Immortal Venerable of the Beast Race
Chapter 388 - 297 Hundred Ghosts Sect’s secrets_1

Chapter 388: 297 Hundred Ghosts Sect’s secrets_1

Shen Long packed up the corpse of the Red Fire Flood Dragon and decided to deal with it after returning.

"Fairy Chu, what are your plans now? Will you continue to stay in Myriad Flame Valley? This place is not much better than the Absolute Spirit Sea Domain, with numerous strange birds and alien beasts. Even Nascent Soul late-stage cultivators might fall here,"

Shen Long said.

"I plan to leave Myriad Flame Valley. Taoist Friend Shen, Taoist Friend Yuan, we’ll meet again if fate allows."

After saying these words, Chu Buyu packed up her Formation Flags and Disks.

A red light illuminated from her back, and a pair of shimmering wings appeared. With a gentle flap, she flew back the way she came.

"Junior Brother Shen, let’s leave this place as well!"

Yuan Rui said, stepping onto the back of the Gold-Winged Thunder Eagle.

Shen Long put the Gold-Winged Windroc back into his Spirit Beast bag and climbed onto the back of the Gold-Winged Thunder Eagle.

With a gentle flap of its wings, the Gold-Winged Thunder Eagle flew into the sky, leaving the place behind.

······

Zhao Country, Hundred Ghosts Sect.

In a secluded estate, Liu Mei sat next to a green stone table with her brows tightly knitted.

Xu Li was reporting to Liu Mei with a grave expression.

"What! Master Uncle Su’s Life-Bound Lamp is extinguished?"

Liu Mei exclaimed in surprise.

Su Liang and Qin Wang had gone to the Myriad Flame Valley in search of a fourth-order Spirit Flame. Both were Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivators, and Qin Wang even had a Nascent Soul early-stage Ghost Creature, making him very powerful.

"Yes, I fear they might have encountered a powerful Monster Beast in Myriad Flame Valley. My worry is that Master Uncle Su was killed by a Nascent Soul cultivator from the Spirit Control Sect."

Xu Li’s demeanor became solemn, her face filled with concern.

"Issue an order to strengthen our defenses and send someone to contact Taoist Friend Su from the Heavenly Ghost Sect. We are in urgent need of the Heavenly Ghost Sect’s assistance."

Liu Mei instructed.

"Yes, Master Aunt Liu."

Xu Li readily agreed to carry out the orders and left to execute them.

······

Qin Country, Spirit Control Sect.

In a quiet estate, Xu Feng, Ning Qianqian, and Qian Dafu sat in a green stone pavilion, sipping tea and chatting leisurely.

"Senior Brother Xu, you were very fortunate this time. If we had been even a bit later, Uncle Shen wouldn’t have been able to save you,"

Qian Dafu said.

"Indeed! I hope Uncle Shen successfully got the fourth-order Spirit Flame."

Xu Feng’s voice sounded somewhat weak.

He had already been cleansed of the poison in his body and was no longer in danger, but he needed to rest for a while to make a full recovery.

"You’re all right now, aren’t you, Master Nephew Xu?"

A concerned male voice sounded.

No sooner had the voice spoken than a red Escape Light flashed across the sky and appeared above the estate.

The light faded to reveal the figure of Shen Long.

"Uncle Shen, you’ve returned."

Xu Feng and the others quickly stood up, their expressions respectful.

Shen Long landed in front of Xu Feng and asked, "Feeling any better?"

"Thanks to Uncle Shen’s elixir, I’m pretty much recovered,"

Xu Feng said gratefully.

"It’s a relief that nothing is wrong. These two Dharma Treasures are for you, as well as a bottle of Beast Nurturing Pills. It’s thanks to the intelligence you provided that I was able to obtain the fourth-order Spiritual Flame,"

Shen Long took out a green Storage Bag and handed it to Xu Feng.

He must reward Xu Feng handsomely. In the future, the disciples of the Spirit Control Sect would be even more willing to work for Shen Long. Such a gesture was nothing to Shen Long.

"Many thanks, Uncle Shen,"

said Xu Feng, gratefully accepting the Storage Bag, his expression filled with excitement.

If he had sold the news to a major power, he might not have gotten so much in return, after all, it was just a piece of intelligence.

"You deserve it. Take good care of your injuries. Master Nephew Qian, keep an eye out for the item I am searching for, there will be a handsome reward."

Shen Long spoke.

"Yes, Uncle Shen,"

both Xu Feng and Qian Dafu replied earnestly, with serious expressions.

"Do not spread the news about the fourth-order Spirit Flame. It’s enough that you two know. I have other matters to attend to, so chat amongst yourselves."

With a word of caution, Shen Long transformed into a red Escape Light and left.

Back at Golden Roc Peak, Shen Long entered a Practice Room, activated the restrictions, entered the Myriad Beasts Tower, and proceeded to the second floor.

Shen Long held up a green jade vase, cast a spell into it and a mass of green fire flew out. It quickly condensed into a huge Green Fire Phoenix, which emitted a terrifying high temperature.

No sooner had the Green Fire Phoenix appeared than the Zizhu Blade hurled towards it, splitting the Green Fire Phoenix in half and turning it into a swath of green flame. The green flames slowly gathered together, and as they finally coalesced into a Green Fire Phoenix again, a barrage of purple sword lights swept over it, relentlessly passing through its body, turning it into a large expanse of green flame once more.

The green flames slowly condensed again, and just as they were about to form into a Green Fire Phoenix once more, a Tricolor Fire Phoenix flew over and swallowed a large portion of the green flames with its mouth.

With a large part of the green flames swallowed by the Tricolor Fire Phoenix, the remaining green flames condensed back into a Green Fire Phoenix, albeit much smaller in size.

Shen Long pinched a spell and the green jade vase emitted a stream of green rosy light, enveloping the Green Fire Phoenix and drawing it back into the vase.

Dividing the absorption of the fourth-order Spirit Flame into two parts was the safest approach for a third-order Spirit Flame.

Shen Long withdrew the Tricolor Fire Phoenix and left the Myriad Beasts Tower.

He took out the Nascent Soul of Qin Wang and a blinding Spiritual Light appeared in his right palm, as he commenced a Soul Search.

Some time later, Shen Long put away the Nascent Soul, his face reflecting deep thought.

"So, it was because of a Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure that the Human Clan went to war with the Barbarian Tribe,"

Shen Long muttered to himself.

A Core Formation Cultivator from the Hundred Ghosts Sect discovered that a Barbarian Cultivator might have acquired a Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure and reported it to the higher-ups of his Sect. The upper echelons of the Hundred Ghosts Sect then relayed the message to the Wanjian Sect, sparking the conflict between the Human Clan and the Barbarian Tribe.

As for the proof, the disciple of the Hundred Ghosts Sect who relayed the message died mysteriously shortly afterwards, only revealing before his death that the Barbarian Cultivator might have the Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure. Obviously, something was amiss.

How would a Core Formation Cultivator know it was a Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure? It is doubtful that a Core Formation Cultivator has ever seen a Spiritual Treasure, let alone a Sky-Reaching one. The whole process was a narrative controlled solely by the higher-ups of the Hundred Ghosts Sect.

In such a case, even if the news proved to be false, it would just be the fault of the Core Formation Cultivator from the Hundred Ghosts Sect. The top brass of the Hundred Ghosts Sect had good intentions by reporting the news to the Wanjian Sect.

If the Barbarian Tribe did indeed have a Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, then the Hundred Ghosts Sect would be credited for providing vital intelligence. If the Barbarian Tribe did not possess the treasure, then it was the mistake of the disciple, while the Sect elders would have cleared themselves perfectly.

The Hundred Ghosts Sect had dealings with the Heavenly Ghost Sect of the Northern Sea Cultivation Realm. Their higher-ups helped the Heavenly Ghost Sect collect spirit souls, and in the ravaging war between the Human Clan and the Barbarian Tribe, numerous lives were lost on both sides. The Hundred Ghosts Sect cultivators gathered a vast number of Barbarian Cultivator soul spirits, an act which Human Cultivators paid little attention to, as they were fighting an alien race.

"Could it be that the Hundred Ghosts Sect purposefully concocted false intelligence to incite a great war between the Human Clan and the Barbarian Tribe, all to aid the Heavenly Ghost Sect cultivators in gathering spirit souls?"

A daring speculation surfaced in Shen Long’s mind.

If that were true, it was a shrewd move by the Hundred Ghosts Sect, using the opportunity to legitimately collect spirit souls. Even if exposed, the sect’s higher-ups were concerned about the Barbarian Tribe possessing the Sky-Reaching Spiritual Treasure, and their intentions were noble. As for engaging with the Barbarian Tribe, there wouldn’t be much opposition within the Human Clan.

Shen Long had no intention of making this matter public. It was only his conjecture, lacking evidence. The war between the Human Clan and the Barbarian Tribe had, indeed, resulted in the casualties of many cultivators and seized a significant territory, further weakening the Barbarian Tribe’s power.

Even if other forces learned of the war provoked by the Hundred Ghosts Sect, they would not care much. After all, this was a conflict led by the Wanjian Sect, which might have been planning to initiate the war to weaken the Barbarian Tribe’s strength in the first place.

There was no benefit for Shen Long in spreading the news.

The close relationship and private cooperation between the Hundred Ghosts Sect and the Heavenly Ghost Sect was something Shen Long needed to be wary of.

Having slain Qin Wang and Su Liang, the upper echelons of the Hundred Ghosts Sect would not let them off easily.

Shen Long did not care as well. While the Heavenly Ghost Sect possessed a formidable power, they didn’t have a Soul Transformation Cultivator at present. Armed with the might of a late-stage Nascent Soul and the Gold-Winged Windroc, Shen Long could escape confrontation with a late-stage Nascent Soul Cultivator if necessary.

Shen Long collected the items on the ground and sat down to meditate and regulate his breath.