"Indeed, the siege technique, which was originally expected to emerge only tens of thousands of years from now, and even the legendary war among the hundred clans, might very well break out," the old monk murmured. "Master Jin Yue, why complicate matters? I'm well aware of all these developments. But how do they relate to what we discussed just now? The clans are currently so anxious and vigilant—aren't they all afraid of being drawn into this very matter?" The Taoist remained somewhat puzzled. "Afraid of being drawn in? Haha, once this event arises, which clan can possibly remain untouched? According to the established tradition of the Heavenly Immortal Treasures, each time such a treasure emerges, it invariably triggers a period of bloodshed and turmoil before truly coming to light. And the clan that ultimately secures the treasure gains the right to offer continual sacrifices to invite a true spirit-being to serve as its guardian, thereby instantly becoming a powerful force within the spiritual realm. These true spirit-beings are capable of rivaling the immortals of the True Immortal Realm. Of course, before such a true spirit-being appears, the clan that acquires the treasure must also possess the strength to maintain it. Otherwise, they would merely end "If the race that first obtains this treasure is too weak, it sometimes panics and offers it to other stronger races in hopes of protection, or even abandons it far into the wilderness to avoid total extinction." The old monk spoke slowly and calmly. The Daoist still hadn't fully understood, but at this point, remained silent, not interrupting the monk's words. Indeed, the monk paused only briefly before continuing: "In principle, the emergence of the Heavenly Xuan treasure within a particular race should have been difficult to predict given the strength of our two races. Yet unexpectedly, a cultivator in the妖 race—already at the Consolidated Stage and possessing a certain talent for prophecy—recognized that she had little chance of surviving this great cosmic calamity. So she deliberately activated her full potential and used her entire life force to cast a divination spell, predicting the treasure's approximate location. The resulting oracle revealed that this Heavenly Xuan Sword of Cutting Spiritual Essence lies precisely in the northwest corner of the Fengyuan Continent—the known smallest of the three continents—though it is remarkably diverse in its array of races." The "northwest corner" encompasses our human race, the immortal race, the spirit race, the wood race, the yaksha race, the shadow race, and several others—six or seven in total. That means this newly emerged celestial treasure might very well be found among our human lineage. Currently, only the human and immortal races are aware of this news, but it won't take long before it spreads, for surely there are spies from other ethnic groups embedded within our two races—after all, no wall is completely airtight in this world. Once other races learn of this, what consequences will unfold? You should have a clear sense of that yourself," the old monk said, a wry smile on his face. "Indeed, such a development? Then it seems our human race may truly face extinction." The Taoist's face turned ashen. "According to ancient legend, whenever a large number of powerful beings are wiped out within a specific region within a certain timeframe, a mysterious blood sacrifice ritual can be performed to forcibly summon the celestial treasure from that area. With the strength of our several clans, the powerful races would never hesitate to wipe us all out and use us as offerings for the blood sacrifice ritual. During the last great war among a hundred clans, it was precisely the current fourth-ranked clan, 'Huatian Shun,' that, under the leadership of its original master, fled continuously across the three continents for ten thousand years—almost drawing in seven-eighths of the races on the continent. The weaker clans that were extinguished were nearly all chosen as sacrificial offerings. Moreover, regardless of which clan holds this treasure, as soon as our western and northern clans learn that it is located within this region, they will immediately launch a war to escape the fate of being sacrificed, striving to have other clans become the sacrificial ones." The monk sighed. "Ah, so that's why you suddenly sent those newly promoted cultivators away from Tianyuan City to the lands of other clans—did you suspect something?" The Taoist suddenly became enlightened. "Exactly!" What a divine treasure this is—a heavenly artifact capable of reversing the very laws of a realm. Yet it need not necessarily be from our spiritual realm; it might have originated from the lower realms as well. Although such a possibility is rare, over the past century, every celestial cultivator who showed even the slightest suspicion has been dispatched by me from Tianyuan City to serve in perilous missions among the foreign tribes. Regardless of whether the missions succeed, they invariably find themselves unable to return to Tianyuan City within a short period. Of course, even among native cultivators with some doubts, many have likewise been transferred outside the city and forcibly exiled to the remote, wild worlds. In addition, those with exceptional talent and immense potential are also sent to the wild realms. This strategy ensures that if any of them possess the Heavenly Sword that cuts through spiritual essence, the threat can be effectively diverted. Should the two tribes indeed suffer a decisive defeat during the conflicts below, these exiled individuals will become the very hope for our continued existence and future resurgence. The monk spoke solemnly. "Why go to all this trouble? If we simply wish to verify whether the Heavenly Tian Treasure truly rests in the hands of these individuals, we could easily—” "We could indeed employ secret divination techniques to scan each person's consciousness one by one. But what benefit would it bring if we confirm that the Heavenly Tian-Xuan Sword of Cutting Spiritual Life is actually held by our people? It's simply a hot potato! Can you guarantee that no hidden outsiders—no changelings among the elders or executors—have already infiltrated our ranks? Once this information leaks, not only will our people become the primary target in the near term, but even the Elven race, seeking to protect itself, might withdraw from our alliance. In that case, our people will surely perish. We are not a particularly powerful race. We cannot afford to hold onto this treasure until a true spiritual-level entity arrives. Even if we attempt to offer it to stronger races for protection, we suspect that the Shadow Clan and others would simply overlook the opportunity and prefer to remain indifferent, focusing instead on handling the imminent war that is already brewing." Until we determine which clan has secured the Heavenly Treasure, the forces attacking us are most likely merely a combined army of the Wood and Shadow Clans. With the presence of our human and immaterial clans, along with Tianyuan City, we are fully capable of withstanding such an assault. The Ling and Black Spade Clans are currently engaged in fierce combat; upon hearing this news, their fighting will only intensify. At the very worst, we may suffer significant losses across our clans, yet we will still meet the conditions required to summon the Heavenly Treasure through blood sacrifice. Regardless of which clan originally held the treasure, as long as it is summoned and removed, we will have successfully weathered this crisis. However, to secure victory before the stronger clans arrive and find us, this battle will likely differ from the previous century-long sieges—once it begins, results will be decided within just a few years, far more fiercely than in the past. "Heh, I suspect the leaders of the other clans are thinking along similar lines." Otherwise, you might have heard that any of the clans have truly been earnestly seeking the Xuan Tian Zhan Ling Sword—no, they've merely been actively preparing themselves." The old monk spoke steadily, listing off a long sequence of details. "When did you learn of this? Why didn't I receive any word earlier? Does the abbot's office deliberately keep me in the dark?" After hearing this, the Taoist's eyes flickered, and he stood there, stunned, for a long while before asking, somewhat impatiently. "It's simple—I only began acting this way once I realized your identity was questionable. I'm not sure whether to continue calling you Master Lei Luo, or whether I should now address you as Master Zhi Ying." The old monk's eyes flashed with sharp intensity, and suddenly, without any prior sign of transition, he grew cold. "What does 'Zhi Ying' mean? What do you mean, Master Jin Yue?" The Taoist showed no surprise, merely frowning slightly. "Heh—heh. It seems the time has finally come. It's time to act now." The old monk paid no attention to the Taoist, instead turning his gaze to a small, elegant incense burner in the corner "What time is it now? No—this fragrance...” The Daoist’s eyes flashed with deep purple light, and his face instantly paled. At the same moment, a purple shadow suddenly shot forth from his body, rushing straight toward the elderly Buddhist monk across the room. The monk remained seated motionless, and with a swift motion of his sleeve, he brushed against the opposite side. A thunderous boom followed, and a flash of golden light revealed scattered Sanskrit characters rising into view. The purple shadow, as though struck by a massive force, rebounded violently and crashed against the wall of the chamber, then shrank into a trembling mass, completely immobile. At that very instant, the wall shimmered with a green glow, and a jade bowl of jade green suddenly appeared. As it flipped over, it burst forth with a cascade of green mist, instantly enclosing the purple shadow within. “Indeed, the Four Divine Fragrances are truly effective against the Shadow People—even a single purple shadow cannot withstand them.” The wall shimmered again, and a composed middle-aged scholar in a white robe appeared, moving with graceful ease. “Brother Tianyuan! Thank you so much for lending me the divine fragrance—otherwise, this nuisance "Upon seeing the scholar, the monk immediately rose, bowing deeply with both hands clasped together. 'Master Jin Yue, your courtesy is most gracious. It was only recently, after I had cultivated a new divine ability, that I realized Lord Lei Luo had already been taken over by the purple shadow. Regrettably, such a remarkable master of Dao, now finds himself in this state.' The scholar glanced toward the Daoist still seated beside the monk, who, at the very moment the purple shadow burst forth from his body, seemed to have lost all vital essence—his flesh drawn thin and lifeless. The monk murmured a prayer softly, his face expressing sorrow, then gently flicked his finger, sending a golden flame spiraling forth. Instantly, the Daoist’s body dissolved into nothingness. 'By normal expectations, the purple shadow, though powerful and no less than our combined-bodied cultivators, should not have been able to take over Lord Lei Luo silently and without a trace. The only plausible explanation is that during his journey to the barbarian realm a century ago, he had been ambushed and betrayed.' This Zi Ying has indeed been remarkably cunning—returning to the city for so many years without a single flaw. Had it not been for the Holy Emperor's keen insight, we might still have been completely unaware. For years now, he has been systematically gathering the cultivators who have achieved transcendence, claiming to protect them, yet I suspect his intentions are far from benevolent. The middle-aged monk sighed. To his surprise, he was none other than the renowned master of the Tianyuan Realm—the Tianyuan Holy Emperor. "Indeed, in recent years the ancient friends have been rather favoring the local cultivators, which is no surprise given the growing resentment among the newly ascended ones," the Tianyuan Holy Emperor replied with a warm, composed smile. "It is also due to my own prolonged periods of meditation and cultivation that I have overlooked this matter. However, with such a pressing crisis at hand, we can hardly afford to attend to such minor concerns now. Zi Ying has occupied Lei Luo's body for so many years—how many messages must he have relayed back? The defenses and seals of Tianyuan City will need to be substantially revised." The monk's expression grew increasingly grave.