dongli Circuit of the Great You Kingdom.
After disembarking at the port, he contacted Chixinzi again and learned that the events that had occurred on the Volcano Island had been widely discussed during this period. Various overseas forces were well-informed and, after sending people to investigate, they discovered many clues.
First, there's the Zangling of the Head-Seizing Society. His identity as a member of the Mud Sect has been exposed. All the major powers overseas know that the Mud Sect secretly supports the Head-Seizing Society and controls many corrupt practitioners. Although their intentions are not obvious, it is enough to make all the powers wary.
On the other hand, not many people knew much about what had happened in that sea area. If it was just about Head-Seizing Society wiped out. Mulberry Wood Palace, Yama Island, and Dark Ice Hollow were also severely damaged. News of the disappearance of four great masters, Zangling, Granny Sangling, Xie Shidi, and Dark Ice Old Demon, had spread widely. However, not many people knew more in-depth information.
News like " The Sanyuan Devil Palace's master was practicing a technique when the restriction was broken by an external enemy, resulting in their mutual destruction" has not been reported to this day. Even the major news of the death of a Lotus Seat Master of the Mud Sect remains unknown.
Perhaps the Mud Sect deliberately suppressed information, but if word got out about the death of " Hundred-Armed Demon Child " Xiao Wubei, it would surely cause a huge uproar in the cultivation world...
"You handled the cleanup well. Even the Mud Sect didn't have all the information, let alone outsiders. Besides, compared to what happened on your side, the attention of people from overseas will mostly be drawn to the news about ' Zhang Jiubao '..."
Chixinzi said that the most sensational news in the outer sea right now is the "resurrection" and rise of the pirate king Zhang Jiubao. It is said that he is inviting like-minded people to recruit people by using the news of the Mysterious Mysterious Palace on Nine Slaughter Island.
The three major overseas chambers of commerce did not rush to issue a "decisive order," but rather adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
Of course, Zhang Jiubao acted drastically and ruthlessly back then, and offended many enemies, including many members of Rogue Cultivator Aristocratic Clan. During this period, some powerful figures among the Rogue Cultivator in the outer sea gathered together, and several of them had a blood feud with Zhang Jiubao. While Zhang Jiubao was recruiting soldiers and selling horses, this group also formed a " Zhang-Hunting Society ", determined to take Zhang Jiubao's head.
"I've also joined up with the Azure Corpse Puppet. With me, Suli Dong, and Alejin working together, the other two were also killed and assimilated by the Azure Corpse Puppet after death..."
This was quite a thrilling story, but Chixinzi didn't say much and simply brushed it off with a few words.
The four top fighters under Nanu Zhenyu were killed by Suli Dong and Alejin. One of them was named Tudan, who was Alejin's junior brother, and the other was named Zhadana, who was Suli Le's half-brother.
However, once anyone is assimilated by the Azure Corpse Puppet, they lose all sense of morality, righteousness, and shame. Just like those killed by the fierce tiger, who become cousins after death, those assimilated by the Azure Corpse Puppet are like cousins, lacking the human nature they had in life. Even their closest relatives and friends show no kindness or kinship.
"Furthermore, Nanu Zhenyu also contacted these four people through the Secret Method of the Sutuoluo Clan, asking if they had found any clues. As you instructed before, I had the four people pin the matter on that ' Zhang Jiubao.' Nanu Zhenyu didn't seem too suspicious, but simply ordered us to investigate ' Zhang Jiubao ' and find out if he really had any information about the Mysterious Mysterious Palace..."
Chixinzi then informed him of this step.
"Didn't Nanu Zhenyu notice the flaw?"
He Ping suddenly thought, "That's right. Unless he comes here in person, he can't possibly see through the Green Corpse Secret Demon Puppet's methods from such a distance. Well, this is a good opportunity. You can send these four people to investigate ' Zhang Jiubao's' information and find an opportunity to kill them all at that person's hands. This strategy of diverting the trouble eastward can be said to be foolproof."
He was very thoughtful. After a moment's thought, he devised a wicked plan to pin the blame directly on the powerful " Zhang Jiubao."
"If the Mysterious Mysterious Palace on Nine Slaughter Island truly appears, the Primordial Unity Sect Initiation Method of the Hunyuan Sect, the < Heaven-Mending Furnace >, will inevitably appear sooner or later. Although this Primordial Unity Sect's inheritance is quite unique. If one could obtain it, even just taking the opportunity to comprehend a fraction of it would surely be beneficial. Moreover, a complete and flawless Primordial Dao Initiation Method is extremely valuable in the cultivation world; even trading it would be a very profitable endeavor."
If He Ping were willing to sell the inheritance of the Sanyuan Devil Palace, and if he found the right buyer, the deal would be extremely profitable.
Unfortunately, the true path to enlightenment is essentially priceless and unavailable for purchase. If it falls into the hands of any powerful force, it could potentially alter the landscape of the cultivation world.
To give a simple example, if such an opportunity were to benefit the Mud Sect or a certain cultivation sect, their strength could increase dramatically, and they could become powerful overnight. Conversely, other cultivation sects would never have the chance to grow stronger, and wouldn't such behavior incur resentment? Therefore, it is clear that selling a copy of the orthodox method of entering the Dao is undoubtedly a path to death!
He Ping would never have such a foolish idea. Even if he were willing to give this inheritance to a certain cultivation sect, the best way for them to ensure that nothing goes wrong would be to kill him the next second and ensure that the information is not leaked by killing him to cover it up.
He left the port, and after nightfall, he summoned Paper Sedan and traveled discreetly.
After all, this was within the Great You territory, and he dared not fly through the air in a blatant manner. Without exception, all cultivators within the Great You territory acted with extreme caution, fearing that their identities would be discovered by the government.
He Ping was indeed a master cultivator, but he was unwilling to directly confront the government forces. The Great You realm still possessed a very strong foundation, and few in the cultivation world were willing to directly challenge its power.
After a long journey, he finally returned to the Mi Mansion's old lair in Longhe County.
Back in the familiar secret room, He Ping felt relieved; the familiar environment made him feel extremely comfortable.
"In just over three months, I achieved my goal, laying the foundation for the Dao from the ' Seeking the Dao ' stage, and finally advancing to the 'Entering the Dao' level, which can be considered as making up for years of hard work..."
He Ping felt that the pressure he had been under for so long, the feeling that was almost like being shackled, had dissipated considerably.
For the past few years, he had been deeply worried about the depletion of his lifespan. After entering the Dao, the hidden dangers in his body were completely eliminated, and half of the hidden tricks of Wu Yousheng of the Immortal Puppet Sect were also cleared away.
"Next, if we find the third 'person' and seize the other scroll of the < Formless Secret Codex >, we will be able to obtain more secrets of the Immortal Puppet Sect and learn more about Wu Yousheng's intentions!"
After advancing to the Dao, He Ping felt an almost intuitive emotion: Wuyou Wu Yousheng would inevitably be detrimental to him because he had taken a different approach, bypassing the Five Oaths of the Puppet Sect in the < Formless Secret Codex >, and thus achieved the Dao.
This is tantamount to disrupting Wu Yousheng's plan. If before, one was merely an object of Wu Yousheng's schemes, now one has become the "enemy" who ruined his plans...
"However, I have no idea how high Wu Yousheng level is. He is too mysterious and hides it too well. As for the future, I can only wait and see..."
Advancing to the Dao stage doesn't mean one can rest easy. After reaching this level, He Ping increasingly realized that the Manifestation of Divinity realm above the Dao stage is probably worlds apart from his current Dao stage. To fight against Wu Yousheng, he was still powerless at this moment.
He Ping felt a little worried, but he quickly suppressed these thoughts.
"The more this is the case, the more we must remain rational and Wu Yousheng carry out our plans. Five Oaths of the Puppet Sect ' can be said to have broken his flawless, perfectionist characteristics!"
--A glimpse through a tube reveals only a part of the whole picture.
He Ping could tell from some clues that Wu Yousheng was probably a "perfectionist".
He probably doesn't like it when there are flaws in his work, unless they are traces he deliberately left.
"Thinking about it carefully, I realize that my journey to where I am today is due to too many fortuitous opportunity. A slight misstep could have led to an abyss of Ten Thousand Calamities. Even if Wuyou Sheng had Wu Yousheng abilities, he might not have been able to arrange everything perfectly, because there are simply too many variables involved, like a tangled mess of threads, far too complicated."
He Ping composed himself, secluded himself in Japan to adjust his state, and in the following days, he transformed back into the young master of the Mi Family.
This young master of the Mi Family has been quite idle lately. Besides drinking tea and watching plays, he spends his days checking the accounts of the family's shops.
However, after he had some free time, he heard from the steward He Fusheng that a series of murders had recently occurred in Longhe County, causing He Zhongheng and the people in the county government to be extremely busy and overwhelmed every day.
"Serial murder case?"
He Ping asked in surprise.
"Who dares to cause trouble on our turf...?"