Han Dynasty Territory.
Heaven Gate Headquarters.
The moment Di Shitian completed his closed-door cultivation, he immediately saw the ranking in the sky.
Especially when he saw the information about the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land.
His expression instantly changed.
"Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land, it's actually the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land!"
"This god has finally found traces of you!"
"Damn it. If this god finds you, I will tear you into pieces!"
From Di Shitian's furious words, it seemed that there was an immense hatred between him and the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land.
As an old God Demon Realm cultivator, for him to be this furious and yet helpless showed just how terrifying the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land was.
"Greetings, God!"
Luo Xian stepped forward and saluted with "respect".
"Luo Xian, immediately send someone to the Ming Dynasty to look for clues about Shi Guanyin!"
"This god must find out where the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land behind her is located!"
"This god must destroy someone from that place!"
"God, if we enter the Ming Dynasty, we will certainly be detected by the Dark Guard. If we alert the Ming Emperor, it will only harm us."
"Moreover, the Ming Empress Wu Zhao will never let go of anyone we send in."
"Hmph. Tell them to be more careful!"
"This god only wants the results. The process is not within my concern."
"If they get caught, it only proves their incompetence. They deserve to die!"
"Just keep sending people. This god's forces lack many things, but not talent!"
"Let them kill as many as they can. This god won't feel even a shred of pain!"
At this point, Di Shitian burst out laughing.
Luo Xian below felt a chill in her heart.
At the same time, she accelerated her plans against this madman.
She already saw Heaven Gate as the private property of the Ming Emperor Zhu Houzhao.
She could not allow Di Shitian's madness to cause heavy losses to the Heaven Gate.
She still wanted to use Heaven Gate, this massive force, to gain more attention and favor from her new master!
==========
Han Dynasty.
Stitched Cloth Guard Headquarters.
The Longevity Immortal God was also keeping close attention to the ranking.
Although the Buddhist Immortal Ranking had little to do with him.
Everyone ranked on the Nine Provinces Golden Ranking was a formidable individual.
They could become his enemies in the future.
He had to make preparations.
So as not to be caught off guard when the time came.
The name Shi Guanyin was not too familiar to him.
But when the name Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land appeared.
He was shocked.
He had once encountered a true member of the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land.
What made him despair the most was that he had been instantly defeated by a high monk from that place.
Compared to being schemed against by the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal Su Yi and Demon Lord Bai Suzhen together, this was even more humiliating and hopeless.
That person was one of the darkest shadows in his past.
Unfortunately, he had always wanted revenge.
But he couldn't even deal with the Demon Lord and the Azure Lotus Sword Immortal.
Let alone that mysterious high monk who left a psychological scar on him.
Not to mention the even more terrifying Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land. He was not qualified to challenge it.
So many years had passed that he had already given up the idea of being their enemy.
Furthermore, they hadn't appeared in the Nine Provinces Martial World for years.
He subconsciously ignored or even forgot about them.
Now, the Buddhist Immortal Ranking brought back all those unbearable memories.
"Since this god has temporarily joined the Stitched Cloth Guard, why not use them to resolve my inner demon?"
"If they want to use this god, then naturally they must pay a price."
Although the Longevity Immortal God had temporarily joined the Stitched Cloth Guard, he never truly felt any sense of belonging.
If he could use them to eliminate a major threat, even better.
At that moment.
A terrifying aura erupted from not far within the base.
An aura not the slightest bit weaker than his own.
God Demon Realm!
From what the Longevity Immortal God knew, there were definitely more than one God Demon Realm cultivator here.
This showed just how fearsome the foundation of the Stitched Cloth Guard was.
This was also why he stayed and pretended to cooperate with them.
"Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land, you've finally revealed yourselves."
"This one has searched for you for so many years and finally found you!"
"Hahaha..."
The crazed and deeply repressed voice of fury echoed.
It seemed that this God Demon Realm cultivator also had quite a history with the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land.
To make a God Demon Realm cultivator lose composure like that, they must have left an immense scar in his heart.
The hatred between them was far beyond what the Longevity Immortal God had imagined.
He didn't show it on the surface, but inwardly he was thrilled.
Looks like he wouldn't need to say anything. The Stitched Cloth Guard would make their move on their own.
Since that was the case, why not fan the flames from the shadows?
If possible, he wouldn't mind taking advantage of the situation.
The Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land and the Stitched Cloth Guard were both his enemies. A mutual destruction would be perfect.
Saves him the trouble of acting himself!
==========
Ming Dynasty.
In the capital, within a refined and elegant courtyard.
At the moment.
Zhu Houzhao was sitting with a stunningly beautiful woman with unmatched grace.
"Demon Lord, since you're finally in the Ming Dynasty, aren't you going to visit Xue Yuan?"
"If she finds out, she will surely be heartbroken!"
"Heartbroken?"
"I doubt it. She's probably having the time of her life, unable to tear herself away!"
"She might have even forgotten she's the Palace Master of Divine Search Palace by now!"
"You've truly become more impressive over the years!"
"Xue Yuan's heart is probably entirely on you now. There's no space left for anything else."
"I'd rather not make a fool of myself."
Demon Lord Bai Suzhen shook her head and sighed.
This time, she didn't come to visit Xue Yuan, but to meet Zhu Houzhao directly.
To ask how to deal with the Longevity Immortal God.
Should they kill him? Capture him? Or ignore him?
But before she could ask, she suddenly thought of the Buddhist Immortal Ranking.
A new doubt arose in her heart.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land? Do you know anything about it?"
Zhu Houzhao raised an eyebrow and asked calmly:
"Demon Lord, why do you ask?"
"With how I know you, any matter within the Ming Dynasty's borders would surely trigger your highest alert."
"That Shi Guanyin has a cultivation of the Great Perfection Heavenly Human Realm and could advance to the Mythical Realm at any time."
"With a cultivator like that, there's no way you wouldn't keep an eye on her."
"You definitely would've investigated her background thoroughly."
"Others might be able to hide it, but you absolutely can't."
"She is from the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land. How could that escape your notice?"
"Hehe."
Zhu Houzhao chuckled without confirming or denying.
He simply drank his tea in silence.
"What? Do you have a grudge with the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land?"
"Not exactly a grudge. But the person I've been searching for all these years is in the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land!"
"If I want to advance from the God Demon Realm to the Sage realm, I must resolve my matter with him."
"Perhaps a battle is inevitable."
"Of course, it's not a life-and-death hatred. Just a battle to test our martial paths!"
"Whether I win or lose, my inner knot will be resolved!"
Zhu Houzhao was slightly surprised to hear this.
There were only a few God Demon Realm beings in the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land, and one had a past with the Demon Lord?
Since it wasn't a deadly feud, he didn't wish to interfere.
"For you to value him so highly, he must definitely be God Demon Realm. I assume he could rank in the top three on the Buddhist Immortal Ranking?"
"He is at least stronger than me. The top three should be no problem!"
"Can you tell me where the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land is located?"
"Others might not find it, but someone like you surely knows!"
"Hehe, I do know, but I can't tell you!"
"You'll have to investigate on your own!"
"Also, I know the Founder of Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land. We made a promise long ago."
"Otherwise, do you think I would allow them to influence people in the Ming Dynasty?"
The Demon Lord was shocked.
Her understanding of the unfathomable depth of the Ming Emperor grew even stronger.
That's right!
The Azure Lotus Sword Immortal she once knew was merely one of the Ming Emperor's avatars.
Perhaps no one in the entire Nine Provinces could truly see through him!
Compared to the Ming Emperor before her, even the Founder of Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land likely wouldn't dare act recklessly!
She even guessed that between the two, Zhu Houzhao was the dominant one.
Otherwise, with his personality, he wouldn't be so kind and patient.
"Very well. I will handle the matter of the Heavenly Buddha Ancestral Land myself."
"This time, I came to the Ming Dynasty mainly to ask how you plan to deal with the Divine Search Palace."
"What is your stance on the Longevity Immortal God?"
"Kill, capture, or ignore?"
"Sigh, such trivial matters. Handle them yourself."
"A mere Longevity Immortal God? I've never paid him any mind!"
"If he were truly that dangerous, how could he still be alive today?"
"As for the Divine Search Palace? Hehe, without you, the Longevity Immortal God, and Xue Yuan, how is it any different from an ordinary force?"
"It's only because of you three that I give it some attention."
"Otherwise, it wouldn't even be worth a glance!"
Hearing this, the Demon Lord was stunned.
Her feelings were mixed.
She didn't know whether to feel pleased or disheartened.
"Aren't your standards a bit too high?"
"At the very least, the Divine Search Palace still has several promising Heavenly Human Realm cultivators."
"Do they not even catch your eye?"
"Unruly, lacking temperament, and unfit for greatness!"
"They might work as cannon fodder, but nothing more!"
"What I lack are true talents, not cannon fodder!"
"Those I favor, even if lacking in strength, I can personally nurture them into something far beyond mere cannon fodder!"
"So clearly, you'd best keep the Divine Search Palace to yourself!"
"As for the Longevity Immortal God, no matter how he runs, he cannot escape my grasp!"
"He thinks hiding under the Stitched Cloth Guard, or should I say Black Cloth Guard, means he's safe?"
"How laughable!"
Zhu Houzhao was utterly scornful.
He hadn't considered the Longevity Immortal God a threat years ago.
And even less so now.
He hadn't killed him yet because it wasn't necessary. He posed no threat to the Ming Dynasty.
More importantly, for now, the Longevity Immortal God was just a spare piece in Zhu Houzhao's hand.
Useful if needed. If not, easily discarded!
Of course, the Demon Lord Bai Suzhen knew none of this.
However, from this conversation, she understood deeply.
The Azure Lotus Sword Immortal, no, the Ming Emperor, had become countless times more terrifying than when they first met!
She made a firm decision in her heart.
No matter what happened in the future, she would never be his enemy.