Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

On the left is a pair of Daoist couples.

The man was tall and thin, with a gaunt face, and wore a gray robe.

The woman was petite and stood beside the man, holding a jade slip in her hand.

Lin Zhao had heard of their names: Chen Yuan Zhenren and Su Luo Zhenren, a famous couple in the sect who had reached the Core Formation stage.

Both of them are at the late stage of Core Formation, and each of them alone is comparable to the peak of Core Formation. When the two of them work together, they are few and far between among the peak of Core Formation.

Standing on the right was a middle-aged monk dressed in a black robe.

Zhao Kun.

A few years ago he was in the middle stage of Core Formation, but now he has broken through to the late stage of Core Formation.

I heard they're competing for the position of deputy head of the Enforcement Hall.

As a sword cultivator in the Enforcement Hall, his strength after breaking through was also quite high, comparable to the peak of the Core Formation stage.

Lin Zhao's heart sank slightly.

None of these people are weak.

Although his Five Sacred Mountains clones were only at the early stage of Core Formation, with the addition of various supernatural powers and magic treasures, their combat strength was not much worse than that of an ordinary peak cultivator.

Clearly, the sect's mission requires combat strength to reach the peak of the Core Formation stage.

"Senior Brother Zhao."

Lin Zhao stepped forward and cupped her hands in greeting.

Zhao Kun nodded, without exchanging many pleasantries: "Not everyone has arrived yet, we'll have to wait a while longer."

Just as Lin Zhao was about to inquire about the details of the mission, the teleportation array in the valley lit up again.

A figure emerged from the formation, and with each step, the spiritual energy of the entire valley sank downwards.

He had white eyebrows and white hair, a robust physique, and his shoulders and back were ramrod straight.

He wore a very simple white robe, without anything superfluous.

He stood there, and the entire valley seemed to shrink considerably.

The aura it released was even more terrifying, like a raging flood or a ferocious beast.

This made Lin Zhao feel alarmed.

The true powerhouses among Core Formation cultivators are those who have reached the pinnacle of Core Formation and have already touched the threshold of Nascent Soul.

He is on the same level as Master Qianqiu and Master Kongming.

Even with his main body and two clones working together, he is someone they cannot defeat.

Zhao Kun and the Daoist couple flew off the stone platform at the same time, with Lin Zhao following closely behind.

"Master Gu".

Zhao Kun was the first to bow.

Master Gu glanced at him, then swept his gaze over Chen Yuan and Su Luo, the Daoist couple. When his gaze finally landed on Lin Zhao, he frowned slightly upon seeing that Lin Zhao was only at the early stage of Core Formation.

However, he did not voice any objections.

He knew Chen Yuan and Su Luo; they were known as the two masters of both books and swords. Even if the two joined forces, it would take him a lot of effort to defeat them.

Zhao Kun is a sword cultivator from the Enforcement Hall, and his strength is considerable.

Since the sect allowed this junior, who was in the early stage of Core Formation, to appear here, there must be a reason for his presence.

The sect has a history of 70,000 years and must hold countless secrets, but he has no interest in finding out.

He withdrew his gaze, sat down on the main stone bench, and naturally took over the reins.

"Who will tell us the mission?"

Zhao Kun stepped forward and said, "Three hundred miles directly ahead is the Wuchang Dynasty, with a population of sixty million. It is located in a remote area with barren spiritual veins, and has never produced a Core Formation cultivator in its history."

"A month ago, the Heavenly Mystery Hall discovered that the earth veins and spiritual veins of this dynasty were converging abnormally, with all spiritual energy gathering towards the capital."

The sect sent several Foundation Establishment cultivators to investigate, and they discovered that a large number of souls had been extracted from the mortals used by the dynasty, suspected to be the work of demonic cultivators. However, after these Foundation Establishment disciples conducted their in-depth investigation, they never returned.

"Ten days ago, the sect sent out two more Core Formation cultivators, but they were also trapped inside. However, they managed to send back some information at the last moment."

The valley fell silent for a moment.

Zhao Kun continued, "According to intelligence, this matter is very likely related to the sect's cultivator, True Person Jingyi."

Master Gu's eyebrows twitched.

"Jing Yi?"

Zhao Kun nodded and said, "After investigation, the sect discovered that Master Jingyi stayed here for a period of time eight years ago."

A year ago, Master Jingyi went on a journey and disappeared without a trace. The sect suspects that he is currently in the capital of the Wuchang Dynasty.

Master Gu did not speak immediately.

He knew Jing Yi; they were roughly from the same generation.

Jing Yi was also a prodigy back then, with his cultivation reaching the peak of the Core Formation stage. Although his combat strength was not as good as his, it was not far behind.

Although Zhao Kun didn't say it explicitly, he had seen everything in the sect over the years.

It was immediately clear—another one had gone mad in their quest to advance to the Nascent Soul stage.

They sacrificed an entire dynasty and sixty million ordinary people, all to pave their own path to Nascent Soul formation.

No wonder they urgently transferred him from the Demon Suppression City.

Jing Yi was already a veteran Core Formation cultivator, and with his demonic possession, his combat power had probably reached the threshold of Nascent Soul, putting him at the same level as Jing Yi.

Even he might not be able to secure a consistent victory.

No wonder they needed to gather five cultivators comparable to the peak of the Core Formation stage to make a move together.

The expressions of Chen Yuan Zhenren and Su Luo Zhenren, this Daoist couple, were somewhat complicated.

Although they are younger and their cultivation has already reached the late stage of Core Formation, it's unknown when they will be able to reach the threshold of Nascent Soul Formation, or perhaps they will never reach it.

But their future may not be much different from that of the former Master Jingyi, forever stuck at the peak of Core Formation and unable to advance any further.

Zhao Kun's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end; he had seen this kind of thing many times in the Enforcement Hall.

Although sects have various rules, they all become unreliable when a cultivator's lifespan is nearing its end.

Jing Yi is not the first, and he will not be the last to resort to any means to achieve Nascent Soul formation.

Cultivators from the outside world sometimes go to extremes in their pursuit of advancement.

The Hall of Enforcement exists specifically to handle these matters and send them on their way.

Master Gu asked, "What are the sect's requirements?"

Zhao Kun said, "First, take care of Master Jingyi."

"Second, check if there is any hope for the 60 million ordinary people of the Wuchang Dynasty."

He paused for a moment before saying, "If not, then clean up this dynasty."

Master Gu stood there with his eyes closed for a long time.

No one spoke much in the valley.

Although the Foundation Establishment cultivators were still busy, they all unconsciously softened their footsteps.

"I see."

Master Gu finally spoke.

The primary objective is to resolve the issue of Jing Yi himself.

As for the 60 million ordinary people, there is basically no chance of saving them.

This mission was discovered by the Heavenly Mystery Hall of the sect.

If those mortals could be saved, it wouldn't be these Core Formation cultivators who would come; the Nascent Soul cultivators of the sect would naturally step in.

The sect is mostly lenient; the lives of 60 million mortals are worth a trip for a Nascent Soul True Monarch.

But the fact that the Nascent Soul hasn't arrived means that there's absolutely no hope left.

The purpose of bringing these Core Formation cultivators here is specifically to clean up the mess.

This is the style of the Heavenly Secrets Hall.

Ruthless and efficient.

Never drag things out; solve problems at the lowest possible cost.

Master Gu began to assign tasks: "I will go directly to the capital. Before we officially take action, I need to find out what Jing Yi's current situation is."

"The four of you will travel throughout the dynasty to check if there is any hope for the mortals, and at the same time, investigate whether Jing Yi has left any contingency plans."

"Return here in three days to finalize the decision on how to deal with these mortals."