Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

There are still about ten years until Master Gu's oath expires. If he were not bound by this oath, he would have been qualified to break through to the Nascent Soul stage a hundred years ago.

Lin Zhao watched Master Gu's departing figure with deep respect in his heart.

Among cultivators, there are indeed those like Jing Yi, who, in order to break through to the next level, are willing to sacrifice the lives of 60 million mortals and regard all living beings as ants.

There are also guardians like Master Gu, who are willing to suppress demons for five hundred years, using their own strength to resist the chaos of the demonic path and protect all living beings.

Admittedly, Master Gu's actions were also driven by personal motives; guarding the Immortal City was his path to Nascent Soul cultivation.

But judge by actions, not intentions.

Judging by actions alone, Master Gu has truly guarded this place for five hundred years, and his sense of responsibility is truly admirable.

The group returned to the valley, leaving a few Foundation Establishment disciples to guard the place, while the rest used a temporary teleportation array to return to their sect.

After returning to the sect, everyone dispersed. Lin Zhao followed Zhao Kun and changed direction, flying westward to handle the follow-up matters of the black jade discs that collected the remnants of souls and phantoms.

During the journey, Zhao Kun, who is usually not very talkative, became unusually talkative, explaining in detail the internal structure of the Enforcement Hall, its daily powers and responsibilities, and the advantages and disadvantages of each party.

After listening for a while, Lin Zhao suddenly realized what was going on—the other party was intentionally trying to recruit him and pull him into the Enforcement Hall.

In general, the normal advancement path for disciples of a sect is to complete several tasks during the Foundation Establishment training.

By joining the Five Halls and Seven Palaces and accumulating resources and merits through sect missions, one's cultivation gradually rises to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage.

Then, strive for a ranking in the sect's grand competition, acquire the resources for Core Formation, successfully form a Core, and finally become the head of a Core Formation area.

This is the path taken by most Core Formation cultivators in sects.

Master Qianqiu followed this path back then, joining the Enforcement Hall and rising through the ranks to become the deputy head of the Enforcement Hall. He obtained resources through sect missions and improved his cultivation to the late stage of Core Formation.

But Lin Zhao left too quickly.

He didn't enter the Five Palaces and Seven Halls during the Foundation Establishment stage, but his strength increased dramatically during his trip to the secret realm, allowing him to directly form the Core Formation. After forming the Core Formation, his combat power was close to the peak of the Core Formation stage.

He had never even been to the Enforcement Hall, let alone gained any experience.

Zhao Kun was clearly well-prepared this time.

He got straight to the point: "If Junior Brother Lin is willing to join the Enforcement Hall, he can directly become the Deputy Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall."

He lowered his voice and said, "Here's another piece of inside information—the sect leader is about to abdicate."

If Junior Brother Lin joins, the position of hall master in the future is not impossible; he'll at least be guaranteed a fourth-tier spiritual item.

Lin Zhao didn't respond to that question, but instead asked, "Who is the hall master?"

Zhao Kun felt a moment of regret, but didn't press the matter, replying, "The hall master's surname is Chen, and his title is True Man Zhantian."

The Heaven-Slaying Immortal.

Lin Zhao thought to himself, "This name is no ordinary name."

"The Hall Master's strongest technique is the Seven Star Heaven-Slaying Blade, a great divine power. I heard that his natal magic weapon has advanced to the fourth-tier Nascent Soul magic weapon, which is even stronger than Master Gu."

With over a thousand Core Formation cultivators in the sect, they could conservatively rank in the top five, and possibly even the top three.

As for who is number one, there's no definitive answer. The sects have such deep foundations that no one dares to claim they are the strongest.

Lin Zhao nodded after listening.

It is indeed powerful.

He himself possessed a fourth-tier magic weapon and was well aware of what a fourth-tier magic weapon meant.

Moreover, the item that Zhan Tian Zhenren possessed was his natal magic weapon, which was even more powerful than an ordinary fourth-tier magic weapon.

No wonder he can hold his position as the head of the Law Enforcement Hall, and no wonder he dares to use this title.

After flying westward for half a day, a dark mountain peak appeared ahead.

It was over a thousand feet tall, completely black, and its peaks were shrouded in countless black evil energies.

The mountain is shrouded in dark clouds all year round, and no vegetation grows for dozens of miles around the peaks.

Zhao Kun led Lin Zhao on a detour from hundreds of miles away.

Lin Zhao didn't ask why.

The aura emanating from the mountain made his back tense, as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on him.

At this moment, wisps of black evil energy drifted out from the mountain, coalescing to form a phantom human figure.

The figure was barely recognizable as an old man—thin, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes.

Two dark red lights shone from the pupils.

Divine consciousness takes form.

Nascent Soul True Lord.

Lin Zhao's expression remained unchanged, but her hands clenched slightly.

He had also met many Nascent Soul True Monarchs—Qingyuan True Monarch, Feixue True Monarch, Tianfeng True Monarch—but none of them harbored any ill will towards him.

The one in front of me is different.

Judging from the dark aura and the aura emanating from the other party, they are not the kind of person who is easy to talk to.

Zhao Kun secretly groaned.

Wasn't this person imprisoned on Black Fiend Peak and in a deep sleep for years? Why did they wake up today?

He cursed inwardly, but put on a respectful expression, stopped, and bowed.

"Zhao Kun of the Enforcement Hall greets True Lord Tiandu."

Lin Zhao also bowed.

The black phantom ignored Zhao Kun's polite words.

His dark red gaze swept over the two of them before he asked a question.

"What's been happening in the sect lately?"

Zhao Kun picked out a few well-known facts to mention.

The dark, ethereal figure listened without showing any expression.

After Zhao Kun finished speaking, he asked, "What task did you just do?"

Zhao Kun hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.

During the Wuchang Dynasty, the True Man Jingyi fell into demonic possession and used the souls of 60 million mortals to attempt to form a Nascent Soul, ultimately transforming into a demonic tree.

They cleaned up the mess.

After listening, the black phantom remained silent for a while.

I don't know what she's thinking.

Then he waved his hand, signaling the two to leave.

The black shadow dispersed, and the phantom returned to the mountain.

Zhao Kun lowered his head and took a few steps back, then turned and flew away.

After flying a thousand miles, Zhao Kun slowed down and let out a long breath, as if he had unloaded a heavy burden.

"Who is this person?" Lin Zhao asked.

"True Lord of Heavenly Capital".

Zhao Kun's voice was very low, "Peak of the mid-stage Nascent Soul realm, with strength comparable to the late-stage Nascent Soul realm. He committed a serious crime in his early years and was imprisoned by the sect on Black Fiend Peak for over a thousand years."

Heaven.

Lin Zhao's expression shifted slightly.

This name is very familiar.

The place where he was born, the Yunxia Mountains, was once ruled by a force called the Tiandu Yuling Sect.

Later, the Tiandu Yuling Sect was destroyed by the sect, and Tiandu Mountain came under the control of the Wuyai lineage.

Is there any connection between these two things?

The names Tiandu Zhenjun and Tiandu Yulingzong are probably not a coincidence.

Lin Zhao secretly memorized the name and didn't ask any further questions.

After they left, the phantom of the Heavenly Capital True Lord re-formed on Black Fiend Peak.

But then another red phantom appeared beside him, its voice sounding much younger than that of the Heavenly Capital True Lord.

The illusory figure smiled and said, "It's rare to see Senior Brother Tiandu so magnanimous. The junior behind him is from the Wuya lineage."

The illusory figure of the Heavenly Capital True Lord turned his head, his dark red gaze turning colder.

"Xuan Yang, the grudges and grievances between me and the Wuyai lineage are none of your business."

Moreover, that old ghost Wuyai doesn't have much life left, and his disciples are all good-for-nothings.

I heard that the Wuyai lineage is about to be expelled from the sect, so why would I need to get involved?