Chapter 63 - 63

Chapter 1175: Su Yu's Relationship Network (1)

Su Yu was exasperated with the stone statue, but there was nothing he could do about it. So be it. He grumbled that he would just need to deal with it as long as the stone statue did not make it a habit to roam outside the city. He reckoned the stone statue had gotten addicted to going outside. Maybe the stone statue would get over this in a few days, he thought, hopefully.

It was also worth noting that Su Yu had finally completed his sixtieth body forging recently, pushing his strength to an even higher level.

"Silverwing, has your big brother not arrived?"

Shortly after, a reply came, "Soon, Lord."

The meeting between Su Yu, Silvering, and the eighth elder had concluded not long ago. The pavilion had authorized the mission to capture Goldwing and compare what Goldwing knew with what Ji Hong knew. Perhaps with this, they could determine who the traitor was.

Goldwing was a third-stage Sunmoon, much stronger than Silverwing. Previously, Goldenwing was the one who had baited the Sunmoons from the eight families of Knowledge Seeking Realm everywhere while Silverwing pursued Chen Yong. It was unknown if that had worked due to the eight families' incompetence or Goldwing's competence.

Su Yu did not intend to make a move against Goldwing personally. Since he had his lackeys to do it for him, why should he do it himself? He had gained quite a lot of experts under his command. There were the three newly subdued Sunmoons. There were also seven Sunmoons among the white masks under him. And this did not even include the enforcers like White One and Black One or the other elders.

Unknowingly, Su Yu had amassed a respectable level of power under his control. All in all, there were ten early-stage Sunmoons, two middle-stage Sunmoons, First Profound, and the eighth elder, who was always on standby, available to do his bidding. There were also plenty of peak Mountainseas under him. A group like this would be considered powerful everywhere they went.

Through the newly subdued sect masters, Su Yu was also actively trying to rope in the other Sunmoon cultists. If that didn't work, he would simply wipe them out. He was having a lot of fun with this.

It felt good to have more and more experts under his command. What a pity that most of them were only early Sunmoons. He would feel a lot better if there were more middle and late Sunmoons instead. The pavilion would probably not interfere with his operations in Great Xia for a period of time, so this power would remain his for now.

Suddenly, he received a message from Silvering, "Lord, my big brother has arrived."

At that, Su Yu gestured at White One and the others. When they approached him, he sent them a voice transmission, "Let's hope Goldwing is open for persuasion. If not, capture him. Try to avoid killing him. That might cause something unexpected to happen."

"Yes."

White One and a few others started growing excited. Perhaps Goldwing would be their key to knowing this important secret. In truth, Su Yu didn't place much hope on this. It wouldn't be so easy. Even if Goldwing had the answer, he might not be willing to say it.

If even a mere third-stage Sunmoon could know the identity of that traitor, this wouldn't have remained a secret for so many years. It was far more likely that Goldwing only knew he served an Invincible, but he didn't know the exact identity of that Invincible.

Chen Yong had been killing a lot of experts who had once targeted the multiple character faction. Among them, some were most definitely the subordinates of that traitor. Chen Yong was also very proficient in reading memories through blood essence. But since he had not contacted anyone yet, it was clear he hadn't been able to find any useful information about the traitor.

***

Outside Nanyuan, near Starfall Mountain.

Goldwing landed from the sky. For more chapters visıt NovєlFіre.net

He looked around cautiously. When he saw Silverwing, he exhaled in relief. He then sent a voice transmission and asked with a reproachful tone, "This isn't a safe place. Why are you here?"

"Big Brother!" Silverwing smiled, "It's fine. All the experts are inside Nanyuan. You will be hard-pressed to get them out of the city."

"That's no excuse to be careless."

Goldwing was still feeling very wary. The Myriad Race Cult was even more hated than the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. This was also out of habit as every cultist in the Human Realm needed to constantly live in fear.

After scanning the area and finding no danger, Goldwing solemnly said, "You sounded urgent. What is it?"

"Big Brother, it's the same issue. The six-winged divines are here. They have been sending us on missions. You remember what I told you about the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion, right? I intend to join the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion with our sect."

Goldwing frowned, "Heavenly Hunt Pavilion? That organization is just as ruthless as any organization out there. It's fine to cooperate with them, but forget about joining."

"Big Brother, it's different. At the very least, race does not matter in the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. Only merit matters. We're brothers. I'm only a first-stage Sunmoon while you're a third-stage Sunmoon. You're talented, unlike me. The moment you step into the middle stage, you might be able to enter the late stage, becoming a powerful elder in the pavilion..."

Goldwing frowned, "Is this why you asked for this meeting?"

"Yes." Silverwing earnestly persuaded, "We're going to serve a stronger power, anyway. What difference does it make who we serve? Just serve those who are more generous with their rewards. Isn't that perfectly logical? The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion is the only place that can accept existences like us. The same can't be said for humanity or the myriad races. Even if they claim that they're accepting us, we're only dogs for them."

Goldwing continued frowning.

Silverwing continued, "Big Brother, are you still having delusions about that backer of yours? That person is already in deep trouble. It's only a matter of time before something happens to them..."

"Shut up!"

Goldwing's eyes turned cold as he berated, "Stop babbling nonsense."

Silverwing said, "I'm not babbling nonsense. It's only a matter of time. Can they hide forever? Big Brother, be honest with me. Is your backer the same person as the one the human Invincibles have been searching for?"

"What are you talking about?" Goldwing said, "They are not related."

Silverwing shook his head, "Don't take me for a fool, Big Brother. The traitor has stabbed Ye Batian in the back and targeted the multiple character faction all these years. That's very similar to what your backer has been doing as well. How many people have we killed for your backer, including the attempt on Chen Yong's life all those years ago?

"All those people were from the multiple character faction. In fact, the two of us have contributed greatly to the terrible state the multiple character faction is in. Chen Yong knows that. That was why he had instructed Feng Ji to infiltrate our sect..."

Goldwing spat coldly, "Enough."

Silverwing earnestly said, "We're not related by blood, but we're closer than real brothers. We have been walking side by side since a hundred years ago, all the way until we're both Sunmoons. And now, an era of chaos is coming. The myriad races have arrived. I want to survive. I also want you to survive..."

Goldwing said, "Keep following me and you'll naturally survive. As for the six-winged divines, just play alone and get the people under us to handle their tasks. We only need to eliminate Chen Yong or Hong Tan's group. If we manage to do that, taking a step further won't be that difficult for us."

"Big Brother, are you sure about that?" Silverwing sighed, "How much time have we spent going after Chen Yong? And how is that going for us? You have never stopped pursuing Chen Yong. But he's still alive, right? As for Su Yu, he's already the mayor of an ancient city. Even Invincibles fear him. Is killing him even possible? Hong Tan is also under Great Xia's protection. We should count ourselves lucky they're not coming after us at the moment. Big Brother, times have changed."

Silverwing shook his head, "It's honestly pointless for us to remain in the Human Realm. It is unlikely that we will receive the support to go further in cultivation. Each task we receive requires us to risk our lives. Big Brother, perhaps...we can sell this information. Perhaps this can get us enough benefits to reach the late-stage Sunmoon Realm."

"Bastard!" Goldwing was furious, "Do you know what you're saying?"

Silverwing repeated himself calmly, "Sell this information to the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion. They are very good at information peddling. We might be able to get a good price for this information."

"Are you tired of living?" Goldwing was furious, "Silverwing, tell me. Did you mention this to someone else before?"

Officially, the Six-Winged Divine Sect had only pursued Chen Yong as retaliation for his attacks against them. They were not working for that Invincible. But if it was exposed that there was more to this, things could get very troublesome. After all, humanity had never stopped searching for the traitor.

Silverwing shook his head, "No. But I hope you can consider this. We have given enough. After sacrificing so much, we don't even know who we work for."

Goldwing frowned and said, "You only need to care about what you stand to gain. If it wasn't for the support of that person, could we have reached the Sunmoon Realm?"

Silverwing calmly said, "Wake up, Big Brother. Did we really receive that much of a help? We were already peak Mountainseas fifty years ago. Yes, I managed to become a first-stage Sunmoon while you became a third-stage Sunmoon. But...how many times have we risked our lives for that person? All that for only some tiny benefits."

Goldwing's mind was in a state of conflict. After a long silence, he asked, "Silverwing, what are you planning to do?"

"Sell what we know about that person for a large amount of benefits and leave far away. We will leave the Human Realm. This place...is simply unsuited for us. We have been living as rats for a hundred years. Other Sunmoons are well respected and feared. Meanwhile, we're nothing. I'm tired of this life."

Silverwing persuaded, "Big Brother, let us restart at a new place. I believe we can do better this time."

Goldwing stared at Silverwing coldly. After a long while, he said, "Perhaps...you're right. But I need to think about this. I can't make a decision so suddenly. Give me some time..."

After a thought, Silverwing nodded and sighed, "I know this places you in a difficult position. Fine, I'll give you some time. I hope you don't drag this out too long. I'm sick of living like this."

After saying that, Silverwing turned to leave. But the look in his eyes had changed completely. His message reached Su Yu, "I can't convince him. Lords, please make your move."

At the same time, the look in Goldwing's eyes changed as well.

Something felt different about Silverwing. This brother of his was thinking of betrayal! At that thought, his eyes turned ruthless as he drew his sword and swung it at Silverwing.

Right at that moment, Silverwing turned and retreated rapidly. With a sigh, he said, "I knew this would happen."

"Hmph!"

So what if he knew? This was Silverwing's choice. He had no one to blame for this.

But before Goldwing could do anything, First Profound appeared in the sky and slammed his palm down.

White One and Black One moved as well. Both were sixth-stage Sunmoons while First Profound was an eighth-stage Sunmoon. All three of them were stronger than Goldwing. When Goldwing noticed them, his expression changed massively. With a rumble, the palm attack struck, causing his entire body to tremble.

Next, two fists arrived and punched through his body. Almost immediately after, White One and Black One attacked Goldwing's sea of willpower.

Goldwing's eyes turned red as he roared, "How dare you, Silverwing?"

Silverwing merely watched not far away. Standing beside him was Su Yu.

After cupping his fists at Su Yu in greeting, he looked at Goldwing and sighed, "Big Brother, I didn't want this. But you were too stubborn. Do you understand now that things have changed completely? You even tried to kill me! Our friendship of over a hundred years isn't even worth as much as the favor of an Invincible whose identity you don't even know. In that case, you can't blame me for being cold."

Goldwing was furious.

Suddenly, Su Yu frowned and threw a punch. With a rumble, Goldwing's body was blasted apart. When White One and Black One looked at him questioningly, Su Yu shook his head and said, "It's too dangerous to keep his body around. We only need his sea of willpower. Keep it sealed lest he decides to self-detonate."

Beside him, Silverwing's face twitched. Just like that, Goldwing's body had been destroyed. How ruthless. But that was also an incredible display of strength by Profound Nine. Even a third-stage Sunmoon under siege was someone with an incomparably powerful body. Yet someone like that had been blasted apart with one punch.

Su Yu continued indifferently, "Watch out for anything the unknown Invincible might have left in his sea of willpower as well. Some Invincibles love these tricks."

First Profound landed from the sky and smiled, "Don't worry. I placed a seal on all communication frequencies in the area. No message can get out, including a message straight from his sea of willpower—"

He was interrupted by a miserable wail.

The floating sea of willpower in the air had suddenly been ignited.

"No..."

A translucent figure of Goldwing appeared as he wailed, "No...Lord...I..."

Boom!

Chapter 1176: Su Yu's Relationship Network (2)

With an explosion, the sea of willpower crumbled apart and a moon dropped from the sky. This forced the eighth elder to show himself. He exchanged gazes with First Profound. Both of them looked gloomy.

Eighth elder said, "Retreat. Damn it! That Invincible left a seal in his sea of willpower. We need to retreat first. A Sunmoon has died here. We can't allow anyone to notice us."

Su Yu frowned. Even after sealing Goldwing's sea of willpower and destroying his body, they still couldn't prevent Goldwing from being silenced. He had only destroyed Goldwing's body earlier after feeling a small sense of danger. Alas, he had still failed.

They hurriedly retreated. While doing so, Su Yu did not forget to gather the flesh and blood of the dead sect master.

***

A short while later.

They reconvened at a different location.

The eighth elder sighed, "He was killed. The other party was long prepared for this. However..."

The eighth elder's eyes flickered as he paused and continued, "Even a seal requires manual activation for it to work. This is even more so for a seal capable of killing a Sunmoon. The unknown Invincible must have sensed something and activated the seal to kill Goldwing."

Standing to their side was Silverwing. He had a bleak expression, but it was unknown if it was due to the death of Goldwing or the failure to obtain any information. Or perhaps it was due to both.

Su Yu said, "Elder, if that's the case, is it possible that this Invincible's real body is still in the Human Realm"

Could one even activate a ruin across realms?

The eighth elder thought about it and nodded, "That's possible. The difficulty would be much harder to do this across realms."

At that, the look in Su Yu's eyes changed.

"Great Ming King?"

Both White One and Black One came to the same conclusion. Was Great Ming King the traitor? That seemed to be the sole human Invincible left in the Human Realm.

The eighth elder shook his head, "Not necessarily. You all know that each Invincible has three bodies. Each body is extremely important, and each can be considered a real body. Perhaps, an Invincible has left a tri-life body in the Human Realm. That would be the same as staying behind personally." Latest content publıshed on NoveI~Fire.net

Su Yu was relieved to hear that.

Holy shit! For a moment, he had thought that it was Great Ming King. That would be too sad. Among the human race, he counted Great Ming King as one of the Invincibles willing to fight for him. He had even met Great Ming King personally. He would find it extremely hard to accept if Great Ming King was the traitor.

He thought about it and said, "Eighth Elder, if a tri-life body moves alone, will this body be as strong as an Invincible?"

"Yes." The eighth elder explained, "The present body will most certainly be at that level. As for the past and future bodies, they might be weaker or stronger. We won't know for sure. But most of the time, a past body will be at the level of a Pseudo Invincible. As for the future body, it varies as well. It could be an Invincible, or it could be weaker. As long as the present body of this unknown Invincible remains in the Allheaven Battlefield, nobody will know it as nobody will scan an Invincible so deeply for no reason."

Understanding dawned on Su Yu.

He said, "If a tri-life body of that Invincible is in the Human Realm, is it possible for this body to utilize the River of Time and instantly summon the other two bodies back?"

Su Yu was wondering if the tri-life body could summon the other bodies back when it encountered danger in the Human Realm.

The eighth elder laughed and said, "Some Invincibles are capable of that, but only the truly powerful ones. To do this, one needs to be strong enough to open a River of Time wide enough to cross realms."

Understanding dawned on Su Yu. Basically, this was possible if one was strong enough.

He said, "Can someone at the level of Great Qin King instantly reach a place just by leaving a tri-life body somewhere?"

"Yes." The eighth elder shook his head, "But it will be very dangerous. You still need time to reach. And a tri-life body is weaker when it's not joined with the other two bodies. Losing a tri-life body in this manner is simply too big of a loss. And at times, losing a tri-life body might even cause the collapse of the present body. As the pillar of humanity, Great Qin King can't afford to do this."

As a Pseudo Invincible, the eighth elder had already formed a tri-life body. Thus, he knew a lot about this subject.

Su Yu nodded with regret, "What a pity. Goldwing might have known something useful."

He then looked at Silverwing and asked, "With Goldwing dead, you might be in danger as well. Do you have anything in your sea of willpower?"

"Nope! Not at all!" Alarmed, Silverwing hurriedly explained himself, "I used to have a communication talisman in my sea of willpower. In the past, it could be used to contact the Invincible. But my big brother had taken it away from me. I was only allowed to use it when necessary..."

Su Yu looked at the eighth elder again. The eighth elder had collected Goldwing's storage ring.

The eighth elder checked the ring. After a moment, he took a jade talisman out. But after a look at it, he shook his head, "It's now worthless. We might have been able to discover something through this earlier, but it is completely worthless now."

Su Yu suggested, "Perhaps using time rewind on it might show us something new."

"Time rewind?"

The eighth elder laughed, "It's not that simple. When a matter involves an Invincible, time rewind is nearly pointless since all Invincibles have the ability to throw time and space into disorder. It will only be slightly feasible when the Invincible in question is completely unprepared and too occupied with something more pressing."

The elder had a look of regret. They had missed the chance to obtain such a valuable piece of information.

But Su Yu was unwilling to give up. He asked, "Silverwing, how did your big brother know that Invincible? You said that you have known your big brother for a hundred years. It is logical to assume that you have met the same Invincible as well."

Silverwing hurriedly said, "Lord, I didn't lie about this. I've never met any Invincible before or I would have died by now. As for my big brother, perhaps he has known that Invincible even before we met. A hundred years ago, my big brother was still a Cloudbreach while I was a Skysoar. At the time, he had just returned from the Allheaven Battlefield..."

"Hmm?" Su Yu asked, "What?"

"My big brother used to be in the military. I heard he was eventually dismissed after committing an offense."

"Which army was he in?"

"I'm not sure. I asked, but he never told me about his past. He never even admitted to being ex-military. I only concluded that myself after observing some of his habits over the years." "It might be an army of Great Jin or Great Tang. Once, he encountered a powerful opponent and was forced to use the Thunderbolt Fist. This is a high-tier profound art used in both Great Tang and Great Jin. Of course, it is possible that he had learned it somewhere else...but he looked very familiar with it, as though he had spent many years mastering this art."

Su Yu frowned. Great Tang or Great Jin? So Goldwing was actually from the military? Chen Yong had also been killing a lot of military officials as of late. What did that signify?

"Military..."

It was likely that this unknown Invincible was someone stationed in the Allheaven Battlefield. That was how he met and recruited all these people.

A hundred years ago, Goldwing retired from the Allheaven Battlefield. Fifty years ago, Ye Batian was stabbed in the back.

Su Yu shook his head. Some information was still missing, but it was also true that they were slowly gathering more and more clues about that Invincible. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

The death of Goldwing signified that the Invincible might have felt threatened. Chen Yong had also been killing military officials non-stop recently. Furthermore, Ji Hong might have discovered something as well. It was only a matter of time before the identity of the traitor was revealed.

Even if they weren't able to discover anything new from Goldwing, this incident was still enough to make the traitor feel even more threatened.

Su Yu exhaled deeply. Step by step, they were approaching that Invincible. Perhaps a few more provocations would be enough to make that Invincible do something.

"We need to investigate Goldwing's background." Su Yu looked at Silverwing and asked, "Do you have anything he left behind? Do you know his actual name? Don't tell me his real name is Goldwing."

"That...we have been calling each other our current names since our first meeting. But I think...he was surnamed Yu."

Su Yu nodded. That was something he could use. Someone surnamed Yu who was a Cloudbreach one hundred years ago and an ex-military who might have been dismissed after committing an offense.

A Cloudbreach was no weakling. Records of such a person could probably be found somewhere. By investigating Goldwing's past, he might be able to learn more. Also, he had not forgotten the blood he gathered earlier. When he was alone, he could also try to read some of Goldwing's memories.

This Invincible must have left a rather strong impression on Goldwing. There was also a possibility that Goldwing had met this Invincible face-to-face before.

Chapter 1177: Su Yu's Relationship Network (3)

"What have the two of you done for the unknown Invincible all these years? Who have you killed?"

Silverwing thought about it and said, "As far as I can remember, we accepted nine tasks from that person. Each task involved killing, and almost all our targets were from the multiple character faction. This includes killing Chen Yong, but we failed at that. Subsequently, we were also tasked to kill Chen Yong again and snatch the Culture Tomb from him."

Su Yu's expression remained the same. In fact, he looked completely calm. What was the point of getting angry at someone who was already dead?

"How about the other seven missions? You said almost all of them were multiple character faction members. Were there others who were not from the multiple character faction?"

"Yeah." Silverwing nodded, "Once, we were tasked to kill Wan Tiansheng instead of someone from the multiple character faction. But he is the principal. He rarely leaves the academy. We weren't able to find a good chance to do it even after waiting outside Great Xia City for several months. We even killed some students and researchers from the academy, but we still failed to lure him out. Eventually, we gave up."

Wan Tiansheng? Was that Invincible testing Wan Tiansheng's strength? Back then, Wan Tiansheng's tri-life body was present during Ye Batian's death. Ye Batian was known to be a good friend of Wan Tiansheng. And quite a lot of people were aware of that.

Thus, it was reasonable for one to suspect that the unknown expert by Ye Batian's side was Wan Tiansheng. That was certainly something Su Yu would do in the same position.

As for Wan Tiansheng's seeming stagnation in the Mountainsea Realm for so many years...that did not make much sense. Before Ye Batian's death, there wasn't a need for Wan Tiansheng to conceal his strength.

Why did Old Wan choose to conceal his strength out of nowhere? Wouldn't he get more benefits if his strength was known to more people? Wan Tiansheng wasn't even that well-known in the Allheaven Battlefield. Very few people knew him. When he had entered the Heavendoom City previously, he had moved rapidly. Not many people knew of his history there.

At the time, humanity was still united as one. What was the point of hiding his strength back then? Was he perhaps born as a scheming old fox?

Su Yu thought that if he was the traitor Invincible, he wouldn't suspect Wan Tiansheng either. After all, Old Wan had been hiding for fifty years.

Meanwhile, his best friend, Ye Batian, was already strong enough to fight Invincibles fifty years ago.

How could someone suspect an opponent if that opponent had been hiding even before one made a move? Of course, it was still necessary to test this potential opponent.

And Wan Tiansheng had probably been tested multiple times over the years.

"Wan Tiansheng..." Su Yu gave it some thought and said, "Eighth Elder, is there anything special about Wan Tiansheng?"

The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion seemed to know a lot, so it wouldn't hurt to ask.

It was unknown if the eighth elder was checking his database or recalling what he knew, but he took a while before replying, "Wan Tiansheng, sixth principal of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy. Due to the excellence of the previous principals, we do know a little about him. He is ninety-nine years old."

Yes. That was Old Wan's age. Su Yu was aware of that. When he joined the academy the year before, he read that Wan Tiansheng had been appointed the principal about fifty years ago. At the time, he was forty-eight. At that age, he could be considered supremely talented. In truth, a forty-eight-year-old peak Mountainsea was already very impressive. Very few people would have guessed that Wan Tiansheng was already far stronger back then.

Even Ye Batian was much older than Wan Tiansheng. The two might be close friends, but he was at least a generation older than Wan Tiansheng.

"Peak Mountainsea. It was once speculated that he is already a Sunmoon. He's hiding to avenge Ye Batian. The two used to be close friends. Wan Tiansheng was born in Great Xia as well. He was the student of the third principal."

Su Yu exclaimed in surprise, "A student of the third principal? That isn't right. He's only ninety-nine while the third principal died long ago. There was a fourth principal before Ye Batian became the fifth principal. Even if we assume that he joined the academy at eighteen, the third principal should be already dead at the time. It was the fourth principal's era when he joined the academy, right?"

The eighth elder explained, "This is an interesting secret. The first, third, and fifth principals were all from the multiple character faction. And each was the teacher of the next. Xia Chen was the teacher of the third principal. The third principal was Ye Batian's student. But the third principal had other students as well. The third principal's first student had taken Wan Tiansheng as his teacher's student instead of his due to how exceptionally talented Wan Tiansheng was. He acted as Wan Tiansheng's teacher, but he proclaimed himself the senior brother. To make this easier to understand, just look at Su Yu. He's Bai Feng's student in name, but Bai Feng is not qualified to actually teach him anything. He's more like Hong Tan's student."

Su Yu thought about it and said, "You mean Wan Tiansheng was Ye Batian's junior brother, but his teacher in practice was not the third principal but Ye Batian's senior brother instead?"

"Yes."

The eighth elder nodded, "But not many people know about this. Strictly speaking, Ye Batian could be considered his martial uncle. But the humans don't care about such hierarchy too much. For example, Su Yu considers Liu Wenyan his teacher yet Hong Tan is his grandteacher. Among the myriad races, this is not acceptable. But this doesn't matter too much among the humans."

Hearing that, Su Yu's interest in the third principal grew. The third principal was Ye Batian, but he was also Wan Tiansheng's teacher in name. The third principal had died and left only the Devil Battling Field behind. That wasn't a grotto Su Yu had visited before.

Su Yu knew that Xia Chen was the first principal.

The second principal had left the white dragon before.

The fourth principal was Zhao Li's father.

The fifth principal was Ye Batian.

The sixth principal was Wan Tiansheng.

Meanwhile, the third principal was relatively unknown. However, he had two super freaks under him, even if Wan Tiansheng was only his student in name.

The eighth elder continued, "After the death of Wan Tiansheng's eldest senior brother, he entered the Knowledge Seeking Realm. Subsequently, Ye Batian became the fifth principal. He would frequently visit Wan Tiansheng, his junior brother in name. He would constantly offer pointers to Wan Tiansheng. It is said that the two frequently talked about the dao, but that is probably an overestimation of Wan Tiansheng's ability back then. It is more likely that Ye Batian was there to instruct him."

"After Ye Batian's death, Wan Tiansheng left the Knowledge Seeking Realm and became the next principal. Over the years, his inaction had played a large part in multiple character faction's decline. Some people believe that he has been secretly protecting the multiple character faction after the miserable death Ye Batian suffered. Their decline is his way of protecting them in an indirect method. After all, due to Ye Batian, this line will forever remain a thorn in the myriad races' eye."

Su Yu frowned and said, "So Wan Tiansheng is actually from the multiple character faction as well?"

"Technically, yes. But according to what we know, he was already a Skysoar when he was accepted as their student. Thus, he did not inherit any character technique from them. According to the rumors, he is a single character cultivator."

Su Yu was very shocked to hear that. Wan Tiansheng was already a Skysoar before joining the academy? What a monster!

No wonder the third principal's first student felt unqualified to be Wan Tiansheng's teacher. That was someone who had reached the Skysoar Realm at around seventeen or eighteen years old.

Su Yu frowned and asked, "In that case, why hasn't the myriad races been targetting him as well?"

"Well, he never leaves the academy."

The eighth elder rolled his eyes and said, "After becoming the principal, he has left the academy no more than three times in the span of fifty-one years. And he would return quickly each time. Even if the myriad races wanted to target him, they wouldn't be able to do anything to him."

"..."

Basically, an old, super shut-in?

No!

Rather, Old Wan was too strong. He had simply been able to leave completely undetected. Everyone believed that he was a super shut-in, but everyone was wrong. In actuality, he would frequently go outside.

Only now did Su Yu know that Wan Tiansheng was actually Ye Batian's junior brother and the student of the third principal. Things in the Great Xia Cultural Research Academy sure were complicated.

No wonder Hong Tan had trusted Wan Tiansheng since the very beginning. He had told Su Yu several times to look for Wan Tiansheng if he encountered any trouble. Clearly, Hong Tan knew about Wan Tiansheng's background. But that might not be the case for Bai Feng.

That was understandable since this was something that had happened over seventy or eighty years ago. Without being told about it, Su Yu and the others would naturally not be aware of it. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novelFɪre.net

After the death of his eldest senior brother, Wan Tiansheng had entered the Knowledge Seeking Realm. Thus, many actually believed that he came from the Knowledge Seeking Realm. Very few people were aware that he was actually from Great Xia.

"Xia Longwu is Wan Tiansheng's student. And strictly speaking, Wan Tiansheng is considered someone in Teacher Liu's generation. And if I count myself as Teacher Liu's student...I'm actually Xia Longwu's junior brother?"

Su Yu was rendered completely speechless. Wow. He had somehow established a relationship with Prefect Xia. They were fellow martial brothers!

Then again, the hierarchy was a tad bit too messy. Wan Tiansheng was from both Ye Batian and Liu Wenyan's generation. Meanwhile, Su Yu was the student of both Bai Feng and Liu Wenyan.

Anyway, he could probably call Xia Longwu his elder brother and he...wouldn't be wrong. Yeap. Strictly speaking, it wouldn't be wrong for him to call Xia Longwu that.

Su Yu sighed with regret. If he had known this earlier, he would have been much more brazen during his time in Great Xia. After all, his senior brother was the prefect!

Great Xia practically belonged to his family!

Even the top dog was from his faction!

Strictly speaking, even Xia Huyou needed to call him Uncle Su!

While Su Yu was busy thinking about all those random thoughts, the eighth elder thought he was in contemplation about something important. Thus, the elder wisely left him alone.

Chapter 1178: Nan Wujiang (1)

Goldwing's death had put an end to Su Yu's effort to learn more about the unknown Invincible. But he was in no rush. With Great Xia's plan in play, the Invincible would still be forced to appear in the end. Hong Tan had broken through. Before long, Xia Yunji and the others would break through as well. Liu Wenyan's return would most likely be the final push needed for that Invincible to make an appearance.

The thought of Liu Wenyan reminded Su Yu of the time. November had arrived. It hadn't even been half a year since the crazy feat they pulled in the ancient city, yet a lot had happened. Su Yu wondered how Liu Wenyan was. Had he entered the Sunmoon Realm? As long as he was willing to crush Ye Batian's characters, he would be able to grow quickly.

***

A few days passed as the Human Realm remained in chaos.

Unsurprisingly, Xia Yunji broke through not long after Hong Tan. This genius from over fifty years ago had finally stepped into the Sunmoon Realm. After countless tribulations, he had became the second Sunmoon of Great Xia's multiple character faction.

This breakthrough shocked even more people. Was this a coincidence or was that Culture Tomb really so effective? Just a tiny bit of leaked aura from it was already capable of helping both Hong Tan and Xia Yunji with their breakthroughs. That seemed a tad bit too impressive.

One ought to note that the Sunmoon Realm wasn't so easy to reach. Yet Xia Yunji had stepped into that realm after being stuck for decades. The most update n0vels are published on novel⚑fire.net

During the past few days, the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion had also been extremely active.

Or to be precise, Profound Nine had gone mad. Leading a group of white and black masks, he had been killing people everywhere. His entourage included the sect masters who had submitted to him. He acted fearlessly, targeting as many cultists as he could.

The cult had a decent number of Sunmoons. Among them, four were late-stage Sunmoons. They were respectively the sect masters of the Earthfire Sect, Titanic Strength Sect, Original Devil Sect, and First Divine Sect.

Apart from them, there were also the two sect masters of the Six-Winged Divine Sect and two other sect masters who had also joined Su Yu. Additionally, the cult also had more than ten middle-stage Sunmoons. If Poison Venerable and the others who had been killed by Su Yu recently were included, the cult would have more than twenty of them.

As Su Yu started rooting out the cultists, a Sunmoon sect master was killed within three days. Two more Sunmoon sect masters were forced to surrender to him. With this, the cult was only left with four late-stage Sunmoons and two or three Sunmoons who had been remaining in hiding.

***

Underground.

Once again, a meeting of the Myriad Race Cult was held. Previously, there would be more than ten Sunmoons and dozens of Mountainseas attending such meetings. But now, only a few of them were left.

The current meeting was attended by seven Sunmoons. Four were late-stage Sunmoons and three were middle-stage Sunmoons. These were the only remaining experts of the cult in the entire Human Realm.

The cult, built over hundreds of years, had seemingly come crashing down in only a few days.

Silence enveloped the room.

After a long time, a sect master said in a defeated manner, "I once thought that the cult could face even a prefecture if we came together as long as no Invincibles were involved. We could even establish our own prefecture and become a respectable local power. But now...I finally understand how naive I was."

That had indeed been too naive. A year before, the cult counted over twenty Sunmoons in its ranks. This year, only seven were left. This was a massive loss.

A different Sunmoon sect master said in fury, "The various prefectures don't even know that much about us. Silverwing and the others are the truly hateful ones. They know us too much. Through their help, the bastards from the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion were able to kill Profound Nether Sect master and the others."

A fortress was the easiest to break from within. As fellow cultists, even if they were in different sects, they still knew each other well. For example, the stronghold of a sect might be known to other sects. Even scarier was the fact that some sect masters had even been betrayed by their vice sect masters.

Thanks to the cultists who had joined the pavilion, Su Yu was able to kill a Sunmoon and persuade two more Sunmoons to defect. Of the four late-stage Sunmoons, Lan Tian and the First Divine Sect master remained silent.

The burly man from the Titanic Strength Sect gnashed his teeth and said, "We can't continue like this. We're in a difficult position. The human race wishes to kill us while the myriad races wish to control us. Back then, we agreed to join hands against the human race and the myriad races. But now...that promise seems like a joke."

He looked at the First Divine Sect master and Lan Tian before continuing, "Are the two of you going to watch and do nothing as the cult declines? We have only grown to our current size after many years of hard work. All that hard work just to end up as a vassal of the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion?"

Everyone present looked at the two. Some of them couldn't accept this, while some only wanted more freedom instead of turning into white masks and black masks. And only these two could do something about their current situation.

Lan Tian grinned and said, "The solution is simple. Become my subordinates and receive my protection. This is no big deal."

That further annoyed the others.

The Earthfire Sect master said, "Talk about that after slaughtering an entire city filled with people first. Lan Tian, the Original Devil Sect is a devil sect, not a holy sect. Are you really believing that you're a saint?"

Lan Tian laughed, "How idiotic. Can killing solve anything? Apart from turning everyone against you, that won't achieve anything. What's the point? Do you remember our goal? We are doing this to save humanity and establish an era of eternal peace..."

Not this again! Lan Tian's ideals were too annoying to deal with.

Most of them were only in the cult to make some profit. Very few of them cared about such ideals. Meanwhile, Lan Tian was a madman who fully believed in these ideals. He would speak about world peace all the time, giving one the impression that his devil sect would turn into a holy sect soon. Just how were the original devils tolerating someone like that representing them in the Human Realm?

"First Divine Sect master, what do you think about this?"

The First Divine Sect master was as calm as ever. He replied, "I have no opinion. Xia Longwu is going to attempt his dao affirmation soon. I am thinking of taking this chance to make my attempt as well. I don't care about anything else."

Lan Tian was surprised, "You caught your tri-life bodies?"

"Guess."

"No thanks. That's boring." Lan Tian laughed, "First Divine, you sure are calm. Profound Nine has been running around killing our people recently. I'm impressed with how calm you are. Perhaps you're actually from the pavilion as well?"

"I think you're Wan Tiansheng's spy."

First Divine Sect master said, "Lan Tian, there are rumors claiming that you're very close to Wan Tiansheng. Are you from Great Xia?"

Lan Tian laughed, "Yeap. That's why I have nothing to fear! I have an alternative. Even if the entire cult is destroyed, I can return to Great Xia. But this is not an option for you all!"

The sect masters grimaced. They were completely at a loss about what to do with Lan Tian. Sure, some might claim that he was a spy. But...that didn't seem too logical as he was simply too crazy. He would rarely kill, but his ideals were too crazy and convincing. He had managed to brainwash a large number of people to work alongside him for world peace.

And how exactly did he intend to accomplish that? Simple. He preached that the borders of the Human Realm should be opened. A settlement should be built on a piece of land to accommodate all visitors. Eventually, the settlement should grow into the trade center of the Myriad Realms.

He had actually managed to convince quite a lot of people to follow him. Truth be told, many of his fellow sect masters felt that compared to him, they were all regular people while he was the one true cultist. Most of them couldn't do anything more damaging than killing. And that was not something humanity feared. This was especially true for those from Great Xia.

But the Original Devil Sect had been preaching everywhere, spreading their ideals to all who would listen. Somehow, they were able to gain quite a lot of followers. Their teachings were too infectious. In fact, some prefectures even found their teachings so agreeable that the government would actually turn a blind eye to their activities.

Thus, it was quite unlikely for someone like him to actually be a spy from Great Xia.

The Earthfire Sect master didn't even deign to say anything about that. He looked at the other sect master and said, "First Divine, I know this isn't something you care about. But even if you do manage to complete your advancement, you still need subordinates, right? Do us a favor today. In the future, we might consider following you when you choose to rise up in the future..."

First Divine Sect master replied, "It's fine. I don't need anyone following me."

"First Divine, are you really going to watch as we die?"

"Just surrender to the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion."

First Divine Sect master said, "They need experts. Silverwing and the others have joined them. Titanic Strength, Earthfire, both of you are seventh-stage Sunmoons. You might even get promoted into elders if you join them."

The two mentioned Sunmoons were displeased. At their level, they were not willing to become the subordinate of others.

Any late-stage Sunmoon would start thinking about dao affirmation. But upon joining the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion, they would fall under the control of their Invincibles. Would they really be allowed to complete their dao affirmation in the future?

Silverwing and the others were different since they were still not strong enough to consider dao affirmation. They still had a lot of growing to do. It wouldn't be too late for them to worry about dao affirmation in the future.

Furthermore, the two sect masters were already used to life as big shots. Even the myriad races would treat them with relative respect due to their cultivation level. Could they really accept joining the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion and becoming subordinates again?

Big shots would naturally consider things differently than small fries.

First Divine Sect master remained completely indifferent as he said, "If you have to, just follow Lan Tian's suggestion and join him. He's an eighth-stage Sunmoon as well. Working together, you might be able to put up quite a fight. Even the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion must consider properly before going after you."

A different Sunmoon said, "First Divine, we only trust you. Lan Tian...is too hard to trust."

Lan Tian spoke up, "My friends, this isn't right. How do you know First Divine is a good guy? Perhaps he's taking a step back now just to advance later. He's pretending to not care so that he can get all of you to submit to him willingly. This is merely an act. Perhaps he's the actual spy from Great Xia. Be careful with him. I tried investigating his past before. He has a mysterious past, but I did manage to find out that he was slightly related to Great Xia. In fact, I'm suspecting that he's Nan Wujiang, the third principal of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy."

Lan Tian grinned as he continued, "Nan Wujiang's so-called death was simply too suspicious. After spending years in Great Xia Cultural Research Academy, I found out that the third principal was very different from the other previous principals. Regardless of whether it was the first or the second principal, the trajectory of their lives could be traced clearly all the way to their deaths. Meanwhile, the third principal seemed to have disappeared suddenly one day. The only proof of his death was an eye-witness claiming to have seen him dying while fighting a Pseudo Invincible from the divine race. He only left his main character behind, the character that would eventually become the Devil Battling Field, one of the grottos in the academy that is still around even today."

"Is Nan Wujiang dead? I doubt so. When did First Divine first appear? Around the same time as Nan Wujiang's death, right? How did he become the master of the First Divine Sect? I heard that the previous sect master had suddenly promoted him before dying. A lot of people challenged that promotion, but they were all killed. This is too suspicious. This guy had appeared out of nowhere before becoming the sect master. Someone so strong shouldn't be someone with no history."

The First Divine Sect master said nothing. An uncomfortable silence enveloped the room.

Chapter 1179: Nan Wujiang (2)

Finally, the Titanic Strength Sect master broke the silence and said with a frown, "Nan Wujiang died in battle. The myriad races are all aware of this. Stop spouting nonsense, Lan Tian."

"Nonsense?" Lan Tian smiled, "Sure. Believe whatever you want. In any case, I suspect that First Divine isn't doing this to target small fries like us. By the way, I heard some rumors about the heavy injuries that have tortured First Divine over the years. It was said that those injuries were due to Ye Batian. Him hiding in the cult? That was due to Ye Batian as well. Aren't these rumors interesting?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ye Batian was attacked during his dao affirmation. As his teacher, how could First Divine do nothing? I also heard that Ye Batian had a dao protector during his dao affirmation. That dao protector was either an Invincible or a Pseudo Invincible. I heard this from some original devil experts. That dao protector might be the third principal. Am I right?"

Lan Tian looked at First Divine Sect master and laughed, "First Divine is too busy to involve himself in any cult activities. Perhaps he's involved in a major plan instead."

First Divine Sect master finally spoke, "Lan Tian, you're losing your mind."

"I'm losing my mind?" Lan Tian grinned again, "Sure. Don't worry, I am supportive of anything that is beneficial for the human race. I'm not exposing you to harm you. I only want you to preserve your life if possible. You can contribute more to humanity by staying alive. Don't throw your life for nothing even if you think you're being heroic. Chaos is rising in Great Xia. If you ask me, that human traitor is going to show up soon. First Divine, you have been too mysterious as of late. Are you actually trying to kill the traitor? Forget that thought. You will only get yourself killed. Have you even recovered from your injuries?"

"Lan Tian, spouting nonsense isn't a good habit to have."

The First Divine Sect master sounded displeased as he said, "Everyone knows Nan Wujiang is dead. You wish to become the leader of all cultists while I'm not interested in getting involved. But if you keep spouting nonsense and get in the way of my dao affirmation, I won't let it slide."

The two top experts started going at each other. But that little exchange also shocked all the other sect masters.

First Divine Sect master...third principal...Nan Wujiang?

Was it even possible for that to be true? Was the timing right? If Nan Wujiang was still alive and had instead become the First Divine Sect master...they shivered at that very thought.

Recalling what Lan Tian had mentioned, they broke out in cold sweat. And this plot would somehow involve Invincibles as well? Lan Tian was simply too much of a lunatic. He did not need to hold back when speaking. But the words he had just spoken...were incredibly terrifying.

The other sect masters trembled and stopped trying to persuade the First Divine Sect master to lead them. If he was really the third principal, wouldn't it be a matter of time before he sold them out?

Lan Tian grinned and said, "Of course, that's all my speculation. You are all free to believe what you want."

The First Divine Sect master coldly said, "Those casual words of you might cause me massive trouble. Lan Tian, watch your mouth. You better pray we don't encounter each other in person or things won't end well for you."

Lan Tian smiled, "Hehe, don't say that. But it's not like I'm scared of you. If you're really Nan Wujiang, I won't even need to lift a finger. There will naturally be people lining up to deal with you. First Divine, you better pray you're not Nan Wujiang instead of throwing threats my way."

The First Divine Sect master sneered, "You're pretty good at accusing someone else to distract everyone's attention from you. Unfortunately, that won't change the fact that your background is still too suspicious."

The other sect masters felt a chill creeping up his spine. Just who among the two was speaking the truth? They no longer dared to trust the First Divine Sect master. Nor would they trust Lan Tian.

The two strongest sect masters of the Myriad Race Cult were not to be trusted anymore. Because of that, quite a lot of gazes landed on the Titanic Strength Sect master and Earthfire Sect master. They all looked helpless and worried.

The Myriad Race Cult...was on the verge of falling apart. Their two strongest sect masters were not to be relied upon. Thus, they could only place their hope on the other two late-stage Sunmoons. Follow current novels on novel⁂fire.net

Lan Tian said, "It's fine if you guys are not willing to trust me. Just make sure you don't trust First Divine too easily. That fellow...is a very troublesome fellow. You might yet survive if you join a different organization. Meanwhile, this guy is probably going to go crazy and seek death before long. I'm most certainly not interested in dying alongside him."

The Titanic Strength Sect and Earthfire Sect masters remained silent, but they were shivering inwardly.

If. This was an if.

If First Divine was Nan Wujiang, why had he concealed himself for so many years?

The answer was very obvious. He was probably doing this to avenge Ye Batian. According to some rumors, a human Invincible was the cause of Ye Batian's death. Perhaps back then, Nan Wujiang was also involved in the battle during Ye Batian's dao affirmation.

He had known long ago that there was a traitor. Thus, he had been hiding to wait for an opportunity to avenge his student.

With Great Xia engulfed in chaos, this might be the opportunity for Nan Wujiang to lure that traitor out. He might even be planning to die together with that traitor. If Ye Batian was so strong, could Nan Wujiang be weak?

Even if he was still suffering from his injuries from back then...he would still be a terrifyingly strong person. What a terrifying possibility to consider.

The First Divine Sect master sighed and said, "Stop thinking so much. Lan Tian is trying to drag me through the mud."

"If that's the case, tell everyone your real identity. Come on, do it." Lan Tian grinned and said, "A ninth-stage Sunmoon who might even be a Pseudo Invincible won't appear out of thin air. Tell us about your past."

Lan Tian laughed and continued, "Just look at me. Everyone knows my past very well. It is understandable that some of you might suspect my connection with Great Xia. I don't mind that. I have nothing to hide. But someone with something to hide...is someone you truly need to be wary of."

"Heh."

The First Divine Sect master merely sneered before his projection vanished from the room.

Lan Tian laughed, "Look at that. He left out of guilt! Heed my warning. Be wary of him. Try to avoid him if possible. You don't want to get yourself dragged into whatever crazy plan he's trying to carry out."

Leaving those words behind, Lan Tian's projection faded away as well. With the two strongest sect masters gone, the others were left staring blankly. What should they do now?

One of them gnashed his teeth and said, "Rather than rely on others, we might as well rely on ourselves. Sect Master Lan Tian's words...are too scary. If he's right, I would rather join the pavilion."

What chilling words by Lan Tian. That was too terrifying. The First Divine Sect master might be Nan Wujiang. Was that not a scary thought? Perhaps all of them had only been left alive by Nan Wujiang as convenient tools to help with his disguise. Otherwise, they would have been wiped out long ago.

This was too dangerous. The Titanic Strength Sect and Earthfire Sect masters remained silent. When they looked at the other three sect masters, they conversed through voice transmission.

"What now?"

The two strongest experts among them could no longer be relied upon. They should count themselves lucky that the two had yet to do anything to them.

With a sigh, the Titanic Strength Sect master said, "If we really have to, we might as well submit to the pavilion. At the very least, that's better than dying a confused death. First Divine...if he's really Nan Wujiang, something big might happen soon. Also, there is one more thing we need to consider. Has that...Invincible planted someone among us?"

If one of them was a spy, then Lan Tian's speculation would also reach that person. They sank into silence. None of them knew what to believe anymore. Perhaps the Titanic Strength Sect master himself was the spy here. He might have joined the pavilion already. Who knew?

Could anything remain a secret from the pavilion?

The sect masters sighed and said nothing else. This alliance between sects was as good as dead. They should really start considering joining the pavilion. What the two strongest sect masters said today had thoroughly dashed the tiny bit of hope they still held.

If the First Divine Sect master could be trusted, they might still be able to stand tall against the pavilion thanks to his strength. But neither of the two strongest sect masters could be trusted. What option was left for them?

Of course, it was also possible that Lan Tian was the spy while First Divine had merely been smeared. Meanwhile, if First Divine was Nan Wujiang, then it was unlikely for Lan Tian to be a spy. He wouldn't have exposed First Divine otherwise.

***

The meeting of the cult had ended.

Not long after.

A figure seemingly as old as time itself suddenly opened his eyes and muttered, "Nan Wujiang? First Divine?"

Nan Wujiang!

Was the expert by Ye Batian's side back then Nan Wujiang? That would actually make a lot of sense. First Divine...Nan Wujiang...was that the case?

Was that unknown expert Nan Wujiang's tri-life body? So he had been protecting Ye Batian all along! But why did he fake his death? After all, his so-called death had happened long before Ye Batian's attempt at dao affirmation. Could it be...that he was also trying to affirm his dao in secret?

"Nan Wujiang...and his tri-life body. After losing his tri-life body, he has been nursing his injuries for so many years. Great Xia...trap!"

This was a trap!

Was that a trap for him?

Perhaps.

Was Nan Wujiang their trump card?

Even back then, Nan Wujiang was already so strong. His tri-life body was strong enough to kill an Invincible. Perhaps he had recovered, or perhaps not. No matter what, a massive danger would await him in Great Xia if Nan Wujiang was really still alive.

"Lan Tian..."

That figure laughed. Lan Tian, what an interesting person.

It did not matter if this was an empty accusation or if it was true. Lan Tian's guesses made a lot of sense. There were simply too many coincidences. A hundred years ago, Ye Batian had yet to even display his insane talent. If Nan Wujiang was really First Divine, his initial reason for faking his death was most certainly not protecting or avenging Ye Batian. Rather, he had initially faked his death to affirm his dao in secret.

It was likely that Ye Batian was not the only one who had attempted a dao affirmation back then. Perhaps Nan Wujiang was also planning to do it then. Or maybe he planned to wait until Ye Batian succeeded before getting Ye Batian to act as his dao protector.

"I see."

Numerous images appeared in the eyes of that figure. Eventually, the image of the destroyed tri-life body back then appeared. That image proceeded to overlap with Nan Wujiang's image.

"Is he...the source of danger?"

Nevertheless, this was still a risk he needed to face.

Chapter 1180: Nan Wujiang (3)

At the same time.

Out of nowhere, Silverwing spoke to Su Yu, "Lord, the Titanic Strength Sect master wishes to have a conversation with the pavilion."

Titanic Strength Sect master? The seventh-stage Sunmoon?"

"Yes."

Su Yu rubbed his chin and laughed, "Even a late-stage Sunmoon is starting to surrender? Is this a trap? The Myriad Race Cult is actually capable of putting up a fight against us. No matter what, they still have four late-stage Sunmoons. That First Divine Sect master and Lan Tian are both super experts. Why are they submitting so easily?"

How odd.

Su Yu greatly suspected that this was a trap. During the past few days, he had been attacking the cult non-stop. Some cultists were directly killed while some would be accepted as his subordinates. He had also snatched a lot of riches during this process, and the riches had been distributed among his subordinates depending on their contribution. The ex-cultists had all profited massively from selling out their own.

These riches were unable to catch Su Yu's eyes. For him, none of these so-called treasures were really that valuable. After recruiting two more Sunmoons, he had amassed twelve early Sunmoons and two middle Sunmoons under him.

A group like this was already as strong as the cult at its peak if the eighth elder and First Profound were also included.

Su Yu was quite surprised to learn that even a late-stage Sunmoon from the cult wished to have a talk with him. A late-stage Sunmoon couldn't be subdued so easily. Not even the sunmoon profound yellow liquid was attractive enough to buy the loyalty of such people. They cared more about carrier treasures instead.

Upon reaching the seventh stage, a Sunmoon needed to start thinking about their future dao affirmation.

But no matter how rich the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion might be, it wouldn't be able to easily offer carrier treasures to its members. It definitely had some to spare, but the number would be limited. And there were plenty of elders in the pavilion waiting for these carrier treasures.

Su Yu looked at First Profound and asked, "Elder, is this a trap? According to what we know, there are still four late-stage Sunmoons in the cult. The First Divine Sect master might be a ninth-stage Sunmoon or even a Pseudo Invincible."

First Profound said, "We will know after the talk. If you're worried about this being a trap, just get the third and eighth elders to go with you as well. With them around, you can simply smash through all traps."

"True." Su Yu nodded, "Silverwing, tell him we agree to a meeting. Advise him to come with his real body as a show of his sincerity. The pavilion will not mistreat top experts like him. Not even someone like me is qualified to control these late-stage Sunmoons. If he's willing to join, he can go under First Profound Elder. He will be similarly ranked as me. After we exit the Human Realm, he will be further rewarded depending on his contributions. If you ask me, he will be promoted into an elder after this." Thıs text ıs hosted at novel★fire.net

Yes, Su Yu himself lacked the qualification to have late-stage Sunmoons as his subordinates. Fortunately, he had First Profound, the convenient puppet by his side. As an eighth-stage Sunmoon, First Profound was qualified for this job.

Silverwing answered, "Yes, Lord. I'll notify him. I hope he'll be tactful."

Due to Goldwing's death, Silverwing had not been able to gain much from the information Goldwing knew. But he had still earned a lot during the past few days. He was looking forward to the exit from the Human Realm. During the past few days, he was able to experience how it felt to be a part of a powerful organization. It felt amazing.

He had been given the opportunity to attack his previous rivals. With more than ten Sunmoons by his side, they only needed to throw an attack each to kill the opponent. This was unlike how things were during his time with Goldwing. Each time they attempted to kill someone, they had to act stealthily with extreme caution.

During the past few days, they had also encountered some myriad race experts while attacking the stubborn cultists. Profound Nine had acted overbearingly and told those myriad race experts to either piss off or die. Surprisingly, the myriad race experts had actually chosen to not interfere.

This felt great. This was how it felt to work under the banner of an organization backed by eight Invincibles.

Recently, Silverwing had found himself a new dream: to become the leader of operations like Profound Nine. He could run around with a bunch of experts and oppress everyone around them. When he was in trouble, he could call for more help. This was the kind of life he had been dreaming to have.

During the past few days, he had been able to meet even a Pseudo Invincible every single day. Initially, he would be nervous each time he was in the presence of the elder. But eventually, he got used to it.

With the pavilion, he was able to expand both his horizons and experience. These pavilion members were extremely wealthy. They were actually freely using heavenly source qi to recover from their exhaustion.

As for their Sunmoons, almost all of them would cultivate using sunmoon profound yellow liquid. Silverwing couldn't help but recall how as a cultist, he could only use some sunmoon profound yellow liquid once every three to five years. Even that was considered a massive expenditure.

Silverwing had been thinking that if he had been able to cultivate like these pavilion members as well, he would have reached the third-stage Sunmoon Realm or higher long ago. Only after joining the pavilion did Silverwing come to realize just how poor the cult was.

And he was not alone in thinking this way. All the recently joined cultists shared the same opinion. So far, Su Yu had been able to recruit five cultist Sunmoons under his wing. After going out on several missions with the pavilion, these cultists were able to feel very clearly how things had changed for them.

Profound Nine might be overbearing, but he was very fair when distributing the spoils of battle. Everyone would receive a fair share depending on their contribution. Or perhaps these spoils of war were simply not valuable enough to catch Profound Nine's eyes.

***

While Su Yu was preparing for his meeting with the Titanic Strength Sect master.

Rumors about the First Divine Sect master started spreading among some Sunmoons in the Human Realm. They were told to search for the First Divine Sect master and test his strength. Of course, it would be extremely difficult to kill such a person. Officially, the sect master was a ninth-stage Sunmoon. Unless one was a Pseudo Invincible or an Invincible, killing him would almost be impossible.

As for their suspicion of Wan Tiansheng's strength, it further dropped. Even if Wan Tiansheng had been hiding his strength, none suspected that he would be stronger than the seventh-stage Sunmoon Realm. Even if he was stronger than that, he would only be an eighth-stage Sunmoon. Or even a ninth-stage Sunmoon. That would be absolutely crazy, but so what?

Yes, a ninth-stage Sunmoon was strong. So? The mysterious expert who had fight alongside Ye Batian back then was the one they should fear instead. That person was terrifyingly strong and talented. Very few people could kill an Invincible with only a tri-life body. Not even Xia Longwu could do something like that.

Someone so talented was extremely rare even among the major races. Thus, it was very believable that the mysterious expert was actually Nan Wujiang. It was perfectly logical for Ye Batian to trust his own teacher enough to allow his teacher to stay beside him during his dao affirmation.

An enemy in the open was not as dangerous as a hidden enemy. And the hidden traitor was what Great Xia feared the most. On the other hand, the mysterious expert by Ye Batian's side was the person he feared most.

It was becoming increasingly obvious that while Great Xia was trying to figure out who the traitor was, the traitor was also trying to figure out who the mysterious expert was. After so many years, some clues about the mysterious expert had finally appeared. This was all thanks to Lan Tian.

In the past, everyone thought that Nan Wujiang was dead. Thus, nobody bothered to look at the matter from this angle. But the moment Lan Tian pointed out the possibility that Nan Wujiang was the First Divine Sect master, the answer suddenly became a lot clearer.

With a proper direction, further investigation into that mysterious expert became much easier than before.

***

While First Divine Sect master's background was being investigated.

Nanyuan continued shocking everyone.

On the 1st of November, Hong Tan advanced into the second-stage Sunmoon Realm.

On the 3rd of November, Xia Yunji advanced into the Sunmoon Realm.

On the 4th of November, Zhao Mingyue advanced into Sunmoon Realm.

On the 5th of November, Hu Ping advanced into the Sunmoon Realm.

The world was shocked. The Myriad Realms was shocked.

In the span of five days, three people had advanced into the Sunmoon Realm. All of them were from the multiple character faction. Hong Tan was even showing signs of further advancing into the third stage. This further stirred the numerous people who were paying attention to Nanyuan.

Culture Tomb!

A priceless treasure!

Naturally, Bai Feng had also broken through into the Cloudbreach Realm during this time. Alas, he was too much of a small fry that nobody cared.

What? After the appearances of several Sunmoons, who would care about a mere Cloudbreach? Yes, Bai Feng's advancement had generated quite a spectacle, proving his talent as a cultivator. But even the strongest Cloudbreach would still be a Cloudbreach. Even someone as strong as Mo Duona wouldn't proclaim himself stronger than Sunmoons.

The myriad race experts were not the only ones stirring. Even the human experts were getting excited as well.

The secret multiple character cultivators who had just returned from the minor realms started heading toward Nanyuan in excitement. Some of them were even escorted by some considerably powerful experts. These experts intended to negotiate with the Xia Family to have these young geniuses enter Su Yu's house as well.

If those from Great Xia's multiple character faction could advance so easily, these secret multiple character cultivators could probably do so as well. This was an extremely rare opportunity. As fellow multiple character cultivators, Hong Tan and the others would accord them that much respect, right?

As for the Xia Family, they would not be so selfish that they weren't willing to share the ruin with their fellow humans, right?

The tiny Nanyuan had become the absolute center of attention. Even the open battles between the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion and the Myriad Race Cult were completely ignored. Nobody could afford to remove their gaze from Nanyuan.

Chapter 1181: Fair (1)

The day after Hu Ping's advancement. Outside Nanyuan.

The eighth elder had appeared personally for the recruitment. Instead of showing up with his real body, the Titanic Strength Sect master only sent a puppet over. These late Sunmoons weren't careless enough to trust others so easily. Nor would they dare to completely trust the Heavenly Hunt Pavilion.

With his white and gold mask, the eighth elder said, "If you join the pavilion, you can return to the Allheaven Battlefield with us after we conclude our operations here. There, you will most certainly be promoted to an elder. You may choose to join one of the four departments, the two spires, or the two chambers."

The expressionless puppet said, "I'm not negotiating only for myself. Earthfire is with me and both of us are seventh-stage Sunmoons. Additionally, the masters of Unitaurus, Flying Sky Tiger, and Lightning Bird Sects are interested as well. They are all middle-stage Sunmoons. I am negotiating for all five of us."

This was his way of increasing his bargaining chips. And five Sunmoons should suffice for that task. With two of them being late-stage Sunmoons and three being middle-stage Sunmoons, their group was far better than the likes of Silverwing. Silverwing and the other sect masters who had joined so far were only early-stage Sunmoons. Even the strongest among them was only in the third stage. There was simply no comparing them and Titanic Strength's group. A single late-stage Sunmoon would be enough to suppress Silverwing and the other early-stage Sunmoons.

The eighth elder smiled, "Please state your terms."

"Carrier treasures. One each for me and Earthfire. Of course, we will only ask for them after reaching the ninth stage."

The eighth elder frowned upon hearing that. With the mask on, Titanic Strength couldn't see the frown, but he knew that the elder was hesitant.

Soon, the elder said, "That will be quite difficult to satisfy. I'll be honest, my friend. Even among our existing members, we have a decent number of ninth-stage Sunmoons awaiting their carrier treasures. They are all elders. To get something like this, you need to contribute massively to the pavilion. In fact, this is why the third elder and me here in the Human Realm. We're hoping to contribute enough to get carrier treasures. We both lack only a carrier treasure before we can reach the peak."

Each ninth-stage Sunmoon required two carrier treasures. One to bear the past and one to bear the future. The present required no carrier since that was a body one had cultivated from scratch.

The third and eighth elders had only formed one of their tri-life bodies. They each needed another carrier treasure to further their cultivation.

The eighth elder spoke earnestly, "Only by contributing massively will you receive the chance to buy one. And that will remain only a chance, not a guarantee. The pavilion is a fair business. Our prices might be a tad bit more expensive, but we will never go back on a deal."

Beside them, Su Yu had a thoughtful smile as he interupted, "Eighth Elder, may I say something."

"Yes."

"I believe...the Titanic Strength Sect master and the others are daydreaming."

Su Yu was very honest as he said, "Carrier treasures? I heard the most valuable treasures one can find in Invincible ruins are also carrier treasures. Even a regular Invincible ruin will only have two carrier treasures. Meanwhile, you are asking for two carrier treasures with only two seventh-stage Sunmoons. Perhaps we should provide you an Invincible ruin while we're at it? Even better, we should just occupy the entire Culture Manor and gift it to you instead."

Su Yu snorted coldly and continued, "My direct superior, First Profound Elder, has contributed massively to the pavilion. He is an eighth-stage Sunmoon, yet he still doesn't have any carrier treasure. You're asking for too much. Answer me. Why should we provide you with carrier treasures? It's fine to ask for things like sunmoon profound yellow liquid and heavenly source qi. But carrier treasures? Do you think we're doing charity here?"

The Titanic Strength Sect master's voice turned slightly unfriendly as he said, "Profound Nine, don't forget your strength. You're only a fresh Sunmoon. Is this how the white masks of the pavilion behave before late-stage Sunmoons?"

Profound Nine was way too arrogant.

Su Yu coldly said, "And what's the big deal about late-stage Sunmoons? Let me be honest, Titanic Strength Sect master. We have plenty of elders in the pavilion. Two more late-stage Sunmoons don't matter much to us. Sure, we don't mind getting more if they're obedient. But if they're not...you're free to test us. Can the cult even survive the coming chaos?"

"..."

"Profound Nine!" The eighth elder stepped in, "Stop this. Respect must be accorded to the strong. Don't you know this well? Behave yourself."

Su Yu cupped his hands and gave a slight bow as he said with a smile, "The eighth elder is right. I shouldn't forget my manners. Alas, some frogs in the well always believe themselves important. In truth...no, what am I saying? Yes, a late-stage Sunmoon is very strong. Someone like that might even be my future superior. Ah, I was merely joking around to lighten the mood. Please don't mind me."

However, his tone was practically dripping with sarcasm. The Titanic Strength Sect master was greatly displeased. What a brazen and arrogant person. But the eighth elder didn't mind this. At times, it was important to have both good cop and the bad cop. This was a perfectly normal tactic to use during negotiations.

If this cultist couldn't even endure something like this, then he wouldn't amount to anything. If he was thinking of submitting, then he had to be ready for something like this.

After berating Su Yu yet again, the eighth elder laughed and said, "Titanic Strength Sect master, why don't we do it this way? If we do manage to get the Culture Manor and the Culture Tomb within, both you and the Earthfire Sect master may receive the carrier treasures inside, provided there are carrier treasures inside and both of you have contributed sufficiently."

The Titanic Strength Sect master asked, "Are you sure? Also, how will our contributions be measured?"

The eighth elder said, "That depends on what we get ultimately. We will compare our spoils with everyone's contribution and share accordingly. With fewer spoils, the rewards will naturally be smaller. But if we can somehow get everything in the ruin, for instance, we will probably make five carrier treasures worth of spoils. At that time, both you and the Earthfire Sect master will naturally get your share depending on your performance."

The Titanic Strength Sect master sank into contemplation. After a while, he said, "If the humans try to attack us or even send their Invincibles against us, will the Invincibles of the pavilion make a move? We've offended too many people in the Human Realm over the years..."

The eighth elder said, "Yes. But...you need to be important enough for them to act. Without sufficient contribution to the pavilion, I honestly can't think of any organization that will be willing to offend Invincibles for the sake of several Sunmoons."

"I understand." Titanic Strength sighed and asked, "So what are we expected to do after joining? Are we going to be killing the stubborn cultists like what Silverwing and the others have been doing?"

"No." The eighth elder said, "For now, Profound Nine is in charge of all our operations in Great Xia."

"Him?" Titanic Strength complained, "We're late-stage Sunmoons. Do we need to listen to him as well?"

After a slight hesitation, the eighth elder explained, "For now. This will not last after we withdraw from the Human Realm. Our plan is already in play and it won't be wise to change it for some new members."

Titanic Strength still appeared resentful. Su Yu took this chance to complain, "Eighth Elder, why don't we forget about this? I'm afraid that their disobedience will ruin our plans. These people are different from our white masks. Instead of helping, they might end up foiling our plan."

Titanic Strength had the urge to start cussing. Why was this guy rejecting them when it should be the other way around? Wait, well, he did try rejecting this guy. But that was understandable since they were weaker. Who was this guy to reject them?

The eighth elder laughed, "Be polite, Profound Nine. After joining, they will be one of us..."

Su Yu said, "In that case, I hope they will actually obey. Otherwise, you should just keep them with you, Eighth Elder. I'm not interested in falling into danger due to their disobedience."

"I doubt that will happen." The eighth elder said, "Titanic Strength and the other sect masters are all reasonable people. This is only a temporary arrangement. Titanic Strength, after joining the pavilion, you will first serve as white masks. First Profound will be your temporary direct superiors."

Titanic Strength hesitated and asked, "First Profound? Why not you, Eighth Elder?"

The eighth elder explained, "If you're assigned under the Enforcement Unit, you will lack flexibility in the future. The Enforcement Unit is special as our members are not allowed to leave after joining. As for the other departments, reassignments are allowed."

Titanic Strength nodded, hesitated slightly, and asked again, "Eighth Elder, I still have something to ask..."

"What is it?"

"The Heavenly Hunt Pavilion is known for its information network. I wish to buy some information..."

"That won't be an issue."

Titanic Strength said, "It's not simple. It might be very important. The information must be accurate."

Surprised, the eighth elder said, "Sure. What do you wish to know? I don't specialize in this part of the business, but you can tell me about it. If it's really important, I can personally contact the Yellow Department head. That's the department in charge of intelligence."

After a short silence, Titanic Strength switched to voice transmission, "Can I ask if the third principal of Great Xia Cultural Research Academy really dead?"

"Hmm?" The eighth elder asked doubtfully through voice transmission, "Of course he's dead. There are clear records of his death..." ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ novelꞁire.net

"But I still want to learn more about that. Can I get the pavilion to investigate more about this? Additionally, I also need the background of First Divine Sect master investigated."

"You mean..."

"This isn't a secret anymore. During our meeting yesterday, Sect Master Lan Tian voiced his suspicion that First Divine Sect master is actually Nan Wujiang. This information will start spreading before long. I believe only the pavilion is able to figure out the truth. If that's really the case...this might be enough to get all cultists to give up and submit to the pavilion. After all, if he is really Nan Wujiang, the remnants of the cult will no longer have a reason or the motivation to resist the pavilion."

Titanic Strength had mixed feelings as he recalled what he heard during the meeting yesterday. He sighed inwardly. If First Divine was really Nan Wujiang, what even was the point of everything they had done all these years? The very leader they all relied upon and respected was actually someone from Great Xia. Why should they continue working for the cult, then? It was completely pointless.

The eighth elder was greatly shocked. Nan Wujiang? Was he not dead? And he had even joined the Myriad Race Cult before becoming the master of the First Divine Sect?

This...

Not even the eighth elder could keep his calm upon hearing something like that. What was wrong with the human race? Was every human an expert schemer?

Had Nan Wujiang faked his death?

He said, "Fine. I'll contact the Yellow Department immediately. They're better at intelligence gathering. Wait for my reply."

Meanwhile, Su Yu was left waiting curiously while the two conversed through voice transmission. What were they talking about? Why were they being so secretive? He felt left out.

Had they forgotten that he was the person in charge right now? They should pay him more attention!

Fine, fine. He had to admit that he was too weak to be worth their attention.

Bored, he started instigating First Profound again, "Elder, they're leaving you out!"

First Profound didn't even deign to mount a reply.

"Elder, guess what they're talking about."

First Profound continued ignoring him. However, Silverwing seemed to have noticed Profound Nine's curiosity. Through a voice transmission, he said, "Lord, I remember hearing something from the master of a small sect. Since nobody knows how true that is, I didn't mention it to you. This is probably what Titanic Strength is talking about."

"What is it?"