Great Yan General's Mansion.
An incredulous voice rang out:
"What did you say? The Demonic Sect headquarters was completely wiped out?"
The Great Yan General looked at the middle-aged man clad in armor before him, revealing the most unguarded expression he had ever shown.
The middle-aged man's eyes were also filled with shock. Upon receiving the news, he had rushed over immediately:
"General, a few days ago, some mysterious intelligence arrived here. It contained detailed information about the Demonic Sect, including the locations of several secret branches and the deployment of their elite fighters."
"At first, I thought it was a trap set by the Demonic Sect. But the information was too detailed to be fake, so I decided to take a chance and launched a siege on one of the branches."
"To my utter surprise, the information was true! The Demonic Sect's experts at that branch were caught completely off guard, unable to react."
"Therefore, I launched an immediate operation overnight, coordinating with others according to that information. In the end, we captured several key figures of the Demonic Sect."
He swallowed several times, the disbelief in his eyes growing even stronger.
"After interrogation, I learned that the Demonic Sect headquarters is actually located in the Ten Thousand Flames Cavern. The strangest thing is that the entire cavern was wiped out! This is not just hearsay from Demonic Sect members—I personally went to investigate and found undeniable traces of a fierce battle. What the Demonic Sect said was true!"
The middle-aged man finished speaking in one breath, looking relieved.
He had originally planned to keep this information under wraps temporarily and report to the Great Yan General only after achieving great merit.
But he never expected that while digging deeper, the Demonic Sect headquarters would be completely destroyed.
This was more than he could handle.
The pavilion was silent.
After a long moment, the Great Yan General exhaled slowly, suppressing the myriad of speculations in his heart.
His gaze grew deep:
"From this, it seems the source of the intelligence and the force that wiped out the Demonic Sect headquarters must be the same faction."
"But who could it be?"
He felt an inexplicable unease.
This matter was truly extraordinary.
The Demonic Sect had been entangled with Great Yan for many years without being wiped out; one of the main reasons was that the location of their headquarters was always kept secret. Yet now, it was wiped out silently by this mysterious force. Such methods and strength made him uneasy. This meant that beneath the land of Great Yan, there was an unknown power beyond the dynasty's control.
The middle-aged man cautiously said:
"I do have a guess."
The Great Yan General raised an eyebrow. The middle-aged man continued:
"Elder Wind-listening, ranked first on the Heaven-Man List! He is always elusive and leaves without a trace. If there is anyone in the world who can do this, it would be him. If someone else were sending me information, I would likely have noticed."
The Great Yan General immediately shook his head:
"Absolutely impossible, unless... Elder Wind-listening has already reached the Martial Sage Realm. The Demonic Sect's power is not to be underestimated. They possess Martial Sage-grade treasures, which the Heaven-Man Realm cannot contend with. This operation to wipe out their headquarters likely involved more than one person. Either someone with Martial Sage-level strength, or a group of Heaven-Man Realm experts at peak cultivation."
"Either way, none can be underestimated!"
He sighed deeply.
"Keep a close watch on this matter. Search covertly for the identity of this mysterious force, but do not show hostility. If there is any news about them, notify me immediately!"
The middle-aged man straightened with renewed spirit:
"Yes, General!"
The Great Yan General pondered for a moment:
"However, this mysterious force striking and crippling the Demonic Sect is a good thing. At least this persistent thorn will be removed. Now the Southern Alliance is struggling alone and will surely not dare to stir up trouble. The pressure will be less from now on."
He had been under great pressure since the Martial Sage of Great Yan had not responded. Now there was finally some good news.
The middle-aged man nodded in agreement, but then said:
"However... according to some Demonic Sect core members who shouted defiantly, it seems there is still a sect leader outside. The Sacred Pill method is also with that Demonic Sect leader."
The Great Yan General narrowed his eyes and waved his hand:
"No matter. Just keep a close watch. Without the Demonic Sect's support, one sect leader alone cannot cause much trouble. Your next task is to take advantage of this opportunity to nail the Demonic Sect down once and for all, so this sticky problem will not resurrect again."
"Yes, General!"
Amidst the ignorance of most people, turbulent undercurrents stirred within Great Yan territory.
Although the Demonic Sect's top fighters suffered heavy casualties, its branches were deeply entrenched and had infiltrated various parts of Great Yan. Cleaning them out would not be easy.
Of course, the Zhenwu Sect knew the truth about everything and knew exactly who the mysterious force was.
But they only pretended not to know and silently cooperated with the imperial court's actions.
…
Seeking Dao Courtyard.
Ning Qi was absorbing the spoils from the Demonic Sect headquarters.
Several items floated before him:
Blood Demon Flower, Heavenly Net Vine, Mysterious Sun Crystal.
They corresponded to the Essence Flower, Qi Flower, and Spirit Flower respectively.
If others used them, it might be a half-hearted attempt. Due to the different medicinal strengths of the three, there would be considerable waste. After all, cultivating the three flowers simultaneously requires balanced progress—not necessarily perfectly synchronized, but not too disparate either.
However, Ning Qi possessed unparalleled pill-refining skills and naturally aimed to maximize the use of these treasures.
He closed his eyes and calmed his breath.
Then he extended his hand to summon thunder, refining the medicine with heavenly lightning.
Qi force transformed into surging flames, stronger than many rare natural fires.
Every step was a delight to watch, as if perfect and natural. The only onlooker was the White Ape, who had been following Ning Qi's pill refining teachings since the year before last and was now somewhat accomplished. Ning Qi always let him watch whenever he opened the furnace to refine important pills.
The White Ape's eyes shone with admiration.
After an hour passed, the furnace opened and the pills were complete.
Ning Qi felt relaxed and content.
He looked at the twelve pale purple pills in the furnace, satisfaction shining in his eyes. The pill fragrance filled the courtyard; if he hadn't contained it, the scent would have drifted outside. Furthermore, when the pills were completed, a faint phenomenon appeared, as if the power of heaven and earth roared.
There was no doubt.
These were the highest-grade pills Ning Qi had ever refined.
"These pills can be called 'Heaven-Penetrating Pills,' intended to clear the path to the Heaven-Man Realm!"
Ning Qi felt a bit sentimental.
Sometimes external aids could greatly shorten cultivation time. He thought if he had gone down the mountain for experience right after establishing his cultivation, traveling and seeking treasures along the way, perhaps his strength now would be greater.
But he did not regret it.
Going down the mountain was risky and might have led to an early demise. Staying on the mountain to cultivate steadily and steadily improving aligned better with his path.
He picked up one Heaven-Penetrating Pill and examined it carefully.
The Blood Demon Flower and other herbs were truly rare treasures, hard to find in the world. Obtaining even one could greatly aid the Heaven-Man Realm cultivators, not to mention the blend refined by Ning Qi's pillcraft essence.
The Demonic Sect's many Heaven-Man Realm experts were closely related to the Blood Demon Flower, but the flower primarily cultivated Heaven-Man Realm experts specialized in the Essence Flower. Ning Qi had discovered the Blood Demon Flower's cultivation method in ancient texts. It went against natural harmony, one reason why Great Yan branded the Demonic Sect as evil.
Putting aside distractions, Ning Qi did not hesitate.
He swallowed a Heaven-Penetrating Pill.
Instantly, astonishing medicinal power surged through his limbs and body, soft and continuous. The three flowers vibrated, unprecedentedly active.
Ning Qi immediately activated his cultivation method to temper the three flowers.
The incredible efficiency intoxicated him.
This was only inside Seeking Dao Courtyard; the effect would be even greater in the high heavens!
After the experience, Ning Qi slowly opened his eyes. He already estimated when he would reach the peak of the Heaven-Man Realm.
"One Heaven-Penetrating Pill supports ten days of cultivation. In just three months, I can naturally achieve the perfect triple flower stage!"
Ning Qi was extremely satisfied.
Even with many cultivation methods he created to accelerate progress, it originally would have taken one to two years to reach the perfect Heaven-Man Realm. Now, that time was drastically shortened.
"This means I can still keep three Heaven-Penetrating Pills. Judging by the medicinal power I just felt, only one is needed to bring an ordinary Heaven-Man Realm cultivator to perfection. However, it would take them far more than ten days to fully digest the medicinal power—probably about a year."
"Still, compared to the long years of hard cultivation, this is incredibly short."
This was an unprecedented supreme pill in this world.
If it spread in the martial world, it would probably cause a bloody storm instantly.
"I'll give one to Master, and keep the other two as a foundation."
He was not worried that two would be insufficient for distribution. Once his senior brothers all reached the Heaven-Man Realm, perhaps he would be able to refine even more powerful pills. The key was the scarcity of raw materials.
These twelve Heaven-Penetrating Pills had already consumed the Demonic Sect's years of foundation.
If he wanted to find such supreme herbs again, only a few forces with foundations comparable to the Demonic Sect might have them.
…
Time passed on Zhenwu Mountain.
Everyone was working hard in cultivation, waiting for the day they would shock the world.
After receiving the Heaven-Penetrating Pill from Ning Qi, Daoist Longshan stood still for a long time, feeling both comforted and ashamed, before finally taking it with a complex heart.
Everyone else was diligently cultivating, from the sect leader down to the disciples.
The threat from the Demonic Sect and Southern Alliance greatly diminished.
The Zhenwu Sect finally had some rare peaceful time.
But during this period, undercurrents flowed within Great Yan territory.
The Demonic Sect's calamity was initially unknown to the Southern Alliance. But as the hidden disturbances grew, it inevitably affected the Southern Alliance. When they realized they could not contact the Demonic Sect leadership at all, they were shocked to discover something serious had happened!
For a time, the Southern Alliance rapidly retracted all their operations within Great Yan. Previously, some remained, but now they did not dare to maintain even a single one.
They greatly feared the mysterious force that wiped out the Demonic Sect.
According to the many pieces of intelligence obtained, the Demonic Sect was not destroyed by the imperial court; they merely took advantage of the aftermath.
They had intended to contact Deputy Sect Leader Lin Xueshuang, who had long been responsible for hunting exotic beast inner cores in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains. But they found that at some unknown time, Lin Xueshuang had disappeared along with many core members of the Lin family, their whereabouts unknown.
This only deepened the Southern Alliance's horror.
They felt as if an invisible hand was behind everything, pushing events forward.
And Lin Xueshuang had naturally come to Zhenwu Mountain.
After receiving a message from her daughter, she pondered for several days and finally decided to come with the Lin family members.
"Lin Xueshuang, greetings, Master."
The woman in a flowing skirt looked at Daoist Longshan, whose aura exceeded her expectations, and was a little surprised. According to intelligence, this Daoist Longshan had only reached the Heaven-Man Realm a few years ago, yet his aura was exceptionally powerful.
She silently praised that this Daoist Longshan was a prodigy and felt even more confident about this in-law.
Daoist Longshan smiled warmly:
"Lady Lin, no need for formalities. You and I are practically in-laws. By rights, my worthless fifth disciple should have come to propose marriage with the three formal betrothal rites. But now that the two have privately married, please don't blame Lady Lin."
Beside him, Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua both looked a bit shy, especially Lin Ruhua, who dared not meet Lin Xueshuang's gaze.
This matter had indeed been done first and reported later, forcing Lin Xueshuang to make many concessions.
Lin Xueshuang snorted lightly but finally sighed:
"Master, you are too kind. From now on, there will be no Sacred Sect or Demonic Sect in this world. I am merely the head of the Lin family. I will retire quietly within the Zhenwu Mountain territory and ask Master to look after us."
The meaning was clear: all past matters were closed. She would establish a new Lin family with no connection to the Demonic Sect.
She glanced at her daughter and son-in-law, her expression gradually softening:
"As for them, as long as the two live in harmony, the rest are trivial matters."
She also understood the attack they had suffered before. She approved of Jiang Baishan's performance. Apart from eloping with her daughter, Jiang Baishan was quite talented and would surely achieve great things in the future. Such a prodigy as her son-in-law was naturally acceptable to her.
Especially after learning that her daughter was pregnant.
Daoist Longshan's smile grew even more sincere.
"Thank you, Lady Lin, for your understanding. But customs must not be neglected. Since Lady Lin has arrived, choosing an auspicious day to hold their wedding is only proper."
Lin Xueshuang nodded with a smile:
"Of course, but given the special circumstances, there is no need for a grand event. Our two families will just have a small gathering with close acquaintances."
Everyone smiled and looked at Jiang Baishan and Lin Ruhua, full of teasing.
The two became even more embarrassed but quietly said:
"We will follow Master's (Mother's) arrangements."
Lin Xueshuang smiled and shook her head, then added:
"There is one more thing I must apologize for, Master. I brought a guest up the mountain without your permission..."
Daoist Longshan quickly waved his hand:
"Lady Lin, no need for such politeness."
After receiving the signal, Lin Xueshuang looked toward outside Mingwu Pavilion and loudly said:
"Miss Yiyi, please come in."
Everyone looked on curiously.
They saw a woman wearing a black veil walking in slowly. Although her face was covered, her swaying, willow-like figure revealed she must be an extraordinary beauty in the mortal world.