Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1029: Chapter 73: Where Is the Path to Becoming Immortal (35)

In the night sky, a massive figure was passing by… sometimes hidden in the night, seemingly disappearing, and other times appearing, like a fleeting glimpse.

It had the stance of an enormous bird.

But in fact, it was an Eagle Demon, under the Xuanyuan Palace Kun Department—a monster—heading toward the direction of the giant light pillar deep within Mount Tai.

On the back of the giant Eagle Demon, at this moment, were Long Xiruo, Luo Pianqian, Gui Qianyi, and others.

The Eagle Demon did not know it had the fortune of carrying the true dragon of the Godly Land, but just the presence of a great figure from Xuanyuan Palace like Gui Qianyi was enough for it to boast for years.

“Mr. Gui, it should take another half a tea’s time to reach the destination.” The Eagle Demon respectfully said.

“Thank you for your effort.” Gui Qianyi nodded, at the same time glancing at Long Xiruo beside him.

Long Xiruo had no choice but to lean against Luo Pianqian… without strength, she found this flying speed extremely uncomfortable, especially in such a cold winter?

The young face of the Godly Land’s true dragon had long been blown pale by the cold wind, but she persistently held onto the Treasure Bead and stared at the land beneath the Eagle Demon.

Though inconvenient to directly summon and create a body here, she could achieve a degree of perception through the Treasure Bead as a medium.

“The ley lines around Mount Tai are shifting… that light pillar continues extracting from the earth’s ley lines.” Long Xiruo frowned, “Damn it, it’s like bleeding dry all the ley lines in this region!”

Gui Qianyi pondered, “Who has such power to mobilize the ley line’s energy over a hundred kilometers around Mount Tai?”

“Wang.” Long Xiruo sighed, her expression complex, “Only it can do this! It was once a segment of the Soaring Dragon Vein, one of the Twelve Ancestral Veins of Shenzhou, later merged with Mount Tai’s ley lines and became a dragon vein. For Wang, the ley lines of Mount Tai are like its subjects!”

“Tianxin Seventy-First Generation…” Gui Qianyi pondered… this was what Long Xiruo mentioned before the eruption of the Spiritual Energy pillar about encountering Tianxin Seventy-First Generation and Wang, “The Clothed Daoists again… after so many years, are they planning to recreate such a tragedy?”

Long Xiruo’s eyes were cold, “Whatever his ultimate purpose, we absolutely cannot let the Spiritual Energy continue extracting. Otherwise, this land will die eventually… Gui Qianyi, can’t you go any faster?”

Gui Qianyi glanced at Long Xiruo’s shivering shoulder, sighed inwardly, and tapped the body of the Eagle Demon with his cane, “White-head Eleven, speed up.”

“At your command!”

The Eagle Demon White-head Eleven suddenly spread its wings wider, dispersing clouds and fog, instantly covering several hundred meters.

In the rush forward, the Ghost Baby glanced downward, and couldn’t help hearing Su Zijun’s voice in his mind.

——Listen, you must not tell Gui Qianyi or Long Xiruo about me being here.

For Ghost Baby, Gui Qianyi’s orders were higher than Xuanyuan Palace’s orders, and the instructions of his elder sister Su Zijun were even higher than Gui Qianyi’s, so he could only keep this secret.

But who was that foreign woman with his elder sister?

A little envy arose, being close to his elder sister, attending her…

However, at this time, rushing to the Spiritual Energy light were not only Long Xiruo and her group.

…

…

It was truly a miscalculation, not only allowing an unknown guy to infiltrate but also causing all four captains of the Management Bureau to fall under the opposite side’s scheme and get knocked out in a room.

Captain Ling Feng and his team were awakened later by the Management Bureau members—and without time to consider the mysterious enemy’s background, they had to move immediately.

On the highway, over a dozen black Santana cars were speeding—destination naturally being the location of the giant light pillar.

Several captains were in the same car, with Captain Ling Feng driving.

“Why did this have to happen now?!”

Several captains in the car did not look too good… all four captains ended up unconscious, and if this was reported to the higher-ups, they would inevitably face criticism.

“But… this person probably mastered illusion techniques. To make us all fall simultaneously. But it’s strange, what did this mysterious guy infiltrate for?”

“Yes, if malice was intended, after waking, I checked myself and found no hidden injuries… but it doesn’t rule out high-level methods that could evade our checks. But honestly, nothing seems to be missing…”

“Too many things we can’t control. Maybe reaching that place might give us some answers?” Captain Ling Feng pressed hard on the accelerator, “Starting the new year this busy is not a good omen!”

All the captains wore heavy expressions—the main reason for their urgency was that before they were awakened by team members, the Taoist and demon factions had already made an early departure.

The Taoist and demon factions had previously engaged in a fight due to a suspicious imperial edict. This time, if that Spiritual Energy pillar is caused by some incredible artifact, leading to another battle between the Taoists and demons, with the remaining personnel of the Management Bureau, it might not be suppressible!

“Ah! So annoying, so annoying, so annoying! I can’t even go home to celebrate the New Year and have to work overtime, and there’s a whole lot of crap to deal with!” The only female captain among the four furiously said, “All year hiding this and that… might as well expose everything to the public! Damn it! Shift everything from dark to light, and use brute force to enforce the law on anyone causing trouble!”

“Don’t speak ill.” Captain Ling Feng said sternly, “If that happens, it really would be chaos. Hong Ling, you don’t want your husband and children at home caught in strange and dangerous situations, do you?”

“I know!” The captain named Hong Ling said coldly, “Of course I know… it’s precisely because I know that I feel this world doesn’t need transcendents at all. Whether Taoist or demon, they’re the root of this world’s turmoil!”

The other three captains glanced subtly at the only woman, each falling into silence.

Hong Ling used to be a soldier and later witnessed her parents and brother being killed by a frenzied monster with her own eyes… Since then, Hong Ling joined the military’s special department, and later volunteered for the Management Bureau’s captain training program, and was sent to Kunlun for learning three years ago.

“Count the people… Glasses, how many do we have now?” Captain Ling Feng broke the silence by asking.

Glasses… Captain Siyan responded swiftly, “Forty-three ordinary members, eleven senior agents, ninety-seven people in the logistics team. And finally, the four of us.”

Captain Ling Feng said seriously, “If any real problems arise, the logistics team won’t be relied upon, ordinary agents can handle small monsters. In serious battles, only senior agents and the four of us can be counted on. I really hope those big shots from the Taoist and demon world will at least have some scruples about that contract. Here’s the deal, if things really get out of hand, I authorize the use of ‘Godfall Bullet’!”

“Ling Feng, are you serious?” Captain Siyan looked gravely at Ling Feng driving, “Although the director temporarily gave you this authority… but have you thought it through, once ‘Godfall Bullets’ are used, it will expose our trump card, and if the Taoist and demon factions find out we secretly researched such a thing, it might…”

“There’s too much to worry about! If the Taoists and demons really start fighting…” Ling Feng smiled bitterly, “Next, we might have to use alien invasion of Earth as an excuse…”

After all, the emergence of this spiritual energy pillar has already gone viral online and can’t be stopped at all.

…

…

It was not mentioned who arrived first; if anything, it seemed like both parties arrived almost simultaneously.

The brilliance shot up from the deep valley, straight into the sky.

The representatives of the Four Spirits of Heaven and various demon world members along with different sects were now divided into two camps—they had almost all arrived at the same time, leaving the successive banquet, each applying their techniques without yielding to the others.

“Daoist Bai Jie, didn’t see you at the banquet, yet here you are… Your body is still quite sturdy, huh?”

“Hehehe, I’m old, can’t keep up with the young ones.” With his hands folded behind, appearing slightly hunched, Daoist Bai Jie opened one eye and said slowly, “An old man like me couldn’t withstand even a single punch from Young Master Bai Hu.”

Huang Baifu, with his burly youth-like appearance, donned a sleeveless vest, dress pants, and leather shoes, exuding a fiery presence in the cold night.

Yet facing Daoist Bai Jie’s talk, he only sneered… This president of the Daoist Association and sect master of Kunlun couldn’t withstand a punch from Huang Baifu? Anyone who believes that is a fool.

“Masters, the Management Bureau prepared a banquet especially for you all… Yet here you are running over, isn’t that inappropriate?” By Huang Baifu’s side, a thirty-something woman, dressed in a fiery-red mink coat with a curvaceous figure, chuckled, “Perhaps the bureau will invite you back for tea.”

“Hehehe, having tea is good, chatting over tea, that’s the life I enjoy,” Daoist Bai Jie smiled beamingly, “Would you like to join me for a few cups, Companion Qu Xinghe?”

The woman in red… The priestess of the Vermilion Bird Clan, Qu Xinghe, chuckled, “I am a demon, not worthy of your address as a companion, Daoist Master.”

Daoist Bai Jie said, “The Way is vast with countless paths, all leading to the same end. Even demons achieve spiritual intelligence, which is commendable. Humans have their path, and demons theirs, yet the pursuit is always for the same thing. Along the way of Dao, everyone forges ahead; calling each other companions, why not? Wouldn’t you agree, Companion Tu Shan?”

With that, Daoist Bai Jie looked toward the clan leader of the Black Tortoise Clan, Ming Tu Shan, an even older-looking, frail elder than Daoist Bai Jie.

“Da Bai Jie, I dare not take on such words.” Ming Tu Shan shook his head.

“Companion Tu Shan, don’t underestimate yourself.” Daoist Bai Jie opened his eye and said, “In the past, the True Martial Great Emperor originated from the Black Tortoise Clan, and the doctrine of True Martial still exists today.”

“Just carrying this turtle shell on my back is enough, no need to shoulder anything else,” Ming Tu Shan quickly said, “I can’t bear it, truly.”

Watching these two elderly figures bicker in the Taoist and demon circles, Cang Jinshui of the Azure Dragon took a glance at Qu Xinghe.

The two exchanged thoughts quietly with their divine senses.

“This Bai Jie old man is indeed cunning. The Black Tortoise Clan has always been in an awkward situation in the demon world because of the True Martial Great Emperor incident. He insists on mentioning it here… If problems arise later, I fear that old ghost Ming Tu Shan might refrain from helping either side. Qu Xinghe, we should prepare early.”

“Don’t rush, observe the situation carefully. Since Huang Baifu likes to take the spotlight, let this hothead lead in front. But… we should still watch out for Xiao Shengmo, that old ghost.”

“The key is, this spiritual energy pillar…”

The gaze of everyone, unknowingly, had all gathered on the towering spiritual energy pillar.

It was right in front of them… But the origin of the pillar in this deep valley and the secrets it contained were unknown to both the Taoist and demon sides present.

But one thing was certain: the area around this spiritual energy pillar was immensely rich in nature’s spiritual energy, surpassing the treasured spiritual energy they protected within their own sects or territories by an unfathomable amount.

Even outside this valley, just inhaling a breath of the escaping spiritual energy matched several days of hard cultivation… If one were to cultivate here continuously, they might advance by leaps and bounds!

Therefore, even without knowing what lies behind the pillar, the spiritual energy pillar itself is a rare treasure for both Taoist and demon sides!

At this moment, another middle-aged Taoist beside Daoist Bai Jie stepped forward—he could also represent the Daoist Association, being one of the two vice presidents under the president, Daoist Huanyang of the True Transmission Sect.

“Everyone, the matter of the last Imperial Edict, I believe you all still remember?” Daoist Huanyang, with an immortal-like presence, kindly features, spoke in a way that was easy to heed, “In my opinion, whether from our Taoist side or from fellow demons, almost everyone is here. How about this, we all enter this light’s core together, find the source of the light, and then discuss our next steps… How does that sound?”

“Good.”

“Agreed.”

“Let’s act quickly, I don’t want to waste more time arguing with you lot!”

Thereby, members from both sides surged into the deep valley from which the light emanated.

…

…

How would one describe this?

Maybe it could be likened to purgatory.

In the pitch black, yet visible to all, within a dimensional rift, a massive floating barren land, a man stood atop countless void primordial demon corpses.

“Da Zhe.”

At this moment, the man abruptly turned around, his hands stained with blood as he swung an ancient longsword, sending a massive crescent arc soaring with thunderous force!

The sword light instantly split the vast barren land—only to be effortlessly caught by a white hand.

With a slight exertion of the fingertips, this white hand not only caught the sword light but even crushed it.

The man atop the corpse pile wasn’t angry or shocked, but instead unusually happy, he leaped down and rushed forward, “Ms. You Ye, please take me away from this damned place! Sister Eighteen really set me up here!”

“But you’ve achieved quite an impressive result, haven’t you?” You Ye smiled slightly, “It seems you’ve almost mastered the power of the Zhan Lu Sword.”

“I just want to take a bath…” Da Zhe, his eyes bloodshot, grimaced, “And then get some sleep.”

“Let’s go, the master requires your presence.”