Chapter 2928: Return and Rewards (No more for today)

In the Seven Stars Mountain Range, there was an expansive estate.

Feng Xiaoyao was speaking with Sword Venerable Tianhe, who held a pale red jade slip and wore a thoughtful expression.

"No one discovered you taking this jade slip, right?" Sword Venerable Tianhe asked.

"No, Senior Martial Brother set up a unique restriction. Even if it falls into others' hands, they won't be able to decipher it," Feng Xiaoyao replied earnestly.

Sword Venerable Tianhe nodded, saying, "That's good. He's been an undercover agent among the Fiery Spirit Tribe for many years, and reaching his current position wasn't easy. The information he passed on this time is very important. Yan Zheng didn't cultivate that secret art himself; he let his clone practice it. Something went wrong, destroying one of his clones. That's a decent outcome."

The human race's high-ranking members had devised a plan: they feigned that the Five Elements Sect's Five Elements Master possessed a page of the Heavenly Void Jade Book. Consequently, the Five Elements Sect was annihilated, and the spies lurking among humans obtained this page, ultimately delivering it to the Fiery Spirit Tribe.

The Heavenly Void Jade Book was genuine, recording a secret art. If Yan Zheng of the Fiery Spirit Tribe cultivated this secret art, there would be no immediate issues, but problems could arise over time.

Yan Zheng was cautious, having his clone cultivate the secret art, which eventually led to a mishap, destroying one of his clones.

Just as Feng Xiaoyao was about to speak, he took out a pale golden communication disk from his robes and activated a spell, looking surprised.

"What happened?" Sword Venerable Tianhe asked casually.

"The Azure Lotus Immortals have returned; they wish to speak with me about something," Feng Xiaoyao replied truthfully.

After some thought, Sword Venerable Tianhe instructed, "Have them come to Tianhe Hall. Also, summon the other Integration Realm cultivators to Tianhe Hall. I have questions for the Azure Lotus Immortals. How could they escape from a late-Integration Realm cultivator and your Senior Martial Brother? Even if your Senior Martial Brother went easy on them, it shouldn't have been that simple for them to get away!"

Bai Xuan was his eldest disciple, who had been covertly placed among the Fiery Spirit Tribe for many years, a fact known only to Sword Venerable Tianhe and Feng Xiaoyao.

The Azure Lotus Immortals' escape from Bai Xuan and Lei Ran required Sword Venerable Tianhe to inquire about it; appearances still needed to be maintained.

"Yes, Master," Feng Xiaoyao agreed, then contacted the other Integration Realm cultivators, summoning them to Tianhe Hall for a meeting.

Inside Tianhe Hall, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan stood calmly.

They planned to present their achievements and gains to Feng Xiaoyao, exchange them for merit points, and take some time to rest.

When Feng Xiaoyao asked them to come to Tianhe Hall, they promptly arrived.

Soon after, more than a dozen streaks of light flew in one after another.

Integration Realm cultivators such as Lin Tianlong, Layman Feixue, Xu Xiang, and Liu Yilong were all surprised to see Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan safe and sound.

"Junior Martial Brother Wang, Junior Martial Sister Wang, you're back! That's wonderful!" Lin Tianlong exclaimed with delight.

Chen Yueying held Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan in high regard. If they had died on the front lines, it would have been difficult to explain to her.

With Chen Yueying having advanced to the Mahayana Realm, the death of the Azure Lotus Immortals would also be a great loss for Zhenhai Palace.

Layman Feixue frowned. Cold Moon had died in battle, yet the Azure Lotus Immortals had returned completely unharmed.

Xu Xiang was somewhat surprised. According to Liao Zhongyan's account, the Azure Lotus Immortals had been besieged by several Integration Realm cultivators, including Bai Xuan and Lei Ran, with Lei Ran being a late-Integration Realm cultivator.

Even if the Azure Lotus Immortals were powerful enough to escape, they should have been severely wounded! Yet, observing their condition, they didn't appear injured at all.

At that moment, Sword Venerable Tianhe and Feng Xiaoyao walked in. Sword Venerable Tianhe took the main seat, while Feng Xiaoyao stood to the side.

"Greetings, Senior Lin," Wang Changsheng and the others bowed respectfully.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had finally met Sword Venerable Tianhe in person. Sword Venerable Tianhe's advancement to the Mahayana Realm as a rogue cultivator was truly inspiring.

Sword Venerable Tianhe's gaze fell upon Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan. He praised, "Your divine sense cultivation is commendable. I heard from young friend Liao that you escaped after being besieged by several Integration Realm cultivators. How did you manage to get away?"

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan felt as if they were being seen through, unable to hide any secrets.

Wang Changsheng briefly recounted the events, though he did not mention his specific divine abilities.

"So, it seems Bai Xuan was overly arrogant, sending two mid-Integration Realm cultivators after you while he went to help Lei Ran escape," Layman Feixue said with a frown. "That explains it."

"Bai Xuan is a master of the Fiery Spirit Tribe and highly conceited. He probably never expected Junior Martial Brother Wang and Junior Martial Sister Wang's divine abilities to be so strong. In fact, if he had fought them to the death, he might have perished at their hands," Lin Tianlong said, his face beaming with pride. Once Chen Yueying arrived, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan's contributions would all be attributed to Zhenhai Palace.

With someone influential in power, like Chen Yueying, the Wang family's share would undoubtedly be substantial, and Zhenhai Palace would also benefit from it.

"Hmph, mere words are not enough. You need to provide evidence to be convincing," Layman Feixue said with a frown. Now that the Lizard Tribe was in full retreat, the Azure Lotus Immortals, having made significant contributions, would naturally receive many resources and territories.

While the territory gained was ostensibly theirs, it ultimately depended on strength. If a Spirit Transformation cultivator went to a Rank 7 spirit mine, would that mine belong to them? Absolutely not.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, Madam Wang, according to the rules, I must test you with the Tianhe Ruler. As long as you haven't lied, there will be no issue," Feng Xiaoyao said. He took out a misty short ruler, and with a gentle flick, a sheet of blue light swept out, enveloping Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan.

Without bodies or nascent souls, verification was difficult. While Wang Changsheng presented treasures and other items from Integration Realm foreign cultivators as evidence, it wasn't enough. Who could confirm that all the treasures came from a single foreign cultivator? Many cultivators falsified their war merits.

The Tianhe Ruler was an auxiliary treasure primarily used for lie detection, rarely making errors.

Feng Xiaoyao asked several questions, and after Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan answered, the Tianhe Ruler showed no abnormalities.

"Since the Tianhe Ruler indicates no issues, we will convert young friend Wang and young friend Wang's contributions into merit points. With the Lizard Tribe in full retreat, you have priority in choosing two Rank 7 spirit mines or Rank 7 spirit mountains as a reward for your valiant efforts fighting behind enemy lines. The territory you previously occupied will also be yours. Furthermore, send word that your exceptional divine abilities allowed you to escape from Bai Xuan and Lei Ran, not that Bai Xuan and Lei Ran were incompetent," Sword Venerable Tianhe stated gravely.

"Two Rank 7 spirit mines or Rank 7 spirit mountains? Fellow Daoist Wang, are Junior Martial Sister Leng's belongings with you?" Layman Feixue frowned. He naturally wouldn't dare question Sword Venerable Tianhe's words.

Based on their war merits, the Azure Lotus Immortals had slain a total of ten Integration Realm cultivators, including four mid-Integration Realm cultivators, assisted Gongsun Yang in slaying one mid-Integration Realm cultivator, and helped Immortal Fairy Xuanyue repel the Purple Marten Tribe. In terms of the number of Integration Realm cultivators killed, Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan far surpassed other Integration Realm cultivators, making Sword Venerable Tianhe's generous reward reasonable.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan had killed multiple Integration Realm foreign cultivators, and when converted into merit points, this allowed them to exchange for many valuable items.

Wang Changsheng took out a white storage ring and tossed it to Layman Feixue.

Layman Feixue swept his divine sense through it, frowning as he noted that there weren't many items inside, indicating that Wang Changsheng had clearly taken a good portion.

With the Azure Lotus Immortals currently enjoying great prestige and Lin Tianlong speaking in their favor, Layman Feixue said nothing further.

"Alright, with the Lizard Tribe in full retreat, securing resources is now the top priority. After a brief rest, take your people to claim territories! Make sure to rein in the younger generation; don't be too excessive. The Lizard Tribe, Fiery Spirit Tribe, and Yaksha Tribe are our true enemies," Sword Venerable Tianhe instructed. He knew that the major human factions would surely not be harmonious in their scramble for territories, so he had to warn them to prevent excessive behavior.

"Yes, Senior Lin," Wang Changsheng and the others responded in unison.