61: The mystery of the spiritual root

The external threat is gone, but internal troubles remain.

Inside the Vajra Sect, many people were Shi Potian's trusted subordinates, promoted after he eliminated Wei City. Although most of them were purged by him during the process of encircling and suppressing him, there were still some who slipped through.

Moreover, the intentions of several major leaders within the Gang are still unknown. Now that Shi Potian is dead, will they acknowledge him as the new Gang leader, or choose to resist?

His Aura surged skyward, and he expressionlessly looked at Long Jiang and the other two major leaders, Xue Dong and Zhao Man, as well as the forces they led.

At this moment, he had no intention of reasoning. Violent subjugation was the best option. He had many things to attend to next and no time to waste.

Long Jiang gripped the weapon in his hand, his entire body stiff, his limbs trembling, as if he were facing a demon. He felt that even when the Gang leader used to get angry, it never made him feel this way.

An Acquired Realm Martial Artist is indeed powerful. All strange thoughts vanished from his mind, and he immediately bowed and said, "Since Gang Leader Shi is dead, and Boss Chen has avenged the Gang leader's blood feud, I, Long Jiang, am willing to serve Boss Chen as Gang leader!"

Chen Cuo and the Old Master's trusted subordinates also said, "We are willing to serve Boss Chen as Gang leader!"

What else could Xue Dong and Zhao Man do? They also took the opportunity to bow their heads. The people present looked at each other, and all of them followed suit, proclaiming Chen Cuo as the Gang leader.

He nodded in satisfaction, then pointed to several people in the crowd. Those people had cried most sincerely just now, and he figured they must be Shi Potian's trusted subordinates.

"Expel them from the Gang!" Chen Cuo waved his hand, issuing the command.

"Even if you are the new Gang leader, what right do you have to... Ah!" A tragic wail cut short the man's shouting. Long Jiang turned his head to look and saw that one of the Gang members who had just spoken had someone standing beside him, it was Hong Feng. He held a dagger and struck his throat with one blow, stabbing him to death.

"This is not a request, but an order. If anyone disobeys, kill them all. Long Jiang, go inform the other major leaders of my assumption of the Gang leader position. The three of you go together. If anyone disobeys, purge the rebels."

Chen Cuo's voice became heavy and authoritative. He waved his hand, dismissing everyone else to attend to their duties.

Before Hong Feng left, he took out a small silver sword from his Pregnant. The sword glowed with a diffused light, looking extraordinarily unusual. Hong Feng had taken it from Lian Chen's corpse, but for a moment, Chen Cuo could not discern its secret.

But it didn't matter, he still had an expert beside him.

After everyone left, Chen Cuo immediately instructed the remaining Gang servants to clear away the collapsed walls and damaged structures in the main hall.

He then took the black-robed man to Shi Potian's secluded cultivation place. This was his first time here, but this secret chamber was built against the courtyard foundation, with its main body on the basement level, making it very sturdy.

The aftershocks of the explosion just now had no effect on this place, and the fire did not spread here.

Inside, it was clean and tidy, simply furnished with two tables, chairs, and meditation cushions. However, on the high wall of the secret chamber hung a black, blood-red patterned armor, with a helmet shaped like a strange beast, looking very imposing.

And next to it hung a precious bow carved with a Dragon head. The bow's body gleamed with cold light, and the bowstring was even tougher. A light flick produced a humming sound.

These things were his spoils of war, and there was no rush to deal with them. The main priority now was to deal with the black-robed man.

Chen Cuo took out the Life and Death Talisman Seal and manipulated it. The unconscious black-robed man immediately woke up in pain, continuously crying and wailing, his entire body writhing and twitching like an earthworm.

"Pain, so much pain, I'm dying of pain, my heart hurts so much!" This kind of pain was like his heart being gnawed by thousands of ants, no, it was like first using a thousand needles to pierce holes in his heart, then pouring honey, and finally letting ten million ants gnaw at it.

Even if the other party was a man of iron, his life and death were not his own. He was so in pain that he couldn't even lift his hand to smash his forehead or bite his tongue to commit suicide.

"No, stop, stop, what do you want to do, what do you want to know, I'll tell you everything!" He Yuanren cried and wept, a wet patch beneath him, full of grievances, continuously begging for mercy.

Chen Cuo asked, "Who exactly are you and Lian Chen? And what are you doing in Wei City?"

"We are the Six Thieves of Taiheng Mountain. I am the third brother, He Yuanren, and Lian Chen is my fourth brother, also known as Ke Xingchen. We Six Thieves roam Taiheng Mountain, between East Sheng Prefecture and Wuya Prefecture, making a living by robbing passing merchant caravans."

"But twenty years ago, a mysterious force found us and asked us to help them rebel. Originally, we had no intention of participating. Our boss had been in seclusion for many years, but unexpectedly, he finally agreed. In the end, the boss decided to let my fourth brother infiltrate Wei City to build up power. Although my fourth brother is strong, he has never revealed himself to others, only having the reputation of the Six Thieves, but no one has ever seen him. It was perfect for secretly infiltrating and taking advantage of the opportunity to seize Wei City, and finally cooperating with the army's uprising to capture Wuya State City."

As if fearing the suffocating pain that made life worse than death, He Yuanren spilled out all the information like spitting out melon seeds, without any hesitation.

The Taiheng Mountain Range is also similar to the Wuya Mountain Range, a large mountain range separating East Sheng Prefecture and Wuya Prefecture. However, unlike the Wuya Mountain Range, Taiheng Mountain is not a desolate place. Although there are many rare treasures and exotic beasts inside, they are not powerful, and Acquired Martial Artists can safely pass through.

This led to extremely prosperous trade between the two regions. The two Dao-Grade prefectures in the easternmost part of Wuya Prefecture can be said to be incredibly wealthy, and ordinary counties also have rich people on average, far incomparable to Xining County.

The Six Thieves of Taiheng Mountain making a living by robbing merchant caravans also had this reason. As for why they haven't been eliminated, of course, it's because their leader is also an Acquired Perfection Martial Artist. The merchants who come and go trust the bandits more than the officials. As long as they pay a sum of money, they can do business, so why not?

"Ambitious. Who is that mysterious force?"

"Actually, they are not a mysterious force. They are the White Lotus Sect! The White Lotus Sect's ambition is already well-known to everyone," He Yuanren said decisively.

Since the White Lotus Sect's objective is already clear, and even thieves and bandits know the White Lotus Sect's objective and have united, then basically all aristocratic families, armies, and local governments should have noticed. Has the Emperor shown no reaction at all? Is the old Emperor senile or foolish?

Chen Cuo mused silently, then asked, "Why do you believe so much that the White Lotus Sect can succeed? Aren't you afraid that the officials will wipe you out?"

"Young Master Chen, the Qian Country Emperor's defeat is destined because they haven't produced an Innate Expert for nearly a hundred years. It's not that the Emperor doesn't want to eliminate the White Lotus Sect, but that he's powerless. As for whether the White Lotus Sect can succeed, I don't know, but our boss needs a turning point to Breakthrough to Innate. The change of the imperial throne is one such turning point."

"I presume Young Master also wants to know why Innate Experts do not participate in worldly affairs!"

Chen Cuo frowned, his expression immediately turning cold, and he said, "Just say it completely, why be so hesitant?"

"Alright, actually, I don't know the specific reason, but I've heard some parts from our boss. Innate Experts are extraordinary yet not ordinary. They are no longer the same concept as Acquired Realm Martial Artists. When Internal Energy purifies into True Qi, there is already an opportunity for Immortal Ascension. Our boss's original words were that as long as one can incorporate a Spiritual Root, one can attain the Dao and achieve longevity."

"And our boss once said that to incorporate a Spiritual Root, one needs a state of purity and cannot be tainted by too much worldly Qi. His words are very profound, and I don't quite understand them either."

Spiritual Root! A Spiritual Root can be incorporated later? Doesn't that mean every Innate Expert has a chance to cultivate immortality?

According to the novels he read in his previous life, isn't Aptitude Innate? Can Martial Dao also be transformed into Immortal Cultivation Dao? But the threshold is so high! The first step is to cultivate into an Innate Martial Artist and achieve True Qi.

No wonder Innate Experts do not appear in the world; are they afraid of being too tainted by worldly Qi and missing the opportunity to incorporate a Spiritual Root?

But what about Han Nao, the Martial Alliance Leader?

And what kind of Spiritual Root is this? Is it the kind of Spiritual Root he understands?