Fairy Zi Xia moved through the murky water with Chen Ming on her shoulder, while trying to use her awareness to sense her surroundings. Only to find that the range was a few times shorter than outside the springs, but it did have some use. Chen Ming said, “Put the night pearl in your sleeve and don’t release your awareness. If there is anyone blocking the exit, they are bound to have it released to cover the exit. It’d be strange not to detect you when his awareness collides with an unfamiliar one like yours!”

Fairy Zi Xia smiled, “I’ll be detected when a strange awareness touches his? No wonder Master found me each time I tried to slip away! I thought my stealth art was still lacking!”

Chen Ming: …

Then this is the reason behind your perfect stealth art?

I say, this lass’ head rests too comfortable on her shoulder. Soft through and through!

When she operated her spiritual power, Chen Ming couldn’t detect her. When they were ten li from the exit, Fairy Zi Xia could feel the thick demonic energy everywhere, “With such strong demonic energy, there must be many demonic cultivators.”

Chen Ming saw many night pearl flashing and, among them, two arrays. One covered the exit, to block any from getting out. When someone wanted to leave, he would trigger the array and trapped him. The second one was to isolate the outside awareness, to stay hidden.

He made out hundreds of figures within the array and, among them, there was one black-clothed man with a long saber on his back, supervising the operation. Chen Ming was clear on one thing: he was a Sovereign!

‘Mysterious black-clothed man. Danger value: 2300. Danger rating: disaster.’

He didn’t have a name. Which meant that he didn’t work with one.

In those two arrays, there was also a teleportation array, spewing out black-clothed men one after the other.

They keep on coming!

I say, Xue Ziyu’s divining is more accurate than mine. That fellow has a godly talent!

“Ding! You triggered a C rank storyline mission. You have to make a choice:

The struggle between demonic cultivators and immortals has gone for thousands of years. It is time to end it. The fires of war are about to flicker into existence, with blood and death descending upon the world like a dark cloud. You must decide between picking up your sword and go to your doom, or bow down as the demonic sect’s dog!

1. Help the black-clothed man slaughter most of the ancient immortal sects and its affiliated Human King. Reward: 10,000 spiritual knowledge, 100,000 fame(infamy).

Killing these targets will greatly boost the completion rate of the mission and its reward: Fairy Zi Xia, Liu Mang, Su Qingyang, Xue Ziyu.

2. Aid the ancient immortal sects and its affiliated Human Kings in their escape from the black-clothed man. The reward is unknown and based on the number of survivors.”

Eh? The system lady still has the same style of mocking others. I can now rest easy.

No wonder the Grand World Opening will be a few months later. And shortly after, the Demon Subjugation Gathering. It looks like this trip to the Nine Frozen Springs is lighting the fuse to the Demon Subjugation Gathering.

If I wasn’t here, then all these ancient immortal sects Human Kings with the promise to become Sovereign will be killed quick and clean. 

But why is it that this mission lets me choose?

Me and Ghost Immortal are judged as enemies by now. Is it because the demonic sect isn’t considered being under Ghost Immortal? Right, on the list of names I found there were no Sect Leaders from the demonic sect.

With demonic sect’s Head Sect Leader’s identity, he must know about Shi Jiuquan. So why did he still choose to take the course of killing the immortal sect’s younger generation?

This held a clear advantage for Ghost Immortal.

Or maybe the demonic sect doesn’t work under the Ghost Immortal, and it’s another party, one that has reached some sort of agreement with him.

As for choosing, do I even have that luxury?

What Chen Ming drew out from this, was that demonic sect and Shi Jiuquan were in cahoots.  As a result of not suffering any shortage of pills, where would I go sell mine when there won’t be any wastrels ancient immortal sects to buy them? 

But the opposition had a Sovereign, and he needed to think this through carefully. He could do anything by himself, as long as there was no Sovereign present. He could rely on his unparallel skill of fighting groups and resist a King Corps. And when he had enough King ranks under his belt, the advancement mission would conclude. Followed by a round of spiritual knowledge spending, each of his Dao Palace would advance to King rank, thus granting him Sovereign power.

Only then he’d try trading blows with the black-clothed man.

Chen Ming’s two claws tapped Fairy Zi Xia’s shoulder as he whispered, “Let’s go.”

Returning to the skull, Chen Ming said to Xue Ziyu, “Young man, you’re quite amazing, with such a marvelous talent. Can I learn divination from you?”

Xue Ziyu said, “Uh, I thought it through and you’ll have to ask my Master first!”

“You’re serious!?”

Su Qingyang said, “What’s wrong, what did you see?”

Chen Ming said, “Do you recall Xue Ziyu’s words? It’s almost identical to what he said.”

The four turned their sights on Xue Ziyu, giving him goosebumps.

Chen Ming flew from Fairy Zi Xia’s shoulder, “Alright, settle down. This is a matter of life and death. The demonic sect shouldn’t know of me, so we still have a chance.

Fairy Zi Xia said, “Is there really a chance?”

Sovereign added, “We are clear on your strength, that you are a Sovereign against crowds. But when it comes to duels, I think it’s not enough, that you lack some power, and that you are one step short of a Sovereign rank.”

Chen Ming said, “My cultivation has reached a critical moment. To make this final step, and enter the domain of Sovereign, what I need to do is kill to affirm my Dao!”

His words surprised the four a bit. As rankers on the Dao Comprehending Board, they have heard of this. All killers to affirm one’s Dao used slaughter as a way to form their Dao Heart, thus breaking through that final step.

How else to have an unwavering Dao, if nothing else but to prove one’s Dao was strong? What path should he take to elevate one’s Dao Heart to a new height?

Killing.

The killing was defined as clashing with another person’s Dao.

The four didn’t reject it. All Sovereigns had to fulfill this step, if one wanted to receive the baptism as he transcended, that of his Dao Heart and its purification.

They also had to go through this, just that their target was an enemy sect, then went to exterminate it.

Transcending or passing into oblivion, live silently or becoming immortal, they were all paths that treaded through a sea of blood, holding no difference between them.

Xue Ziyu sucked in a breath and asked, “How many do you need to kill?”

Chen Ming faintly smiled. He let out just a few words, words that chilled them to the bone, “Let’s me first kill two hundred King ranks and then well see!”