The Secret of Reincarnation

In the ice chamber, time flowed quietly.

Nightmare patiently guarded her for three days and three nights until Ye Li's aura completely stabilized. Although she remained weak, her Divine Soul was steady, and her vitality was flourishing; she was no longer in danger, needing only slow nourishment and recuperation in the future.

He left behind enough Spirit Stones and mild Medicinal Pills, and set up stronger defensive Restrictions around the ice chamber to ensure nothing went wrong.

After finishing all this, he quietly left the valley, his figure merging into the Void Realm. When he reappeared, he had already arrived at a grand cultivation city a thousand miles away—Tian-Yong City.

This city was one of the few major cities in the Southern Region, a place where people from all walks of life mingled, with excellent intelligence networks, and it also housed an important branch of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Compared to Mangshan Market and Black Wind Market City, this branch of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion was larger, and the classified information accessible there was naturally much more extensive.

Nightmare had changed his appearance again, transforming into a scholar in green robes with an ordinary face and restrained aura. His cultivation was displayed at the Late Golden Core Stage, neither drawing attention nor allowing others to provoke him easily. After paying the hefty entry fee, he walked straight towards the most imposing nine-story tower in the city center—the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.

Stepping into the pavilion, he was immediately greeted by a beautiful attendant. Sensing the aura of a Late Golden Core Cultivator from Nightmare, her attitude became even more respectful: "Welcome, Senior, to the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. May I ask what you require?"

"I want to buy information," Nightmare said succinctly, his voice calm.

"Senior, please follow me." The attendant understood and led him to an independent quiet room, served spirit tea, and bowed before retreating.

A moment later, an old man wearing robes with star patterns, possessing a profound aura and the cultivation of a Perfected Golden Core, walked in. He bowed and smiled: "I am Mo Chen, the manager here. Greetings, Fellow Daoist. May I ask what kind of information you wish to inquire about? My Heavenly Secret Pavilion will certainly do its best to satisfy you."

Nightmare had no interest in small talk and spoke directly, his voice processed by Demonic Essence to sound hoarse and deep: "The whereabouts of three things: heavenly mandate flower, reincarnation wood, and karma mud."

Manager Mo Chen's smile stiffened slightly, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes. These three items only existed in ancient legends; their rarity was outrageous, and each involved immense Karma, something ordinary Cultivators had never even heard of.

He pondered for a moment, his expression becoming more solemn: "The items you ask about, Fellow Daoist, are by no means common. Our pavilion does have records regarding them, but the price... is likely to be extremely expensive. Moreover, most are only vague clues, and we cannot guarantee absolute accuracy."

"Price is not an issue. Clues will suffice," Nightmare said calmly, casually tossing out a Storage Pouch. The pouch opened slightly, and the rich, pure Spiritual Qi and treasure light within spilled out instantly; it was a full five thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones, along with several high-quality Magic Treasure Materials obtained from the Flowing Cloud Sect's treasury.

Manager Mo Chen swept his Divine Sense over it, his pupils shrinking instantly, and his attitude became even more serious. With such a display of wealth, the person before him was definitely not an ordinary Golden Core Cultivator, but likely an old monster who had hidden his true cultivation. He calmly put away the Storage Pouch and said in a deep voice: "You are straightforward, Fellow Daoist. Please wait a moment."

He took out several Jade Slips, immersed his Divine Sense into them, and began to carefully review them. The quiet room was left with only the faint flickering fluorescence of the Jade Slips.

A full stick of incense time passed before Manager Mo Chen raised his head, his forehead even slightly sweating, clearly having consumed much energy from reviewing these top-secret files.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Fellow Daoist." He organized his words and spoke slowly: "According to the secret scrolls in our pavilion, these three divine objects have not had any clear records of appearing in the world for nearly ten thousand years; there are only a few tangential clues."

"First, the heavenly mandate flower. It is rumored that this flower cannot be nurtured by the soil and rocks of this world; it is born from a wisp of Innate Grandmist Qi combined with the Origin of stars, under specific astrological phenomena, and only through a stroke of luck. The most recent clue points to the 'Starfall Secret Realm' in the Northern Region. This Secret Realm opens once every three hundred years, and the next opening is in fifteen years. It is said that on the 'Stargazing Platform' in the deepest part of the Secret Realm, a Star Official once witnessed a similar strange sight, but it cannot be confirmed."

"Second, the karma mud. This item is even more mysterious. It is rumored to be able to connect Karma and touch the River of Fate. The place where it is most likely to exist, according to records, is at the bottom of the 'Eight Treasures Karma Pool' behind the 'Great Leiyin Temple', a Holy Land of Buddhism in the Western Region! But that is an absolute Forbidden Ground of Buddhism, guarded by Arhats and Bodhisattvas; outsiders cannot approach it at all. There is another wild rumor that deep within the 'Myriad Demon Blood Pool' of the Southern Wilderness's Yao Race ancestral grounds, due to the entanglement of endless Bloodlines, something similar might be born, but the authenticity is even lower."

"Third, the reincarnation wood." When Manager Mo Chen said this, his tone became even more solemn, "This item involves the secret of Reincarnation and is the most taboo. In the clear records, only in front of the 'Reincarnation Hall' deep in the 'Netherworld' grows a 'reincarnation wood by the Three Lives Stone', but that place... is not a place for the living to step foot in. However..."

He paused and lowered his voice: "About seven hundred years ago, a Loose Cultivator of the Ghost Path whose Lifespan was coming to an end broke into the outskirts of the Netherworld. After escaping back heavily injured, he claimed to have seen a withered, strange little tree in the 'Abandoned Capital at the boundary of Yin and Yang', suspected to be a remnant of the reincarnation wood. But he soon passed away, and the authenticity of the news is hard to verify. As for the 'boundary of Yin and Yang' he referred to, after analysis by our pavilion, it is very likely to refer to the 'Yin-Yang Chaotic Abyss' at the junction of the Central Plains and the Southern Region! The space there is chaotic, with Yin spirits and ghosts often pouring out, and occasionally blasts of extreme Yang Qi, which is extremely dangerous; even a Nascent Soul Cultivator would not dare to go deep."

After speaking, Manager Mo Chen looked at Nightmare: "Fellow Daoist, this is all the information our pavilion can provide. Starfall Secret Realm, Eight Treasures Karma Pool/Myriad Demon Blood Pool, Yin-Yang Chaotic Abyss. All are places of great danger, and the clues are slim. Please weigh this yourself, Fellow Daoist."

Nightmare listened silently, already having a plan in mind. Although the clues provided by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion were vague, the direction was clear, saving him countless efforts of groping in the dark. This Spirit Stone was well spent.

"Do you have any news regarding those with special Physiques, especially the 'Profound Yin Body' or 'Pure Yang Body'?" Nightmare asked again, pushing over another Storage Pouch containing two thousand High-Grade Spirit Stones.

Manager Mo Chen took it and reviewed it again. This time it was faster.

"The Profound Yin Body and Pure Yang Body are both top-tier spirit bodies encountered once in a thousand years. Recently, there has been no news of anyone with such a Physique appearing in the Southern Region. However..." His eyes flickered, "It is rumored that the 'Golden Cicada' of this generation of the Western Region's Great Leiyin Temple is suspected to possess the 'Imperishable Buddha Body', a Physique that is extremely Yang and rigid, comparable to the Pure Yang Body. And the Saintess 'Luo Li' of the Northern Region's Ice and Snow Palace is rumored to have the 'Heavenly Frost Spirit Body'; although not a pure Profound Yin, it is extremely Yin and cold. As for the Southern Region... there is an unverified rumor that the Genius Ye Fan, who has been very prominent in the Sky Patrol Alliance recently, seems to have a confidante who possesses the 'Su Maiden Physique'. This Physique also belongs to the Yin attribute but is slightly inferior to the Profound Yin Body."

Ye Fan's confidante? Su Maiden Physique?

A dark light flashed in Nightmare's eyes. This was an unexpected gain. Perhaps he could start from this aspect.

"Thank you." Nightmare obtained the information he wanted and said no more, standing up to leave.

"Please stay, Fellow Daoist." Manager Mo Chen suddenly called him and handed over a black Jade Talisman, "The items you require are not ordinary. If there is more accurate information in the future, or if you have other needs, you can use this talisman to contact me; perhaps it can save some time. This talisman can be considered a token of goodwill from me."

Nightmare glanced at him, accepted the Jade Talisman, nodded, and his figure flickered, disappearing from the quiet room.

Leaving the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, Nightmare strolled along the bustling streets of Tian-Yong City, calculating rapidly in his heart.

"The Starfall Secret Realm requires waiting fifteen years; that is too long and should be shelved for now."

"The Great Leiyin Temple and the Myriad Demon Blood Pool—one is a Buddhist Holy Land, the other is the Yao Race ancestral grounds. Currently, the risk of forcibly breaking into either is too great."

"In this way, the place where clues are most likely to be obtained quickly is the 'Yin-Yang Chaotic Abyss', to search for the potentially existing remnant of the reincarnation wood. And... finding a Breakthrough point from Ye Fan's confidante who possesses the 'Su Maiden Physique' might simultaneously solve the problems of the 'Cauldron' and the 'Bloodline Trigger'."

The goal was now clear.

He needed to go to the Yin-Yang Chaotic Abyss first. As for Ye Fan's side, he could first let the Wind-Devouring Demonic Vine sneak near the Sky Patrol Alliance to collect more detailed intelligence.

Just as he was about to leave Tian-Yong City, a commotion suddenly broke out in the street ahead, and the crowd scrambled to avoid it.

He saw a team of Cultivators dressed in the attire of the Sky Patrol Alliance, with fierce auras, escorting several prisoners in shackles through the street. Those prisoners were ragged and covered in wounds, but their eyes were unyielding, and faint Devilish Qi lingered around them.

"It's the Sky Patrol Alliance's Enforcement Team!"

"They've caught some more demonic brats!"

"Bah! Demonic Path evildoers deserve to die!"

The surrounding Cultivators were discussing, most casting looks of disdain and hostility at the prisoners.

Nightmare watched with an expressionless face. The Righteous Path and the Demonic Path are incompatible; this has been the case since ancient times. He felt nothing about this and was about to go around.

Suddenly, a young-looking man with a face covered in blood among the prisoners suddenly raised his head and happened to see Nightmare at the edge of the crowd. The eyes of the two met briefly in the air.

Nightmare's gaze was calm and waveless.

The young demonic Cultivator was stunned at first, then an incomparably excited and unbelievable light erupted in his eyes. His lips moved, as if he wanted to shout something, but he was immediately whipped on the back by a Sky Patrol Alliance Cultivator next to him, causing him to stagger and bleed, and he could only lower his head, suppressing all his emotions tightly.

Nightmare frowned imperceptibly.

This person... he had some impression. It seemed to be a little demonic Cultivator he had saved by chance years ago when he was still active near the Flowing Cloud Sect, seemingly called... Mo Yuan? At that time, he had casually given him a low-level Demonic Technique and sent him away.

Unexpectedly, he had fallen into the hands of the Sky Patrol Alliance today.

Nightmare originally did not want to cause trouble and was preparing to leave.

The leader of the Sky Patrol Alliance's Enforcement Team, a Middle Golden Core Cultivator with an arrogant face, seemingly to show off his prestige, pointed at the young demonic Cultivator named Mo Yuan and shouted loudly to the surrounding crowd: "Fellow Daoists, look! This villain is a remnant of the 'Netherworld Sect' that we have painstakingly captured! Stubborn and wicked! Today we are taking him back to the Alliance to be brought to justice and make an example of him!"

Netherworld Sect? Nightmare's heart stirred. He had heard of this Sect; it was one of the major Demonic Path Sects in the Southern Region hundreds of years ago, which was later wiped out by the Sky Patrol Alliance in alliance with several Righteous Path Sects. He did not expect there to be remnants alive.

And just at this moment, the Enforcement leader added triumphantly: "Hmph! Not just him! According to our investigation, the Saintess of the Netherworld Sect did not completely perish back then, and her daughter seems to have inherited her 'Profound Yin Body' and is hiding in the Southern Region! When we capture that little wench, we will just present her Profound Yin Origin to Senior Brother Ye Fan to help Senior Brother achieve great success in his cultivation! By then..."

Nightmare did not listen to the rest.

His footsteps stopped.

Profound Yin Body?

Daughter of the Netherworld Sect's Saintess?

Present to Ye Fan?

Nightmare slowly turned his head to look at the team of Sky Patrol Alliance Cultivators, his gaze like ten-thousand-year ice.

Truly... it took no effort at all to find what one is looking for.

The Cauldron, and the target (related to Ye Fan) who could serve as a "Bloodline Trigger", had actually delivered themselves to his doorstep.

He watched the team of Sky Patrol Alliance Cultivators about to leave, a cold arc hooking the corner of his mouth.

His figure quietly disappeared into the crowd.

The next moment, above the barren mountains a hundred miles outside the city gate.

In front of the team of Sky Patrol Alliance Cultivators who were flying on their Magic Treasures, the space twisted slightly, and the figure of the scholar in green robes appeared out of thin air, blocking their path.

"Who dares to block the Sky Patrol Alliance's Enforcement Team?!" The leader shouted sharply, but his heart was shocked; the way the other party appeared was too bizarre.

Nightmare slowly raised his head, revealing those emotionless eyes.

"Leave the person."

"You all can die."