The East Imperial Continent had existed since the calendar era and had a history of over one million years.
During ancient times, the demon race was powerful and a calamity to the human world. Back then, the human race was forced deep into the mountains, barren islands, and treacherous lands. Despite the case, the human race still managed to survive and produced many human experts and heroes. There were also plenty of ancient great clans and ancient great sects.
When the Mystic Thearch emerged in the world, he led the human race to sweep away the demon race and drove them out of the East Imperial Continent and into the Endless Deep Sea and Blood Night Fearsome Sea regions. When the Mystic Thearch unified the world, those ancient great clans and sects would either serve the Mystic Thearch or conceal themselves and no longer involved themselves with the disputes on the continent.
The Mystic Thearch’s spearhead was too formidable, and whichever faction dared to go against the flow would surely be suppressed by the Mystic Thearch. Even if the Mystic Thearch didn’t make a move, his subordinates—the Nine Thearchs—would also make a move.
After the Mystic Thearch ascended, the Nine Thearchs Clans had followed according to the Mystic Thearch’s wishes and occupied their own regions. No one dared to unify the continent, and those concealed great clans and great sects had all started to reveal themselves. They had occupied the various territories in the middle part of the continent like the Shi Clan, the Xuan Clan, and the Tang Clan.
Of course, plenty of other concealed sects and didn’t emerge and continued to seclude themselves in those mountains and treacherous lands. Even if their disciples were to roam the continent, they wouldn’t expose their identity or stir up any trouble. They were so low-profiled that people had forgotten about them. An ordinary person or even major clans wouldn’t even know about the existence of these concealed great sects.
The Heaven Hidden Sect was one of them!
The Nine Thearchs Clans had proclaimed their rule over the continent and had detailed records. They were also paying close attention to those formidable forces, great sects, and great clans that might threaten them. After excluding those great clans and great sects that already emerged, the Nine Thearchs Clans had made a ranking for the remaining concealed great clans and sects. They were also known as the continent’s top ten concealed great factions.
These ten concealed great factions were all extremely powerful, and they had their strict rules in order to ensure their faction would be able to continue for generations. These ten great factions all had Demigod experts, and they had plenty of these experts. The factions in the top three rankings even had the strength to threaten the rule of the Nine Thearchs Clans.
Heaven Hidden Sect was ranked no.2, and Wu Ni had immediately determined it was this sect who rescued Su Ruoxue was because this sect’s disciples were all females.
The Heaven Hidden Sect’s disciples traveled the world for many years in search of women with special astral bodies and brought them back to the sect to nurture them. The cultivation speed of special astral bodies was horrific. Thus, the disciples from this sect cultivation with extreme speed. They didn’t have a lack of Demigod Realm expert, and according to the Wu Clan’s records, the current Matriarch was an existence that was comparable to the Nine Thearchs! When Ji Tingyu said that Su Ruoxue might have a special astral body, Wu Ni immediately recalled about the Heaven Hidden Sect.
“Yes, it is!”
Ji Tingyu nodded and said, “Su Ruoxue’s clan was a kind of special race that possesses the Purple Charm Divine Light, and they cultivated the soul spirit. Su Ruoxue is even a genius of their clan, and she might only be at the peak stage of Soul Travel Realm, but her soul spirit’s toughness should be comparable to a Heaven Monarch. It is probably why the Heaven Hidden Sect’s people fancied her. In the Quiet Peace Temple’s records, there were four young ladies with special personalities that came sightseeing. The four ladies had looks and manners that were absolutely brilliant. Two of them are even high-stage Heaven Monarchs.
“After those four left the Quiet Peace Temple, they are no records of their whereabouts! Such beautiful young ladies with extraordinary temperaments must be nurtured by great clans or sects. In my memories… there are no such people in the great clans that had emerged. Hence, they must be from the concealed factions or possibly the Heaven Hidden Sect.”
“Trouble!”
Wu Ni’s straight brows were locked tightly. If it was a small sect, the Wu Clan would be able to oppress them easily and take Su Ruoxue back. However, this Heaven Hidden Sect was a faction that even the North Thearch was fearful of. It was impossible for the Wu Clan to start a war with the Heaven Hidden Sect just for Su Ruoxue.
Most importantly… the locations of the top three concealed factions were top secret information, and not even the Wu Clan knew about it. They simply knew that the Heaven Hidden Sect was located in the Savage Snow Region in the extreme north, which was north of the Wu Clan’s four regions. That snow region was too massive and too dangerous. Unless they were to use the full might of the clan, they would never be able to find the Heaven Hidden Sect and would never be able to Heaven Hidden Sect, too.
Would the North Thearch start a war with the Heaven Hidden Sect just because of Su Ruoxue?
It was obviously impossible. Putting aside the fact if they could eliminate the Heaven Hidden Sect—even if they could, the Wu Clan would also suffer great losses. When that happened, the Nine Thearchs Clans might become the Eight Emperors Clans.
“Tu Lao!”
The more he thought about it, the more enraged he got. Wu Ni waved his hand and yelled out, “Bring all these fools away and behead them!”
“Ah?”
The hundreds of monks in the main hall were instantly frightened and knelt down with horror while begging for mercy. Ji Tingyu’s brows lifted, and she quickly transmitted a message: “Young Master, you must not! This isn’t their fault. The Heaven Hidden Sect’s people have heaven-defying methods, how could they guard against them? This matter is actually my fault for not putting better arrangements. Young Master, everyone in the clan is now staring at us, and if we are to kill recklessly, your reputation with the elder hall will probably be ruined. As a superior, you must know when to punish and when to reward. Recklessly killing will only cause the hearts of the subordinates to tremble…”
“Alright then!”
Wu Ni let out a slight sigh and shook his hand. “Forget it. This matter isn’t their fault. All of you will each be punished with 300 rod strikes. Get lost.”
The monks quickly crawled away, and Tu Lao and the others had also backed away. Wu Ni then looked at Ji Tingyu and asked urgently, “Without Su Ruoxue, my elder sister and my brother-in-law’s lives are at risk. We do not have any method to ambush Jiang Yi either. Tingyu, what should we do?”
“There is always a way.”
Ji Tingyu stood up and looked at the glaring deity sculpture in the main hall and spoke indifferently, “Jiang Yi’s objective is to rescue Su Ruoxue, and he assumes that Su Ruoxue is in my hands. Hence, we still have a chance. Young Master, pass down the order. No information about Su Ruoxue must be leaked out. Otherwise, they shall be killed without mercy.”
Wu Ni nodded and immediately transmitted a message. He then looked at Ji Tingyu and asked, “Tingyu, are there any good methods?”
“There are no brilliant plans, but I do have a plan.”
Ji Tingyu let out a beaming smile and said, “The clans are still hunting him during these few days, and Jiang Yi will definitely be hiding and wouldn’t dare to emerge. Let us wait. He will take the initiative to contact us a few days later; there is no need to worry. As long as he isn’t certain that Su Ruoxue is dead, he will not harm your elder sister and brother-in-law. We will wait for him to contact us and see what he says before we make our plans and plan a good scheme! He is just a single person; we are a giant clan. We can play with him however we like…”
When Wu Ni saw Ji Tingyu’s confident and calm expression, his anxious heart gradually got composed. He forced out a smile and sighed. “What worries do I need to have about big plans if I have Tingyu?”
…
Jiang Yi was truly hidden just as Ji Tingyu had guessed. His hiding spot wasn’t in the Wu Clan’s four regions, not in the Yi and Ye Clan’s territories. He was in the south, at that ancient aristocratic Xuan Clan’s territory.
He didn’t dare to enter any cities as he was clear that none of the cities would be safe. Any strangers that entered the city would be under suspicion. Hence, he had executed the Heaven Evasion to leave the North Snow Region and arrived at the Xuan Clan’s Xuan Reign Region. He then found a mountain range where demonic beasts ran amuck and hid there.
This mountain range was huge. There were plenty of demonic beasts, but they were all low-tier demonic beasts. There wasn’t a single Demon King. Many individuals had used their divine senses to scan this mountain range, but none of them knew that Jiang Yi’s Mirage Divine Ability wasn’t only able to turn into any person but even into… demonic beasts!
He had made use of the Mirage Divine Ability to turn into a tier-three peak-grade ape-type demonic beast. His body was filled with long fur, and his aura presence was completely like a demonic beast’s aura presence. It was just like when the Black Deity in Endless Deep Sea whose demonic qi was bursting into the sky. He was hidden in a cave, and plenty of low-tier ape-type demonic beasts were deterred by his aura presence and didn’t dare to approach.
He had been staying inside the cave as his injuries were rather severe. Previously, he had yet to fully recover, and his continuous usage of the Heaven Evasion had aggravated his injuries. He originally wanted to use the Heaven Evasion to get further, but he was afraid his body might not be able to withstand it. Hence, he decided to stop here.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Right now, he was recuperating his injuries while in the Union of Heaven and Man state. Whenever he felt a sky-piercing sound from a distance, he would quickly stop his recuperation and crouch down like an ape. After those people flew over and scanned with their divine senses, he would then sit cross-legged again and continue recuperating.
“So many people searching? This is the second wave today, right?”
Jiang Yi opened his ape eyes and revealed a trace of mockery. He grinned and muttered, “Hurhur, when my injuries are better, the search effort will also start to decrease, right? Just wait for this me. When it is time, I will turn your Wu Clan’s four regions upside down!”
