Chapter 1040: Enslave Tianhong! Light and Dark Reversed!

"I know where the Tianming Sect headquarters is, and I know all the branches of the Xiatianming Sect.

As long as you're willing to spare me, I can hand over all the intelligence to you.

In addition, there's the massive amount of resources I've accumulated over all these years.

These resources are all stored in a safe place; even if you kill me, you won't be able to get them.

And although my level is only Tier 1, my spiritual power still retains some of the characteristics of my original Tier 9.

Even psychic ability users can't forcibly read my memories."

Seeing Xu Jingming show an interested expression, Tianhong bent his waist even lower and simply dropped to his knees with a thud, explaining the benefits of letting him go.

"Spare you? Sure."

Xu Jingming grinned, his spiritual power surging out with a roar, forming a delicate imprint radiating an overbearing aura.

"An enslavement-type psychic combat technique?" Tianhong's expression changed drastically.

In the next instant, the imprint flew out, touched his forehead, and merged into it.

His originally horrified expression immediately became reverent:

"Master."

"Mm."

Xu Jingming nodded slightly; this scene didn't surprise him much.

Based on Tianhen's situation, these Tier 9 members of the Tianming Sect should all have measures in place to prevent spiritual enslavement.

Under normal circumstances, no matter how severely he wounded Tianhong, enslavement would have been impossible.

But Tianhong was different—after having seven of his sub-bodies slain in succession, his spiritual power had been weakened to the extreme.

Along with it, the protective measures over his consciousness sea were also greatly diminished, allowing him to successfully cast the Slave Heart Seal.

"Tell me, what intelligence do you know?"

"Yes, the Tianming Sect originated from..."

Once the Slave Heart Seal is successfully cast, the target becomes completely loyal to the caster.

Over the next few minutes, through Tianhong, Xu Jingming very easily obtained a large amount of intelligence.

First was the Tianming Sect headquarters—Tianhong had lied.

He had always communicated with the Tianming Sect headquarters through a communicator and didn't know the specific location of the headquarters.

Next was the intelligence within the Great Xia nation.

This gave Xu Jingming quite a pleasant surprise.

Within Great Xia's borders, there were actually nearly twenty Tianming Sect branches, and as many as eight Tier 8 Grandmasters.

"Killing one Tier 8 Divine Blood Emissary is at least 30,000 ability points, plus the other low-tier Divine Blood Emissaries in the branches—this wave should net hundreds of thousands of ability points." Xu Jingming's gaze flickered slightly.

With his current strength, once the target and location are confirmed.

Piloting an Obsidian-class fighter jet, he could almost sweep clean all these people within Great Xia's borders in a single day.

"I once tried to recruit the Li family, but they haven't agreed yet, though it looks like they're already starting to be tempted."

Tianhong continued.

"Oh?"

Xu Jingming raised his sword-like brows and asked in confusion, "The Li family is a top-tier family in Great Xia—would they want to join you?"

Su Qingli, who had arrived a minute ago, also showed a look of surprise.

A peak Tier 9 family in Great Xia had already reached the pinnacle in both reputation and influence—why would they want to join a cult?

"It's because of a piece of news."

Tianhong said respectfully, "According to the Tianming Supreme Pontiff, the Holy Lord will descend much earlier in this civilization era.

It won't be like the Second Civilization Era, where after entering the peak period of Origin Energy Revival, there was still a two-hundred-year wait."

After a pause, he added, "The Holy Lord we speak of is the Molten Fire Beast that caused the world-ending crises of the First and Second Civilization Eras."

"The Molten Fire Beast will revive early?" Su Qingli's expression shifted slightly.

Xu Jingming, who had already obtained the news from Aimosi, wasn't too surprised and continued asking:

"What does 'descend' mean? Does the Molten Fire Beast come from outer space?"

"I'm not sure; the Tianming Supreme Pontiff didn't mention it."

"Then do you know when it will descend?"

"According to the Tianming Supreme Pontiff, as soon as three years, as late as five."

"..."

Xu Jingming's string of questions were all answered by Tianhong one by one.

Su Qingli, listening beside him, grew more and more shocked and couldn't help but ask, "Jingming, should we report this news to the Speaker and the others?"

"No rush; let's follow my lord Aimosi's arrangements on this." Xu Jingming shook his head.

Having just practiced the Purple Tenuity Pupil, he already possessed a faint ability to glimpse future scenes.

Aimosi, who possessed the Eye of Destiny and had cultivated the Purple Tenuity Pupil to perfection, must have seen even more of the future, and in greater detail!

Yet under these circumstances, she hadn't chosen to share this news with the other Supreme beings.

This indicated that making the news public would certainly bring enormous hidden dangers.

"My lord Aimosi? Very well."

Su Qingli was momentarily stunned, then relaxed slightly.

Taking a deep breath and steadying her mind somewhat, she spoke:

"Jingming, should we keep this Tianhong?"

"He can stay."

Xu Jingming nodded and smiled:

"Now we can receive updates from the Tianming Sect anytime. Before, they were in the shadows and we were in the light; now it's reversed."

He turned to Tianhong: "Luckily your ability is extremely unique, or I might not have been able to enslave you."

Indeed, killing a Rank Nine Mid-tier Blood Deity Envoy grants 400,000 Ability Points.

But compared to gaining intelligence on the Tianming Sect, those 400,000 Ability Points are negligible.

"It is my honor to serve my lord," Tianhong bowed respectfully.

Though he knew full well Xu Jingming was his mortal enemy, and that he was trapped in a state of enslavement worse than death,

he could not summon hatred, nor resist—only accept the man as his master.

This was the terrifying power of the SSS-grade combat technique, Slave Heart Seal.

"You may live, but the Tianming Sect has no reason to exist.

Issue orders: the Xiatianming Sect shall enter full stealth mode.

No recruitment, no operations permitted."

Had he not feared the Xiatianming Sect's anomalies being detected by the Tianming Sect's headquarters, Xu Jingming would have eradicated every Tianming Sect cell within Daya outright.

But now that he held Tianhong, achieving this could be done at any moment.

"Also, summon all Blood Deity Envoys above Rank Six to Mo City."

The Ability Points lost from Tianhong will be compensated by these lower-rank Blood Deity Envoys.

"Understood," Tianhong bowed respectfully.

"Let's go. Return to your Shenghui Sect and show me what treasures you've gathered."

Xu Jingming retrieved a Black Obsidian-class combat aircraft from his spatial ring and flew back to the Shenghui Sect with Tianhong and Su Qingli.

According to Tianhong's intelligence, his vast resources were hidden in a secret location beneath the Shenghui Sect.

Though the Tianming Sect was a heretical cult, years of accumulation meant its resources were likely substantial.

Of these, he was most interested in an SSR-grade Body Strengthening Art.

As Tianhong said, this Body Strengthening Art was specially crafted for those with the unique ability to absorb the essence of Molten Colossus beasts.

His own Body Strengthening Art had been stuck at SSS-grade for a long time; with this technique, perhaps he could trigger another evolution, pushing it to SSR-grade...