Chapter 1561: Alien World Cultivators

"Grandmaster Taihao's spiritual sense is indeed powerful, but that's because we *wanted* him to discover us. If we weren't trying to gauge his strength, how could he have found us?" the black-robed young man said dismissively, his tone brimming with confidence.

"According to the intelligence we've gathered so far, six individuals in the Dongli Realm are blessed with great fortune. Ranked by strength from highest to lowest, they are Grandmaster Haoyu, Grandmaster Fujiao Gongsun Yang, the Azure Lotus Immortals, Song Xiruo of Three Flames Palace, and Han Tianxuan of Taiyi Immortal Sect. Grandmaster Haoyu is the strongest and has the greatest potential; he must be eliminated, otherwise he will hinder our plans. Hmph, individuals of great destiny? We'll send them on their way first," the silver-skirted young woman said coldly, her voice filled with murderous intent.

Song Yuzhen's brows furrowed, as if she had something difficult to express.

"What's wrong, Junior Sister Song? Are you unwilling? Don't forget, Elder Qian used the Mystic Light Sky-Shattering Sword, one of our sect's ten most important treasures, to send us to the Dongli Realm, not for you to fall in love! You haven't truly fallen for Grandmaster Haoyu, have you?" The black-robed young man's expression turned cold as he spoke unceremoniously.

From his words, it seemed the three of them were not from the Dongli Realm.

Song Yuzhen's expression changed drastically, and her spiritual sense spread wide, as if she feared someone might overhear them.

"Senior Brother Lin, please watch your words. If that gets out, our centuries of planning will be utterly ruined," Song Yuzhen said with a frown, her face showing alarm.

"Don't worry! Junior Sister Liu has set up the Nine Palaces Spirit-Sealing Array. Junior Sister Liu learned from Martial Uncle Liu and is proficient in formations. Even a Soul Transformation stage cultivator trying to eavesdrop couldn't do so without triggering the restrictions," the black-robed young man said nonchalantly.

"Regardless, it's best not to speak like that. A small oversight can ruin everything. It's not that I'm unwilling to eliminate Grandmaster Haoyu; it's just that his divine abilities are extraordinary, and if we're not careful, our efforts could fail. We've spent centuries causing chaos in the Central Plains Cultivation World, and the South Sea and Eastern Desolation haven't even been destabilized yet. Now is not the time to act," Song Yuzhen said calmly.

The black-robed young man and the silver-skirted young woman exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

"Your words are enough. We were just worried you might have developed genuine feelings. If our sect can enter the Dongli Realm, we can ask Martial Uncle Sun to subdue Grandmaster Haoyu and have him become your dual cultivation partner. Before that, however, we must first disrupt the Dongli Realm. The relations between the human, demon, and sea races are poor, so we can start there. We rescued Situ Mei, the Vice Palace Master of Sun Moon Palace. She doesn't have much lifespan left and has become a public enemy of the Dongli Realm, so she has no choice but to seek refuge with us. With her help, our affairs will proceed more smoothly," the black-robed young man said with full confidence.

Song Yuzhen's expression turned grim. "You rescued Situ Mei? You weren't discovered, were you?! Exposing our identities for a single Situ Mei is not wise."

"Don't worry! We didn't show ourselves. Instead, we used the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Banner and the Qian Light Shadow Evasion Shuttle to rescue her. It's impossible for Zhou Ningshuang and the other two to have discovered us. If we weren't afraid of alerting the enemy, we would have directly eliminated Zhou Ningshuang and her companions with the Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Banner. The Five Elements Heavenly Thunder Banner is a spiritual treasure personally refined by Martial Uncle Zhao, who is the most skilled artificer in our sect," the silver-skirted young woman said, her voice full of confidence.

Song Yuzhen breathed a sigh of relief. "I hope so! Senior Sister Liu, how far along are we now? How much longer until we can open an inter-realm passage? If Martial Uncle Chen and the others don't come over, just the few of us won't be able to achieve much."

"Preparations are almost complete, but the Mystic Light Blood Soul Bottle still requires the essence blood of over a dozen Nascent Soul cultivators. First, you should ask the Great Yan Imperial Family for a Nine Revolutions Disaster-Transforming Pill for Situ Mei to heal. Once she recovers, she can lead us to eliminate Nascent Soul cultivators. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, everything should be ready within thirty years," the silver-skirted young woman said, her face brimming with confidence.

Song Yuzhen frowned. "Even two late Nascent Soul cultivators couldn't subdue Situ Mei. You must be careful not to let her jeopardize our grand plan."

"Rest assured! A fourth-tier Infant-Devouring Worm is already attached to her Nascent Soul. If she dares to make any move, we'll eliminate her instantly. The Infant-Devouring Worm is the fifteenth-ranked exotic insect on the Strange Insect List, and it enjoys devouring the Nascent Souls of cultivators. Senior Brother Zhao, who is from Thousand Spirit Peak, belongs to the Zhao family, which specializes in controlling insects and beasts. With Senior Brother Zhao watching her, there will definitely be no problem. Situ Mei won't be able to cause any trouble," the silver-skirted young woman guaranteed, patting her chest.

Song Yuzhen's expression softened, and she said nothing more.

Tens of thousands of miles away, in a vast, boundless yellow desert, fierce winds raged, and yellow sand filled the sky.

Ten thousand feet underground, there was a cave about an acre in size. Its stone walls were covered with profound yellow runes, clearly indicating restrictions.

Situ Mei sat cross-legged atop a yellow formation several tens of feet across. An earthen-yellow light screen enveloped her. The formation was covered with profound yellow array patterns, and on the surface of the yellow light screen, seven yellow pythons constantly moved. These pythons were not corporeal but were manifestations of the formation itself.

A yellow-robed old man, thin as a bamboo pole with unusually small eyes, stood to one side. He had a goatee, kindly eyes, and an amiable appearance, looking quite approachable.

"Since you're awake, there's no need to pretend to be asleep," the yellow-robed old man said, his voice hoarse.

Situ Mei suddenly opened her eyes, her brows tightly furrowed.

"Who are you? Why have you imprisoned me here? What is your purpose?" Situ Mei asked with a cold expression. She had initially thought she wouldn't escape death, but to her surprise, she had been rescued and, upon waking again, found herself in this place.

"My surname is Zhao. I am from the Heavenly Demon Sect of the Great Qin Dynasty. I am not here to imprison you, but to save you. Don't you find it suspicious how the people from Sun Moon Palace managed to track your whereabouts?" The yellow-robed old man's tone was indifferent, and his expression cold.

"I did have suspicions. It's likely they used the body I possessed as a means. Heavenly Demon Sect? I have no ties with the Heavenly Demon Sect. Why would you be so kind as to save me?" Situ Mei asked, her brows tightly furrowed and her face full of confusion.

"Check your dantian first."

Situ Mei was slightly stunned, then quickly checked her dantian.

A miniature Nascent Soul floated within her dantian, and a pale yellow worm crawled upon it. The worm's body surface had some golden patterns, with a pair of golden antennae on its head and a row of tiny sharp claws under its abdomen. It was wrapped around the miniature Nascent Soul.

Situ Mei was greatly startled, and her expression turned grim. With a quick chant of an incantation, a cluster of silver Infant Fire suddenly appeared on the surface of her miniature Nascent Soul. The yellow worm instantly opened its mouth, revealing a row of sharp teeth, ready to bite the miniature Nascent Soul.

She changed her incantation, and the silver Infant Fire vanished, causing the yellow worm to close its mouth.

"That's an Infant-Devouring Worm. It's immune to most flames. If you don't believe me, you can try, but you'll only get one chance," the yellow-robed old man said with a knowing smile.

"What do you want? What do you need me to do?" Situ Mei calmed down and got straight to the point.

She knew she must have value that could be exploited; otherwise, she would have been dead already.

"First, rest and recover in peace. Talking more now is useless. Sun Moon Palace has placed a huge bounty for your capture, and there's no refuge for you in the Dongli Realm. If you wish to die, try to escape. Now, take your time to consider. I hope you make the right choice," the yellow-robed old man said, then turned and left.

Situ Mei cried out to the sky, her face full of resentment.

"Sun Moon Palace, Senior Brother Du, Senior Sister Fang, if you are unjust, then don't blame me for being unrighteous. The Great Yan Imperial Family, the Murong Royal Family, and all the forces that targeted me, Situ Mei—I won't let a single one of you off, haha!" Situ Mei laughed grimly, her face twisted with a mad fervor.

Her downfall to this state was largely due to Sun Moon Palace, as well as other forces, such as the Great Yan Imperial Family and the Murong Royal Family.