199: One view, one hall, three courtyards and four valleys

"Mandala will never betray its employer. You can give up on that idea!" Asura said miserably, not revealing a single detail, even though his body was covered in blood and gore.

Chu Jiang's strength was simply Heaven-Defying.

He had underestimated him.

But betraying his employer was absolutely impossible.

Chu Jiang's eyes narrowed slightly, and the flames in the Void Realm once again blazed like a Fire Dragon.

"If you won't speak, then don't blame this Pacification Envoy for being ruthless!"

Before he finished speaking, the Solar True Fire in Chu Jiang's hand became even more intense, coiling around Asura's body like a venomous snake.

Asura let out a painful howl, like a ghost wailing, but he still gritted his teeth, refusing to reveal the identity of the mastermind, even if it meant death.

Chu Jiang sighed inwardly. This Asura was truly a tough nut to crack.

But he had many ways to make him speak.

With a "crunch," Asura's big foot snapped off like a branch broken by a strong wind.

"Ah..."

Asura's face was twisted, as ferocious as a wounded beast.

The next second.

That severed big foot was about to be sent into Asura's gaping mouth like a cannonball.

"No, no, no..."

"Get away!"

Asura's face showed fear, and his body trembled uncontrollably like a leaf in the wind. This Chu Jiang was indeed as the intelligence stated; his methods of torture were varied and endless.

Unfortunately, he was defeated too quickly and was controlled by the human emperor banner.

He didn't even have time to self-destruct.

"Will you speak or not!"

Chu Jiang's voice was as cold as ice.

"It's... it's Icefire Valley!" Asura finally could no longer bear the inhuman torture, squeezing out three words with difficulty from between his teeth.

Icefire Valley?

Chu Jiang frowned slightly.

In the Western Seven Provinces, nine major powers were renowned.

One Temple, One Hall, Three Institutes, Four Valleys.

The One Temple was Taiping Temple.

The One Hall was Earth Fiend Hall.

The Three Institutes were Heavenly Craft Institute, Pill Cauldron Institute, and Heavenly Martial Institute.

The Four Valleys were Heavenly Talisman Valley, Seven Stars Valley, Golden Serpent Valley, and Icefire Valley.

The Three Institutes were all from Qi Province.

The Four Valleys were scattered throughout the Seven States.

Icefire Valley was one of the Four Valleys.

Although Mandala, this assassination organization, was not openly listed.

In reality, it was powerful enough to be among them.

Moreover, its overall strength was at least on par with the Three Institutes, or even above.

This power ranking was released by Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and did not include government forces.

"Icefire Valley. I haven't offended them, so why would they try to assassinate me?"

Chu Jiang asked in confusion. He had no connection with Icefire Valley whatsoever.

He had originally thought.

It would be the Marquis of Zhengxi from Fire Province.

"We are only responsible for taking missions. As for any grievances or interests disputes between you and the employer, that is not something Mandala cares about!"

"I've said everything I need to say. Give me a quick death!"

Asura's face was pale. He didn't want to continue staying in Chu Jiang's hands, fearing what other inhuman torture he might suffer.

"A quick death? You wish!"

Chu Jiang sneered. You might get a quick death, but he was still holding back a fire.

"You can stay in the human emperor banner and keep company with those demon souls. They will treat you well!"

With that, his Divine Sense left.

In a flash.

A Storage Pouch appeared in his hand.

Chu Jiang used the Ten Thousand Refinements Art to erase the original owner's imprint.

Three hundred Spirit Stones.

And a Void Realm iron chain, nearly a High Grade Spiritual Artifact.

As expected of a Silver Moon Three-Star Killer from Mandala, he was rolling in wealth.

Just at this moment.

A voice entered Chu Jiang's ear.

"Fellow Daoist, may we meet?"

Chu Jiang looked into the distance, towards Guixu Zhenren.

The voice came from the Daoist robed elder beside him.

An Early Stage Peerless Grandmaster.

Yu Xu Palace indeed had a Peerless Grandmaster.

"Yes!"

Chu Jiang agreed.

The three figures disappeared from their original spot and arrived in the main hall.

"This old Daoist's name is Xuan Yi. I invited Chu Garrison Envoy here to discuss an important matter!"

Xuan Yi spoke first.

Chu Jiang: "Immortal Master Xuan Yi, what is the matter?"

Xuan Yi: "Fellow Daoist, do you know about the Tai Xuan Secret Realm?"

Chu Jiang: "Of course, I know. It's an ancient Secret Realm, jointly discovered by the Yun Province Pacification Commissioner and the Si Province Pacification Commissioner. It offers opportunities, but it's fraught with danger!"

"What Fellow Daoist said is true, but this Tai Xuan Secret Realm was not first discovered by the two Province Pacification Commissioners. It was discovered by our Yu Xu Palace ancestor a thousand years ago!"

Chu Jiang was slightly surprised. The Tai Xuan Secret Realm had been discovered a thousand years ago. No wonder Yu Xu Palace had consistently held the top position among the seven Schools. With the Tai Xuan Secret Realm, even if they couldn't enter the third layer, entering the first or second layer could yield considerable Cultivation resources, ensuring Yu Xu Palace's long-lasting prosperity.

Moreover, Yu Xu Palace was not ostentatious and kept a very low profile, mostly remaining reclusive.

To avoid revealing their wealth.

Immortal Master Xuan Yi continued:

"Ancestor Mingren was the most Prodigy figure in the history of our Yu Xu Palace. He broke through to the Transcendent Realm before the age of forty, leading Yu Xu Palace to its peak."

"He discovered the Tai Xuan Secret Realm, but during his exploration of the Secret Realm, he was severely wounded and barely escaped with his life."

"However, he was contaminated with a strange substance, and his Lifespan withered, leaving him with less than a hundred years!"

"Therefore, when the Tai Xuan Secret Realm opened for the second time, Ancestor Mingren led the high-ranking members of Yu Xu Palace to the third layer, where they discovered the Enan Forbidden Land."

"The Enan Forbidden Land is a forsaken place. Regardless of your Cultivation level, once you are contaminated with the Calamity Qi, you will die quickly."

"Ancestor Mingren was trapped and died inside the Enan Forbidden Land. Before his death, he transmitted a Luck map, telling the high-ranking members to take it out and saying that once the Luck map was fully lit, they could re-enter the Enan Forbidden Land. It could resist the Calamity Qi and obtain the Enlightenment Leaf and Nine Revolutions Golden Pill within."

Chu Jiang's eyes widened: "Is that the legendary Nine Revolutions Golden Pill, the Immortal Pill that can allow an ordinary person to directly step into the Transcendent Realm?"

The Enlightenment Leaf could allow a person to enter a state of Epiphany, regardless of their innate talent.

Both were rare treasures.

"That's right."

"I want to invite Fellow Daoist to enter the Enan Forbidden Land within the Tai Xuan Secret Realm with us. At that time, we only need one Nine Revolutions Golden Pill and one Enlightenment Leaf from the resources there; the rest will belong to Fellow Daoist!"

Xuan Yi had originally thought of a 30-70 split, but he was unsure about the amount of resources inside, whether it was a lot or a little. After much thought, he decided it was better to guarantee a minimum.

If there was too much, it would be a disaster for them.

If there was little, they could still get a minimum.

Although Ancestor Mingren had said that once the Luck map was fully lit, they could go.

But the Enan Forbidden Land was too terrifying.

The high-ranking members who returned back then all died mysteriously within a year. It was safer to find a powerful expert to ensure safety within the Tai Xuan Secret Realm.

After waiting for a thousand years, they couldn't let their efforts go to waste.

"You held the Heavens Pride Gathering to absorb the Luck of the Prodigies, didn't you?"

Chu Jiang said indifferently.

"The Luck map doesn't actually take a thousand years to fully light up. If we fully absorbed the Luck of all the Prodigies, it would only take two hundred years to fill it."

"However, Yu Xu Palace never commits such malicious acts."

"The absorbed Prodigy Luck is also the surge in Luck gained during the Heavens Pride Gathering. Absorbing it has virtually no impact on these Prodigies."

"Moreover, Yu Xu Palace will give these Prodigies generous rewards."

"Consider it their travel expenses."

"Although it takes a bit longer, achieving the goal while keeping a clear conscience is worth it."

Everything Yu Xu Palace did was naturally not for nothing; it was all for Luck.

But Yu Xu Palace was not an evil School; it would control it within a reasonable range.

Chu Jiang nodded.

Xuan Yi was quite frank, telling almost everything he could.

Let alone an evil School, even an ordinary School, with such a treasure in a Secret Realm, how could they wait a thousand years for future generations to reap the benefits?

They would have long since taken advantage of the situation to make a big move, attracting more people, then draining the Luck of all Prodigies, heading to the Tai Xuan Secret Realm, and soaring to success.

This Yu Xu Palace was truly a white lotus in a chaotic world.