Undercurrents are surging.

Awkward.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Chu Liang realized he might have spoken out of turn. Senior Sister Jiang had just mentioned she possessed the Shenxiao Shaoyin Golden Core, and for him to follow that up by saying he wanted to perform dual cultivation with a Shenxiao Shaoyin Golden Core sounded truly peculiar.

He could not dwell on it.

Yet, he had no way to explain. Was he supposed to say, "You’ve completely misunderstood; I meant to dual cultivate with a doll, not a real person"?

Sigh.

He could only offer a hollow laugh and say, "I was just asking casually. By the way, my progress in the Talismanic Sword Arts has improved over the last two days; I’ve already mastered the Three-Talisman Sword."

"Hmph..." Jiang Yubai’s gaze drifted away lightly, as if she were already accustomed to Chu Liang’s rapid progress. She merely said, calm as a breeze, "Show me then."

Chu Liang stood up abruptly and summoned his flying sword.

He had never stopped studying the Talismanic Sword Arts. Recently, he had mastered the more difficult Thunder Talisman. Thunder techniques were naturally effective against ghosts and evil spirits, and this talisman had miraculous effects in purging darkness.

Shortly after that, he had successfully forged the Three-Talisman Sword.

It turned out that his previous inability to progress was not due to a lack of comprehension, but a lack of cultivation depth. As his cultivation advanced, the number of talismans he could manifest increased accordingly.

*Chi, chi, chi—*

With the sword light in the air, Chu Liang, aiming to demonstrate his results to Jiang Yubai, drew the Wind, Fire, and Thunder talismans in quick succession—all within a split second—before pointing forward.

*Boom!*

The three talismans combined like heavenly thunder and earthly fire, blasting out a massive crater with a roar. The power was several times greater than before.

As Chu Liang’s cultivation deepened, the might of the Talismanic Sword Arts finally began to reveal itself.

Jiang Yubai watched, appearing unfazed and unimpressed. She simply nodded lightly and said, "Not bad."

Chu Liang was not surprised by her indifferent reaction. After all, even though he considered his progress fast and his power immense, that was only relative to himself. To Senior Sister Jiang, this was nothing more than child's play.

Suddenly, she asked, "Didn't you forge a replica of the Xiaoyun Ancient Sword? Why aren't you using it?"

"Ah..." Chu Liang smiled, flipped his hand to reveal the Wuchen Sword, and said, "I was afraid of being too flashy, so I put it away."

He truly did not want word to spread that he possessed such a treasure, but Jiang Yubai knew about it anyway—after all, it was a replica of her own master's divine sword. So, it didn't matter if he brought it out in front of her.

Jiang Yubai gently traced the clear, bright blade of the Wuchen Sword with her fingers, a glimmer in her eyes. "It is indeed a precious sword. I don’t even have a replica of the Xiaoyun Ancient Sword, yet you managed to get one first."

"It’s just an external object after all. Even with a divine sword in hand, I am far from being as formidable as Senior Sister Jiang," Chu Liang said with a smile.

"As long as you devote yourself to cultivation, I believe the day you catch up in realm won't be too far off," Jiang Yubai said sincerely.

"Catching up to Senior Sister Jiang is no easy feat," Chu Liang echoed.

"Eh?" Jiang Yubai frowned, feeling vaguely that something was strange.

Chu Liang immediately shifted the conversation. "I just hope that when that day comes, Senior Sister Jiang won't stop teaching me divine arts because she sees me as a competitor."

"Rest assured, by that time you will have learned everything you need to know anyway." She gave him a sidelong glance, her tone indifferent. "Focus on forming your Golden Core first. Once you reach the Golden Core stage, I will teach you the Immortal Arts."

Chu Liang’s eyes lit up. "Thank you, Senior Sister!"

After a while longer, the two parted ways. Chu Liang returned to Silver Sword Peak, while Jiang Yubai lingered for a while longer.

She looked at the crater Chu Liang had blasted into the cliff wall. Her previous calm had vanished, replaced by a look of slight bewilderment.

"How can he cultivate so quickly?"

"Could it be that my ancestral Immortal Spirit Body is fake?"

"That shouldn't be..."

"I cannot remain idle any longer. I must enter seclusion."

"Yes."

...

"The Marquis has been in seclusion healing for several months. The situation within the Underworld Sect is shifting, and it seems there will soon be no place left for us!"

Deep in an unknown, tangled forest, two figures in black robes were holding a secret meeting.

Both wore black robes that covered their heads and faces, using occult arts to shroud their features in shadow, their voices likely disguised as well. Such were the rules of the sect; the only proof of their identity was the Soul-Detention Order.

The only difference was that the figure on the left had the character "South" embroidered in gold on their chest, while the one on the right bore the characters "Southwest."

Under the command of the Underworld Sect Master, there were the Left and Right Protectors and the Four Halls of the Underworld. The forces of the Right Protector, the Purple Gold Marquis, included the Eight Directions Envoys, the Twenty-Four Earthly Fiend Envoys, and the Seventy-Two Soul-Detention Envoys.

The two individuals present were the Southern Envoy and the Southwestern Envoy, and they seemed to be arguing over something.

"At a time like this, you want me to lead everyone into the Zhennan Domain Mountains to take a risk?"

The Southwestern Envoy was quite agitated, speaking loudly. "If we lose our manpower, we won't even have the capital to make a comeback!"

The Southern Envoy opposite him remained unhurried, speaking slowly. "Of the eight regional envoys, four have already defected to other Hall Masters. Those of us remaining must stand together. The Beiming Hall has already issued an ultimatum: submit or die. I believe you received it as well, didn't you?"

"I received a threat from the Red Robe Hall," the Southwestern Envoy said.

"Neither you nor I want to betray the Marquis, but the Marquis cannot show himself right now. If we continue to wait like this, aren't we just sitting ducks?" the Southern Envoy argued. "I am trying to fight for survival!"

"Your so-called fight for survival is to enter the dangerous lands of the Zhennan Domain Mountains to capture the soul of a nonexistent great master?" The Southwestern Envoy’s tone was filled with heavy doubt.

"What do you mean 'nonexistent'?" the Southern Envoy retorted firmly. "I am certain there is a slumbering soul of a great master in there, but I cannot approach it on my own. If we combine our efforts to capture it into the Underworld Tome, we can definitely refine it into a battle soul comparable to the Seventh Realm. Once that happens, even the four Hall Masters will have to fear us. Only then can we hold out until the Marquis emerges from seclusion."

"Are you truly acting out of loyalty to the Marquis?" The Southwestern Envoy’s tone was full of suspicion. "I fear that once you have the combat power of the Seventh Realm, you will set up your own shop."

"I am fiercely loyal to the Marquis!" the Southern Envoy immediately declared. "If you doubt me, the soul can be stored in your Underworld Tome. You only need to swear that you will never betray the Purple Gold Marquis!"

Upon hearing this, the Southwestern Envoy merely shook his head. He was not swayed by the immense temptation, but instead weighed the risks. Within the Demonic Sect, those who died at the hands of their own sect-mates were no fewer than those who died at the hands of outsiders.

The reason the Demonic Path remained strong was precisely because there were always plenty of people chasing quick success, with a constant stream of fresh blood volunteering to join. Then, the naive among them would quickly become fodder, nourishing the treacherous and cunning.

Being unable to resist temptation was often a sign of naivety.

Therefore, the Southwestern Envoy was highly vigilant. He was terrified that a moment of carelessness would lead him into a trap, making him someone else's prey.

"I know what you are worried about," the Southern Envoy continued to persuade. "I will lead people to clear the path ahead. You can conserve your strength and only strike when I need help. I have always been the most loyal person to the Marquis; you should believe in my sincerity."

"Then..." The Southwestern Envoy's tone softened slightly. "How much do you know about that dangerous place? There are too many perils in the Zhennan Domain Mountains; if we rashly step into those ancient forbidden zones, all the lives we have won't be enough to fill the void."

"To be honest, I don't know much," the Southern Envoy answered immediately, his tone cold and grim. "That is precisely why I asked you to bring all your men."

The Southwestern Envoy naturally understood his meaning instantly. With their levels of cultivation, bringing a few Earthly Fiend Envoys would be enough; the Soul-Detention Envoys could provide no help at all.

The only reason to bring them along was to use their lives to scout the path!

"Fine..." The Southwestern Envoy pondered for a long time before spitting out the word, though he muttered uneasily to himself, "I hope this trip goes without incident."

The Southern Envoy then chuckled. "There will absolutely be no issues. Once we return, we will have an extra Seventh Realm battle soul in our hands. By then... *hehehehe...*"