“Sect Master.”
Long Aoyu stepped forward and respectfully executed a salute.
Du Busi stood with his hands behind his back, looking him up and down with a smile like an old fox before suddenly speaking, “Xiaoyu, how old are you this year?”
“Twelve.”
“Twelve years old, rank 49, Body Martial Soul, without any attached toxins, and your pure physical enhancement surpasses even this old man’s Spirit.”
Du Busi said slowly, “What rank was your brother when he was twelve?”
“Reporting to Sect Master, rank 43.”
Long Aotian, standing in the back, was suddenly called out, and his face darkened.
Du Busi did not even look at him, continuing to stare at Long Aoyu.
“In other words, you are six ranks higher than that little brat Long Aotian was at the same age.”
“Among the younger generation of the entire Sect, your talent is the best, and your brain is also the best.
So…” Du Busi changed the topic.
“My Young Sect Master, how do you view the current situation?”
Long Aoyu’s heart skipped a beat.
Du Busi rarely called him “Young Sect Master” on ordinary days, and every time he addressed him like that, it meant he was solemnly testing him.
The gazes of Elder Jinpeng and the nine other Elders all fell upon him uniformly, filled with gratification and expectation.
Long Aoyu pondered slightly before saying, “Sect Master, the most pressing matter is to figure out where we are.
Elder Wei can perceive through hearing, while Elder Zhao can perceive the veins of the earth.
The cooperation between the two is the most secure.”
“Dispatch a small, lightly equipped team to head out in all directions and investigate whether there are any towns or villages within two hundred miles.
Then act according to circumstances and gather as much intelligence as possible.”
After listening, Du Busi did not immediately express his stance.
Elder Wei nodded first.
“What the Young Sect Master said is correct.”
Elder Zhao also seconded the motion.
Only then did Du Busi wave his hand.
“Old Wei, Old Zhao, you go pick people and set off immediately.
Everyone else, return to your respective halls and stay put obediently!”
The Elders dispersed, and the disciples on the plaza also left after receiving their orders.
Du Busi then turned his attention back to Long Aoyu.
“Xiaoyu.”
“Sect Master?”
“You’ve improved.
You don’t panic when encountering matters.
Only like this can you shoulder the heavy responsibilities of the Sect!”
Hearing this, Long Aoyu raised his head and grinned.
“Sect Master is joking.
You are vigorous in your old age, and all matters of our Body Sect are shouldered on your shoulders!
How could it ever be my turn, a junior, to take over the burden?”
Du Busi forcefully suppressed his smile, then slapped him on the back of the head.
“Less smart-aleck talk.
Scram and cultivate.
How long have you been stuck at rank 49?”
“…Just a month.”
“A month is not short.
You’re still standing here?
Can Spirit Power grow on its own?
Hurry up and go!”
Long Aoyu covered the back of his head and retreated two steps, muttering inwardly that one month could hardly be considered being stuck at a bottleneck.
A normal rank 49 Spirit Ancestor would take at least half a year to break through, so Du Busi was clearly being impatient with him.
“Got it, going right now!”
Long Aoyu turned and jogged toward the side hall.
As they brushed past each other, his older brother Long Aotian reached out and blocked him.
“Wait.”
Wei Na spoke up immediately afterward, her clear and melodious voice making Long Aoyu stop in his tracks.
She walked over, fished out a small jade bottle from the pouch at her waist, and shoved it into Long Aoyu’s hand.
“Concentration Pill.
Use it when you are about to break through.
Its effect is thirty percent better than those on the market.”
Long Aoyu was slightly stunned.
Wei Na did not talk much on ordinary days, but she was genuinely good to the people around her.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law.”
Long Aoyu put away the bottle and grinned broadly.
Wei Na’s earlobes turned slightly red.
“Who is your sister-in-law?
I haven’t even married into the family yet…”
After saying that, she turned and left, her steps steady and composed, but that trace of red on her earlobes could not deceive anyone.
Long Aotian watched her receding figure and fell silent for two seconds before suddenly asking his younger brother, “What did you just call her?”
“Sister-in-law, what’s wrong?”
The corners of Long Aotian’s mouth could not stop curling upward.
“Pretty good.”
Then he also turned and left, his steps two parts lighter than usual.
Elder Wei and Elder Zhao led six disciples out of the canyon, skimming eastward along the foot of the mountain.
The group were all experts in perception, and their concealment methods were solid, but upon first entering an unfamiliar territory, they dared not travel at full speed.
They proceeded cautiously, stopping from time to time to observe their surroundings and make sure they had not attracted anyone’s attention.
After about two hours, Elder Zhao squatted down and pressed his palm against the soil.
His expression changed slightly as he carefully sensed the movements beneath the earth.
“Thirty miles to the west, there are dense footsteps, a crowd of people, and the sound of carriage wheels.
It should be a town or city.”
Elder Wei listened sideways for a moment and nodded.
Several people then sneaked to a small hill and looked down.
Lamplight shone brightly in the mountain recess, and a small town built of bluestone leaned against the mountain.
At the entrance of the town hung a wooden plaque with three characters written on it: “Qingshi Town.”
The eight people retracted their Spirit Power and disguised themselves as ordinary passersby, walking into the town from the entrance.
The main street was not long, the shops on both sides were open, and there were not many pedestrians on the road.
Elder Wei’s gaze swept over the attire of the passing pedestrians.
Coarse cloth short garments and linen long gowns were completely different from the clothes they were familiar with.
This style was too crude and rustic, resembling old styles from thousands of years ago.
Elder Zhao also noticed this, and the two exchanged glances while both suppressing the doubts in their hearts.
Elder Wei walked up to a steamed bun shop, fished out a few copper coins to buy some buns, and casually struck up a conversation.
“Old brother, let me ask you about something.
A few of us traveling merchants lost our way in the mountains and wandered for several days before finding human habitation.
May I ask which city governs this vicinity?”
The old man glanced at them.
“Qingshi Town, under the jurisdiction of Wulan City.
Walk two more days to the east and you’ll arrive.”
“Wulan City?”
Elder Wei flipped through his memories.
He had lived for nearly a hundred years, and he remembered most of the large and small cities of the Three Empires and the Sun Moon Empire, but he had never heard of the name Wulan City.
He asked again, “Wulan City…
Whose Empire’s territory is this?”
The old man laughed.
“Of course it’s the Heaven Dou Empire.
You few traveling merchants don’t even know that Wulan City is in the Heaven Dou Empire?”
The pupils of Elder Wei and Elder Zhao shrank simultaneously.
Heaven Dou Empire!
This state had long ceased to exist in their era.
It was an ancient mainland empire that had split apart more than five thousand years ago, with the Heavenly Soul Empire being one of its successor nations.
But Elder Wei did not show any change in expression on his face.
He only smiled and continued probing.
“The Heaven Dou Empire…
Then what about Spirit Hall?”
Upon hearing “Spirit Hall,” the old man’s tone became even more relaxed.
“Spirit Hall?
Wulan City has a Spirit Hall branch, and every month they come down to provide free Martial Soul awakenings for the children in the town and nearby villages.”
“My grandson just awakened his Martial Soul last month…”
Hearing this, Elder Wei’s heart gave rise to doubts.
In their era, Spirit Hall could be said to be notorious, and according to the history they knew, it had eventually become the greatest enemy of the continent, with the ambition of controlling the entire world of Spirit Masters.
But listening to what this old man said, Spirit Hall did not seem to be like the organization recorded in the history they remembered.
At this point in time, Spirit Hall was still an organization responsible for helping civilians awaken their Martial Souls and supporting Spirit Masters throughout the continent.
As for what kind of person Bibi Dong was, they were unclear.
However, providing free Martial Soul awakenings for commoners and proactively going to various villages and towns to help ordinary children awaken their Martial Souls made Spirit Hall appear worthy of the reputation of benevolence and righteousness.
Elder Wei’s mind became active, and after turning his head slightly, he spoke again.
“I heard that the Supreme Pontiff of Spirit Hall is quite remarkable?”
The old man scratched his head.
“The Supreme Pontiff?
As for that, I don’t quite remember clearly.
I only know it’s a female Supreme Pontiff.
What was her name again…”
“Bibi Dong?”
“Right, that’s the name!”
The old man’s eyes lit up, but after realizing what he had said, he hurriedly lowered his voice and warned, “You cannot directly call the Supreme Pontiff by her name.
You’d better be careful.”
Hearing this, towering waves churned within Elder Wei’s heart.
It really is Bibi Dong!
The woman who would eventually become the Rakshasa God, the Supreme Pontiff who would lead Spirit Hall into the final war against the Heaven Dou and Star Luo Empires, was still the ruler of Spirit Hall at this point in time.
“Thank you, old uncle.”
Elder Wei expressed his thanks, then went to other places to inquire about additional intelligence.
He carefully asked about the current rulers, the surrounding cities, the situation of Spirit Masters, and the relationship between Spirit Hall and the ordinary people before finally leading his people out of the town.
Once they were far enough away from Qingshi Town, Elder Zhao’s voice was dry.
“Bibi Dong…
Old Wei, that is the Rakshasa God from ten thousand years ago!”
Elder Wei closed his eyes and slowly repeated the information they had obtained.
“Heaven Dou Empire, Spirit Hall, Supreme Pontiff Bibi Dong…”
His breathing became heavier as the final possibility was confirmed.
“We have arrived at ten thousand years ago.”
The faces of the six disciples turned pale.
They had originally believed that the changes around the Body Sect might have been caused by some unknown Spirit Tool or spatial phenomenon, but the evidence they had just gathered had completely overturned every possibility they had considered.
Elder Zhao took a deep breath, suppressed the shock in his heart, and immediately made the most important decision.
“Go back, go back immediately!”