Mortal: Starting with the Seven Mysterious Sects, I proved my Dao through sacrifice.

The smoke of battle had not yet dissipated at Jingu Plain. Although the seven factions of Yue Kingdom had won by sheer luck, the entire battlefield was still shrouded in an eerie silence.

After looting the spoils, Murong Fan quietly retreated to a secluded cave. As soon as he sat down, he felt a burning sensation between his eyebrows.

Having lost fifty years of good fortune, he was truly more unlucky than before. This dignified immortal cultivator actually stepped in dog poop when he went out in the morning, and bird droppings fell on him when he was walking in the afternoon.

"As expected, there's no such thing as a free lunch." Murong Fan's expression darkened slightly as he focused his thoughts on the sea of ​​consciousness.

Above the once silent Altar of All Things, a golden lotus seed, no bigger than a fingernail, now floated. Sanskrit characters flowed across the seed, emanating an aura of majesty that sent shivers down his very soul. At the same time, a divine thought, transformed into a figure of light, sat cross-legged above the altar—it was Ku Chan of the Great Jin Thunder Sound Sect.

Murong Fan respectfully cupped his hands and said, "Junior Murong Fan thanks Senior for saving my life. May I ask what you mean by 'cause and effect'?"

Ku Chan slowly opened his eyes, his gaze like two tangible golden beams, seemingly able to pierce through Murong Fan's every thought: "What this humble monk sensed that day was not your own divine sense, but the extraordinary treasure in your hand that can communicate with other realms. This treasure has a deep connection with our Buddhist sect. That 'Ancient Buddha Relic' remains within your body, firstly as a restriction against your broken promise, and secondly... when your cultivation improves in the future, if you can bring it back to the Great Jin Thunder Sound Sect and return it to the sect's ancestral hall, this humble monk will guarantee you an immense fortune."

As soon as he finished speaking, the 'Ancient Buddha Relic' that was floating on the altar suddenly transformed into a stream of light and instantly entered Murong Fan's brow!

"ah--!"

Murong Fan grunted, feeling an extremely domineering Buddhist power instantly seal his dantian and sea of ​​consciousness. This power did not harm his life, but it was like a mountain, suppressing his altar and preventing him from using his interdimensional telepathic abilities for a short period of time.

"Young friend, take care of yourself. Don't even think about finding someone else to forcibly erase it. The 'Ancient Buddha Relic' is connected to the energy of my Thunder Sound Sect. If you have any evil intentions, even if this humble monk is thousands of miles away, I will never let you off easily."

The Buddha's light gradually dissipated, leaving only a profound statement: "The Yue Kingdom is such a tiny place; it's a waste of your opportunities. If you want to save your life, you must cultivate diligently. You should set foot on the land of the Great Jin as soon as possible..."

Inside the cave, Murong Fan's expression was uncertain. He tried to circulate his cultivation technique and found that although the "Ancient Buddha Relic" had temporarily suppressed the altar, it had also unexpectedly made his consciousness exceptionally clear, and even his cultivation speed had subtly increased.

"What a Thunderclap Sect! What a bitter Zen!" A cold glint flashed in Murong Fan's eyes. "This isn't repaying a debt of gratitude; they're clearly using me as a pawn they've planted in the human realm, or even a 'human bomb' that could be detonated at any moment!"

Murong Fan knew in his heart that he had been thoroughly targeted by this powerful Buddhist cultivator from the Great Jin Dynasty. The so-called "returning the ancestral hall in exchange for good fortune" might just be a lure. Once he stepped into the Great Jin Dynasty, what awaited him was probably not good fortune, but also imprisonment and soul-searching by the Thunder Sound Sect, completely draining all the secrets about the "interdimensional treasure" from his body. Murong Fan prepared for the worst.

"Whatever!" Murong Fan thought for a moment. "Since you want to play, then I'll play along. You keep saying 'Amitabha, Buddha is merciful' at your door, but I doubt you'll do anything to me." Murong Fan stroked the invisible 'Ancient Buddha Relic' between his brows, a cold smile playing on his lips. He would not only not resist this power, but would also use the amplification of divine sense brought by this "Ancient Buddha Relic" to stir up even greater waves in the stagnant waters of Yue Kingdom.

"Ancestor Linghu, the remnants of the six demonic sects... and countless opportunities in this Yue Kingdom, now, they all belong to me."

Just as Murong Fan was preparing to emerge from seclusion to reap the rewards of this great battle, a series of urgent communication talismans suddenly pierced the air outside his cave. It was an emergency summons from Yellow Maple Valley!

"Could it be that the Six Sects of the Demonic Path still have some backup plan?" Murong Fan frowned, and with a flash, he transformed into a streak of azure light and soared into the sky.

However, when he arrived at the main hall where the seven sects were holding their temporary meeting, he found that the atmosphere was not as tense as he had expected. On the contrary, Linghu Patriarch and a group of Nascent Soul cultivators were sitting together, looking at something placed in the center of the hall, their expressions extremely complicated.

It was a broken, ancient black mirror. Although the surface was covered with cracks, it still emitted a chilling spatial fluctuation.

"Nephew Murong, you've come at the perfect time." Ancestor Linghu's eyes flashed with a strange light as he saw Murong Fan, and he said in a deep voice, "This is a priceless treasure we found in the Demonic Alliance's camp. According to the prisoners, this is actually the 'array plate' of an ancient one-way teleportation array leading to the Great Jin Dynasty! And judging from the residual spiritual light, it seems... it was just activated!"

Murong Fan didn't care whether the ancient mirror was activated or not, but was thinking: "This old monster Linghu is really just like what Ancestor Yunlu said, unworthy of his position! He's just an opportunistic old man. When I first entered Huangfeng Valley, he was high and mighty and ignored me, restricting and testing me. Now he calls me 'Junior Nephew' all the time, which sounds disgusting."

"It was just activated? Could it be that, besides Master Ku Chan, other forces in the Great Jin Dynasty also noticed the commotion here through this mirror?" Murong Fan subconsciously pressed his brow, and the dormant 'Ancient Buddha Relic' was slightly warm, emitting a faint resonance, clearly echoing the Great Jin Dynasty teleportation array.

Murong Fan was secretly alarmed. Just moments ago, Ku Chan had urged him to go to the Great Jin as soon as possible, and now they had found the newly activated teleportation array. This was too much of a coincidence.

"Ancestor Linghu, elders, this array plate has just been activated. Doesn't that mean someone has already been teleported to the Great Jin from here?" an elder beside him asked, his expression full of solemnity.

Linghu Patriarch gently stroked the cracks on the mirror's surface and said in a deep voice, "That's right. The six sects of the Demonic Path have been operating in Jin Gu Plain for many years, and they may have secretly activated this teleportation array long ago. It's possible that over the years, some demonic cultivators have also colluded with the demonic cultivators of the Great Jin through this array. This time, after their defeat, it's likely that someone took the lead and used this teleportation array to escape to the Great Jin, and even sent back news from our Yue Kingdom."

The hall fell into a deathly silence. Everyone knew that the overall cultivation level of the cultivators of the Great Jin Dynasty was far superior to that of the Yue Kingdom. If the major demonic sects of the Great Jin Dynasty were to learn of this unclaimed land in the Yue Kingdom, then the cultivators of the Yue Kingdom would truly be in grave danger.

Murong Fan remained silent for a moment before asking, "Ancestor, what should we do with this array plate now?"

Linghu Patriarch looked up at him with a deep gaze and slowly said, "Master Ku Chan's karma, the secrets of the teleportation array, Nephew Murong, you have already formed a karmic bond with the Buddhist sect of the Great Jin Dynasty. I'm afraid you will have to make the first trip."

Murong Fan's heart skipped a beat. He was about to decline when he saw that all the Nascent Soul elders in the hall were looking at him. Their eyes held a mixture of expectation, calculation, and a hint of schadenfreude. After all, sending this young man, who had just made a great contribution and was now entangled with the Buddhist sect of the Great Jin, to scout ahead would not be a loss to the seven sects even if something went wrong. If they could find out about the situation in the Great Jin, then they would have gained something.

Murong Fan instantly understood the key point, his inward sneer deepening, but his face remained impassive. He merely bowed slightly and said, "What does Ancestor mean? This junior is merely a Core Formation cultivator. How dare I shoulder such a crucial matter concerning the survival of the entire Yue Kingdom? What virtue or ability do I possess?"

Linghu Patriarch waved his hand, his tone earnest yet carrying an undeniable air of authority: "Nephew, there's no need for such modesty. In the Battle of Jingu Plain, if it weren't for your heroic efforts, our seven sects would have been wiped out long ago. Now, this teleportation array has a long-standing connection with you, which means you are the chosen one. No one is more suitable than you for this trip to the Great Jin. Moreover, the seven sects will not let you risk your life for nothing. Huangfeng Valley is willing to offer three thousand-year-old spiritual materials as a reward for this trip."

As soon as he finished speaking, the elder of Qingxu Sect also spoke up, "Our Qingxu Sect will also offer a Nascent Soul Pill to help you stabilize your cultivation." Seeing this, the other sects also offered their own benefits, and in a short while, they piled up a bunch of enviable resources for Murong Fan.

Murong Fan understood perfectly. This was not an invitation for him to go on a trip, nor was it an invitation for me to go on a trip. It was clearly the seven sects offering these benefits to force him to accept this assignment.

Murong Fan touched his ear to hide his joy, then stroked the slightly warm 'Ancient Buddha Relic' between his brows. He suddenly smiled and said, "Since you seniors trust me, I will accept this task. However, this teleportation array is one-way, and I'm afraid I won't be able to return for a while. I ask you seniors to help look after Yan Yunshan and his daughter Yan Ruyan at Yan Family Fortress. Now that Yan Ruyan has taken over the Ghost Spirit Sect, I have told her that she must not commit any more killings. I hope you can tolerate her lineage and live in harmony with each other."

Upon seeing his agreement, Patriarch Linghu smiled and quickly rose to help him up, saying, "Nephew, rest assured. Your residence in Huangfeng Valley is your duty. As for the Yan family father and daughter, they have rendered outstanding service in this battle and have reformed. The seven sects will naturally coexist harmoniously with them. There's no time to lose. The teleportation array's light can only last for three months. Nephew Murong, you should prepare early. We can set off in three days!"

Murong Fan nodded in agreement, his gaze once again falling on the broken black ancient mirror. His taut profile was reflected in the mirror, a faint golden light flashing briefly between his brows. He knew in his heart that fortune and misfortune were intertwined. This trip to the Great Jin, though forced upon him, was also a new opportunity. Ku Chan had said that the small Yue Kingdom was useless to him, so he would go to the Great Jin to see just how vast this so-called Great Way of the World truly was.