154: The Demonic Sect's Layered Outsourcing

Sha Wuji returned to his Immortal Cave and immediately summoned a trusted Protector under his command.

He weighed the Storage Pouch in his hand, took out ten thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones from it,

placed them into another bag, and tossed it to the Protector.

"The Sect Master has ordered a search for the Goddess's whereabouts.

I am leaving this matter to you. These ten thousand Spirit Stones are for operational expenses. Remember, be fast and be discreet."

Sha Wuji's voice was devoid of emotion.

The Protector took the bag of Spirit Stones, a flash of joy crossing his eyes as he hurriedly bowed:

"This subordinate obeys! I will certainly give my all!"

The Protector returned to his own territory and immediately called for his most trusted Personal Disciple.

He thought for a moment, then counted out five thousand from those ten thousand Spirit Stones and put them into a new Storage Pouch.

"Disciple, your Revered Master has an important mission for you.

Go to the Ba Xia Dynasty and find the whereabouts of Saintess Xin Yuelan.

These five thousand Spirit Stones are for your travel and expenses. You must be diligent!"

The Protector instructed with a serious face.

The Personal Disciple took the Spirit Stones, feeling their weight, and was incredibly excited:

"Rest assured, Revered Master! Your Disciple will not fail the mission!"

The Personal Disciple returned to his residence, looking at the heavy five thousand Spirit Stones in his hand, his eyes darting around.

He immediately found an Inner Sect Disciple at the Golden Core Perfection Realm under him who was fairly clever at handling affairs.

"Junior Brother, I have a lucrative job for you!"

With an expression of "I have high hopes for you," the Personal Disciple... cautiously counted out two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones from the five thousand and stuffed them into a shabby little cloth bag.

"This is a secret Sect mission to go to the Ba Xia Dynasty and gather some information.

These two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones are for your hard work! Do a good job, and your Senior Brother won't treat you poorly when you return!"

The Personal Disciple patted his chest in guarantee.

The Inner Sect Disciple at Golden Core Perfection looked at the flimsy bag in his hand containing only two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones,

then looked at his Senior Brother's "you've struck it rich" expression. His mouth twitched as he ranted wildly in his mind:

God damn his "high hopes" for me! He wants me to go to a dangerous hostile power to execute a mission for a mere two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones? I'm truly grateful!

But being under someone else's thumb, he didn't dare say much. He could only bite the bullet, responding listlessly:

"...Yes, Senior Brother, I'll set off immediately."

Thus, the heavy responsibility of finding the daughter, which carried the earnest expectations of the Heavenly Demon Sect's Sect Master Heart Without Demonic Intent and a "huge sum" of forty thousand Mid-Grade Spirit Stones,

ultimately fell onto the shoulders of a Golden Core Disciple who only received two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones as "payment for his hard work."

That Inner Sect Disciple at Golden Core Perfection was named Xue Jiu. Gripping the flimsy bag of two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones,

he cursed his Senior Brother, the Protector, and even the Grand Protector who had skimmed off the top.

But when he carefully recalled the mission content—finding Saintess Xin Yuelan, who had been abducted by an Early Golden Core Stage Righteous Path Cultivator—

his heart, which was originally full of resentment, instantly became lively again!

"The Saintess!"

Xue Jiu's eyes flashed with a light called "opportunity."

"She is the apple of the Sect Master's eye! Her generosity is famous throughout the entire Demon Realm!

If I really find her and rescue her... Hehehe!"

He could already see the scene of the Saintess casually rewarding him with several top-tier Earth-Grade Demonic Artifacts or even bestowing precious Demonic Techniques.

As for that Early Golden Core Stage Righteous Path Cultivator? Before him, a Golden Core Perfection, wouldn't they be easily handled and toyed with?

He automatically ignored the existence of Elder Liu Sha, or rather, he simply didn't know the Saintess had been abducted right under Elder Liu Sha's nose.

"Wealth is sought in danger! I'll do it!"

Xue Jiu was instantly filled with motivation. He carefully tucked away the two thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

Though it was little, even mosquito legs are meat. He briefly packed his bags,

and quickly left the Heavenly Demon Sect, speeding toward the Ba Xia Dynasty.

He could already see a bright future where he would perform great deeds and receive rewards, rising to prominence.

The scene shifted back to the Lin Residence in Canglan City.

Yao Delong entered the quiet room. He sank his consciousness into the System space,

his gaze falling upon that scarred yet fiercely aura-emitting Asura Puppet.

"System, scan this Puppet. Can its core driving Formation be repaired or upgraded?" Yao Delong thought silently.

[Ding! Scanning...]

[Target: Ancient Asura Puppet (Severely Damaged)]

[Core Driving Formation: Ancient 'Six-Armed Asura God-Slaying Formation']

[Assessment: Can consume 50 yin-yang values to repair and optimize the core driving Formation,

restoring its operational efficiency and upgrading it to the current Material endurance limit. External structural damage cannot be repaired.]

[Estimated combat power after repair and optimization: Late Nascent Soul Stage (Limited by external structural strength; sustained combat capability and defense will be lower than a complete Late Nascent Soul Stage Puppet)]

"Late Nascent Soul Stage!" Yao Delong was delighted.

Although the external damage was severe, being able to restore the core drive to the Late Nascent Soul Stage was already a huge improvement!

It was enough to become his strongest trump card for now. As for the external damage, once he returned to the Yin Yang Sect, he would find a way to ask Elder Liu to help repair it.

"Repair and optimize the core driving Formation immediately!"

Yao Delong did not hesitate.

[Ding! Consuming 50 yin-yang values, 46 remaining. Starting repair and optimization of the 'Six-Armed Asura God-Slaying Formation' core...]

Within the System space, an invisible force began to act upon the complex and profound core Formation deep within the Puppet's chest.

Broken runes were reconnected and completed by the invisible force; dim lines were lit up, becoming smoother and more efficient;

destroyed energy circuits were restructured, forming optimized energy flow paths, emitting powerful energy fluctuations.

The entire process lasted about fifteen minutes.

Buzz!

When the final rune was lit, the entire core driving Formation jolted violently!

A surge of energy fluctuations, far stronger, purer, and more ferocious than before, erupted from the Puppet's core, instantly filling the entire System space!

The three-headed, six-armed Asura seemed to come to life,

its six tightly closed eyes appearing as if they could open at any moment, emitting a predatory, fierce light!

[Ding! Core driving Formation repair and optimization complete! Current theoretical combat power of the Puppet:]

[Late Nascent Soul Stage. Warning: External structure is severely damaged; high-intensity combat may lead to structural collapse.]

"It's done!" Yao Delong felt the surging power in the Puppet's core, and his heart settled.

A Late Nascent Soul Stage combat power was enough to deal with the vast majority of crises.

However, looking at the huge crack that almost pierced through the Puppet's chest,

as well as the other hideous wounds on its body, he still frowned.

These cracks were like fissures on porcelain; they might be fine normally,

but once they encountered a violent attack of the same level, they could likely become fatal weaknesses.

"I must find a way to deal with this first, at least to seal the most critical crack on the chest." Yao Delong made up his mind.

He exited the System space and found Lin Qingxue:

"Junior Sister, where is the best forging workshop in Canglan City?"

Lin Qingxue thought for a moment:

"The 'Rongduan Workshop' in the west of the city is second to none. It's said that its Revered Master is a Nascent Soul Stage Refiner with exquisite craftsmanship."