201: Zhangwei Mountain, the sacred land of the demon race

"The Demon Race?" A flicker of doubt instantly flashed through Shang Wan Ning's eyes upon hearing this.

"Yes."

Ling Qi nodded slightly and continued to explain. "This matter is indeed quite confusing and hard to wrap one's head around."

"As for why they created a dharma treasure similar to the Ghost Gate Pass, we are still completely in the dark."

Shang Wan Ning's brow furrowed even tighter, like two black lines tightly intertwined.

She fell into deep thought, and it was a while before she slowly asked, "Then... which tribe exactly do the higher-ups of the Demon Race belong to?"

Ling Qi shook her head with a helpless expression. "It's not quite clear yet."

"After all, the internal situation of the Demon Race is very complex, with various tribes having countless connections and entanglements. Trying to uncover the truth won't be easy."

After a pause, Ling Qi seemed to remember something and added, "But don't worry, Ma Mian has already dispatched a group of elite scouts to the Demon Race's holy land, 'Zhangwei Mountain,' to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"I believe it won't be long before new leads or news are sent back."

Pausing for a moment, Ling Qi began to speculate again: "Personally, I think this dharma treasure might be something left behind by the Demon Race higher-ups when they decided to go into seclusion a thousand years ago."

"Of course, another possibility is that the Demon Race higher-ups didn't go to the Source Realm as the legends say, but instead quietly hid in another completely independent space, similar to the Ghost Domain we know."

Hearing Ling Qi's words, Shang Wan Ning couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and asked curiously, "Oh? Why does the Secretary-General make such a guess?"

Ling Qi pursed her lips and smiled, answering, "Bloodline!"

"The Six-Tailed Demon Fox possesses the bloodline of the Nine-Tailed Fox of Qingqiu, so I often have an exceptionally keen sixth sense about certain things."

"Regarding the origin of the bootleg Ghost Gate Pass and the whereabouts of the Demon Race higher-ups, my intuition tells me..."

"I see," Shang Wan Ning murmured softly, her eyes flickering.

She slowly rose from the chaise longue, her posture graceful, every movement exuding elegance.

Shang Wan Ning walked with light steps toward the outside of the hall. The candlelight fell upon her, outlining a charming silhouette of light and shadow.

However, her beautiful face was clouded with a solemn expression.

"Regardless, we must discover the whereabouts of the Demon Race higher-ups as soon as possible," she said, her red lips parting slightly.

"This doesn't just concern the bootleg Ghost Gate Pass; it could potentially shatter the fragile balance between the two realms. Once it's lost, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Ling Qi quickly cupped her hands in a salute. "Subordinate understands! I will certainly deploy more personnel to further expand the search area. At the same time, I will urge Ma Mian to speed up the investigation and ensure we find traces of the Demon Race higher-ups as soon as possible."

Shang Wan Ning nodded slightly in approval. "Thank you for your hard work, Qi Qi."

"Remember, report to me immediately if there is any progress."

"Yes!"

Ling Qi responded, then turned and left, quickly throwing herself into her busy tasks.

After Ling Qi left, Shang Wan Ning stood alone quietly under the Frost Chill Tree.

A breeze blew past, ruffling the hair on her forehead. She absent-mindedly reached out and snapped off a branch, her slender fingers gripping it lightly.

With a flexible flick of her wrist, the originally lush leaves fluttered down like dancing butterflies—light and graceful.

In the end, only a straight branch remained in her hand.

Shang Wan Ning lowered her eyelids, looking at the branch in her right hand, her mind filled with a thousand thoughts.

Then, she raised her arm and used the branch to tap on the character panel in the upper right... Character: Shang Wan Ning

Identity: Netherworld Empress (Supreme Ruler of the Netherworld)

Cultivation: Mid-stage Seventh Tier

Buildings: eight views of yin mountain, Wei Ran Residence, Underworld Building, Bridge of Helplessness, Empress's Palace... incense value: 32.485 billion

"Sigh, money really does flow like water!" Shang Wan Ning sighed.

Before her voice had even faded, a surge of extremely pure spiritual energy erupted from within her body, spreading down her arm to the tip of the branch.

In an instant, the branch seemed to be endowed with life, flashing with a dazzling golden light.

With a sudden burst of strength, she poured spiritual power into the branch. With a crisp "crack," the branch instantly shattered, turning into countless wood chips that scattered in the air.

When she withdrew her hand, her right hand was already covered in a thick layer of frost, crystal clear.

"Troubled times!"

..."Alright, Secretary-General, see you tomorrow." Ma Mian carefully tucked the communication token into his robes.

An angry shout rang out: "Yin Shu!"

A dark shadow instantly appeared behind Ma Sanqiang, kneeling on one knee as he responded, "This General is here."

Ma Sanqiang turned around, his eyes bright as he looked at Yin Shu and said solemnly, "This General has decided to personally travel to the heart of Zhangwei Mountain."

Yin Shu's expression changed drastically upon hearing this, and he quickly tried to dissuade him. "Commander, you absolutely must not!"

"The heart of Zhangwei Mountain is a dragon's pool and a tiger's den, full of dangers. The safety of the entire army rests on you; how can you risk yourself so recklessly?"

"There's a scout team investigating the outskirts. I believe there will be a report with clues in a few days. There's no need for the Commander to enter the heart of the mountain."

Ma Sanqiang remained unmoved, saying with a face full of confidence, "Don't worry, This General knows what he's doing. Besides, if I don't go and investigate personally, how can we uncover the truth behind this as soon as possible?"

Yin Shu still wouldn't give up, saying urgently, "But Commander, if something happens to you, we'll be like a group without a leader..."

[Old Man Ma, if you leave, the Chiliarchs below won't be able to suppress those arrogant soldiers and fierce generals at all!!!]

Ma Mian interrupted him mercilessly and gave a categorical command: "No need to say more, Yin Shu! Go and prepare immediately. We leave tomorrow morning to meet up with the Secretary-General."

Knowing he couldn't change his mind, Yin Shu could only respond helplessly, "Understood! Subordinate will prepare with all my might to ensure this trip is foolproof."

...Province H, Zhangwei Mountain, Yao Zui Cliff

"Yao Zui Cliff" is the most perilous place on Zhangwei Mountain. Its cliff towers into the clouds, piercing the very heavens.

Looking down, one sees a bottomless abyss. The sight alone is enough to make one's heart tremble and skin crawl.

This place is not only geographically dangerous but also unique—because it is shrouded in demon qi year-round that never dissipates, the entire Yao Zui Cliff has no spiritual energy to speak of.

In such a harsh environment, even a bird or a beast would find it difficult to survive or nest here.

To describe this place as a "godforsaken land" would not be an exaggeration at all.

For thousands of years, a legend has circulated: unless one is a fourth-tier cultivator, they shouldn't dream of stepping foot on Zhangwei Mountain; and to enter Yao Zui Cliff, one must possess a cultivation of the sixth tier or above.

But Yao Zui Cliff is the only entrance to the heart of Zhangwei Mountain. For Ling Qi and her group, there was no other choice but to brave Yao Zui Cliff.