Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1410: 756: Identity Exposed, Recruitment and Top-Secret Mission (Part 2)

Zhao Xuanjing quickly replied, “That’s no trouble at all! I’ve already reached out to plenty of allies in the sect for assistance, and within a few years, all the True Souls you require will be gathered up. Then, they’ll be transported straight to you by a designated envoy.”

Zhao Sheng gave a nod in response, not bringing up the expenses involved in the slightest.

Naturally, with their tight bond, such minor details didn’t warrant any discussion.

Afterward, Zhao Sheng conferred with Zhao Xuanjing regarding the matter of becoming a Star Lord.

Per Zhao Xuanjing’s strategy, he had selected a Spirit Star known as Origin Realm.

This particular star boasted abundant land with minimal oceans, and its natural spiritual energy favored the Gold and Earth Elements, offering boundless advantages for his cultivation path.

By establishing the Origin Star as their Dao Field, the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan could relocate there, evolving into a true “Small Immortal Faction” lineage, brimming with endless prospects for growth ahead.

In essence, the decision to become a Star Lord held immense significance. It shaped Zhao Xuanjing’s destiny while forging an indestructible legacy for the Divine Artisan Zhao Clan across future generations!

Zhao Xuanjing lingered just two days at the A3 Virtual Realm Fortress before rushing back to the Taiyi Spirit Realm.

Once he departed, Zhao Sheng experienced a wave of ease, his Primordial Spirit sharpening abruptly, propelling his Daoist journey forward in a notable surge.

He hastened back to the central hall to persist in purging the lingering devilish power from his body.

Thanks to the oversight and direction from the Illusion Spirit White Deer, both the interior and exterior of the A3 Virtual Realm Fortress operated flawlessly, sparing Zhao Sheng a tremendous amount of mental strain.

The quartet of fleet leaders proved tireless, directing the battleships on their routine sweeps while wiping out bands of encroaching Alien Demon Clan forces.

Days raced onward, and in the wink of an eye, two years slipped away.

On a certain day, the Illusion Spirit White Deer roused Zhao Sheng with urgent insistence.

“My lord, an incoming Heavenly Level signal demands your attention—receive it without delay!”

Zhao Sheng’s eyes snapped open, and he commanded gravely, “Connect it right away!”

His words barely landed when the White Deer contorted into a swirl of radiant white glow, from which a crimson-robed elder materialized, none other than Master Bi Fang himself!

Zhao Sheng rose swiftly and offered a respectful salute, “This junior greets Master Bi Fang.”

“Dispense with the ceremony!” Master Bi Fang’s face remained grave as he declared abruptly, “I’m reaching out to you directly this time due to a pressing confidential assignment that requires your execution.”

Zhao Sheng’s thoughts whirled, yet he replied deferentially, “Kindly outline the task, Master. I’ll exert every effort to fulfill it.”

Master Bi Fang appeared pleased and inclined his head with a grin, “Beyond your current territory lies a Spirit Star under alien demon control. Your orders are to head there and link up with a contact. He goes by the code name Qiongqi and bears a critical objective. Proceed in utmost secrecy, secure a Sumeru Ring from him, and bring it back unscathed. Absolute discretion is vital—this must evade all alien demon detection, lest catastrophe unfold.”

Hearing this, Zhao Sheng bowed deeply in assent.

Master Bi Fang gestured, dispatching a ray of shimmering light that landed before him and coalesced into a Crystal Pearl.

Zhao Sheng seized the pearl and stowed it securely against his chest.

“You’ve got just one day. Depart now. Should you fail to locate him within that span, retreat to the fortress immediately and pretend this encounter never occurred!”

“Understood! I’m off at once.” Zhao Sheng affirmed with a nod.

“Excellent—success will bring rewards!”

With those words, Master Bi Fang vanished from the luminous projection, and the Illusion Spirit White Deer reconstituted itself.

Zhao Sheng, maintaining his calm demeanor, directed the White Deer to safeguard the base, then blurred and dissolved into nothingness.

…

Shortly thereafter, deep within a rugged mountain chain on a world shrouded in reddish-brown skies, enormous nests loomed skyward like titans.

Encircling these nests sprawled endless fields of bizarre flora, inhabited by hordes of frail demon puppet beings.

At that instant, within a gloomy, ink-dark woodland, a translucent silhouette lurked amid the gloom, peering toward the demon nests from a distance.

This was none other than Zhao Sheng, who had slipped inside undetected.

Considering the setup, this Spirit Star sat at the edge of the Devilish Thought Mist, fully subjugated by alien demons and infested with countless nests of their kind.

The Devilish Thought Mist truly ranked among the alien demons’ most enigmatic stratagems.

Upon his arrival, Zhao Sheng found his Divine Thought and Primordial Spirit severely hampered, slashing his sensing capabilities to a fraction.

Still, bolstered by his present prowess, he navigated the star with ease, facing no fiend capable of impeding him.

While he lay in wait, squadrons of Flying Lizards soared above, bearing limp Human Clan forms on their backs—unfortunates whose forms had fallen to alien demon possession.

“Demon Cultivators or Ghost Cultivators?…” Zhao Sheng mused from his concealed spot, observing the patrol drift by, contemplating the nature of his awaited ally.

Just as alien demons seeded spies deep within human ranks, so too did the Spirit Realm’s Human Clan embed agents among the foe.

Owing to the alien demons’ bizarre essence, typical Human Clan Cultivators couldn’t masquerade effectively; solely Demon Cultivators and Ghost Cultivators, honed through unique methods, fit the role ideally.

As moments ticked onward, dusk descended with haste.

The heavens’ clouds shifted to a subtle crimson tint, and ere long, a sanguine, malodorous drizzle pattered down.

With the day’s close approaching and a single hour shy of the limit, Zhao Sheng’s eyebrow arched suddenly, as the Crystal Pearl nestled against him pulsed with a subtle sheen.

“At last!” he reflected inwardly, emerging from the obscurity.

In that very instant, a hazy spectral form glided downward amid the downpour, slipping into the eerie grove.

The shade hastened toward Zhao Sheng yet halted sharply at ten zhang’s distance.

Shadows receded bit by bit, unveiling a towering figure with a wolf’s head atop a man’s frame.

Donned in ebon armor, his visage gleamed a profound verdant, flesh shriveled, gaze leaking wisps of dark vapor, nasal slits mere voids of blackness, radiating savage dread—a formidable Demon Emperor at the Divinity Transformation Realm.

Once stationary, his eyes like brazen bells flared crimson, appraising Zhao Sheng warily and alertly.

Zhao Sheng countered by displaying the Crystal Pearl forthwith to affirm his legitimacy.

The wolf-headed figure eased noticeably, then thumped his torso, birthing a diaphanous head that resembled a commonplace middle-aged fellow.

“Are you Senior Qiongqi?” Zhao Sheng advanced to mere zhang away, sweeping his Divine Thought across the form.

Yet his probe yielded nothing, as though the counterpart were a mere phantasm, absent from reality.

Shock and intrigue gripped Zhao Sheng, pondering what drove a powerhouse of such caliber to venture into alien demon territory, where unmasking spelled near-guaranteed doom.

“Indeed, I am Qiongqi. Have you come as the one dispatched to rendezvous with me?” the middle-aged man eyed Zhao Sheng keenly and queried, his tone rasping and parched, laced with an uncanny chill.

Zhao Sheng held his tongue, opting instead to infuse a thread of Mana into the Crystal Pearl.

Instantly, the pearl’s ethereal glow warped and clarified into a vivid likeness, mirroring Master Bi Fang.

“Splendid, your credentials check out. Therefore, I…”

The enigmatic middle-aged man began to proceed when his features contorted, betraying a flicker of agony, his breaths turning ragged in sudden haste.