Chapter 361

"Wu Xianzi, do you know any details about this mission?" Wang Yu asked a pressing question.

"I truly don't know anything, Sister. I only received the sect's mission at the last moment. But before departure, my master whispered to me that this mission would be led by a Jin Dan elder, though he didn't say who exactly." The Tianhe Princess shook her head.

"A Jin Dan has come out! Which elder of the Thousand Bamboo Sect is your master?" Wang Yu's expression turned serious.

"My master's surname is also Wu. That's why I didn't join any of the Three Sects of Tianhe Prefecture, but traveled far to the Great Ming Prefecture to join the Thousand Bamboo Sect." The Tianhe Princess smiled behind her hand.

"So it's Master Ziguang. No wonder Wu Xianzi excels at puppetry—I've long heard Master Ziguang is the Thousand Bamboo Sect's foremost puppeteer, even capable of crafting Jin Dan-level puppets. Congratulations, Wu Xianzi." Wang Yu bowed slightly with a smile.

"Actually, my master also bears the surname Wu. That's precisely why I didn't join the Three Sects of Tianhe Prefecture but went all the way to the Great Ming Prefecture to join the Thousand Bamboo Sect." The Tianhe Princess blinked her beautiful eyes and grinned.

"Is Master Ziguang also of the imperial family?" This time, Wang Yu was genuinely surprised.

"In a sense. My master was born into a distant branch of the Wu family and only became a sect elder through a stroke of fortune." The Tianhe Princess replied frankly.

"Given this connection, didn't your master arrange for you to temporarily leave the Great Ming Prefecture?" Wang Yu felt even more puzzled.

"Haven't you heard the saying? Fortune lies in daring risk!"

"I already said earlier—the Haoran and Xuanzhen Sects have provided support for this war, and many of the treasures are so precious even Jin Dan elders crave them. But only those who achieve great merit in this battle may claim them. So it's not just me—the Golden Diamond Temple's Yuan Tong, that little monk, hasn't left either. He's been called the reincarnated Buddha-son of the Golden Diamond Temple." The Tianhe Princess sighed.

"Treasures of a Nascent Soul sect." Wang Yu's heart stirred at the words.

…

Fifteen minutes later.

Wang Yu quietly returned to the entrance of his cave and saw a crimson figure standing motionless in midair before the neighboring cave entrance, gazing upward.

Upon seeing Wang Yu return, the crimson figure turned around—her radiant face was unmistakably Yun Caishang.

"Sister Yun, haven't you rested yet?"

Wang Yu called out in slight surprise, bowing respectfully.

"Aren't you busy too? It's late. Better get some rest." Yun Caishang replied with a faint smile, then floated gently down and returned to her cave.

This left Wang Yu, who had wanted to explain, momentarily stunned and baffled. He scratched his head, then gave up and returned to his own cave to continue meditating on the "Beast Claw."

The next two days passed without incident; the cultivators of the three sects each went about their own affairs within the cliff walls.

On the morning of the third day.

A tearing sound pierced the sky as a hazy yellow figure suddenly plummeted from above.

With a thunderous crash, a large patch of the valley's open ground shattered.

From the center of the shattered earth rose a burly man, radiating a primal aura, his thick, coarse hair streaming wildly. He scanned the surroundings, then roared toward all directions:

"Youngsters of the Great Ming Prefecture, what are you hiding for? Come out and meet this elder!"

The commotion naturally startled the many Foundation Establishment cultivators hidden in the cliff walls; they emerged in shock, staring at the burly man in the valley center.

Wang Yu flashed forward and appeared outside the cliff wall as well. He glanced at the burly man and was startled.

Though the man wore only a simple short-sleeved leather tunic and sported a full beard, a golden, gleaming small ding was embedded in his brow, half-sunk into his brow bone in a bizarre manner.

More importantly, the man's aura rolled like an endless ocean—impossible to discern his true level. His realm was certainly above Foundation Establishment.

"Amitabha. So it's Elder Jinding of the Giant Ding Sect. This monk Zhiming pays homage." A white-bearded monk who had also emerged from the cliff wall immediately chanted a Buddha's name, bowing respectfully with one hand.

Yuan Tong beside him and another middle-aged monk silently followed suit.

"So it's the Giant Ding Sect elder. We pay our respects to Elder Jinding."

Hearing Zhiguang's title, those who had been suspicious suddenly understood and bowed respectfully as well.

Wang Yu now had a faint inkling of this Jin Dan elder's purpose.

"I won't waste words. You should all know why I'm here. This mission is now under my command. You will simply follow orders. Do any of you have objections?" The burly man swept his gaze over the three sects' cultivators and spoke bluntly.

At these words, the Foundation Establishment cultivators of the three sects exchanged glances—no one replied.

"What? Do you think I'm lying to you? Is there a disciple of the Four Symbols Sect here? This is the token given to me by that old man Yin Yun." The burly man rolled his eyes, then pulled a shimmering silver scale from his robe.

Seeing this, Yun Caishang stepped forward. "Elder, I am a true disciple of the Vermilion Line of the Four Symbols Sect."

"Hmph. Confirm the token properly. If not for the great debt I owed that old man Yin Yun, I'd never have taken this troublesome job." The burly man grunted, flicked his wrist, and the silver scale shot forward with a soft "whoosh," turning into a streak of white light aimed at the red-robed woman.

Yun Caishang didn't dare delay; she extended her palm and grasped the void, instantly summoning a brilliant crimson glow that coalesced into a massive phantom crimson hand, seizing the white light and transforming it back into the silver scale.

"Puff."

The crimson hand phantom vanished instantly, and the silver scale landed in Yun Caishang's palm, which turned it over, examining it closely.

Everyone else turned their gazes toward her, expressions varied.

Wang Yu stood beside the woman, also peering at the silver scale.

Its surface appeared glossy and polished, but when scanned with spiritual sense, it revealed countless intricate spiritual patterns—familiar to him.

A thought crossed Wang Yu's mind, and he suddenly understood.

This silver scale was identical to those on the armor worn by Elder Yin Yun.

"Correct. This is Elder Yin Yun's token. Clearly, Elder Jinding is indeed the mission's issuer. Whatever your orders, we will obey without question." After a moment, Yun Caishang flipped her palm, and the scale vanished. She bowed again to the burly man with utmost respect.

"Since Sister Yun has confirmed the token, this monk and the two others have no objections." Master Zhiming bowed his head and spoke softly.

"My fellow disciples and I also accept Elder Jinding as our leader." From the other side, the Thousand Bamboo Sect trio conferred briefly; then Zhuo Fan, the man carrying the box, stepped forward half a pace.

"Good. Since there are no objections, we shall not delay. I shall now reveal the mission's specifics." Elder Jinding, unsurprised, addressed the three sects' cultivators.

"Elder Jinding, aren't we waiting for the Sunset Sect? We agreed this mission would be carried out jointly by four sects." Luo Yiming, the Thousand Bamboo Sect cultivator carrying twin blades, couldn't help interjecting.

"Sunset Sect? Hah. No need to wait. I've received word—they were ambushed by Zhu Wuyan shortly after entering Tianhe Prefecture. All three Foundation Establishment cultivators were slain on the spot." The burly man chuckled.

At these words, the entire valley fell utterly silent.