240: The difference is immediately apparent.

Ye Hao's lips curled slightly as he cupped his hands and smiled, "Senior, you must be joking."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Pingan couldn't help but look back, his gaze sweeping over the towering Demon Suppressing Tower behind them. For some reason, he had the illusion that someone was watching him.

It seemed he was overthinking things.

"Junior Brother, shall we set off for the third Demon Suppressing Tower now?"

Ye Hao pondered for a moment before slowly shaking his head, a trace of gloom flashing in his eyes. "Let's go tomorrow instead. Today, why don't we head to the Arena Stage and fight a few matches to our heart's content?"

"Senior Brother, you vented your frustrations yesterday by killing two Nascent Soul Cultivators with your fists, but because of yesterday's events, I still feel a heavy weight in my heart."

Especially after learning that those Half-human, Half-demon beings might have been transformed from innocent secular commoners from the foot of the mountain.

Ye Hao's mood grew increasingly heavy and oppressive!

He even felt an impulse to immediately enter secluded cultivation.

This made him truly feel the insufficiency of his own Realm once again, giving him a sense of powerlessness similar to when he was back in the Lesser Exquisite Grotto-Heaven.

However, the present was different from back then. At that time, he urgently sought strength for the sake of a deep-seated blood feud; now, it was pure anxiety over his lack of strength.

If he had the heaven-reaching abilities of his Revered Master, why would he need to conduct such a roundabout secret investigation?

He would simply draw his sword and charge into the Chusheng Sect, holding his longsword to the throat of the Chusheng Sect Ancestor. The truth would naturally come to light and be clear at a glance.

Li Pingan had no objection to this and nodded in response, "Alright."

The two then turned and walked toward the direction of the nearby Arena Stage.

On the fifth floor of the Demon Suppressing Tower, inside an elegant private room.

Daoist Yunche stood leaning against the railing, gazing at the distant Arena Stage with an inscrutable expression.

The black-robed Elder quietly appeared behind him, bowing respectfully. His voice was reverent, "My Lord, I have seen off those two Young Masters, and I have conveyed all the words that needed to be said."

Daoist Yunche stood with his hands behind his back and gave a faint nod. "Very good."

The Elder hesitated for a moment before asking, "My Lord, is there truly such an evil pill that can transform the Human Race into the Yao Race?"

Daoist Yunche said in a deep voice, "Whether it exists or not is unimportant. All that matters is that this opportunity is enough to expose the actions of the Chusheng Sect."

"I understand!" The Elder thought for a moment and added, "My Lord, those two Young Masters asked me to pass a message to you."

"Speak."

"The two of them have already confirmed that the Cultivators who abducted the commoners at the foot of the mountain were indeed from the Chusheng Sect. Today, they also asked me to take them to see the Yao Race imprisoned within the tower."

Daoist Yunche nodded slowly, a flash of realization in his eyes. "It seems that these two will be heading to the third Demon Suppressing Tower next to continue their investigation."

"My Lord, on the Tianque Sect's side, it seems someone is also investigating this matter in secret."

"No matter," Daoist Yunche's tone was indifferent. "This game of chess has already entered its final stages."

Changing the subject, he suddenly asked, "Did you hear the cheering coming from the direction of the Arena Stage just now?"

Although the Elder was somewhat puzzled, he still nodded truthfully. "I heard it. While I was speaking with those two Young Masters earlier, I also mentioned this matter."

Only then did Daoist Yunche slowly turn around, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "I didn't expect that people from the Tiangong Pavilion of Huangji Prefecture would actually come to the Rain God Continent to travel at this time."

"And it just so happens to be at this most critical moment."

"The heavens are truly helping me!"

Upon hearing this, the Elder's pupils suddenly constricted, and a wave of shock surged in his heart. The name of the Tiangong Pavilion was famous even to someone like him who had never left the Rain God Continent.

The reason was simple: it was a top-tier Sect with a Heavenly Venerate-level existence presiding over it, and its strength was unfathomable.

Daoist Yunche's gaze darkened slightly as he commanded, "Go and invite that woman from the Arena Stage, using a spot for the ten thousand demon blood quenching pool as bait."

"My Lord, about the Five Elders Gate's side..." The black-robed Elder looked troubled and spoke hesitantly.

Just a few days ago, an Elder from the Five Elders Gate had come to their door because of this matter.

Daoist Yunche chuckled. "Pay them no mind. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility."

"Yes, your subordinate obeys!"

After the black-robed Elder withdrew, Daoist Yunche leaned against the railing to gaze into the distance once more.

Only this time, his gaze no longer lingered on the nearby Arena Stage, but instead turned toward the higher and further horizon, his expression growing deeper.

The secret report he had received yesterday couldn't help but surface in his mind!

In another half a month, this Rain God Continent would completely fall apart, and the entire continent would turn into a scorched land ravaged by war.

By then, it would be a situation where the wind precedes the rain, and all living beings would have to find their own way to survive and fend for themselves.

Whether those greedy, Taotie-like fellows from the Five Elders Gate could survive this tribulation was still uncertain.

At that moment, another Elder dressed in green robes walked over quickly and bowed, reporting, "My Lord, I have found the information you requested."

"Speak!"

"In the Flame Continent adjacent to the Rain God Continent, a Sect power called the Dao Seeking Sect has recently risen. It is said that this Dao Seeking Sect appeared out of thin air, and its Sect Master even wiped out the Haotian Sect, one of the four major Sects of the Flame Continent, single-handedly."

Upon hearing this, Daoist Yunche's eyes narrowed slightly. "Wiping out a Sect single-handedly? That's quite interesting."

...At the Arena Stage!

The plaza where the Arena Stage was located was bustling with noise. As soon as Ye Hao and Li Pingan stepped in, it was like a pebble thrown into boiling oil, instantly causing a huge stir.

"Look! It's those two Cultivators from the Dao Seeking Sect! We've finally waited for them!"

"I reckon the Yao cores they won before have been used up, so they're back at the Arena Stage to 'restock'?"

"Something's not right. These two haven't shown their faces for several days. For them to suddenly appear now, could they have been specifically invited by the bookmakers to hold down the fort?"

Discussions rose and fell. Those Cultivators clutching Spirit Stones, originally hoping to make a small profit, suddenly looked apprehensive, their gazes toward the two filled with hesitation.

At the same time, on the Arena Stage, a beautiful figure lightly tapped her toes and descended like a willow catkin.

It was none other than Yu Qingyan of the Tiangong Pavilion, who had just drawn cheers from the entire crowd.

Hearing the cheers and heated discussions around her, she subconsciously raised her eyes toward the entrance of the Arena Stage. When she clearly saw the two figures coming side by side, she couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly.

She wanted to probe their cultivation base and Realm, but when her senses touched them, it was like a stone sinking into the ocean; she couldn't detect the depth of the other party's Realm at all.

"Is it that they are carrying high-grade Magic Treasures that mask their aura, or..." Yu Qingyan's heart stirred, and a trace of surprise flashed in her eyes.

"It seems they are like me, Prodigies who have come from another continent to travel."

However, this thought only flashed by. This time, after killing members of the Yao Race, she had gained new insights into the use of her own Divine Abilities. It was a critical period for her to concentrate on digesting these insights, and she truly had no time to be distracted by others.

Withdrawing her gaze, Yu Qingyan turned and flew toward a quiet corner of the spectator stands to close her eyes and adjust her breathing.

On the other side, Li Pingan's gaze also briefly lingered on the woman, as he pondered silently.

Since following his Revered Master to practice, he had only then gained a true understanding of the word "Prodigy" in the Cultivation World.

The woman before him was likely the youngest Nascent Soul Cultivator he had ever seen.

He just didn't know how many years she had been on the path of cultivation.

How would she compare to his Senior Sister?

One must know that although Mu Wanqing was currently only at the Golden Core Fifth Layer cultivation base, she had only been in contact with cultivation for a short year.

In contrast, those famous Prodigies in the Cultivation World—which one of them hadn't started breathing and refining Qi since childhood, spending decades to build up their current Realm?

Under such a comparison, the difference was simply obvious.