I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

With a flash of light and shadow, two figures appeared out of thin air in a secluded valley within the Burning Bone Pass.

The valley was not large, surrounded by towering cliffs covered with withered vines and unidentified shrubs.

The night wind swept through the valley entrance, emitting a low whistle. The moonlight overhead was mostly blocked by the mountain walls, with only a few silvery rays leaking through the gaps and casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Liu Zhengyun stumbled slightly as his feet touched the soft soil.

He hadn't stood up straight in so long that his knees were weak and the muscles in his calves were trembling slightly.

He instinctively reached out and grabbed the tree trunk beside him. The rough bark pressed against his palm, and the real touch made him pause for a moment.

He then took a deep breath, and the air, carrying the earthy smell and the fresh scent of grass and trees, filled his lungs. It was damp and cold, slightly sweet, and had an indescribable, living quality to it.

He couldn't help but take another sip, then another, as if greedily savoring some long-lost sweet wine.

Fifteen years. He hadn't smelled this scent for fifteen years.

"Cheng Wanjun will not reappear. Your task is to stabilize the Liu family and then, according to my plan, completely annex the Cheng family."

Lin Che stood beside him with his hands behind his back, wearing a blue robe that fluttered gently in the night breeze.

Liu Zhengyun snapped out of his daze, quickly concealing the emotion in his eyes, and respectfully lowered his head.

His movements were still a bit stiff; he hadn't done these poses in fifteen years, so he was somewhat rusty at it.

"Yes, I guarantee I will complete your mission, senior!" His voice was hoarse, but his tone was firm, without the slightest hesitation.

Fifteen years of imprisonment in darkness did not dull his mind; on the contrary, it made his thoughts clearer than before.

He knows his current status and what he should do.

Lin Che nodded slightly, and with a flicker, disappeared from the spot.

Before Liu Zhengyun could even blink, the figure in blue had already disappeared into the night, leaving only the night wind blowing through the spot where he had just stood, swirling up a few withered leaves.

Liu Zhengyun was left alone, looking around blankly.

He discerned the direction and saw faint lights flickering in the southeast, which should be the direction of Burning Bone City.

That's right, this place is no longer Shattered Star Lake, but a remote valley inside Burning Bone Pass, not far from Burning Bone City.

After breaking through the barrier, Lin Che noticed that there were unpleasant guests visiting outside the clan's territory.

He remained hidden in the shadows, watching the entire confrontation between Cheng Wanjun and Lin Xuanjing, and also heard Cheng Wanjun's questions about the "Breaking Evil Golden Pill" and the "mystery of the secret realm".

After Cheng Wanjun left, he did not appear immediately, but instead had the Azure Profound Realm Spirit quietly follow Cheng Wanjun, like an invisible shadow trailing behind him.

Cheng Wanjun headed east, speeding along the outer edge of the Fulong Mountains, intending to make a large detour back to Burning Bone City.

Only then did he belatedly realize how irrational it was to come alone.

He is now disliked by his family and may have disappeared in Chuyang City without anyone knowing.

To avoid being harmed by the Lin family, he avoided the main roads and instead chose to travel through secluded valleys and dense forests, clearly to prevent being followed.

Little did he know that his actions were clearly seen by the Azure Profound Realm Spirit not far behind him.

In a remote, unknown mountain valley, Cheng Wanjun was captured.

The Heavenly Sacred Sparrow swooped down from the night sky, its wings spread wide, and golden-red flames illuminated the entire mountain valley.

The Yaren Dragon Beast emerged from the shadows, its right arm's dragon blade gleaming with a cold, dark gold light in the firelight.

Two golden-core spirit beasts, one in front and one behind, blocked all of Cheng Wanjun's escape routes.

Before he could even unleash his magical artifact, the Yaren Dragon Beast shattered his protective aura with a single palm strike, and he was then trapped in place by the Phoenix Blood True Fire of the Burning Heaven Sacred Sparrow, unable to move.

At this moment, the valley where Liu Zhengyun was located was not far from Burning Bone City.

Lin Che had Qingxuan Realm Spirit wait there to avoid revealing the location of the cultivation tower.

This left Liu Zhengyun unsure of where he came from.

Although Liu Zhengyun was already controlled by the soul imprint, the more cautious he was, the less flaws he would make.

The cultivation tower is a core secret of the Lin family, and they will never let outsiders know about it if they can keep it a secret.

As for Cheng Wanjun, he naturally disappeared just like Liu Zhengyun did back then.

From now on, Cheng Wanjun will no longer appear in Burning Bone City.

What Liu Zhengyun needs to do is return to the Liu family and testify against Cheng Wanjun for the crime of "kidnapping and detaining" him.

Why did Cheng Wanjun suddenly disappear?

Very simple.

Seeing that the situation was not good, he ran away with the spirit object that had formed the Nascent Soul.

Liu Zhengyun was imprisoned for fifteen years. Taking advantage of Cheng Wanjun's escape, he finally managed to get away by hiding a secret.

This is the script that Lin Che wrote for him.

As for what happens next, that depends on Liu Zhengyun's methods.

Lin Che's figure was like an invisible wind, swiftly sweeping across the night sky.

The speed of the Nascent Soul stage is incomparable to that of the Golden Core stage.

He didn't need to fly on a sword or activate any magical artifacts. With just a thought, his figure transformed into an almost invisible streak of light, heading east from Burning Bone Pass straight towards Chuyang City.

Half an hour later, the lights of Shattered Star Lake appeared before his eyes.

With a flash of light from the token in his hand, his figure appeared on the top floor of the cultivation tower.

The layout of the top floor is completely different from that of the ground floor.

There were no dark cells or musty smells here, only a long, narrow rosewood table, a few chairs, and several landscape paintings of Shattered Star Lake hanging on the wall.

The light from the lamp was soft and warm, illuminating the entire room.

A dark figure had been waiting at the table for some time.

Play black.

The Lin family's shadow, the mastermind behind the intelligence network, the man hidden in the darkness.

His mask remained the same, clearly divided in black and white, with black on the left and white on the right, revealing only a pair of calm, watery eyes.

Upon hearing the noise, he immediately stood up, his movements swift and decisive. He clasped his hands in a fist salute and bowed, his voice clear and respectful.

"Congratulations to the patriarch on breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage."

Lin Che shook his head helplessly, walked to the table, pulled out a chair and sat down.

He looked up at the black and white mask, a helpless smile playing on his lips: "There's no one else here, yet you still put on this show in front of me."

The black player did not move.

He remained bowed, his voice coming from behind the mask: "If you can't even fool yourself, how can you fool outsiders? One small thing can have far-reaching consequences. If your identity is exposed, you'll become an overt spy, and your effectiveness will be greatly reduced."

He paused, straightened up, and stared directly at Lin Che with his calm eyes.

"Although the probability of exposure is not high, it's always better to be cautious. That's what you taught me, so please correct your mistake as soon as possible."

These words made Lin Che laugh.

"Alright, you're right. I'll do as you say. I understand how to get along with you from now on." Lin Che's smile faded, and he sat up straight. "Now let's talk about the Zhao family."

The Zhao family he was referring to was the Zhao family in Chuyang City.

The Zhao family, who once clashed with them over the ownership of Shattered Star Lake.

They were also a hidden agent planted in Chuyang City by the Demon Palace of Rebellion.

Lin Che didn't destroy it in the first place because he didn't want to alert the enemy.

He chose to control the head of the family, thus stabilizing the Zhao family and indirectly preventing the Demon Palace of Rebellion from focusing its attention on Chuyang City.

The task of monitoring Zhao Changkong and placing spies within the Zhao family naturally fell to Zhihei.

Even the soul contract of the Zhao family patriarch was transferred.

Three years ago, the Demon Palace of Rebellion finally made its move.

However, it wasn't a specific mission; rather, a cultivator was sent from above.

The specific details were still unknown to Zhao Changkong, the head of the Zhao family; his only task was to cooperate with that person's actions.

As for what that person was doing and what he wanted to achieve, Zhao Changkong had no right to ask and no way of knowing.

"Tell me about the intelligence you have now."

After taking his seat, Zhihei recalled for a moment, then went through the information he had collected over the years in his mind before speaking.

"Although Zhao Changkong had no idea what the person sent down was specifically going to do, I could make a rough deduction based on his identity."

As he spoke, Zhihei took out a jade slip from his sleeve and pushed it across the table in front of Lin Che.

The jade slip was entirely black, with fine spiritual patterns on its surface, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.

Lin Che picked up the jade slip and infused it with his divine sense.

The jade slip contained little information, but every detail was crucial.

The name, cultivation level, origin, lineage, and even a few lines describing the person's personality and style of doing things are clearly presented and neatly written.

Gu Chaoxi.

Late stage of Golden Core.

Elder of the Array Hall of the Demon Palace of Rebellion.

Zhao Changkong's master.

Lin Che's brows furrowed slightly.

Cultivators at the late Golden Core stage are considered a backbone force in the Reverse Fate Demon Palace, not mere foot soldiers who can be ordered around at will.

The fact that someone like him personally took action shows that the Demon Palace's plans in Chuyang City are far more important than he had anticipated.

Zhihei's voice continued: "This person is Zhao Changkong's master, an elder of the Array Hall of the Reverse Fate Demon Palace. I found his information by following this master-disciple relationship."

Although I don't know their specific plans, I suspect they are definitely related to formations.

"Formation." Lin Che repeated the two words, stroking his chin with his left hand.

In his mind, those scattered clues began to connect.

Why is Zhao Changkong a spy for the Demon Palace of Rebellion?

The reason is very likely that he is Gu Chaoxi's apprentice.

What the Demon Palace of Rebellion wanted him to do was to act as an outpost.

They established themselves in Chuyang City, developed their families, and built networks to facilitate the future actions of the Rebellious Demon Palace.

No one would doubt a family that has been rooted for decades, and no one would focus their attention on a "native" family.

In the future, if the Demon Palace of Rebellion wants to cause trouble in secret, sending people directly in a high-profile manner would obviously be easy to expose.

If a local force were to carry out certain arrangements they needed, the likelihood of their objectives being exposed would be significantly reduced.

The Rebellious Demon Palace can be considered one of the top forces in the Southern Region, with more Nascent Soul cultivators than can be counted on two hands.

They've been operating stealthily, secretly infiltrating Chuyang City for so many years. What are they after? And who are they guarding against?

Lin Che was unaware of the former, but the latter was self-evident.

The answer is obvious—Fang Jia.

The Fang family, one of the core controllers of the Southern Region, is located directly above them and possesses a Nascent Soul cultivator.

The establishment of Burning Bone Pass, the defense against the beast tides, and the maintenance of order in the outer border development zone—all of these are inseparable from the Fang family.

The Demon Palace of Rebellion is secretly causing trouble, and their target is likely the Fang family. There is no other force in the eastern part of the Southern Region that would warrant such a large-scale operation from them.

Lin Che put down the jade slip and his gaze fell on the spirit lamp on the table.

"My guess is the same as yours." Lin Che put down the jade slip and looked at Zhi Hei's face. "They are very likely planning to attack Burning Bone Pass."

Why was the Burning Bone Pass able to hold out for so many years?

Besides the bravery of the defenders and the strategic importance of the terrain, the large-scale battle formations on it played an indispensable role.

It was a super formation covering the entire pass, which had been continuously reinforced and improved over hundreds of years, keeping the monster tides out of the pass time and time again.

Once the formation is broken, the defensive power of Burning Bone Pass will be greatly reduced.

What is a late-stage Golden Core formation master doing secretly infiltrating Chuyang City?

The answer is obvious.

"What is the purpose of the Reversible Fate Demon Palace?" Lin Che frowned, his finger unconsciously tracing circles on the table.

Why is the Southern Region able to govern itself?

Ultimately, it was all for the purpose of defending against the relentless, century-long beast tides.

This is also the reason why the Great Qian Dynasty in the Central Region granted autonomy to the three families.

It's not because of trust, it's because of need.

They are needed to hold off the monsters, to consume the beast tide, and to form a wall of flesh and blood.

If Burning Bone Pass falls and a large number of demonic beasts enter, the cultivators and civilians along the Burning Bone City front will be the first to suffer, followed by the Fang family's garrison troops stationed in the Southern Camp.

The Fang family's elite cultivators are stationed there, forming one of their core forces in suppressing the Southern Region.

The garrisons of various affiliated forces are also stationed here year-round.

But behind the South Camp lies the Black Wind Ridge line.

The Demon Palace of Rebellion and the Xuan Kui Sect are located here.

The two passes stand side by side, relying on the natural barrier of Black Wind Ridge, forming a strategic alliance with Burning Bone Pass.

To be more precise, Burning Bone City was actually a newly developed area a thousand years ago.

Black Wind Ridge, however, is the front line in the fight against the monsters.

To the north of Black Wind Ridge, the prosperous Southern Plains are the Fang family's base and the true home of all the major powers.

Burning Bone City is a buffer zone between the Fulong Mountains and the Fang family.

After the demonic beasts break through the Burning Bone Pass, there is still the Black Wind Ridge Pass to overcome.

Only after the demonic beasts have crossed Black Wind Ridge will they truly enter the core area of ​​the Southern Region.

Burning Bone City serves as a buffer zone between the Fulong Mountains and the Fang family. The establishment of Burning Bone Pass was also intended to extend the battle line and reduce the impact of the beast tide on the core area.

If the Burning Bone Pass is lost, the most likely culprits will not be the Fang family, but rather the Rebellious Demon Palace and the Mysterious Puppet Sect.

Their sects are located along the Black Wind Ridge line, bearing the brunt of the attack.

If the Burning Bone Pass is breached, they will be the next to face the beast tide.

This is what puzzled Lin Che.

Similarly, this is something that Zhihei didn't understand.

If the Demon Palace of Rebellion wanted to weaken the Fang family, there were other ways.

If they wanted to cause trouble in the Southern Region, they shouldn't have chosen such a sensitive location as Burning Bone Pass.

When the beast tide comes, no one will have a good time.

"Let's keep a close eye on the Zhao family and Gu Chaoxi for now." Lin Che pulled himself out of his thoughts, his gaze regaining its composure. "Find out what they want to do, where they want to make their move, and whether they pose a fatal threat to us or Chuyang City. We don't need to worry about the rest for now."

"Understood." Zhihei nodded, a cold glint flashing in his eyes hidden behind the mask.

"I will keep a close eye on them—the Shadow Hall, Gu Chaoxi, and those war puppets suspected to be hidden by the Xuan Kui Sect! I believe the answer will be clear soon."