Start from Wusheng

Chapter 1075 Making the Deal
From the latter half of the Northern Palace Master's sentence, Zhou You deduced an important piece of information: Zhou Nanwang still had a close connection with the Human Race Religion.

Moreover, Zhou Nanwang's relationship with the Human Race Cult was not a secret in the eyes of many.

Is it possible that the lord valued him highly because of this relationship?
Yes, the role of the cult of human race in this civil war is far more important than he expected, perhaps...

He composed himself and replied, "It is I, and it has nothing to do with the Grandmaster. I witnessed the power of your sect's secret seal when I was in Lihuo Prefecture, and I have always longed to learn from it."

"That's right. The profound meaning of our Buddhist religion is contained in a single seal, which holds countless mysteries."

The Northern Palace Master paused for a moment, then said, "Since Jiang Nie has a past with you, he must have informed you of the relevant matters."

"The Heavenly Palace Seal is only accessible to core members of our sect. Ordinary members, even if they don't have enough merit, cannot access it!"

Zhou You looked slightly disappointed. "Oh, I see!"

As expected, it wasn't as easy as he had imagined. Based on his observations, only those at the level of the Fifth Heavenly King were qualified to access the secret seal.

Zhu Ruoxuan was also lucky; he met Jiang Nie and was introduced to the sect by him.

How could he forget that? He still has Zhu Ruoxuan!
I heard the Northern Palace Master say, “After the Five Heavenly Kings win, we will personally lead them into the Heavenly Palace.”

"What kind of secret seal one can obtain depends entirely on chance. For example, Jiang Nie obtained the Wheel Fire Seal..."

"Lord Nanchen..."

Suddenly, Zhou You opened his eyes, looked at the other person and said, "A few days ago, the governor of the neighboring state mentioned to me the old story of the demon soldiers. He had an old friend who went astray and became a demon, but later escaped by transforming into a golden cicada!"

"Lord of the Northern Palace, his friend must be you, right?"

"Furthermore, Gan Shixiu, the Heavenly King of the Northern Palace, should be a descendant of the Martial Saint of Myriad Manifestations, as expected. His branch acts in secrecy, joining the Sacred God Sect with the secret seal of the Martial Saint of Myriad Manifestations, as if leaving a record!"

"Stop guessing, I'm not affiliated with the Human Race Cult, and they know nothing about these matters!"

Time seemed to stand still; the Northern Palace Master in his black robes was like an insect trapped in amber, frozen in place.

After a long silence, he gently tapped his head twice. "Lord Nanchen, your secrets seem to be more numerous than those of your adoptive father, Governor Lihuo!"

"You flatter me. My knowledge is not as extensive as that of the Buddhist sect, but I do have some understanding of it!"

The Northern Palace Master sighed, "Which branch of the Golden Immortal Path are you a descendant of? Hmm, none of the major families in this world could possibly have such a foundation. I imagine, which extinct family are you?"

The Northern Palace Master pondered for a moment, "I can't figure it out. The battle in Putuo Prefecture severely damaged the Golden Immortal Sect, so they are not worth worrying about!"

"Unexpectedly, this is what made you stand out."

The Northern Palace Master was convinced that Zhou You came from a certain 'extinct' Golden Immortal sect, which was why he knew so many hidden ancient secrets.

Zhou You did not refute. After Xiaoyaozi's pseudonym disappeared, he had to rely on himself to solve many problems.

Since the other party is willing to fill in the blanks, let them be; there's no need to spell things out too clearly.

"What a pity, your Golden Immortal Sect has been used!"

Zhou You broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, and blurted out instinctively, "No need to mention Chongyang Gong, everyone knows what's going on!"

The expression beneath the black robe showed even greater surprise, as if asking, 'How did you know I was talking about Duke Chongyang?'

There was also a problem with Chongyang Gong. Zhou You had long suspected this, and now that the Northern Palace Master was being so secretive, he was almost certain of the truth. The effect of revealing this information was obvious.

"Interesting. So you're also wary of Chongyang Gong!"

The Northern Palace Master nodded. "Since you are from the Golden Immortal Path, what do you need the secret seal for?" Secret seals and seal script are different systems!

The seal script comes from the inscriptions on the Nine Tripods, while the secret seal is the essence of martial arts driven by the physical body, and there is no possibility of mutual reference.

"I was just curious and wanted to know more about it. Since it's inconvenient, just pretend I didn't say anything!"

The Northern Palace Master didn't rule out the possibility entirely, saying, "There's still a chance. If Lord Nanchen is willing to join the sect, he can be placed under the name of my Northern Palace."

"We'll discuss this later!"

The Northern Short Palace Master remained silent for a long time before saying with a melancholy tone, "Back then, I was full of youthful vigor and believed that I was no less than anyone else. I declined the help of my friends and wanted to forge a path that would surpass the world on my own."

It turned out that he came from a commoner background, but by chance, he became close friends with the governor of the neighboring state, who came from a prominent family.
The governor of the neighboring state was able to cultivate to the Earthly Sect level and serve as the governor of one of the eight directly governed states. Whether it was his talent or his family's influence, he was at the top level in the world.

If you have a friend who is willing to help you, even if you come from a humble background, your future achievements will not be too low.

However, the Lord of the Northern Palace was proud and arrogant, and insisted on achieving his goals without relying on friends.

Later, he became the Lord of the Demon Soldiers, killed many people, and learned the secrets of the Demon Soldiers' Village, until...

"...I decided to escape the Demon Soldier Village and found an old friend. He was shocked to see that I had fallen into demonic possession, but he was still willing to help me. He even sought help from the Shakyamuni Sect to obtain the secret method of the Golden Cicada's Metamorphosis."

"It was under his protection, which spared no expense, that I had all my bones removed, my blood replaced, and my internal organs and flesh suppressed, undergoing a complete overhaul from the inside out, before I was finally able to break free from the control of the demonic soldiers!"

"However, after all this trouble, I've lost my original Grandmaster level, and my new physical body is as weak as a candle in its twilight years. I'm still in a pathetic state, barely clinging to life!"

The Northern Palace Master did not mention the reason for his 'sudden repentance' and defection, but only focused on his friendship with the governor of the neighboring state.

He then changed the subject, "I would like to ask Lord Nanchen for a favor."

"Well, since you know that Lord Nanchen has a powerful background, then in exchange, I will entrust this matter to you!"

Zhou You neither agreed nor disagreed, but nodded and said, "Please speak."

"This time, the battle between the feudal lords and the aristocratic families will surely result in a massive bloodbath. Even the Heavenly Sect, the Earthly Sect, the Prefectural Lord, and the Governor will find it difficult to remain uninvolved. I only ask that you, to the best of your ability, spare the life of my old friend!"

Is this a ploy to show leniency to the neighboring governor during his subsequent travels?

Zhou You was surprised that he would make such a request, and for a moment he didn't know what to say.

"...In exchange, I know that Lord Nanchen has a personal guard who recently joined the sect."

"I can take him to the Heavenly Palace. Whatever Lord Nanchen desires, just entrust it to him!"

make a deal!

Without hesitation, Zhou You finalized the deal with the Northern Palace Master.

Zhu Ruoxuan was immediately summoned and introduced to the Northern Palace Master, who exclaimed in amazement, "So she is a member of Zhenbei Ge's clan. She has an extraordinary background and should be a member of our sect!"

Zhu Ruoxuan agreed to Zhou You's arrangement without hesitation.

The Northern Palace Master took his leave, taking Zhu Ruoxuan with him. They wouldn't see each other for a while.

After this incident, the main force continued its journey and successfully left Maijingzhou, reaching the edge of Dijing.

The news gathered along the way painted a picture of the capital city, which had almost become a living hell. The aristocratic families of the left and right mansions were destroyed, like candles on a lampstand being extinguished one after another by a sudden gust of wind.

(End of this chapter)