Chapter 1254: No Result

Tens of thousands of miles away, within a hidden cave nestled in a golden mountain range stretching for ten thousand miles.

Wang Changsheng sat cross-legged on the ground, with Wang Qingling and Wang Qiuming standing beside him. The stone wall glowed with a yellow spiritual light, and runes flickered continuously.

Wang Changsheng held a miniature Nascent Soul in his hand. The miniature Nascent Soul showed an expression of pain as a white spiritual light enveloped its body.

As the white spiritual light dissipated, Wang Changsheng took out a silver talisman, placed it on the miniature Nascent Soul, and then put the miniature Nascent Soul into a cyan jade box.

"Ninth Uncle, how was it? Did you find any useful information?" Wang Qingling asked somewhat nervously. As soon as they entered the Northern Border Immortal Cultivation World, they had changed their appearances, fearing recognition by the Nine Nether Sect.

"No, he didn't know anything," Wang Changsheng said, shaking his head. The middle-aged man was named Yang Shuo, a Nascent Soul early-stage cultivator. He had only advanced to the Nascent Soul stage fifty years ago and had been stationed at Black Crow Valley for years. He was ordered to take people to a branch to support it, as it seemed the Nine Nether Sect had clashed with the Three Flames Palace.

Yang Shuo possessed little wealth: five magic treasures and over 300,000 spirit stones. He had suffered severe injuries during his Core Formation stage, losing most of his fortune to heal. His plan was to cultivate in seclusion for a century or two, then venture out to seek opportunities. Unexpectedly, he was ambushed and killed by Wang Changsheng and his group while on a sect mission.

At this moment, Wang Ruyan emerged from a nearby cave, carrying Li Zhen, who was unconscious and pale-faced.

"Husband, he didn't know anything either. However, this man is utterly wicked; he annihilated two immortal cultivation families and committed all manner of debauchery, rape, and pillage," Wang Ruyan said with a frown as she released Li Zhen.

With this incident, the Nine Nether Sect would certainly launch a thorough investigation. They had to hide and lie low.

"He didn't know either? This is troublesome." Wang Changsheng frowned deeply. They had killed four Core Formation cultivators, and the Nine Nether Sect would definitely investigate. In the short term, they could not attack Nine Nether Sect cultivators again.

Four Core Formation cultivators were killed, and one Nascent Soul and one Core Formation cultivator were missing. It was impossible for the Nine Nether Sect not to investigate. The longer they stayed in the Northern Border Immortal Cultivation World, the greater the chance of exposure.

"Grandfather, Grandmother, we still need to find a place to lay low. Before long, the Nine Nether Sect will surely conduct extensive searches," Wang Qiuming suggested, as the Nine Nether Sect had considerable influence in the Northern Border Immortal Cultivation World, and they had to be cautious.

"The Nine Nether Sect is clashing with the Three Flames Palace, and their relationship is poor. Let's go to a market city established by the Three Flames Palace to avoid the limelight! As for Li Zhen, keeping him is useless, so let's kill him. That way, the Nine Nether Sect won't trace anything back to us."

Wang Changsheng flicked his finger, and a blue light shot out, piercing Li Zhen's head. Wang Ruyan casually threw a fireball, incinerating the corpse.

Wang Changsheng withdrew the restrictions, then led Wang Ruyan and the other two out. Once outside the cave, the four transformed into four streaks of light, soaring through the air and vanishing into the horizon.

---

Within the Nine Nether Sect, a palace of golden bricks and glazed tiles stood.

Two men and one woman were reporting to a pot-bellied old man in a green robe, whose gaze was grim.

"Your junior brother has met with misfortune. He was stationed at Black Crow Valley. You two should go to Black Crow Valley, investigate his death, and bring back the murderer's head. Those who offend our Nine Nether Sect will be killed without mercy; this is our sect rule," the old man in the green robe ordered, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Yes, Master," the three Core Formation cultivators readily agreed, bowed, and withdrew.

A graceful young woman in a green skirt emerged from a side chamber and settled onto the green-robed old man's lap.

"Husband, it's time to transfer Guang'er back, isn't it? He's been in the Central Plains Immortal Cultivation World for over two hundred years. You transferred him there after going to the Eastern Wilderness with him. I only have this one nephew, and I haven't seen him in centuries. If anything happens to him, how can I explain it to my deceased brother?" The young woman in the green skirt spoke in a sweet, cooing voice, her watery, peach-blossom eyes captivating.

The green-robed old man embraced the young woman in the green skirt and said, "Alright, I know what I'm doing regarding this matter. Also, don't mention to anyone that I went to the Eastern Wilderness with him. Otherwise, if the Sect Master blames you, I won't be able to protect you. Everyone must obey the Sect Master's orders. If it weren't for the Sect Master's command, I would have transferred him back long ago."

Over two hundred years ago, he was ordered to lead a team to the Eastern Wilderness and eradicate several minor forces. Due to the existence of the Seven Great Immortal Sects, their actions were kept highly secret. After returning from the Eastern Wilderness, all disciples involved, except for two Nascent Soul cultivators, were transferred to the Central Plains Immortal Cultivation World, out of concern that the matter might be exposed and provoke the Seven Great Immortal Sects.

The Nine Nether Sect had annihilated quite a number of sects and immortal cultivation families, but those forces were all weak targets. The Seven Great Immortal Sects — no, now there were only six Great Immortal Sects — the Nine Nether Sect was unwilling to provoke the Six Great Immortal Sects.

Hearing the words "Sect Master," the young woman in the green skirt instinctively shivered. Anyone who disobeyed Shangguan Wei's orders would not come to a good end.

"I understand. I won't tell anyone else."

---

In the Southern Sea, within the Myriad Ghosts Sea.

On a desolate island shrouded in dense Yin energy, a squad of armed skeleton soldiers patrolled. A pigeon-egg-sized green flame flickered in each of their eye sockets.

Spirit fields had been cultivated on the island, growing many Yin-attribute spiritual herbs. The fields were divided into multiple sections, each covered by a faint black light barrier. The surface of the light barriers was covered with rice-grain-sized runes, clearly indicating array formations.

On a mountain peak covered with white skeletons, Ye Haitang sat cross-legged in a simple stone pavilion at the summit, her eyes closed. A black spectral ghost apparition flickered above her head, and the wailing of ghosts intensified amidst gusts of Yin wind.

After a while, the black spectral ghost apparition suddenly opened its eyes, and Ye Haitang also opened hers, emitting a powerful aura of Yin energy.

A sharp ghostly wail resounded, and the skeletons on the mountain seemed to come alive, rising upright.

Ye Haitang felt her powerful aura and beamed with joy. She had already cultivated to the fifth layer of Core Formation. If she hadn't changed her cultivation technique, she would likely have advanced to the seventh layer of Core Formation.

She leaped and flew into the distance, landing in an open area. She took out a palm-sized black magic disk, cast a spell, and a chilling Yin wind blew, revealing a huge pit over a hundred zhang wide on the ground. The pit was filled with heaped skeletons.

"Fiend Corpses, rise!"

With Ye Haitang's low command, nine white skeletons, each taller than a person, stood up. A green flame flickered in each of their eye sockets, and a black lotus mark was on their brows. Array formations were her strong suit. She used them to cultivate bone corpses, and these nine skeletons were the bone corpses she had cultivated using array formations.

Ye Haitang formed a hand seal, and Yin winds swirled. The nine white skeletons flew together, transforming into a gigantic skeleton, emitting an even more powerful Yin aura. Through a secret technique, she could merge the nine skeletons into one, temporarily possessing Core Formation stage strength. Of course, there was still a certain gap between this type of bone corpse and a true Core Formation stage bone corpse. If she had the opportunity, Ye Haitang still wanted to cultivate a Core Formation stage bone corpse.

Ye Haitang changed her hand seal, and the gigantic skeleton transformed into a string of white skull heads, flying into her hand.

"The Yin energy here is so dense. If I find more skeletons, I can cultivate more Foundation Establishment stage bone corpses," Ye Haitang muttered to herself. Of course, she wouldn't go too far, just staying active nearby. Her main task was to guard the entrance to the ruins, and activities in the vicinity wouldn't affect that.