436: retreat

"So this is what happens when you enter someone else's base to perform a mission and get discovered, truly nowhere to go, no escape," Xiao Min said with a sigh, scanning the hundreds of figures still remaining in the Void Realm.

"I wonder what gave us the courage to keep jumping around in Reincarnation Paradise's Core Dao Domain," Sister Lan also mused with a hint of melancholy.

"How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den? Relax your mind," Ji Yi said, shrugging. As a Cultivator, one should not show fear, especially given their current predicament; mental fortitude was essential.

"Relax your mind, Ji Yi is a person of great Luck, what are we afraid of?" Xiao Ling said.

"Yeah, follow Ji Yi, and you'll soar," Xiao Min said with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll take you all to fly," Ji Yi said confidently.

Ji Yi and the others reported this incident to the Lord of the Curse Dao Domain, waiting for the next instruction. Their current line had been thoroughly investigated by Lingshan, and this matter was of great importance.

"Wait." The Lord only replied with one word to Ji Yi. The Lord also needed to arrange this matter carefully. A line from top to bottom was not so easy to arrange, as it involved many links.

Ji Yi and the others stayed in the Reincarnation Dao Domain with peace of mind, and the Na Ring in their possession was not handed over to that fortune-telling Immortal Emperor.

The five of them, including Ji Yi, looked at the Na Ring on the table. It was false to say they didn't want to save the people inside, but they were powerless. This was a Na Ring refined by an Immortal Emperor; any unusual movement would be discovered.

Moreover, the owner of this Na Ring, one could tell without thinking, was no ordinary Immortal Emperor, and this Na Ring had a tracking function, rendering Ji Yi and the others helpless.

If they saved this group of people in the Na Ring now, all the efforts of Ji Yi and the others would be in vain. This would be losing sight of the bigger picture. Only by understanding this matter in more detail could they rescue more people.

This wait lasted for a month. The Lord gave Ji Yi two locations: one where the Na Ring was received from the upstream contact, and one where it was handed over to the downstream contact.

Ji Yi went directly to the downstream location, which was no longer the fortune-telling shop, but a pawn shop this time.

After exchanging passwords, Ji Yi and the others handed the Na Ring to the shop owner and left. Ji Yi returned to the Curse Dao Domain, not to Diqi City this time, but to a different city called Diying Star.

Ji Yi and the others waited for the arrival of the upstream contact. They had not yet received any news, so they could only wait patiently. At the same time, they reported the information about the pawn shop to the high-level officials of the Heavenly Court, opening another new line.

Five days later, Ji Yi and the others received instructions to retrieve the goods.

They arrived at a shop selling Immortal clothing. Ji Yi entered, exchanged passwords, and successfully obtained the Na Ring.

Ji Yi left a Clone to track this line, following it downwards. With Ji Yi's strength, he could completely figure it out on his own.

The Wind Flower Snow Moon Team had already made significant contributions. If they could truly ascertain the sacrificial targets and purposes of these Immortals, the contributions made by Ji Yi and his team would certainly be greater than their first mission, though they felt somewhat powerless.

After two months, Ji Yi finally clarified and reported this new line.

Just as Ji Yi and the others were thinking about how to make a Breakthrough upwards, they suddenly received news from the Ancestor God of Strength.

"You all prepare to retreat. This matter has been thoroughly investigated. Our several Celestial Venerable Dao Lineages will jointly crusade against Reincarnation Paradise. The time is in half a month. Let them provide an explanation. It will be very dangerous for you to stay there."

"Retreat, return to the Heavenly Court first. Just leave a Clone here to handle things," Ji Yi said.

"Okay."

All five of them, including Ji Yi, left a Clone there. Only Ji Yi's Clone had the combat power of an Immortal King. Sister Lan and the others' comprehension of the Dao of Clones was very ordinary, only able to create a Clone at the Immortal Lord level.

Ji Yi and the others successfully returned to the Heavenly Court, quietly waiting for the Heavenly Court to act. This was now a matter for individuals above the Immortal Emperor level to handle, and it had little to do with Ji Yi and his team.

On this day, six hundred Immortal Emperors launched a surprise attack on several Core Dao Domains of Reincarnation Paradise, with each of the six Celestial Venerable Dao Lineages contributing one hundred Immortal Emperors.

A colossal battle erupted. At the same time, the evil deeds of Reincarnation Paradise were exposed by the Heavenly Court: kidnapping Immortals and sacrificing them to the Evil Lord, all to gain an advantage in the battle between the Evil Lord and the Emperor.

This matter had continued for multiple kalpas, resulting in countless Immortal victims. This time, the Ancestor God of Strength personally investigated and clarified all the lines, understanding the purpose of this sacrifice.

The Evil Lord's cultivation of the Dao of Sacrifice was the best in the Three Realms. In the past, he had traded with many Immortals using the power of the Dao of Sacrifice: as long as you sacrificed a portion of your treasures, you could be enlightened with Dao insights.

Many Prodigies fell for it. They didn't know that when their cultivation reached Major Achievement, it would be the Evil Lord's time to harvest them. Later, it was the Emperor who exposed his crimes, and only then did the world realize there was no such thing as a free lunch. Except for those who were desperate and urgently needed cultivation, no one else believed in such things as sacrifice anymore.

The Core Dao Domain of Reincarnation Paradise was sealed by the Celestial Venerable Formation. Ji Yi and the others didn't know what was happening inside, but with the combined efforts of the six Celestial Venerable powers, they presumed they wouldn't suffer a loss.

Ji Yi and his team's mission settlement resulted in five A-grade mission points. Their team ranking advanced another spot, becoming fourth.

They did not displace Ji Ziyan's team because they also completed their mission and successfully reached third place.

Ji Yi invited Ji Ziyan, and she met the members of the Wind Flower Snow Moon Team.

Xiao Min and the others finally realized how peerlessly beautiful Ji Yi's Dao Companion was, definitely comparable to the top three on the Goddess List, exclaiming that Ji Yi had truly hit the jackpot.

Later, Ji Ziyan also called over the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad, mainly so Ji Yi could meet them. Sister Lan and the others, however, already knew the members of the Vermilion Bird Squad.

Among the top twenty squads in the Sharp Knife Legion, they were the only two squads composed purely of female Cultivators, sharing a sense of mutual admiration.

The members of the Vermilion Bird Squad also finally met the Dao Companion Ji Ziyan had been thinking about. Of course, they knew Ji Yi's great name, as the top swordsman, but this was Ji Yi's first time meeting them.

Ever since Ji Yi became the top swordsman, his information had been sealed by the Ancestor God of Strength. Even within the Heavenly Court, few people knew that Ji Yi was currently in the Sharp Knife Legion.

Meetings are always brief. Ji Yi and Ji Ziyan had to separate again; they each had to go on missions.

Ji Yi and Ji Ziyan had also considered forming a team, but good teammates were hard to find. Moreover, being in two separate teams would allow them to each gain their own prestige in the future, which was beneficial from a long-term perspective.

The Wind Flower Snow Moon Team once again accepted a B-grade mission. This mission was very special: a treasure hunt. They had to search for an Immortal material, a first-grade Immortal plant, the Wisdom Flower.