I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

Without Zhang Yangqing by his side, the chairman remained remarkably calm.

He had neither the naive idea of ​​comparing his achievements with Zhang Yangqing, nor did he develop an overly dependent mentality.

With his skill and judgment, he successfully completed the investigation task assigned by Zhang Yangqing.

At this moment, he was quietly waiting in an abandoned wooden house that was being used as a temporary "base" for Zhang Yangqing's return.

When Zhang Yangqing appeared at the door, the chairman immediately revealed all the records of his investigation.

The chairman got straight to the point, speaking calmly: "The boy's father should be in the vicinity of Sancai Mountain."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts to describe the place more accurately: "According to the hunter and my understanding, this Tricolor Mountain can be understood as a place where the spiritual veins of heaven and earth converge, with exceptionally abundant energy."

This is why many powerful races and forces reside in that area. When the hunter mentioned those groups, his tone was filled with awe. According to him, the strength of those large clans was terrifying, far surpassing that of the small villages we had encountered before.

The chairman picked up a small wooden stick from the ground and simply traced lines on the ground: "The hunter gave us a general location. After the patrolmen leave this area, we will need to cross a complex mountainous region to get there. It's a long journey and will probably take quite a while."

Of course, this is just the indigenous people's solution; they don't know how to get the patrolmen to leave on their own initiative.

After reporting the basic situation, the chairman stated his judgment, his eyes showing a rational consideration: "I think we need to weigh things carefully. Our core objective for this trip is to find the Immortal Mountain and complete the tale of the supernatural."

Helping this little boy find his father is clearly a side quest, not closely related to the main storyline. Furthermore, heading to the Three-Colored Mountain means venturing deep into the territory of an unknown and powerful force, inevitably wasting a lot of time and facing unpredictable dangers.

Thinking of this, the chairman must have already made a plan, and continued, "I'm wondering if the investment and return are proportional? Of course, if we can really find his father, as a 'local' who has lived in that area for a long time, his father may have some secrets about the Undying Mountain or other important secrets, which may be useful to us."

He clearly laid out the pros and cons to Zhang Yangqing and awaited his decision.

Problems should be left for intelligent people to think about; this is a skill that the chairman has learned.

At this moment, there were only the two of them in the stronghold, and Zhang Yangqing seemed too lazy to maintain any pretense any longer.

With a flick of his wrist, the strangely shaped, ominous statue of a transcendent immortal appeared in his hand.

Zhang Yangqing's voice was calm, yet carried a chilling undertone: "We both know the purpose of this thing. If we can find races with powerful spatial abilities and use them as sacrifices, we might be able to extract and plunder the spatial power we need."

Upon hearing this, the chairman's pupils contracted sharply, and he looked up at Zhang Yangqing with a face full of shock.

He instantly understood Zhang Yangqing's true intentions! So that's what this guy was planning!
I knew it! Why were you so eager to help that kid find his dad?

So ruthless, so direct, they actually thought of hunting down powerful races to sacrifice for power! The idea itself is insane enough!

The chairman himself also has a statue of the Immortal Venerable, which he inherited from the former chairman.

He was well aware of the eerie power and immense allure contained within the statue.

The power of space is an ability that countless powerful individuals dream of!

If obtained, it would bring immeasurable benefits, both in dealing with the current world of supernatural tales and in future development.

The chairman felt an irrepressible surge of excitement and longing at the thought of being able to control space and move freely. However, this fervor was quickly suppressed by a chill.

The statue of the transcendent immortal also comes with a terrible backlash! The old chairman's miserable state, half-human and half-demon, with his sanity constantly being eroded, is a lesson he has witnessed firsthand.

The pursuit of power is important, but if it leads to becoming a monster that is neither human nor ghost, or even losing oneself, then the price is far too heavy.

The chairman was caught in a fierce internal struggle, a mixture of longing and fear.

Zhang Yangqing seemed to see through his dilemma and continued, his tone carrying an almost arrogant confidence: "With a normal sacrificial process, if the scale and target are controlled, the risks are manageable. Don't be too greedy, don't take too much at once, and the backlash will naturally be smaller."

He paused, then gave the chairman a meaningful look. “Of course, only I can take the bribe. My physique and abilities are special, so I’m not afraid of this backlash. You know that too. If you feel it’s dangerous or you’re not confident, I’ll go alone this time. You can provide support or do other tasks.”

These words were clearly meant to provoke.

Upon hearing this, the chairman's hesitation was instantly replaced by disdain. He snorted coldly, "Afraid of death? What a joke! This is spatial power, worth the gamble! I'll go with you!"

Risks and opportunities coexist, and the chairman is not one to be timid or hesitant.

But he immediately thought of the crucial question: "However, should we deal with the Three-Colored Mountain first, or go find the Undying Mountain first?"

Zhang Yangqing answered without hesitation: "Of course we should find the Undying Mountain first. That's the main quest and has the highest priority. The Three-Colored Mountain and spatial abilities are side quests. We can deal with them after we make progress on the main quest or complete a phase of it. With this arrangement, even if the side quests are too difficult or unexpected events occur, we can leave at any time without affecting the achievement of the main quest goal."

His thinking is clear and pragmatic.

The chairman nodded, approving of the plan.

Next, Zhang Yangqing began to tell the chairman in detail about his discoveries at the dock with the beautiful woman with peach blossom eyes over the past few days.

He started by classifying seven types of ships, then moved on to the methods for determining whether a ship was alive or dead, and finally to his own deduced core idea for the "dead ship boarding method": disguising cargo and using laborers to move it.

Zhang Yangqing summarized: "So, the key is to find the right 'cargo production line'. My initial investigation with her revealed that there are more than a dozen warehouses of various sizes in the dock area, but not all of them store goods that need to be loaded onto ships."

Just as he was about to begin explaining the warehouse layout, he heard light footsteps outside the door.

Soon, the beautiful woman with peach blossom eyes appeared at the door, her face showing just the right amount of fatigue and a hint of relaxation after completing her task.

"Big brother, I've finished my investigation over there." She walked in and naturally began to "report her work." Her gaze swept over the chairman, and she nodded slightly as a greeting before focusing on Zhang Yangqing.

Since they're going to cooperate, she needs to demonstrate her 'usefulness,' otherwise she'll be quickly discarded.

The beautiful woman with peach blossom eyes spoke seriously: "After careful observation and investigation over the past few days, my brother and I have identified about eleven warehouses in the dock area with clear signs and regular labor activity. Most of these warehouses are guarded, but the level of security and the strength of the eerie atmosphere vary."

She squatted down and began to draw a simple map of the dock warehouses on the ground, using a stick to make marks:
"These eleven warehouses can be roughly divided into two categories based on their main functions."

(End of this chapter)