Chapter 826: Hurry Up and Bring the Real Zheng Zhaoling to Me!

Chapter 826: Chapter 826: Hurry Up and Bring the Real Zheng Zhaoling to Me!

Northern Julu Continent, Fanggu Town.

Black Crow Bishop Zhao Xuan walked through the bustling streets, his gaze sweeping over the temples wreathed in ceaseless smoke, their colors bright and vivid. His expression was grave.

Rumors held that Runan himself had appeared in Southern Zhanbu Continent, with Great Thunder Temple’s Buddhist cultivators slaying demons.

The Evil Spirit Sect could incite evil cultivators, but it couldn’t match Great Thunder Temple. Naturally, the so-called "Nation Refining" couldn’t target Southern Zhanbu Continent.

Western Niu Continent was the same by that logic—it was the Buddhist heartland. Getting in might be possible, but getting out might not.

Eastern Divine Continent had been swept clean by Xiaoyun Hall and was still under heavy crackdown. Evil cultivators were fleeing outward; none dared venture in.

So the only answer left was Northern Julu Continent.

Moreover, Northern Julu Continent had a natural advantage over other regions: the people here worshiped shape-shifted mountain spirits as gods.

Those mountain spirits, who devoured and twisted wish-power to cultivate into something resembling divinity, were laughably weak. Easy to assimilate and bring to heel, and even easier to replace.

Mortals could never truly discern what sat upon the high altar.

All it took was a story, a shift in sentiment, a few miracles, a few chances at effortless gain.

A lie that no one would ever expose.

The preparations for Nation Refining could potentially be completed in silence.

Northern Julu Continent’s conditions were too perfect. There was no reason not to choose it.

Zhao Xuan was currently scouting Southern Zhanbu Continent for a kingdom to target—a sufficiently small one, ideally also sufficiently isolated.

The matter was simple enough to handle, but putting his mind at ease about it was another thing entirely.

What Xu Si had revealed was far from sufficient for Zhao Xuan. Blood qi alone still wasn’t enough.

After all, even a villain could side with the righteous and betray the wicked.

Zhao Xuan’s footsteps paused. He glanced back and saw the Evil Spirit Sect’s Vice Bishop, codenamed Eling, approaching from the street.

From a great distance to his side, yet it seemed like only a small step or two had been taken.

Eling wore a black cloak, a pair of thin, dry hands emerging from beneath. A calm, gentle voice drifted from within:

"I’ve verified it. Everything checks out. The identity and the events are all genuine."

Zhao Xuan breathed a small sigh of relief. He knew the Vice Bishop wasn’t human, and he understood the intelligence capabilities of the organization behind this Vice Bishop.

The Evil Spirit Sect’s internal records showed no problems, and the Vice Bishop’s background had turned up clean. At the very least, he could believe thirty percent.

Zhao Xuan nodded. An old woman carrying red sandalwood incense passed close by. He glanced sideways at her, then said offhandedly:

"If a nation’s blood qi could be condensed, it might solve your long-standing blood qi problem."

"Naturally." Eling nodded in agreement.

Zhao Xuan turned his head again, his tone curious:

"In that case, you want this to happen too?"

Eling’s cloak lifted slightly, revealing a smooth chin beneath:

"Of course. The higher-ups have given their full support. Our task is simply to see it through."

Hearing this, Zhao Xuan believed fifty percent. If there was support, that meant there was profit to be had. He sighed again softly:

"A pity that this great fruit will be plucked by someone else first. If he doesn’t get the result, I doubt he’ll hand over the secret technique."

Eling chuckled at these words:

"After all these years, you still love probing for information. All I can say is I don’t know. I don’t know what the higher-ups plan to do either."

"All I can say is that if the secret technique exists and we obtain it, you’ll naturally get your share. We simply won’t go out of our way to help you."

"After all these years of cooperation, isn’t it because we’re willing to share the profits?"

"The Evil Spirit Sect is vast. There’s no need to fracture over profits that can be replicated."

Zhao Xuan’s belief ticked up to roughly sixty percent. He adopted an expression of righteous indignation:

"That’s putting it a bit coldly. I’ve never thought that way."

Before Eling could respond, Zhao Xuan smoothly changed the subject:

"While you were investigating, I’ve already drawn up a plan. Northern Julu Continent really is a perfect place. The winds of faith blow strong—it’s ideal for us to slip in among them."

Eling halted at these words and turned to look back at the temples in the distance, where dust and incense rose together. His tone was cautious:

"Don’t underestimate Northern Julu Continent. If it were that easy, this place would already be crawling with evil cultivators."

"Those mountain spirits cloak themselves in divine robes, huddle together for warmth, and for a thousand years have formed an iron bloc. Their unwritten rules are greater than heaven."

"Otherwise, the shrine tradition wouldn’t have persisted in Northern Julu Continent for a millennium."

"Getting a foothold temporarily is normal. But if you truly want to control a nation, you’ll face those mountain spirits who’ll stop at nothing. They have their rules, their interests. They won’t cooperate with us for a short-term gain."

"We outsiders are easily squeezed out—and then remembered for a thousand years."

"When that time comes, getting back in will be next to impossible."

Zhao Xuan also stopped walking, his gaze turning toward the temples shrouded in rising dust.

Northern Julu Continent. Yunmeng Marsh.

Cui Hao halted, lifting his gaze to the signboard hanging high above. His tone carried a note of emotion:

"Times really do change. I never imagined I’d have the chance to come back. Along the way, we’ve seen those thriving villages—and seen that what we did all those years truly mattered."

Zheng Zhaoling stood at his side. Hearing this, she snorted with a derisive laugh:

"You’d better enjoy saying things like that while you can. Once we’re inside, you’d best keep your mouth shut and stop bringing up the past. Yunze wanted to set you on fire back then."

Cui Hao’s expression turned defiant: "The hell she does. Doesn’t she know who my master is?"

Zheng Zhaoling stepped forward, her tone teasing:

"Dare you say that to Yunze’s face?"

Cui Hao quickened his pace, his voice confident:

"The hell. With Lord Zhaoling watching my back, why would I fear some Yunze God?"

Zheng Zhaoling gave him a look of distaste, then got down to business:

"Now, are you going to tell me why your master sent you to Northern Julu Continent first?"

"You want the honest truth?"

"Are you looking for a beating?"

"The honest truth is I don’t know either. I’m following Master’s orders to the letter. But wasn’t there word that Yun Li was cultivating out this way? Could it be that Yun Li tore apart Yunmeng Marsh and Master can’t afford the reparations, so he’s dragging you—a core disciple backed by Yunmeng Pavilion—along to cover the bill?"

"Don’t worry. If that’s really what happened, I won’t be paying. You can stay behind as collateral for Yunze."

"The hell. We’ve been working together for so long—is there no sentiment at all?"

"Of course not. Right now I particularly resent you. I’d love to paint some natural rouge on your face."

"Why do I feel like that’s just a polite way of saying you want to slap me?"

"As expected of Cui Hao—quick on the uptake. I’ll give you the choice of left cheek or right."

"You weren’t like this before! Hurry up and bring the real Zheng Zhaoling to me!"

Zheng Zhaoling didn’t break stride, only letting out a cold humph.

The current her *was* the real Zheng Zhaoling.