Tie Tang's eyes flickered, and several thoughts crossed his mind. "Since you are old friends of the Tang Sect, how about coming to the sect for a chat?"
As Beibei and Tie Tang conversed, behind him, Huo Yuhao's eyes had already turned completely white.
"Alright, we'll trouble the Young Sect Master then." Beibei paused for a moment before nodding in agreement. The group followed Tie Tang into the Iron Blood Sect.
On the second floor of a restaurant opposite the Iron Blood Sect, Xuan Zi and Wang Nan were seated.
Wang Nan watched the Iron Blood Sect with interest. Even from a distance, he could clearly hear what they were saying.
Xuan Zi ate heartily and drank fine wine, his gaze mostly focused on the food in front of him, only occasionally glancing toward the Iron Blood Sect.
Besides the two of them, a black-robed elder stood trembling at their side.
"Burp—" Xuan Zi took another gulp of wine, let out a satisfying burp, and then slowly spoke, "How come your Holy Spirit Cult's traces are everywhere? Tell me, what are you doing, constantly watching this place?"
The black-robed elder, despite not seeing Xuan Zi release his Spirit, felt as though a mountain was pressing down on him, making him unable to move. His heart filled with terror, yet he couldn't escape.
"Senior, this... I am merely acting on the orders of the Cult Master. Please, Senior, spare me."
"I can spare you." Xuan Zi picked up another chicken leg. "Tell me where your Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters are, and I might consider it."
"This... I don't know either. I was dispatched to the Douluo Continent to handle matters and am unaware of the specific location of the headquarters."
Xuan Zi glanced at him without speaking, only letting out a soft snort from his nostrils. A sound of bones breaking came from the black-robed elder's body, and his knees buckled as he fell to the ground.
"Even a Titled Douluo doesn't know the location of the Holy Spirit Cult's headquarters. It seems truly mysterious."
Wang Nan found the scene before him somewhat amusing.
Previously, in that spatial rift, Xuan Zi had been suppressed by that dark purple figure, but here, in front of other Spirit Masters, even a Titled Douluo couldn't compare to Xuan Zi.
The black-robed elder seemed unable to bear it any longer and quickly spoke, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you..."
Upon hearing this, Xuan Zi slightly eased his pressure.
"There is indeed one of our strongholds on the Sun Moon Continent, but I truly don't know the location of the true headquarters. That is a place only the Cult Master and the Chief Enshrined can go."
Xuan Zi was noncommittal, merely glancing at the Iron Blood Sect again. "Then why have you been watching this place?"
"I was ordered by the Cult Master to search for the Tang Sect's treasure ground."
"The Tang Sect's treasure ground?"
"Precisely. It is rumored that there is a treasure ground within the Tang Sect that produces various medicinal herbs. That's why I was sent here: first, to lurk in Heaven Dou City and gather information, and second, to see if I could find any traces of the Tang Sect's treasure ground."
"So, what have you found out?" Xuan Zi's expression didn't change at the mention of the Tang Sect's treasure ground; he showed no interest, merely asking casually.
"This... I secretly searched the old Tang Sect site, but found no records related to the treasure ground."
Wang Nan looked at the elder. In truth, he knew that the treasure ground was in the Sunset Forest. However, that place, after all, had been arranged by a God. According to the Dragon God, it might even be connected to the God Realm, and he didn't want to go there alone.
Xuan Zi seemed to have thought of something as well, looking at the black-robed elder. "Your Holy Spirit Cult's intelligence is quite good. How do you know everything? How did you know about the events at Jialing Pass?"
"Ah?" The black-robed elder's face changed slightly.
Such a clear change naturally couldn't escape Xuan Zi. With a slight clench of his right hand, the black-robed elder's body visibly shrunk by a fraction. Painful screams emanated from his mouth, but they were confined to the room and couldn't escape.
After a long while, a faint plea for mercy came from his mouth.
"These are all things we heard from the Sun Moon Empire. They want to unify the entire Douluo Continent, and they've been sending people here to gather all sorts of information for over a decade."
"We've heard these rumors too, but no one ever thought in the direction of a God. How did you guess?"
"I don't know the specific reason..."
Seeing Xuan Zi about to act again, the black-robed elder quickly begged for mercy, completely losing the demeanor of a Titled Douluo.
"But I do know one thing, and that is the Spirit Ascension Ceremony within the cult. All official disciples of the Holy Spirit Cult with strength exceeding six spirit rings undergo the Spirit Ascension Ceremony to increase the age of their spirit rings, utilizing the power of a God. As for whether it's related to Jialing Pass, I don't know."
The black-robed elder spoke while gasping for breath, his body already prostrate on the floor, his arms trying to prop himself up, but it was ultimately futile.
Upon hearing this, Xuan Zi's movements unconsciously paused, and his tone held a hint of indignation, "Originally, it was a power that allowed Spirit Masters to transcend this World, but I never expected it to be used by these Evil Soul Masters of the Holy Spirit Cult to commit such evil deeds."
Wang Nan also considered many things at once. He had already witnessed the power of the Rakshasa God's broken scythe fragments. If many God Positions were truly shattered, and these fragments fell into the hands of those with ill intentions, it would inevitably cause great chaos.
However, since a God Position is a position in the God Realm, after a God Position shatters, whether it's creating a new God Position or re-establishing a shattered one, it should be the responsibility of the God Realm. Why has the God Realm taken no action after these God Positions shattered?
As Wang Nan pondered, another scream reached his ears.
Under Xuan Zi's power, the Evil Soul Master was gradually shrinking into a ball. Black light emanated from his body, attempting to resist, but ultimately had no effect. He was balled up, clearly not going to survive.
"These children are still too young; they don't think things through." The food on the table had already been cleared by Xuan Zi. He didn't even glance at the black-robed elder. "I'll go to the Tianhun Empire's imperial family first. This is their territory, after all, and we should give them some face."
"Also, go down and ask those little fellows if they are willing to come to Shrek City to rebuild the Tang Sect. The Holy Spirit Cult has been established in the Tianhun Empire for a long time; I'm afraid that once the war starts, we won't have time to look after them."
"Alright." Wang Nan nodded.
Xuan Zi's figure flickered and then disappeared.
Wang Nan was in no hurry to go to the Iron Blood Sect. He first went to the black-robed elder's side, and seeing that he had no breath left, he confidently took his storage spirit tool, then collected the body and walked downstairs.
Even as a Spirit Master, one still had to pay for the food they ate.