Chapter 772: Dark Hand

**Volume 5: Gaining Renown**

"Capture him alive? Brother Fang, are you joking?" the withered old man said with a sinister tone. "You know that Daoist Zhong once tried to deal with him. But this person is not only skilled in lightning evasion but also possesses a never-before-seen blood evasion technique, making him impossible to stop if he wants to flee. His other divine abilities are also considerable; capturing him alive is almost as difficult as capturing someone of our level. Do you two Daoists think it's possible? If we simply kill him and seize the Golden Lightning Bamboo magical treasure, then we have some confidence."

"If capturing him alive is so difficult, then his death is acceptable." To the old man's surprise, the black-robed man pondered for a moment before immediately changing his stance.

The withered old man and the scholar exchanged glances, and after a few whispered words through spiritual transmission, they agreed to the plan.

Following this, they began discussing the specific details. Meanwhile, Superior Master Ziyang and Wei Wuya, among others, were also in a large hall, similarly discussing the imminent war.

However, their numbers were fewer than those on the side of the Spellcasters.

Besides the three Grand Cultivators and Long Han, a beautiful woman in a red shirt and a white-bearded, bald old man with eagle eyes were also present.

The old man's eyes were half-closed, and a jade ring adorned a finger on one of his hands.

The ring was a vibrant emerald green, with faint runes shimmering on its surface, suggesting it was a rare and unusual treasure.

"Daoist Tian Hen, this time, we are entirely relying on you Daoists," Superior Master Ziyang said with a smile, as if no unpleasantness had ever occurred between him and the famed 'Old Monster Tian Hen' before him. "We will hold back the main force of the Spellcaster army here. You simply need to infiltrate Tianyuan City and completely empty their resource warehouses. Without the spirit stones, materials, and other resources the Mulan people have painstakingly collected, even if they gain the upper hand in the great battle, we can still wear them down completely by dragging out the conflict."

"As long as you keep the Mulan Divine Masters occupied at the border, infiltrating Tianyuan City will naturally be no problem," the eagle-eyed old man said, his voice a metallic grating sound that was very unpleasant to hear. "What's more, with the teleportation array provided by Daoist Wei, we can teleport directly into the city, making it even easier. My only concern is why the Mulan people would leave all their resources within the city. Could it be a trap, just waiting for us to fall into it?"

"Daoist Tian Hen, you can rest assured on that point," Old Devil Hehuan said calmly. "According to intelligence from our moles among the Mulan people, although the Mulan have occupied Fengyuan and Yu nations, the Nine Nations Alliance had already made preparations for withdrawal beforehand. All spirit stone mines and raw material production sites were destroyed. Although the Spellcasters arranged for Mulan mortals to try and repair them, very few have been successfully repaired due to the limited time; it's largely futile. The spirit stone resources they are currently consuming are still part of the collective reserves contributed by various tribes. These resources are to be uniformly distributed for use, so they have been stored in a secret warehouse, specifically protected by a formidable restrictive array. It is also guarded by several Grand Masters. That's why they feel so secure. After all, if there were an irresistible force attacking the resource warehouse, they would have enough time to transfer the contents of the warehouse, relying on the delay provided by the restriction. By all accounts, it should be as solid as a mountain."

"However, what they never expected was this," Wei Wuya said with a cold laugh. "We, the Nine Nations Alliance, have been dealing with the Mulan people for a long time. They can send spies to infiltrate our Yue Nation, and we, the Nine Nations Alliance, can similarly send people to blend in among their Spellcasters. One of the Grand Masters guarding the resource warehouse is our inside man. When the time comes, he will deactivate the grand array's restrictions. Daoist Tian Hen, as long as your actions are discreet, you can completely catch them off guard."

"Since you Daoists are so confident," Tian Hen said, "then I suppose I have no choice but to make this trip. After it's done..."

"Afterward, our four major powers will decide," Long Han interjected with a smile. "We will specifically cede Xú Nation entirely to you. You can establish your sect in that nation, and our four major powers will not interfere in the slightest. From then on, you can be known as the ancestor of a sect."

"Good. With your guarantees," Old Monster Tian Hen said, "this old man and my few friends will give it our all. It's getting late. I'll go back and prepare. We'll depart early tomorrow morning and first infiltrate Yu Nation." Old Monster Tian Hen once again received the promises he desired from their mouths. A look of satisfaction appeared on his face, but he showed no intention of lingering. He bid farewell and left the hall.

Soon, his figure disappeared from the hall's entrance.

"This old monster's chances of success are not small, are they?" Old Devil Hehuan said slowly, frowning slightly. "After all, besides him, the rogue cultivators he brought are also quite formidable in their divine abilities. If the Mulan people are caught off guard, there should be no reason for failure."

"Daoist Yi is right," Long Han said, his eyes flickering. "As long as we truly hold back the Mulan Divine Masters, Daoist Tian Hen should have a seventy to eighty percent chance of success. I just didn't expect this old monster, at his age, to suddenly think of establishing a sect, and even rally so many rogue cultivators to bolster his power. It's quite surprising."

"This is quite normal!" Superior Master Ziyang said leisurely. "Old Monster Tian Hen has been in the Mid-Nascent Soul stage for three to four hundred years, hasn't he? After such a long time without breaking through to the Late-stage, he's probably completely given up hope. It's not surprising that he's started to focus on other things. Becoming the ancestor of a sect, after all, is a great honor that grants status. However, this person usually has many grudges with the major sects. That's why he seized this opportunity to negotiate with us. Their arrival can be considered a surprise force."

"Alright. Although we have Old Monster Tian Hen as a fallback, with the great war about to begin, we cannot be careless. It's still best to strive for victory. If we truly suffer a major defeat in this battle, even if the Mulan Spellcasters lack resource support, we still won't be able to stop their offensive. Brother Wei," Superior Master Ziyang's expression became serious as he asked Wei Wuya, "those restrictions of your Nine Nations Alliance that counter spirit-spell arrays, are they all in order? These are the Spellcasters' most common melee tactics."

"After so many years of battling the Spellcasters, our understanding of spirit-spell arrays is no less than that of their array masters," Wei Wuya said calmly. "Were it not for the issues with our cultivation methods, our Nine Nations Alliance could even set up identical spirit-spell arrays to those of the Mulan people. Daoist Ziyang, there's no need to worry about this."

Superior Master Ziyang was greatly satisfied by these words. Though he said nothing, his gaze turned to the black-robed man.

Seeing this, Old Devil Hehuan also spoke calmly.

"Our Six Demonic Sects are fully prepared," the old devil said coldly. "Not only has the Spirit-Taming Sect brought its three guardian beasts, but our Joyful Union Sect has also prepared to unseal the Twin Yin-Yang Devils. The Ghost Spirit Sect's Myriad Soul Array can be activated at any moment. The other three sects also have some formidable techniques they will unleash. As for you, Daoist Ziyang, does your Alliance have any killer moves prepared?"

"Our Righteous Dao Alliance, even before departing," Superior Master Ziyang said simply, "each sect and faction separately opened their ancestral halls and have retrieved over a dozen ancient marvels of immense power. They will certainly not disappoint you, Daoist." Old Devil Hehuan nodded, his expression relaxing slightly, as if he knew exactly what those ancient marvels were.

"Our Heavenly Dao Alliance is quite loosely organized, but each faction within the alliance has also made preparations," Long Han said thoughtfully, a look of regret on his face. "However, I, Long, am not clear on the exact methods. But our Phoenix Cry Sect has brought out several ancient jade talismans from our collection; their immense power will certainly open the eyes of the Mulan Spellcasters. It's just that they are too ancient, and their remaining power is not much. They will likely be rendered useless after this battle."

"Ancient jade talismans? I didn't expect the Phoenix Cry Sect to possess such treasures. Presumably, the methods of other Heavenly Dao Alliance sects will not disappoint us either," Superior Master Ziyang mused for a moment before asking hesitantly. "Now, the only thing to worry about are those black-robed individuals and the matter of the wagered battle. Brother Yi, the cultivation methods used by those black-robed individuals are also demonic. Can you not accurately identify the origin of their cultivation methods?"

"Hmph! Just because they cultivate demonic methods doesn't mean I automatically know them," the black-robed man replied irritably. "I only heard about the characteristics of the black-robed individuals' cultivation methods from a Daoist of the Nine Nations Alliance; I haven't seen them myself. How can I make an accurate judgment? The only thing I'm certain of is that their demonic cultivation seems far more refined and intricate than that of our Southern Heavenly Six Sects, and it bears some resemblance to the Ghost Spirit Sect's lineage."

"The Ghost Spirit Sect?" Superior Master Ziyang analyzed aloud, his face darkening. "The exact number of these black-robed individuals is unknown, but during the battle of Tianyuan City alone, as many as seven or eight appeared, and all were Nascent Soul cultivators. This clearly indicates they belong to the same sect. A sect capable of having so many demonic cultivators can only be that nation's demonic sect. Could they truly be from the Great Jin Nation?"

No one else showed surprise at Superior Master Ziyang's words, suggesting they all shared the same suspicion.

"Hmph! So what if they're cultivators from Jin Nation?" the beautiful woman in red, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke, her voice cool and crisp, yet pleasant to the ear. "Look at these black-robed individuals, sneaking around, acting as if they dare not be seen. Their interference in our Southern Heavenly cultivation world must be the work of only one demonic sect, or perhaps even just a portion of that sect's members. What's there to be afraid of? Just treat them as Spellcasters and pretend ignorance."

"Madam Feng has a point," Superior Master Ziyang agreed upon hearing this. "Even if a demonic sect from Jin Nation is fully supporting the Mulan people, the enemy we face will merely be a bit stronger. Are we to simply give up the Southern Heavens to them?"

"While that's true," Old Devil Hehuan said solemnly, "it's undeniable that Jin Nation cultivators are stronger than our Southern Heavenly cultivators in both cultivation methods and magical treasures. If these demonic cultivators participate in tomorrow's wagered battle and secretly employ some tricks, that could be quite troublesome. Jin Nation's cultivation methods and secret techniques are countless, and many are difficult to guard against."

"It's alright. I've already considered that point," Superior Master Ziyang said. "Do you still remember our Grand Truth Sect's Barrier-Breaking Orbs?"

"Barrier-Breaking Orbs!" Long Han asked in surprise. "Those disposable magical artifacts used to break restrictions. Aren't they only useful against low-level restrictions? Furthermore, the barrier during the wagered battle would require significant effort for even Nascent Soul cultivators to break. What use could such artifacts be?"