"Sect Master, do you think I still have a chance?"
At this moment, Man Tianning, who was off to the side, muttered.
Everyone else was fine; at this moment, he was the most panicked.
"You should thank Yun Fairy. If she hadn't stopped you last night, you would have already become a pile of white bones," Fang Ling said with a smile.
"Now that I am taking over the Tianluo Sect, I naturally cannot do without your assistance, Lord Mang."
Lord Mang heard this and felt as if he had received a great pardon.
He quickly got up and knelt before Fang Ling.
"Thank you, Sect Master, for your magnanimity. From now on, your subordinate will do his utmost!"
"And thank you, Yun Mei Envoy, for pulling me back from the gates of hell last night…"
He truly thought he might not survive this ordeal just now. This drastic rise and fall made one's spirit feel dazed.
Fang Ling looked at the six grand Masters of the Tianluo Sect before him, telling them to get up and not kneel anymore.
"Does the Sect Master wish to return to Black Mountain with me?" Tiger Lord stepped forward and asked respectfully.
"Most of the Sect Disciples are gathered at the Black Mountain Main Altar."
"I will immediately send someone back with the news, so that the brothers stationed at the Main Altar can prepare for your succession ceremony, Sect Master."
Fang Ling shook his head and said, "I won't be returning to Black Mountain with you."
"As for any succession ceremony, it can also be skipped. I don't like crowds."
"You all should quickly recall the Sect members and come with me to the Blood Swamp."
"Blood Swamp?" Yun Shuiqing's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Is the Sect Master serious?"
"Although our Tianluo Sect is the largest Sect in the Nanyang Kingdom, it has been gradually weakening over the past two hundred years, and its strength is not what it once was."
"But even during our Sect's peak, we never ventured into the Blood Swamp."
"The water there is too deep…"
"You think it's inappropriate?" Fang Ling asked.
Yun Shuiqing quickly shook her head: "No, I'm just a little surprised."
"Now, all matters depend solely on the Sect Master's lead; I will follow all the Sect Master's commands!"
Fang Ling hummed softly, very satisfied with her attitude.
He didn't need his subordinates to be incredibly powerful, but he only wanted them to obey orders.
"Alright, you all go about your respective tasks!"
"I'll wait for you in Dragon City."
Fang Ling patted the Netherworld Beast; it let out a low growl and immediately galloped away.
In a short while, Fang Ling disappeared from their sight…
The remaining six looked at each other, their expressions subtle.
"I wonder what background our Sect Master Fang has? So young, yet so terrifying…" Hu Yue said in a deep voice.
Yun Shuiqing: "He must be a descendant of an aristocratic family from a prosperous region within the domain."
"To be able to subdue a Netherworld Beast so easily, he must at least have the cultivation of the Tianji Realm Great Perfection!"
"By the way, this isn't a bad thing. At least our Tianluo Sect won't have to fall apart anymore," Qing Mu Shi sighed.
"Who will contact Eagle Lord? Ask her to return to the Sect as well."
"And Ghost Envoy, who can get in touch with him?"
"Finally, there's Jin Facai; I know his whereabouts, I'll go find him now."
"I'll communicate with Eagle Lord. As for Ghost Envoy, I haven't heard any news of him for many years," Yun Shuiqing said, her gaze shifting to Tiger Lord.
Hu Yue shook his head: "I don't know… I'll set off for Black Mountain now to reorganize the forces."
"Let's be quick about our work, so as not to make the Sect Master wait too long in Dragon City."
......…
On the other side, Fang Ling rode on the back of the Netherworld Beast, traveling a thousand li a day.
At dusk, he arrived at Dragon City, the largest city in the western Nanyang Kingdom.
After reaching Dragon City, he was closer to the Blood Swamp.
This Dragon City was magnificent; the South Tower couldn't see the North Corner, and a carriage leaving the East in the morning wouldn't reach the West Street by night.
People from all walks of life came and went; there were all kinds of characters.
At this moment, riding the Netherworld Beast through the streets didn't attract any onlookers.
Because in this place, too many people owned Yao Beasts.
Not to mention across a street, you'd meet several head-on.
And there were quite a few impressive-looking Yao Beasts; although the Netherworld Beast's status was extraordinary, few discerning people could recognize it.
Coupled with the Netherworld Beast completely concealing its Qi, it was even less likely to attract attention.
After entering the city, he went straight to an inn and settled in.
He had gained many things in the Netherworld Beast's lair.
Now was a good time to convert these things into his own strength.
During the day, he studied the stone tablet inscribed with the Tianluo Divine Art, and at night, he Cultivated with Spirit Stones.
After several days, he felt that time was fleeting, passing by quickly.
On this day, with the formation of a purple inner core, Fang Ling finally completed the first layer of the Tianluo Divine Art.
This inner core was extremely important; only those who Cultivated the main scripture could condense it.
Once the inner core was formed, he could absorb the cultivation of those who Cultivated the supplementary scriptures.
The Tianluo Divine Art was even more powerful than he had imagined.
Once he completed the second layer, he could even directly elevate the Realm of those who Cultivated the supplementary scriptures without any adverse effects on himself.
Although the effect was temporary, just like the first layer, it was still quite Heaven-Defying.
Since entering Dragon City, he had been holed up in the inn, Cultivating.
Now that he had completed the first layer of the Tianluo Divine Art, he felt a bit leisurely and wanted to go out for a walk.
As luck would have it, as soon as he opened the door, he saw a woman with good cultivation passing by.
This woman appeared elegant and noble, with an excellent demeanor.
A red dress made her particularly striking.
Beside her was a young girl, who looked thirteen or fourteen years old, with large eyes that seemed curious about everything.
The elegant and noble woman seemed to notice Fang Ling's gaze and suddenly turned back to glance at him.
Her long eyelashes fluttered, and a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes, but it quickly vanished, and she immediately turned her head back.
"Master, what's wrong?" the young girl beside the beautiful woman asked.
"Nothing, I just thought that person was a little strange," the beautiful woman said lightly.
"Hehe, Master clearly thought that big brother was handsome, which is why you secretly looked for so long!" the young girl said playfully with a smile. "Master's gaze rarely lingers on a man for so long."
"Hmph! You little girl, you're even making fun of your Master!" the beautiful woman chided, rolling her eyes at her.
"I just said it casually," the young girl said sullenly. "Back to serious matters, that Bai family Young Miss is so pitiful!"
"Master, do you have any way to save her?"
"That poison is too strange; even I don't have complete confidence," the beautiful woman shook her head.
"But we still have to try, so let's quickly pack up!"
"We'll move to the Bai family now. Only by staying at the Bai family can Master better observe the Bai family Young Miss's symptoms."
The two hadn't brought much out with them, so they packed up quickly.
Then the two left the guest room and came to the stable in the backyard.
"Master, what's wrong with Little Gold?"
"It's listless, is it sick?"
The young girl looked at the Fire-Scaled Beast lying in the stable, asking with a worried expression.
Fire-Scaled Beasts are a relatively common type of Yao Beast, widely bred by the Human Race due to their excellent endurance.
However, this particular Fire-Scaled Beast was somewhat different from ordinary ones.
Ordinary Fire-Scaled Beasts have reddish scales, while this one's scales were dark gold.
Dark golden Fire-Scaled Beasts are the kings of their kind, possessing a purer Bloodline.
Such purebred Fire-Scaled Beasts are rare, and only those with deep backgrounds can possess them.
Upon hearing this, the beautiful woman moved closer and carefully looked at the mount in the stable.
Her originally relaxed brows gradually furrowed, and she murmured, "No…"
She immediately went to check the other stables; other people's mounts were also like this, listless.
Suddenly, she stopped, looking at the Yao Beast in the trough with a look of astonishment.
"This… this can't be, can it?" Her face showed shock.
"A Netherworld Beast? It's actually a Netherworld Beast!"
"Look at the patterns on its horns, and it's already an adult."
"Who on earth would use an adult Netherworld Beast as a mount!"
The young girl beside her asked curiously, "Master, is this Netherworld Beast very powerful?"