568: Old Sha

As soon as the two Body Integration Demonic Path giants descended, the space in the hall seemed to solidify instantly, and heavy Devilish Qi seeped out from the polished obsidian floor of the main hall.

Sha Wuji's magma-like eyes fell upon the Sect Master, who looked like thunder, and his wife, Fairy Xing Xuan, whose face was cold as frost. He immediately bowed slightly, his voice dull like rolling gravel: "Sect Master! Madam!"

Zhu Wuneng did not speak; only the eyes beneath his misty fog flickered slightly. Clearly, he had instantly captured the faint trace of spatial anomaly remaining in the air—an energy source identical to that of the Saintess Xin Yuelan, carrying a mark of extreme, panicked retreat.

"No need for formalities!" Heart Without Demonic Intent tried his best to suppress his surging anger and anxiety, but his voice carried the harsh, grating texture of metal rubbing against metal. "The situation is critical! Yuelan was attacked within the territory of the Ba Xia Dynasty in the Eastern Region! The enemy... is suspected to be at the Void Refining Peak, or even stronger!"

Boom!

"Void Refining Peak?!" Sha Wuji's face, scarred like cooling lava, twisted hideously, but he immediately forced himself to suppress it. His changing expression looked even more terrifying, yet deep within his pupils flashed a trace of imperceptible guilt!

The Eastern Region... the Ba Xia Dynasty... these two terms combined hit him like a thorn!

"Furthermore, A-Da..." For the first time, a deep chill permeated Heart Without Demonic Intent's voice. "He gave his life to cover Yuelan's retreat... His mark has shattered! I fear... he has been annihilated, body and soul!"

"Hiss——!!"

Even Sha Wuji, who had seen all kinds of storms, and the ever-calm Zhu Wuneng, both gasped in unison!

A-Da! That old servant from the mysterious "Heavenly Domain"! With his strange and pure power of world dust Law, the Demonic Lord himself had once said that if he were to unleash his full power at any cost, he could walk sideways—unimpeded—within the Void Refining Realm! If he had fallen... then the person who attacked was definitely not an ordinary Void Refining Peak expert!

Opposite them, Fairy Xing Xuan's phoenix eyes were filled with chilling light. She pressed her lips tightly together; worry, resentment, and questioning were almost bursting out of her body!

Heart Without Demonic Intent's gaze swept across his two important ministers like a hawk, his voice low and rapid: "Fortunately, Yuelan used the 'Blood Hell Demon Fang Talisman' in time to tear through space, so her life is temporarily out of danger! However, she has definitely been severely wounded and is likely still hiding within the Ba Xia Dynasty! That enemy's methods are ruthless and incomparably mysterious! Yuelan is in imminent danger!"

He paused abruptly, his cold, sharp gaze piercing directly at Sha Wuji, his voice sounding as if it were squeezed through his teeth: "Old Sha! Last time Yuelan was trapped in the Ba Xia Dynasty, you were the one responsible for pulling strings to save her... You are familiar with the situation! This time, you tell me! How do we resolve this predicament!"

Hiss——!

Sha Wuji felt that gaze like a red-hot branding iron, scorching his slick old face—usually accustomed to handling administrative headquarters—until it turned red! A massive wave of guilt and embarrassment surged into his heart!

Last time?! That was the stain on his entire career!

He had handed it over to his subordinates to handle, and the result was the four blood-red words: "Layer-upon-layer outsourcing"! The Sect Master, Heart Without Demonic Intent, had allocated a full forty thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones as "special operation funds" to save his daughter!

Thinking that as a dignified Body Integration Protector, his target would be too large if he entered the Eastern Region, he "calculated carefully" and allocated ten thousand to a capable subordinate. That Protector "outsourced" the matter to another Soul Transformation subordinate... After changing hands several times, who knows how many links had taken their cut! In the end, the so-called "activity" funds for "breaking through the sword formation and infiltrating behind enemy lines" that landed in the hands of a naive, Golden Core Perfection little demonic cultivator turned out to be—two thousand! Low! Grade! Spirit! Stones!

That little demonic cultivator, relying on the reckless courage of a newborn calf not afraid of a tiger, had the dumb luck to accidentally run into the captured Saintess outside the Yin Yang Sect. In the end, he heard it was actually the Saintess herself who used her own methods to escape safely!

This matter sounded absurd and lucky, yet it had become the biggest thorn in Sha Wuji's side since he took control of core resources! Every time the Demonic Lord asked about the "key details" of that operation, he was vague. Now, this old debt had been suddenly reopened!

Cold sweat instantly broke out on him; he felt as if the hall pillars, woven from the skulls of countless strange demons, were mocking him!

"Uh... Sect Master, please be discerning!" Sha Wuji steeled himself and stepped forward, his lava-like scars twisting as he avoided Heart Without Demonic Intent's sharp gaze. His voice sounded exceptionally resonant—carrying a sense of righteous indignation that only served to cover up his guilt: "The Eastern Region... especially the area around the Ba Xia Dynasty! It is currently being heavily managed and investigated by that group of nose-in-the-air Daoists from the Yin Yang Sect! Our power level as Body Integration existences is too high! Once we personally cross the border, the Heavenly Dao's Qi sensing will be no small matter! I fear that before we even reach Ba Xia, the scene of 'Demon-Extermination Orders' flying everywhere will play out again! If we provoke a full-scale reaction from the Righteous Path and force the person behind the scenes into a corner, causing them to do something detrimental to the Saintess... that would be... that would be highly disadvantageous!"

As he spoke, he secretly wiped the cold sweat seeping from his palms. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zhu Wuneng, who had been silent the whole time, nod his misty head slightly, as if in silent agreement.

Zhu Wuneng then took the opportunity to issue a hoarse, distorted whisper, like countless voices overlapping, echoing like the sounds of Hell: "Protector Sha's words are reasonable. Sect Master, a mighty dragon does not suppress the local snake. The person with real power currently stationed on the front lines in the Eastern Region... is the 'Mad Extreme Demon Lord'."

Mentioning this name, a flicker of imperceptible disdain flashed in the star-like eyes beneath the misty fog.

"This person relies on his strange Demonic Technique and truly possesses the ability of the Late Void Refining Stage. If it were a few months ago, with his true body and Clone working together, it could be considered the might of a Half-step Integration Stage. Unfortunately..." Zhu Wuneng's tone carried undisguised coldness: "I heard recently that his hidden Clone was discovered by the Yin Yang Sect and has now been executed on the spot. This is a major injury to his dao foundation! Right now... his true body's strength is at most that of the Void Refining Peak. As for his old partner 'Hundred Refinements'? Heh... given his greedy and stingy nature, I fear he is not necessarily willing to come out and take risks?"

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely heavy. Zhu Wuneng's analysis was precise and vicious: "The enemy who defeated A-Da has ruthless and strange methods. If they were truly sent by a top orthodox power within the Ba Xia territory... only a Body Integration expert can solve this! But now is not the time to flip the table!"

The dark light in his eyes grew brighter: "The Saintess's status is noble! No matter whose hands she has fallen into, no one dares to kill her immediately! What they are after is nothing more than bargaining chips, benefits, or... some more terrifying taboo items! Therefore, I suggest..."

He looked at Heart Without Demonic Intent: "First step! Immediately send a 'Solid Stability' level top-secret order from the Heavenly Demon Sect to the Mad Extreme Demon Lord! Order him to think of every possible way, at any cost, to use all overt and covert informants, and turn the entire Ba Xia Dynasty upside down to find her for me! He must locate the Saintess's whereabouts as quickly as possible! Do not alert the enemy, especially avoiding those places heavily monitored by the Yin Yang Sect and the Moyang Sect!"

"Second step!" Zhu Wuneng's voice was like a viper flicking its tongue, "Once it is confirmed that the Saintess is indeed being held by some behemoth of the Righteous Path... then the Sect Master can decide on a larger-scale infiltration or... negotiation matters!"

Heart Without Demonic Intent's face was as calm as water, his boiling paternal rage forcibly suppressed by cold rationality. Although Zhu Wuneng's words sounded stifling, they pointed out the most critical crux of this volatile situation! Yuelan... is currently still alive! As long as she is alive... he has the confidence to snatch her back! Find her! Destroy! The Sect!

"Good!" Heart Without Demonic Intent's tone was decisive, his gaze like an ice-tempered blade scraping across Sha Wuji's somewhat stiff old face: "Old Sha!!"