I subdue demons and monsters, and cultivate immortality in hell to become a saint.

In addition, Zhong Jiu casually moved his hand and secretly implanted the ninth-grade pure purple lotus into Zhong Yingmei's body without giving any further explanation.

Some treasures are best kept quietly and need not be publicized.

In the future, when Zhong Yingmei cultivates, not only will her speed increase dramatically, but she will also be able to completely prevent the growth of inner demons. Even if she encounters fatal danger, the Nine-Rank Lotus Platform will automatically protect its master and ensure her safety.

People say that when one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Zhong Yingmei is Zhong Jiu's only sister. How could he possibly wrong his own family?

These two treasures, which are useless to him, can be used to help Zhong Yingmei and give her the strength to stand in the Three Realms. For him, it is just a matter of lifting a finger, so why not?

"Thank you, brother."

A warm feeling welled up in Zhong Yingmei's eyes as she softly thanked him. Little did she know that she had unintentionally obtained two treasures that were being fiercely contested by powerful figures across the Three Realms.

If she knew that all those treasures that she had fought so hard to obtain were now in her possession, her worldview would probably completely collapse, and she would find it unbelievable.

Zhong Jiu's arrangement was intended to allow her to grow steadily and become stronger step by step without her knowing. When she was truly able to control these two treasures, she would naturally know everything.

At this moment, she simply thought that Zhong Jiu had given her a slightly better cultivation technique, and her heart was filled with warmth. She accepted it without being pretentious.

They are family and should support each other. If Zhong Jiu needs her, she will do her best without hesitation.

Just as Zhong Jiu was taking a half-day of leisure, staying in the courtyard to quietly help Zhong Yingmei familiarize herself with the cultivation techniques and solidify her strength, the news of the treasure hunt at Dragon Source Mountain spread like thunder throughout the entire cultivation world.

Every cultivator in the world knows about it, and for a time, it caused a great deal of discussion and shook all walks of life!

The underworld has been silent for three years, but when it finally speaks, it will be astonishing!

Of the demon emperor-level powerhouses, three died and one escaped, leaving them no chance to resist.

The four top sects were driven back by a bull-headed gatekeeper from the Underworld, and they didn't even have the courage to utter a single word of rebuttal!

Such prestige and profound heritage are unmatched in the world, making it truly the best in the world!

Just as the underworld's prestige was at its zenith, shaking the three realms, undercurrents were surging within Lingxiao Temple.

The leaders of various sects have secretly gathered here, their expressions solemn, as if they are discussing a momentous event that could shake the entire cultivation world!

Lingxiao Temple is located atop a towering mountain, with steep terrain and shrouded in mist year-round. It is also protected by layers of top-tier protective formations, making it as solid as a rock. Ordinary experts cannot even get close to the mountain gate.

The temple is vast in scale, with eighteen halls, more than fifty palaces, dozens of magnificent halls, and more than two thousand disciples' quarters. As Lingxiao Temple grows stronger, it recruits more and more disciples, and the disciples' quarters are constantly expanding, showing a prosperous scene.

At this moment, the main hall of Lingxiao Temple was filled with distinguished guests, and the atmosphere was solemn.

Representatives from seventeen top sects across the entire cultivation world came to the meeting.

Those who came were either sect leaders who held great power, or respected elders within the sect who wielded real authority; each was a powerful figure with an imposing presence.

Abbot Yuan Kong of Lingxiao Temple sat in the head seat, his expression calm. His gaze slowly swept over the crowd as he spoke, his tone polite yet imposing: "It is a great honor and honor for our humble temple to have you all graced with your presence today."

As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand gently, indicating that tea should be served.

Immediately, a dozen or so exquisitely beautiful and spirited young monks filed out, carrying the finest spiritual tea, and respectfully served it to the distinguished guests present.

However, the powerful figures from various sects did not come just to drink this spiritual tea. Some of them were impatient and disliked formalities, and they couldn't help but speak up, their tone showing some impatience, breaking the tranquility of the hall.

"Abbot Yuankong, what brings you here today after all this trouble? Please speak frankly; our time is precious, and we have no time for idle chatter!"

The one who spoke was none other than Jianming, the master of Cangjian Manor!

The entire Hidden Sword Manor is filled with a group of madmen obsessed with the way of the sword. They see nothing but flying swords, and Jianming is the madman among madmen. His obsession with the way of the sword has reached the point of going mad.

Before the spiritual energy recovered, he secluded himself in the deep mountains, devoted himself to practicing swordsmanship, and ignored worldly affairs, seeking only the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

After the spiritual energy was restored, he went out to seek opportunities and unexpectedly obtained two peerless flying swords, purple and green, in an ancient secret realm. These swords were incredibly powerful and could slay immortals and demons.

Already obsessed with swordsmanship, he became even more engrossed after acquiring these two flying swords. He spent all his time studying swordsmanship with the two swords, ignoring sect affairs and devoting all his time to sword practice.

He was already unwilling to be invited here by Abbot Yuankong today. If Abbot Yuankong hadn't said that he had something earth-shattering to discuss, he would rather return to his sect to cultivate swordsmanship in seclusion than set foot in Lingxiao Temple.

When Jianming spoke, although the others felt that his tone was too harsh and inappropriate, they all nodded in agreement.

One by one, they held their teacups, their eyes fixed intently on Master Yuankong, filled with curiosity and eagerness.

They also wanted to know what important matter Abbot Yuankong had that required gathering the experts from seventeen sects to discuss it.

Only the three powerful figures from the sects who had participated in the treasure hunt at Longyuan Mountain remained calm, as if they already knew the inside story. They sipped their tea slowly, observing the situation.

Everyone knew that Lingxiao Temple's large-scale mobilization, gathering experts from seventeen top sects, was no small matter and must be closely related to the treasure hunt at Longyuan Mountain and the Underworld!

When Abbot Yuankong saw that Jianming had spoken first, he immediately abandoned any thought of beating around the bush. He glanced at the other three sects, gave them a look, and then spoke directly.

"Fellow Daoists, you must have heard about what happened at Dragon Source Mountain a few days ago, right?"

Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked; how could they not know this!

On that day at Longyuan Mountain, Ox-Head carried a treasure lantern and spewed out ghostly fire. Three of the four demon kings were burned to death, leaving only the skeleton demon king who was so frightened that he fled in a panic!

As for sects like Lingxiao Temple and Xuanmiao Sect, they had already been driven away by Niu Tou before the incident even happened, and they didn't even have the right to join in the fun!

Who doesn't know this?

How dare that old bald monk Yuan Kong bring up such a disgraceful and embarrassing incident in public?

Immediately, a sect leader said in a deep voice, "This matter has caused quite a stir in the city, how could we not have heard about it? Abbot Yuankong specifically brought it up, could there be something fishy going on?"

"There's nothing fishy going on; the truth is as you all know!"

Yuan Kong's face was full of bitterness, and he sighed heavily, "A mere bull demon at the Demon King level, relying on a magic artifact from the City God of Star Sand City, forced us to flee at the mere sight of him; and the four Demon Emperors, ignorant of their own limitations, dared to oppose us, and you have all seen their fate!"

"The power of the Underworld is immense! After three years of silence, their latest move has shocked everyone! No one can fathom the Underworld's limits; perhaps they are already unfathomably powerful!"

Upon hearing this, all the sect leaders present fell silent, their expressions turning solemn.

"The underworld is truly terrifying, utterly unbelievable!"

Many people sighed softly, their tone full of apprehension.

After the spiritual energy recovered, the Underworld was quiet for a while. They thought that the Underworld was deliberately keeping a low profile and afraid of attracting attention. Now it seems that they have no need to hide their strength. If they are strong enough, why do they need to keep a low profile?

The power of the underworld constantly refreshes their understanding, leaving them terrified!

Although Jian Ming was devoted to the sword path, as the sect leader of the Sword Sect, he was not lacking in the ability to read people's expressions. He immediately said coldly, "Yuan Kong, speak plainly, don't beat around the bush!"

He knew immediately that Yuan Kong, that old bald monk, wasn't there to lament about the underworld at all; his true intentions were elsewhere!

"This humble monk is simply filled with worry."

Yuan Kong's face showed even more bitterness, and his tone became increasingly heavy.

"Legend has it that the Underworld governs reincarnation, and a single Book of Life and Death can determine the life and death of all living beings!"

"When one is born, when one dies, when one is reincarnated, and which realm one is reborn into—all are entirely controlled by the underworld; there is absolutely no room for human will!"

"In the past, I thought the underworld was just a folk legend. But look at the power of the City God of Xingsha City in Nanling Province today—it's become terrifying! If this continues, will the underworld become the kind of all-powerful entity that's said to control everything?"

Yuan Kong's final question struck everyone like a thunderclap, causing their expressions to change drastically!

Some people had been secretly pondering this matter for a long time, while others were facing this issue for the first time. In any case, everyone's expression was extremely grim at this moment.

All cultivators in the world who have cultivated for many years and acquired great power ultimately seek nothing more than absolute freedom!

This is why, despite the official efforts to win over cultivators, most of them turned away once they truly embarked on the path of cultivation and gained power.

Nobody wants to be controlled!

"If the underworld controlled something else, it wouldn't matter, but they control the life and death of all living beings in the world!"

Feng Xuanzi spoke at the opportune moment, his gaze sharp as a knife, sweeping over everyone present.

"May I ask you all, who is willing to hand over their life and death to someone else?"

The entire room fell silent; no one responded.

Nonsense, who would willingly entrust their life and death to someone else?