"Not long after you were imprisoned in Xihe Palace, there was a sudden disturbance in the space, and a huge silver light pillar appeared in the southwest, reaching straight to the sky, making a great commotion. At that time, Sima Changqin was leading those cultivators in a fight against us. Upon seeing this vision, both Sima Changqin and Her Majesty the Empress immediately stopped and rushed over there. If you want to see Her Majesty, just go there," the Flame Wolf King raised his hand, pointing southwest, which was almost in line with the flow direction of the spiritual power within the spirit vein.

"Since that's the case, why didn't you go with Wu Yu?" Yuan Ming asked again.

"I have tasks entrusted by the Empress to complete," the Flame Wolf King confessed.

Yuan Ming stared at the Flame Wolf King for some time until beads of sweat appeared on the other's forehead. Only then did he let out a loud laugh toward the sky, summoned Lei Yu, mounted it, and flew straight towards the southwest, quickly disappearing into the horizon.

"Master, the Ten Thousand Demon Empress set you up. There's no doubt these people are involved. Why not kill them to at least let off some steam?" Lei Yu asked.

"There's something off about them. They're not from the Ten Thousand Demon Country. Their transformation technique is truly formidable. If it weren't for my Eyes of Golden Flame already forming the Dao Seal, even I wouldn't have noticed," Yuan Ming said after a moment of silence, his eyes flashing with golden light.

Lei Yu was startled at the words and quickly asked, "Then who are they?"

"I don't know. The commotion from this Heavenly Fire searching operation is huge. It's not surprising for anyone to have infiltrated. We still have other important matters to attend to; it's better to avoid unnecessary troubles," Yuan Ming shook his head.

The Flame Wolf King and the other three demons were shrouded in a peculiar force. He only saw through their disguises but couldn't discern their true bodies.

Once Yuan Ming was far away, the Flame Wolf King suddenly wiped his hand over his face, a large black mist emerged from his body, causing his appearance to rapidly change, finally settling into a gentle young man's face—it was precisely Su Wu.

Simultaneously, the three Level 5 Fire Wolf Clan members following him also removed their disguises.

One of them was Su Yingxue, another was Hei Lian, and the last one was shrouded completely in a black robe, with even a mask on the face, seemingly unwilling to reveal the true face.

This person's cultivation was slightly weaker, only at the middle-stage Returning to Void.

"Sect Hierarch, just letting Wan Tianren go like that?" Su Yingxue stepped forward and asked.

"What are you trying to say? Our Three Realms Sect isn't like the Blood Worship Sect of old, killing everyone on sight," Su Wu glanced at her.

"That's not what I meant. Our Three Realms Sect is currently in need of talent. Wan Tianren is a loose cultivator, not only reaching the Dharma manifestation Stage but also a Level 6 Array Master. If we could recruit him, it would significantly strengthen our sect," Su Yingxue suggested.

"Yingxue, your array cultivation has improved over the years, but your insight hasn't grown at all," Su Wu said, shaking his head.

"Please, Sect Hierarch, enlighten me," Su Yingxue bowed her head and said.

"In this world, some people can be recruited as subordinates, while others cannot. Wan Tianren we just encountered is precisely such a person. No matter how his emotions change, there's always a trace of pride hidden in his eyes. Such people are either indifferent to fame and fortune or very ambitious; they are unlikely to submit to others," Su Wu remarked calmly.

"If so, why did you not make him into a Sky Cicada Puppet, such that we'd have an extra powerful subordinate? It surely beats letting him go for nothing?" Su Yingxue asked in confusion.

"Have you spent too much time in the Demon World, adopting the Demon Clan's ways, quick to kill?" Su Wu frowned and admonished.

"I understand my mistake," Su Yingxue hurried to say, though she couldn't help but complain inwardly.

When it comes to being ruthless and bloodthirsty, few in the Chuyun Realm or the Demon World could compare to Su Wu.

"Even if I wanted to act, it's not as simple as you think. Wan Tianren isn't an ordinary Dharma manifestation. He practices Body Cultivation, and though his Divine Soul Cultivation is only at the level of a Spoken Witch, his physical body has already achieved an Undying Body. The Body Cultivators with an Undying Body are the most difficult to deal with. Even if I acted myself, I might not capture him. Moreover, there are bigger things to attend to, and I have no time to waste on him," Su Wu continued.

Upon hearing these words, not only was Su Yingxue taken aback, but the other two also showed signs of surprise.

In the realm of Dharma Body Soul Three Cultivations, Body Cultivation has always been low in presence, not recognized by practitioners of the other two systems.

But once someone broke through to an Undying Body, it was entirely different; no one dared to be careless, not even Mahayana cultivators.

The reason is quite straightforward; it's exceedingly challenging to utterly kill a Body Cultivator with an Undying Body.

"Since your time is precious, is it really okay for us to move so slowly? Both Sima Changqin and the Ten Thousand Demon Country have gone to the Three Realms Tower. Aren't you worried they might seize control of the Three Realms Flying Boat?" Hei Lian quickly concealed her gaze and interjected.

"I have my plans, don't worry. Aside from me, there's no second person in this space who can control the Three Realms Flying Boat. Let them fight if they wish. I need to first inspect the damage on the ship; otherwise, if we get our hands on it but can't use it, we'll be a laughingstock," Su Wu explained with a smile.

"As long as you know what you're doing," Hei Lian nodded and fell silent.

"Sect Hierarch, since you can't spare yourself, why not let me try it at the Three Realms Tower to see if we can recruit some personnel for the sir? With Hei Lian and Master Su here, there's no significant need for me to remain here," at this moment, the masked Returning to Void Cultivator spoke up voluntarily, his voice sounding like a young man's.

"Do as you please, as long as you don't delay my affairs," Su Wu didn't look at the masked man, waving his hand.

The masked man immediately bowed to Su Wu, then turned and flew toward the direction Yuan Ming had headed off.

The black mist reappeared on his body, enveloping him once more, transforming him back into a Level 5 Demon.

"Heh, the new subordinate you recruited doesn't seem very strong, although he has a strong desire to achieve merit. Just be careful not to let his ambition lead us into trouble," Hei Lian remarked with a hint of sarcasm.

"It's fine. I've already fixed his Heavenly Cicada transformation, making it impossible to Soul Search him. Even if he dies, he will disintegrate into pus and cause no harm," Su Wu waved his hand.

"This person is diligent and clever in his duties. Should we give him some life-saving cards? You know, a mid-stage Returning Void Cultivator is the lowest level of existence in this space," Su Yingxue proposed.

"No need. There are as many people of his aptitude as there are stars in the sky. The Three Realms Sect is in the rebuilding phase, and we don't have spare resources to invest in him," Su Wu stated coldly.

Su Wu and the others did not lower their voices; the masked man hadn't gone far and clearly heard the conversation, yet he showed no reaction, as if Su Wu and the other two weren't talking about him.

The trio of Su Wu set off again, their figures quickly disappearing on the horizon.

...

Two days later, Lei Yu carried Yuan Ming, finally leaving the boundless Red Plain.

The scenery ahead transformed dramatically, no longer a sea of crimson, but instead a range of undulating silver mountains appeared.

This mountain area was barren, devoid of any vegetation coverage. Perhaps due to some metal contained within the rocky mountains, it reflected a silvery metallic sheen under the sunlight.

Yuan Ming landed on one of the low peaks and once again sensed the flow of the underground Spirit Vein, discovering that only about thirty percent flowed into the mountains, with the remaining seventy percent heading in another direction.

With a look of curiosity, he was contemplating which way to pursue when he suddenly detected a clash of mana from within the mountains, as if someone was fighting.

Yuan Ming briefly sensed the intensity of the fluctuations and found that both sides of the battle had Dharma Phase Cultivation. He took out the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman, activated it, and concealed his presence.

After doing all this, he spread his form and flew towards that direction.

Crossing five or six mountain peaks in succession, Yuan Ming found the source of the fluctuations in a valley surrounded by three mountain peaks, where two groups were fiercely battling.

One group consisted of three people: Long Hou, Long Yuhuan, and Long Yinkong, while the other group, slightly larger in number, was led by Wang Fulong, comprised of seven or eight Returning to Void Cultivators from the Sunset Sect.

Previously, the Sunset Sect hadn't sent so many people into this space, so it seemed Wang Fulong carried a Space Spiritual Treasure.

Long Hou and Wang Fulong were locked in an intense fight, further away from the others, and no one dared to intervene.

Long Yinkong and Long Yuhuan joined forces to face the encirclement of the Sunset Sect cultivators, fully displaying their capabilities, revealing that they were both Dharma Phase Cultivators.

The strength gap between Dharma Phase and Returning Void is incomparable, ordinarily making them no match for seven or eight Sunset Sect cultivators. However, with Long Yinkong and Long Yuhuan both severely injured, they could only exert thirty to forty percent of their strength, leaving the sides evenly matched.

Both battlefields were in a stalemate, and, judging by their posture, neither side could easily take down the other in a short period.

"Why are these two groups fighting?" Yuan Ming was slightly surprised, his gaze scanning the surroundings before quickly stopping at the central void between the two groups.

There, crisscrossing void fissures appeared, flashing intermittently with a silvery radiance, enveloping an area several feet in diameter.

At the center of this area, a silver-white token was suspended, identical to Yuan Ming's Silver Token—indeed, the Boarding Order of the Three Realms Immortal Boat.

"So it's the Boarding Order they're fighting over," Yuan Ming mused.

Although less interested in the Boarding Order than in the Great Sun Glaze Flame, seeing it did not mean he wouldn't take it.

Yuan Ming's gaze fixed on the area, counting numerous space fragments surrounding the Boarding Order, with larger ones outside that were half a foot long, while the smaller ones inside were more numerous.

The array of space fissures wrapping the Boarding Order was extremely thorough. In other words, retrieving the Boarding Order required passing through layers of space fissures.

After a brief consideration, Yuan Ming controlled the Undying Tree Roots to pierce through the void, attempting to sweep towards the Boarding Order.

However, as soon as the Undying Tree Roots emerged next to the Boarding Order, a chaotic and twisted Space Power immediately pulled at them, drawing them towards a space fissure.

Seeing they were off course, Yuan Ming immediately manipulated the Undying Tree Roots to twist and approach the Boarding Order.

Yet, the chaotic Space Power was uncontrollable; as soon as the Undying Tree Roots moved, they were immediately sucked into another space fissure and torn apart.

The space fissures in this void were inherently unstable, and as the Undying Tree Roots disappeared instantaneously, it didn't draw the attention of the others.