A monk who had been declared dead suddenly appeared in front of everyone, even Yuan Ying monks felt a little creepy.
Among those present were also good friends of Old Ancestor Lou, who had felt quite disappointed when they received the news of his disappearance. Privately, they had also looked for the whereabouts of Lou Huaijing, and now seeing him safe and sound, they were quite happy for him.
"Old buddy, you should have sent a message earlier and not let me grieve in vain for so long."
Old Ancestor Lou patted his good friend on the shoulder with feeling, "I had no choice back then. If I didn't fake my death to escape, the news you received would have been real."
"Which bastard dared to treat you like this? Is it someone surnamed Huo?" his friend angrily said.
"I was also at fault in this matter," Old Ancestor Lou did not want to say more about it. He turned to speak to the others about the passage and the reason why contact between Qianhao Continent and Wanluo Continent was cut off, resolving everyone's doubts - why would an outsider obtain the solution, and why would an outsider know so much about Wanluo Continent. Turns out it was all learned from the memories of a lingering soul from Wanluo Continent.
This was also Tang cultivator's first time hearing the details from Old Ancestor Lou. He smiled wryly, "So the whole incident was so simple. We Yuan Ying cultivators from Qianhao Continent were delayed by an outsider cultivator who drifted here unknown number of years ago. The way out we had been searching for had been right under our noses. I, Tang, had also been to the other side of the Ghost Fog Sea a few times before, and had dived to the bottom of the sea, yet never discovered the remnants of that cultivator's cave residence. Such an opportunity just brushed past."
Having reached where they were, one could feel the truth in the saying about opportunities. Those who could cultivate to the Yuan Ying stage may not necessarily have the best talents. Many of their peers with heaven-defying talents had fallen midway in their cultivation instead. Yet it was those without such outstanding aptitudes who had walked until now. No one could say for sure who among those present would be able to take the next step forward, but with the opportunity right before their eyes, no one was willing to miss it, even if it meant failure.
What they feared was being trapped in a cage, not knowing how to break out of it.
"That outsider cultivator really made us suffer. But now that he's dead, we can't even settle scores with him. Fortunately he didn't have a good outcome either, with not even his lingering soul managing to escape. " If the lingering soul had succeeded in seizing a body, who knew how many more years would pass before the passage could be opened. Also, there may not have been such a large movement of experts; it was very possible he could have quietly accomplished it alone.
"So what should we do now? Please, Fellow Daoist Lou and Fellow Daoist Tang, speak your mind." It was clear he had aligned himself with Old Ancestor Lou and Tang cultivator.
Tang cultivator smiled slightly. Although he had expected this outcome, he was still very satisfied: "We old folks have been idle for too long, it's time we go out and move about, or we'll get rusty. Even if we have a chance to leave in the future, our disciples, apprentices and descendants will still live here. We can't leave them an environment filled with misery and gloom. If there is a chance for us to come back and visit in the future, I still hope to see Qianhao Continent thriving and flourishing."
"Well said, Fellow Daoist Tang is right. If we continue to let those fellows have their way, perhaps even Yuan Ying cultivators would find it hard to appear in Qianhao Continent in the future."
"After all, this is the place where we were born and raised, we cannot allow anyone to destroy it."
The deeper a cultivator's cultivation level, perhaps the more aloof their emotions become. However, they still held a sense of belonging towards this continent. Who would wish to see Qianhao Continent become a world ruled by demons, heretics and evil paths in the future, squeezing orthodox dao until it had no place left to survive?
Moreover, if they did not clear them out now, would they leave the mess for their disciples, apprentices and descendants to deal with? That was definitely unacceptable since they would not be able to overcome it.
If there really was a chance to leave, no one knew if there would be an opportunity to return in the future. So they could not leave behind great trouble for the younger generation - it would be best for them to resolve it.
Everyone's opinions aligned. Tang cultivator formed an agreement to take action together with the demonic cultivators' side as well as the Commercial Alliance. With a common goal, they could overlook those differences and conflicts for the time being, only waiting for their great undertaking to succeed.
In the process, Old Ancestor Lou had asked Yin Hua if he wanted to reveal his identity and take the stage, but Yin Hua declined. He still preferred to happily hide behind the scenes watching these people jumping around at the forefront. As a result, not many people knew of his existence. However, the Silver Wolf Clan Chief and Zhang Qianfeng more or less guessed it. After all, Gu Yao had asked them for help finding this uncle before, so they knew such an uncle existed. With things becoming so huge now, it was impossible for only Gu Yao and Chi Changye to have accomplished this - there must have been someone helping them behind the scenes.
The Silver Wolf Clan Chief did not mind so many cultivators participating. The more the better, allowing them to pool more resources together. After everyone left in the future, the few remaining forces in Qianhao Continent should be evenly matched, or else if the demonic cultivators' side was weakened, how could human cultivators tolerate coexisting peacefully with them?
Ever since Gu Yao told the Silver Wolf Clan Chief about this matter, he had returned to the western region to mobilize the main demonic forces. Although he was the clan chief of the Silver Wolves, demonic cultivators were not solely dominated by his clan. Fortunately, the Fox clan was cooperative, so things had gone relatively smoothly. It was just that some demonic cultivators still felt that this was a sinister plot by human cultivators to weaken demonic forces.
The Silver Wolf Clan Chief really wanted to say that having a muddled brain yet thinking too much was an illness. No wonder they were always toyed around by the Fox clan.
He ignored those stubborn demonic cultivators, passing down orders for the plan before accompanying his young son again. Separation was inevitable sooner or later, but he hoped his son would have the ability to protect himself before that.
This matter was also a huge deal for the Commercial Alliance. When heretics and evil paths ran rampant, the Commercial Alliance had become a target for them too. Often when the Alliance's branches sought help from nearby sect forces, they would meet all kinds of excuses and delays. By the time help arrived, the branches would have suffered terrible losses.
After a few times, how could the Alliance not see the underlying reason? Several heavily-damaged commercial houses were furious, yet had no evidence to accuse the other party.
Now that Tang cultivator had proposed cooperation, many Commercial Alliance elders immediately agreed. Moreover, the Alliance also wanted the passageway.
What was the purpose behind developing commercial houses to earn spirit stones? Ultimately, it was still for obtaining more resources for the sake of cultivating. Upon reaching a certain stage, if one wanted to advance further, the only option was to leave Qianhao Continent.
How powerful the joint forces of the three sides were could be seen from the smoothness of their successive actions against heretics and evil paths. Sect forces that previously only skirmished now sent out elites and backbone from their factions, dealing a heavy blow to heretics, evil paths and rampaging demons on the continent. Moreover, with Yuan Ying cultivators overseeing things behind the scenes, casualties amongst cultivators were minimized.
Tang cultivator and the Silver Wolf Clan Chief had gathered a group of Yuan Ying experts to sweep through the bases established by the behind-the-scenes organization on the islands within the Ghost Fog Sea. Some locations were provided by Yin Hua hiding behind the scenes - over the years, he had also gained some understanding of the situation and was providing the information now. Other locations were extracted from their minds - where was the need for benevolence when dealing with enemies and heretics?
When they arrived at the Ghost Fog Sea, they discovered the current situation did not match the name - not only was ghost fog rarely seen, even when it did appear, it was so thin that it could not hinder them at all. Elders like Old Ancestor Lou and the Silver Wolf Clan Chief associated this to the fortuitous encounter Gu Yao had obtained. The original ghost fog should have other mysteries, it was just that even when they came before, they were unable to uncover anything.
The weakening of the ghost fog made it convenient for them to take action. The movements of Yuan Ying experts were extremely swift. In this vast sea territory, they discovered over a dozen islands with hidden bases. Once discovered, groups of Yuan Ying cultivators would swoop over ruthlessly and uproot the bases without hesitation. There was no need to say, the scenes they witnessed were somewhat unbearable even with the firm mentality of Yuan Ying cultivators.
Some felt that if they did not take action now, there was a possibility of completely losing control in the future, dragging the entire Qianhao Continent into the abyss and becoming a place overrun by demons, while humans struggled to survive.
After eradicating a base, Tang cultivator took out his mobile abode, inviting everyone to rest inside. Some Yuan Ying cultivators had also brought their Golden Core juniors out to temper themselves. Enemies below the Yuan Ying level were all left for them to handle, with the Yuan Ying experts watching over them. It was not often that they had such powerful seniors to clear the way for them.
These Golden Core cultivators who came were extremely excited, chatting animatedly during their break. They were actually very curious about Alchemist Gu Yao, who their Yuan Ying seniors often mentioned - just what kind of capabilities did he have that even the Silver Wolf Clan Chief and Tang senior would frequently praise him?
"I know, this Alchemist Gu Yao is actually Alchemist Yao Dan, and also the Land Dan who later resolved that strange poison, the true owner of the Soul Tempering Pill and Dust Cleansing Pill recipes. The reason why he has been using aliases all along is to avoid Changxian Sect. You don't know how high the bounty is for capturing Alchemist Gu Yao!"
"That's right, I heard even Alchemist Han Chi from Changxian Sect was unable to resolve that strange poison, yet a junior alchemist managed to concoct an antidote. Many alchemists now acknowledge his skills to be on par with sixth grade alchemists. Consider that his cultivation level is similar to ours, not even having reached Yuan Ying yet."
"What a pity, or I would have really liked to meet this alchemy prodigy. Being able to gain an advantage over Alchemist Han is already extremely impressive."
Some praised, some were envious, while others wished to befriend him. Their seniors said assisting them during their Yuan Ying tribulation with top quality pills would greatly increase their chances of success.
Unfortunately, no one knew what identity he had taken on now, or where he was in hiding.
While the juniors were gathered in one spot, the Yuan Ying experts were in another. Tang cultivator received one transmission talisman after another, with the same happening to the other Yuan Ying cultivators present.
Tang cultivator gave a cold laugh. "Sect Head Huo is questioning why Changxian Sect was excluded from this operation, demanding an explanation from us. There is also Wu Dan, asking where we are because he has matters he wishes to negotiate with us. They are getting anxious."
Gu Yao came out from his seclusion, together with Chi Changye. After inquiring briefly about recent happenings, he felt as though he had lost track of time and space - could they have accidentally spent decades in seclusion?