Chapter 117: Dao Treasure

"Nothing here. Did Brother Yi discover anything?"

Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng shook his head and said in a deep voice.

He had never seen a sect slaughtered so cleanly; aside from broken walls and ruined pillars, nothing else remained. Not even a corpse or a fragment was left behind, which was enough to prove that the other party wanted to cover something up, having carried out a thorough destruction of the evidence.

This was also the greatest doubt and flaw!

Perhaps they could find something; although they had come up empty-handed, Hehuan Laomo was, after all, a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage, so perhaps he had gained something.

"Yi has no clues here either. However, Yi feels that that Qiong Daoyou from the Yanyue Sect should know something."

Hehuan Laomo likewise shook his head gently and said.

"Yanyue Sect!"

Hearing the three words "Yanyue Sect," Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng spat them out through gritted teeth.

After all, the Ghost Spirit Sect falling into such a state had an inseparable connection with the Yanyue Sect.

Yet, precisely because of this, he had not gone on a crazed rampage of revenge in the Yue Kingdom Cultivation World and had maintained his sanity.

He did not want the few remaining disciples and elders of the Ghost Spirit Sect to be completely buried in the Yue Kingdom Cultivation World.

If he were to crazily retaliate against the Yanyue Sect, the other five sects would never help him; they would only watch coldly from the sidelines, thereby learning who the mysterious cultivator—or rather, group of cultivators—who wiped out the entire Ghost Spirit Sect actually was.

If this matter was not investigated clearly, it would inevitably become an unsolved mystery for the entire Tiannan Cultivation World and an obstacle to the subsequent plans of both the righteous and demonic paths.

No one wanted such a mysterious force to exist, one that could potentially wipe out the sects and families behind them at any moment.

It truly made one feel as if needles were pricking their back and a fishbone was stuck in their throat, unable to find peace!

"Then, Brother Yi, do you intend to personally go to the Yanyue Sect and ask that Qiong Laoguai?"

Elder Yun of the Ghost Spirit Sect asked in pursuit.

"Naturally, I must ask, but I will not force the issue. Such a powerful and terrifying force is something even I am unwilling to offend. Regarding your sect's misfortune, I can only say it is a pity. However, being able to know that such a force still exists in the Tiannan Cultivation World cannot be considered a total loss," Hehuan Laomo nodded and said.

But his words made the expressions of Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng and Elder Yun even uglier.

"Now that your sect no longer has the ability or strength to remain one of the Heavenly Luo Kingdom Six Demon Sects, your sect must choose whether to continue staying here or relocate elsewhere. If you relocate elsewhere, this sect can provide some assistance. This will also allow your sect to reduce some losses."

Hehuan Laomo continued to speak about a matter that Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng and Elder Yun had to take seriously.

This matter was far more important than revenge.

Because if it were not handled well, the entire Ghost Spirit Sect would be completely removed from the Heavenly Luo Kingdom demonic sects.

It was certain that those sects and families who previously held grudges against the Ghost Spirit Sect would definitely not let such a good opportunity to completely erase the Ghost Spirit Sect pass by.

And this kind of thing was not impossible to happen; if not handled well, it would certainly happen.

"Many thanks for the reminder, Brother Yi. Our sect will consider it."

Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng cupped his hands in thanks.

"No need. After all, your sect and my sect still have some friendship."

Hehuan Laomo said indifferently with a blank expression.

"Alright, it is getting late. Yi still needs to go to other places to take a look. To see if I can find any traces or clues."

"Understood! Then I will trouble Brother Yi."

Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng said respectfully.

"Good. If there is any news, Yi will inform you both."

After saying this, Hehuan Laomo transformed into a streak of black demonic aura and left.

"Senior Brother Yun, do you think this Hehuan Laomo will go to the Yanyue Sect to find that Qiong Laoguai?"

After a full quarter-hour of silence, Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng finally asked Elder Yun beside him.

"He will. I fear that only that Qiong Laoguai from the Yanyue Sect has some clues regarding this matter. It is inseparable from that good friend of his. However, that fellow alone could never have had such strength to slaughter an entire sect; there must be other reasons. But what exactly are they?"

Elder Yun of the Ghost Spirit Sect sighed and analyzed.

"Senior Brother, do you think it could be the work of that group of rogue cultivators, Tianhen Old Monster and Nanlong Hou? In the entire Tiannan Cultivation World, only that group of rogue cultivators, if they united, could form such a powerful force capable of slaughtering an entire sect. Senior Brother Zhong's divine abilities and strength are enough to rank in the top twenty of the entire Tiannan Cultivation World; if someone could kill him, Tianhen Old Monster must be one of them."

Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng speculated and analyzed.

"Those fellows like Tianhen Old Monster have always been profit-driven. Moreover, based on my understanding of them, unless it could allow them to advance to Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage, it is impossible for them to risk offending the entire Tiannan righteous and demonic paths to wipe out an entire sect, let alone leaving no one alive. At most, they would only support the Seven Sects of Yue Kingdom."

"But how could the Seven Sects of Yue Kingdom possibly produce the opportunity to advance to Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage? That is simply impossible."

Elder Yun of the Ghost Spirit Sect shook his head and denied this speculation.

Although this was indeed possible, and they were the only force not belonging to the righteous or demonic paths or the Nine Nations Alliance that had the power to slaughter the entire Ghost Spirit Sect.

But the risk and the reward were too far apart, and upon closer inspection, it was simply impossible.

"Regardless, we must investigate thoroughly. In case it really is them, we can be prepared."

Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng's expression was exceptionally grave as he said in a deep voice.

"The Sect Master is right. Leave this matter to me! I have had quite a bit of friendship with them in the past; investigating and asking a few questions is not a difficult task."

Seeing this, Elder Yun of the Ghost Spirit Sect did not say anything more and nodded in agreement.

This time, the entire Wang Family of the Ghost Spirit Sect had almost been buried along with the entire Ghost Spirit Sect; Elder Yun naturally understood the pain in Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng's heart.

Had he known it would come to this, he would never have gone to recruit the Yan Family. Now, not only was his son nearly gone, but the entire sect and family could also be said to be finished.

The root cause was the recruitment of Yan Family Fortress back then, which invited this monstrous disaster.

"Yan Taibai, Yan Taibai, Yan Taibai!"

At this moment, Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng was gritting his teeth and hating this name intensely in his heart.

After all, everything had an inseparable connection to Yan Taibai, yet Yan Taibai seemed to have already fallen, and there was not a single clue or trace to be found.

As for suspecting whether it was Yan Taibai's doing, this absurd thought had never even occurred to them.

Because how could a Golden Core Stage Cultivator possibly achieve this? Let alone that he had already fallen; even if he hadn't, it would still be impossible.

"Then I will trouble you, Senior Brother. However, should we move away from the sect and head elsewhere, leaving this spiritual mountain range to other sects?"

Although he was ten thousand times reluctant in his heart, Ghost Spirit Sect Master Wang Tiansheng knew that the Ghost Spirit Sect could no longer stay here and must leave to preserve the remaining strength.

Even in a blessed land of spiritual mountains, one must possess sufficient strength to hold it; otherwise, it is a case of "the innocent man harboring a treasure becomes a target."

"Naturally, we must leave. Let us head to Youyun Gu! That is the ancestral site of our sect; most of those who have returned by now should have already arrived there."

Elder Yun of the Ghost Spirit Sect nodded in agreement.

"Very well, I shall go and make the arrangements."

Upon hearing this, Wang Tiansheng, the Sect Master of the Ghost Spirit Sect, replied immediately.

He then left the main hall to arrange everything; the Ghost Spirit Sect's greatest reliance now was Elder Yun, a Nascent Soul Mid Stage cultivator.

This meant that the other party's authority was greater than his own, which was an unavoidable reality.

"Senior Brother, did you gain anything from the Ghost Spirit Sect?"

After returning to Tianluo Country, the first thing Yunlu Old Demon did was to seek out Hehuan Laomo to inquire about the situation.

The entire Ghost Spirit Sect being wiped out had shocked him too deeply; if he hadn't returned to Tianluo Country to confirm it repeatedly, he would not have even been able to believe it.

Yet, the facts proved that this was the work of a mysterious force no less powerful than, or perhaps even exceeding, their Ghost Spirit Sect. As for whether it was a single individual, that was simply impossible.

After all, even if there were over a hundred thousand pigs, it would be impossible for not a single one to send out a Sound Transmission Talisman for help.

Moreover, there must have been an inside agent; otherwise, it would have been equally impossible.

"There are no clues or traces; the other party handled it too cleanly. There is absolutely not a single trace, which is truly inconceivable. I even suspect whether this was truly the work of cultivators?"

Hehuan Laomo wore an expression of surprise, yet also one of deep thought, as he spoke.

His words caused Yunlu Old Demon, who was to the side, to frown, and his complexion turned slightly unsightly as he said.

"Senior Brother, are you suggesting that there are vengeful ghosts and evil spirits that emerged from a Space Crack leading to the Netherworld Hell that might exist within the Ghost Spirit Sect, and then wiped out the entire sect?"

"Isn't that just a legend from ancient texts? How can it be taken seriously?"

"No, this is not a legend, but the truth. Youzhou was indeed once the domain of vengeful ghosts and evil spirits, perhaps even a dynasty composed of ghosts and monsters? Otherwise, where do you think Youzhou came from? Furthermore, it wasn't called Youzhou in the past, but Youming Guidu."

Hehuan Laomo shook his head and spoke words that made Yunlu Old Demon's complexion turn even uglier.

"Senior Brother, your meaning, could it really be..."

"Not necessarily, this is only my speculation. After all, how could the Tiannan Cultivation World have such a powerful force capable of silently wiping out an entire sect and then directly vanishing? This is simply impossible. Even the Huayi Sect of the Nine Nations Alliance or the Taizhen Sect of Fengdu Guo could not do it. Even if Wei Wuya and Zhiyang Shangren were to take action personally, it would be very difficult to achieve."

Hehuan Laomo also could not guess the reason, but he had to investigate it clearly; otherwise, the grand plan for the next thousand years could fall through completely.

This was something he absolutely did not want to see. Having plotted for so many years, to end up with only two small countries and the complete collapse of the Ghost Spirit Sect—the Heavenly Luo Kingdom Six Demon Sects could be said to have lost everything to the point of ruin.

That was naturally unacceptable; at the very least, they had to figure out what was going on.

"Then, Senior Brother, do you intend to make a trip to the Yanyue Sect in Yue Country? Speaking of which, this Yanyue Sect has no small connection to our sect. If you go, Senior Brother, it is appropriate, but I do not know how much the Yanyue Sect actually knows?"

Yunlu Old Demon was naturally clear about Hehuan Laomo's thoughts and spoke up.

"No matter how much they know, I must make a trip. Only then is it possible to find out exactly what the situation is."

Hehuan Laomo nodded and said in a deep voice.

"Leave the affairs of the Ghost Spirit Sect and the other sects to you. If they have objections, divide Cheqi Kingdom and Jiang Kingdom equally; the sect will take thirty percent, and they can divide the rest however they please."

"Very well, that is the only way."

Yunlu Old Demon had no objections and nodded in agreement.

"Hmm! I am leaving now."

As soon as he finished speaking, under the gaze of Yunlu Old Demon, Hehuan Laomo transformed into a mass of demonic clouds and flew off in the direction of the Yue Kingdom Cultivation World.

Not until he disappeared from view did Yunlu Old Demon withdraw his gaze and sigh.

"Truly an eventful autumn."

Subsequently, he followed Hehuan Laomo's instructions and went to have the other sects divide the cultivation worlds of the two small countries, Cheqi Kingdom and Jiang Kingdom.

As for the original arrangement where each sect controlled one country, that was basically out of the question until the tragedy of the Ghost Spirit Sect was investigated clearly.

Because the matter of the Ghost Spirit Sect had a great deal to do with the Yanyue Sect of Yue Country.

To put it bluntly, it was equivalent to a force that made both the Righteous and Demonic paths fearful standing behind the Yanyue Sect of Yue Country.

Under these circumstances, it was impossible for them to continue taking action; they could only choose to avoid the sharp edge for now and figure out the situation first.

Never mind them; even the Righteous Alliance, after obtaining the territory of two countries, chose to stop further invasions of other countries.

After all, who knew if they would be targeted next.

And the Righteous Alliance was a bit luckier; the two countries' cultivation worlds they obtained were medium-sized countries like Yue Country and Yuanwu Country, not small countries like Cheqi Kingdom and Jiang Kingdom.

Wanhun Shan was on the path Hehuan Laomo took to Yue Country. Originally feeling nothing unusual, his back suddenly turned cold as he flew into the high altitude.

His pupils constricted immediately, and he looked down at the Ghost Mist of Wanhun Shan. Only then did he discover that the Ghost Mist had thinned significantly, and he could vaguely see pitch-black, rotting mountain rocks and decayed wood.

But most shocking of all was a golden light—no, it should be a golden light wrapped in blood-red and black.

And this light seemed to have discovered his presence as well.

"Whoosh!" A sound of tearing through the air exploded. In the blink of an eye, the pitch-black Ghost Mist was torn open to reveal a huge gap, and then that "golden light" that made even Hehuan Laomo's back feel cold shot over, heading straight for Hehuan Laomo.

Seeing this scene, Hehuan Laomo, within the rolling demonic clouds, felt more than just a chill down his spine; his pupils filled with horror. Immediately, an ink-colored shield appeared in front of him, then grew rapidly to cover his entire body as he hid behind it.

That was not all; Hehuan Laomo took out three or four more Ancient Treasures: a round bowl, a black banner, a blood-red Jade Tablet...

But all of this was of little use.

The golden sword light was wrapped in blood-red and black, possessing an unstoppable, sharp momentum.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Rip!"

"Crack!"

Following three successive, distinct explosions, the shield and the round bowl shattered, the black banner was torn apart, the Jade Tablet exploded, and following closely behind was Hehuan Laomo within the demonic clouds.

However, Hehuan Laomo was, after all, a Great Cultivator of Nascent Soul Late Stage; even in such a perilous situation, he did not panic in the slightest, and a flush of blood surged into his face.

"Puchi!" He spat out a mouthful of old blood, which then transformed into a sky full of blood mist that enveloped him, before he streaked away toward the distant horizon at extreme speed, almost like a teleportation, disappearing directly a hundred miles away.

"Blood Escape Technique"! One of the escape techniques of the Demonic Path; as the number one person of the Demonic Path in the Tiannan Cultivation World, Hehuan Laomo was naturally proficient in it.

(End of this chapter)