263: Face? Back then, it was the least valuable thing!

True Person Tianxing indeed began imagining numerous vicious curses and couldn't help but shiver.

He hadn't expected Lu Ming to silently employ such ruthless methods.

However, this turned out to be a good thing for them.

"Of course, to prevent the opponent from fighting back desperately, the magic Formation must be sturdy enough! After all, cornered beasts fight back, and a death throe counterattack is the most dangerous! So, I'll trouble Fellow Daoist with the matter of the Magic Treasure," Lu Ming emphasized finally.

"Excellent!" True Person Tianxing nodded gravely.

He then asked for clarification on a few details, and Lu Ming answered them one by one.

After the two finalized the details, True Person Tianxing wasted no time and immediately went to contact Ancestor Yun Chen.

After True Person Tianxing left, Lu Ming strolled inside the Qingxuan Sect's Mountain Gate.

Looking around, the main structure of the Qingxuan Sect remained, with most of the original buildings preserved, but the overall atmosphere and details of the Sect had quietly changed.

"Is this a complete abandonment of the plan to be a gathering place for Loose Cultivators?"

Judging by the look of things, they clearly intended to take root here, establish a Sect, and follow the path of an orthodox Sect with an orderly Legacy.

"That's right. Loose Cultivators are ultimately unreliable. Given True Person Tianxing's constant desire to Cultivate successors, only by establishing a Sect can he stably train talents and ensure the Legacy continues!"

Lu Ming was not concerned about this change.

His gaze had long since ceased to be confined to this corner of the Southern Wilderness Region.

The shifting power structure here would not affect him; on the contrary, True Person Tianxing's actions were more to his liking.

As for those two lads, Zhou Yang and Dong Pingan, who remained in Heavenly Star Immortal City, if they could take advantage of this to join the newly established Sect and receive systematic training, their future prospects would certainly be far superior to that of a Loose Cultivator's life.

Also, regarding the Zhou Family widow and her son, using his Face, it shouldn't be difficult to arrange a comfortable retirement position for Ms. Xu through True Person Tianxing, and let her son join the Sect.

Lu Ming stood on a high platform with his hands clasped behind his back, overlooking the Sect's emerging new appearance below, his heart utterly calm.

Let them fuss about the Southern Wilderness Region!

—

One month later, deep within the Imperial City.

Inside the crimson, viscous blood pool, Mu Han was disheveled, his originally sinister Face now twisted by extreme pain.

At this moment, he suddenly tilted his head back and let out a roar filled with unwillingness and violence.

"Why is it starting again!"

This strange situation had erupted once more without warning!

Internally, he was a complete mess.

His normally smooth magic power had become violently chaotic, rushing recklessly through his Meridians, bringing with it tearing pain like being cut by a thousand blades.

Furthermore, his powerful Divine Thought Sea of Consciousness felt as if it were being pierced by countless fine needles, causing a stabbing pain and an indescribable sense of weakness.

What terrified him even more was that he could clearly feel the Origin of his Golden Core, which he had painstakingly re-condensed, slowly and uncontrollably dissipating, like sand flowing through an hourglass!

He didn't understand why, out of the blue, he had fallen into such a predicament!

Wasn't surviving a great disaster supposed to lead to future blessings?

He barely managed to escape the Cloud Mist Mountain Range, thinking he could lord it over the Southern Wilderness Region. Instead, his Junior Brother was first beaten until only a remnant soul fled back, and now he himself had become like this.

How was this his Opportunity? This was clearly his place of misfortune!

However, Mu Han had some guesses regarding these changes in his body.

It was highly likely the trickery of that Outer Realm Cultivator who severely wounded Junior Brother Shen Yuan!

Judging from the memories obtained by soul-searching Shen Yuan, this person definitely originated from the Demonic Path!

Only those scummy people from the Demonic Path would possess such insidious and hard-to-guard-against Secret Techniques and such ruthless methods!

It was just that he had underestimated this person before.

He had thought the initial disturbance was the limit, but unexpectedly, that was merely the beginning!

Over the past half year, this bizarre torment had clung to him like a maggot in the bone, ceaselessly plaguing him.

It forced him to mobilize the vast majority of his mental focus and magic power to suppress the endless abnormal turbulence within his body.

Forget about Cultivating; the fact that he could currently maintain his Realm without dropping was already thanks to the Demon Ancestor.

Fortunately, he had forcibly harvested a wave earlier, stockpiling massive amounts of 'blood food' to replenish his losses and forcibly stabilize his cultivation. Otherwise, his Realm would probably have already fallen to the Mid-stage Golden Core.

But even so, his current condition was still extremely poor.

Mu Han looked around and saw that the blood pool, which had originally been churning and rich in blood Qi, was now nearly dry, with only a thin layer left at the bottom, due to his excessive absorption of its power.

"But what kind of technique is this?"

This was the one thing Mu Han couldn't figure out.

He originated from the great Nascent Soul Sect, the Soul Devouring Demonic Sect, in the Xuanling Realm, and had witnessed countless Demonic Techniques and Evil Techniques.

Yet, he had never heard of any curse or Secret Art that could accurately and persistently exert influence from such a vast distance without direct contact or meeting Face-to-Face!

But precisely because of this, he became even more certain that the mastermind was that Outer Realm Demonic Cultivator, and highly likely one of the other two Sects in the Xuanling Realm that rivaled the Soul Devouring Demonic Sect.

He just didn't know if they came from the Hun Yuan Demonic Gate or the Six Desires Demonic Sect.

Of course, the greatest possibility was that it was done by his own people.

That's right, he even suspected his own Sect!

After all, wasn't infighting among Demonic Sect Disciples normal?

Moreover, when it came to making enemies, the combined number of enemies within the Sect was probably greater than the trouble he caused outside.

Otherwise, how did he reach the Late Golden Core Stage? He stepped over the accumulated white bones of his fellow Disciples to get there.

Only this could explain such targeted and relentless harassment!

"Who exactly are you? What grudge do you hold?"

Mu Han endured the stinging pain from his Divine Sense, raised his eyes, and his cold gaze seemed capable of piercing the high walls of the deep palace, looking toward the outside of the Imperial City.

Out there, he could vaguely sense several obscure auras belonging to the Golden Core level lurking outside the city.

"Are they trying to besiege me? Or are they trying to force me out to fight you?"

A vicious look flashed in Mu Han's eyes, and he ground his teeth audibly.

"They want me to go out? Dream on!"

Logically, his best choice right now would be to rush out of the Imperial City, kill them, and end this farce.

If the opponents were merely native Golden Core Cultivators of the Southern Wilderness Region, he could certainly do this.

He didn't believe Cultivators from such a desolate place could pose a real threat to him.

Relying on his Sect Legacy and the trump cards he held, even in poor condition, he had the confidence to crush them.

But if the opponent also came from a great Nascent Soul Sect, the situation was completely different!

After all, Nascent Soul Sect Disciples' methods, Magic Treasures, and combat awareness were absolutely incomparable to those of the natives.

Not to mention that the opponent could employ such strange and hard-to-guard-against methods.

Before, when he saw Shen Yuan beaten into a remnant soul, he thought Shen Yuan was useless.

Now it seemed clear that the opponent's methods were simply too potent, and their strength should absolutely not be underestimated.

Therefore, asking him to go out was absolutely impossible!

Even if he sensed that the few auras outside the city weren't too strong, peaking only at the Mid-stage Golden Core level, who could guarantee this wasn't the opponent deliberately showing weakness, a lonely attempt to lure the snake out of its hole?

Perhaps it was done intentionally, waiting for him to walk right into the trap!

"Fortunately, I chose to take this Imperial City back then!"

Mu Han's Divine Sense swept over the massive light shield covering the entire Imperial Palace, and a sense of security rose in his heart.

This was the Ji Clan Immortal Dynasty's Legacy of a thousand years, the Third-Rank Grand Array, the "Nine Dragons Guarding Heaven Array".

When fully activated, it uses the Dragon Vein Earth Qi as a guide, manifesting nine protective Golden Dragons that coil and wrap around, forming an indestructible barrier.

It can attack and defend, and is considered a rare, high-grade Formation among Third-Rank Grand Arrays.

"Hmph!" Mu Han suppressed the surging Blood Qi within him and sneered internally, "I don't believe your Heaven-Defying curse technique can be continuously used without restraint!"

To cast this technique, the caster must also bear enormous backlash and cost!

Mu Han decided on a strategy of simply "delaying"!

As long as he relies on the Grand Array and refuses to come out, delaying until the opponent can no longer withstand the Secret Technique backlash or loses patience, then the scales of victory will tilt towards him.

Once his internal condition stabilizes slightly and he recovers some strength, he will decide on the next step.

If he can fight, he will launch a thunderous strike to kill this person and exact revenge.

If the situation is unfavorable, he will immediately flee the Southern Wilderness Region and never return.

The reason Mu Han has survived as a Demonic Cultivator until today and Cultivated to this Realm is precisely because of his ability to assess the situation and be flexible!

As for Face?

That is the most worthless thing!