Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Reactions from All Parties

An hour ago.In a hidden location within Yuanshan City.

Rakshasa's expression was grave.

The surrounding Underworld Cultivators were silent as cicadas in winter, fearing that they might invoke the ire of Lord Rakshasa.

With the true soul of Kuhun carrying a shard of the Heavenly Secret Mirror still not returned, they had begun to feel a sense of foreboding.

...

"Evacuate all personnel from Yuanshan City. Abandon all arrangements made within the city," Rakshasa suddenly stood up and ordered.

The hearts of the Underworld Cultivators on the scene plummeted.

—With the true soul of Kuhun carrying a shard of the Heavenly Secret Mirror, they could not possibly leave without waiting for Kuhun's return, unless....

Rakshasa's face was as dark as still water.

Because, just moments ago, he had sensed that the Heart Demon Gu within the true soul of Kuhun had died.

After years of planning, at the cost of exposing his identity as the City Lord of Yuanshan City, which he had long cultivated in secrecy, and even deploying war beasts and risking an appearance of the Void Demon Child, they had achieved nothing.

A dismal failure!

He could already imagine how the other members of the Underworld would view them—the Underworld faction of Yuanshan City—after this fiasco.

Everything was supposed to be within the plan.

Yet the outcome turned out to be this.

It seemed that ever since the true soul of the Blood Corpse was captured, things began to go awry.

Could it be that the Zhengshou Tower had really extracted some intelligence from the Blood Corpse?

Rakshasa found it hard to believe.

But now was not the time to ponder these matters.

The immediate priority was damage control; he had to evacuate the remaining Underworld members from Yuanshan City.

—This operation had been too great in scale; the traces that had been left behind were too difficult to conceal. Not to evacuate would be to court death.

At Rakshasa's command, one Underworld Cultivator hurriedly sent out spirit messages, informing the rest of the Underworld members.

An Underworld Cultivator took out a circular disc made entirely of dark metal.

This was an array plate, used to activate arrays.

The Underworld Cultivator placed spirit stones into the array plate.

Soon, patterns lit up on the ground where they stood, extending and interweaving to form a hexagram array.

[Small Teleportation Array].

"Go!" All the Underworld Cultivators on the field, including Rakshasa, stepped into the hexagram array.

Soon, the light surged.

After the light had dissipated, all the people within the array had vanished.

...

Zhenjiang City.

Within a secluded residence.

The Teleportation Array burst into light.

The Underworld Cultivators who were just in Yuanshan City appeared within the array.

Through the Teleportation Array, Rakshasa and his group instantly traveled from Yuanshan City to Zhenjiang City, thousands of miles away.

"Dismantle the Teleportation Formation," Rakshasa instructed.

Soon, an Underworld Cultivator stepped forward to dismantle the Teleportation Array.

In this way, even if Yuanshan Tower traced the Teleportation Array located in Yuanshan City, they would have no way of knowing the destination it connected to.

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Within Yuanshan Tower.

Jiang Rong found it extremely amusing to see Dantai Qingrun, who had maintained a frosty expression ever since returning from Lu Qingshan's place, "Could it be that little Lu Qingshan has offended our Tower Master Dantai?"

Glancing contemptuously at Jiang Rong, Dantai Qingrun replied impatiently, "Uncle Rong seems to be quite idle, to have the leisure to tease me."

Jiang Rong replied calmly, "I am indeed very idle at the moment. In this battle, the Underworld's influence in Yuanshan City has been decimated, a grand victory the likes of which Yuanshan Tower has never seen before.

If the Underworld isn't foolish, they should already be fully withdrawn from Yuanshan City by now. Given the situation, not only am I free now, but I expect I'll have nothing to do for quite a long time to come."

Feeling helpless with what Jiang Rong said, Dantai Qingrun decided to lay her cards on the table, "You still refer to Lu Qingshan as a 'little guy,' but from what I see, calling him an 'old monster' would be too kind. Two days ago, Lu Qingshan was merely a Qi Refinement second level Cultivator. Do you know what realm he reached when I saw him today?"

Pausing for a moment, Dantai Qingrun's voice slightly heightened, "Qi Refinement eighth level. In just two days, his Cultivation soared so much. I dare to assert that this Lu Qingshan must be someone who has undergone Spirit Possession; otherwise, how could such an absurd thing happen in this world?"

Jiang Rong was also startled by these words and pondered, "We had suspected this before, and now it seems it must be confirmed."

Dantai Qingrun spoke with indignation, "Yet, when I questioned him, he prevaricated in every possible way, insisting he is Lu Qingshan from the Lu Family."

Spitting contemptuously, Dantai Qingrun added, "Who knows how old this old creature is, yet he has the audacity to be so shameless."

"Perhaps there's more to it?" Jiang Rong contemplated for a while, his words laden with deeper meaning.

"More to it?"

Jiang Rong nodded and explained, "Think about it, after Spirit Possession, one must start all over again. Even with prior experience, returning to one's previous level of Cultivation is no easy task. Unless there is no other choice, which Cultivator would willingly opt for Spirit Possession?"

Although Spirit Possession might seem to have many advantages, in reality, it's rife with limitations.

There are two iron rules that must be followed with Spirit Possession.

First, there is a limitation on Cultivation. Only Cultivators who have reached the Nascent Soul Realm or higher can initiate Spirit Possession. And regardless of their level of Cultivation, a Cultivator can undergo Spirit Possession only once in their lifetime, as decreed by the Heavenly Dao.

If this iron rule weren't in place, then wouldn't High-Rank Cultivators be able to escape the limitations of lifespan by repeatedly undergoing Spirit Possession and Cultivating anew? The world would fall into chaos.

Second, only when a Cultivator of higher Cultivation level possesses someone of a lower level is there a chance of success, and the greater the gap in Cultivation, the safer it is.

Indeed, Spirit Possession is not guaranteed to succeed, and the chances of failing are actually quite high.

In order to successfully possess another, Cultivators generally need to prepare the corresponding support Array and Pills to increase the chances of success.

Because if Spirit Possession fails, it means both body and soul are destroyed, the spirit dissipated without entering the Netherworld.

Therefore, many Cultivators would rather choose to die a natural death and seek a chance for reincarnation, rather than gamble on the so-called art of Spirit Possession.

Dantai Qingrun quickly understood, "What you mean to say is, Lu Qingshan was forced by an opposing Cultivator to resort to Spirit Possession and is reluctant to admit it for fear of exposing his identity and attracting his enemies."

Jiang Rong nodded, "Moreover, his enemies are very likely to be Underworld Demon Cultivators!"

"First, he knew so many details about the Underworld that even we in the Tower were unaware of.

Secondly, the contempt he holds for the Underworld Cultivators was evident to us both, and yet for such important intelligence related to the Underworld's surveillance plans, he only asked us for a Blood Corpse real person and made no further demands. Isn't that almost the same as giving it away for free?

If he didn't bear a deep and bitter hatred towards the Underworld, why would he be so generous?"

Dantai Qingrun agreed, "Well said. Although we do not know the true identity of this 'Lu Qingshan,' the enemy of our enemy is our friend.

Therefore, we should try to maintain good relations with 'Lu Qingshan.' Putting everything else aside, befriending a Nascent Soul Cultivator, even if he has lost all his Cultivation, would definitely not be a loss for us!"

Jiang Rong laughed heartily, "Tower Master Dantai, what you should be most concerned about now is what reward the Tower will grant you.

This time, by virtually uprooting the Underworld's arrangement in Yuanshan City, you've achieved such a monumental victory that you might not have much longer to stay in Yuanshan City."

The Tower has never been an organization that prioritizes seniority.

Within the Tower, promotion is entirely dependent on one's abilities.

Although Dantai Qingrun had only assumed the position of Yuanshan Tower Master for three years, given such a dazzling triumph, it seemed the time until her next promotion might not be far off."