Immortal Dao is dead, I am the mastermind behind it all.

Even though I had been using the Turtle Breathing Technique and Concealment Technique in both directions to hide my Azure Sun Magic Power very well, why was I still discovered?

"We're all family, so there's no need to be so polite." Xu Mingxuan waved his hand, releasing his grip on the sword.

It seems the other party doesn't know He Liang.

Shen Moyan stared at the other person's hand, his gaze lingering on the sword for a long time before finally looking away.

"By the way, Senior Brother Xu, I didn't carry the sect's token this time and acted in secret. How did you find out my identity?" Shen Moyan asked with a puzzled look.

Xu Mingxuan's expression froze for a moment, then relaxed: "Junior brother, you may not know this, but I have the bloodline of the Witch Clan and I am skilled in divination."

"That's why the sect sent me to Sangkong City. Only when the city is completely isolated from the outside world can my divination skills be useful for infiltration and allow me to adapt to changing circumstances."

"I will divine whether someone in the future will be able to provide the next line after 'As the first ascent of the mountains and seas, I inquire about the vastness.' If so, they will surely be a fellow disciple of my Sword Sect."

"You know the situation outside. Within the Holy Court's influence range, if you utter my sect's full name, those people will catch you. This is right here in the nearest Kongsang County, Yousheng."

"So that's how it is, the bloodline of the Witch Clan, Senior Brother Xu, you really are incredibly powerful..." Shen Moyan's eyes narrowed slightly.

No wonder when they searched the souls of mortals in Dongshan City, they couldn't find any memories related to the Biyang Sword Sect, only the term "Upper Sect" as a conceptual substitute. It turns out the Holy Court was behind it all.

"By the way, may I ask what brings you out of this world, Junior Brother?"

"If the mission is difficult, as your senior brother, I can help you as needed," Xu Mingxuan said with a smile that clearly showed ill intent.

"No need," Shen Moyan politely declined. "My task can only be completed personally after I infiltrate the academy." He couldn't reveal that he needed to gather the materials for the Heavenly Demon Ritual.

And don't have too much contact with Xu Mingxuan. Otherwise, you might give yourself away in some subtle ways.

However, Shen Moyan's lips curled up slightly:

"But you, senior brother, came to find me in such a hurry as soon as I entered the city. Did you encounter some trouble?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Mingxuan raised an eyebrow: "As expected of my junior brother, he is exceptionally intelligent."

"Indeed, my mission has encountered trouble, and it is extremely difficult for me to solve it alone."

The rain continued, and the two stood facing each other on a pillar in the pavilion.

"Please tell me in detail, senior brother," the two whispered to each other.

"The Prefect of Kongsang is a True Lord of the Gui Cang Realm. Under his watchful eye, we are restricted in every way."

"Therefore, I plan to bring in a True Lord to draw my attention."

"Who?"

"True Lord of the Wild Goose Formation, Zheng Quan," Xu Mingxuan said in a low voice, enunciating each word clearly.

Shen Moyan almost spat out a mouthful of blood, but thankfully he managed to hold it in.

Alright, it's an acquaintance, the one who guided Shen Moyan on his path to cultivation.

"The True Lord of the Wild Goose Formation once took in ten disciples in the Ten Thousand Mountains. Each disciple was a hero among men, and they all established cities on the edge of Langya Prefecture through various means."

"As you probably know, those cities are nothing more than nurseries for easy harvesting and for accumulating resources."

"But a year ago, one of his disciples in Dongshan City died under mysterious circumstances. The cause and effect were complicated, involving the demon race, the Holy Court, and even the Sword Sect."

"A patrol inspector was brutally murdered, and his body was hung at the city gate, which enraged Langya Prefecture. The news even reached the ears of the governor."

Xu Mingxuan's tone was solemn.

Shen Moyan seemed to be deep in thought.

It seems that Ni Gaoyuan's "Heavenly Demon Transformation Technique" is quite something, as it can conceal so many causes and effects.

The Holy Court's patrol inspector was murdered and his body hung on the city gate. This is not something a citizen of the Holy Court would do; it's clearly the work of unruly people from a poor, remote area! It's a slap in the face to the Holy Court!

So regardless of whether Dongshan City is on the edge of the demon race's territory or not, the Holy Court, for the sake of its reputation and under pressure from public opinion, has to investigate thoroughly.

As for Yan Zhenjun, who was the master of the city lord of Dongshan City, he was naturally also involved.

"Is Lord Yanzhen a member of the Holy Court?"

"He used to be, but as his eight thousand years of life were approaching, and with many trivial matters to attend to in the Holy Court's Strategy Hall, he resigned from his post and went into seclusion to break through to a higher level."

In a flash of inspiration, Shen Moyan thought about many things.

So that's how it is. No wonder the grand formation in Dongshan City draws on the life force of all living beings; it seems to be the work of that Wild Goose Formation True Lord. If one cannot break through it, one can absorb the life force of all living beings to prolong one's own life.

The True Lord of the Wild Goose Formation came to Langya Prefecture, and then came the prefect of Kongsang County...

Wait, there's a problem.

"Dongshan City is so remote, how did the news of the inspector's tragic death spread throughout Langya Prefecture?" Shen Moyan asked, puzzled.

It took him a year just to fly to Kongsang County on his sword. Langya Prefecture is sparsely populated, so the transmission of information should be limited.

Seeing Shen Moyan's puzzled expression, Xu Mingxuan explained:

"It's normal for a junior brother to be unaware of the current situation in the sect, as he is new to the sect."

"The death of a corrupt official in the Holy Court has become common knowledge throughout the prefecture, all because of the existence of the Nine Songs Network."

"Nine Songs Network? That Nine Songs Wenchang Immortal Lord?" Shen Moyan realized.

The underlying logic of this world was set by the celestial beings.

"That's right. Every cultivator who joins the Holy Court has a soul lamp left in the local prefecture or county. In addition to the soul lamp, a Nine Songs Seal will also be placed on the back of the cultivator's hand."

"This Nine Songs Seal connects all the Holy Court cultivators of the Three Thousand Provinces of the Mountains and Seas. If you ascend to the height of the Great Sun and look down upon the world with your divine sense, you will see the Nine Songs Network composed of hundreds of millions of cultivators."

At this point, Xu Mingxuan extended the back of his hand to show a totem drawn on it, in which was a spiral of nine black birds, three of which were emitting a faint golden light.

"This is the Nine Songs Seal. As long as you join the Holy Court and then probe your divine sense into it, you can communicate and connect with others across the ends of the earth and open forums for exchange."

"If a cultivator dies, the remaining energy in the Nine Songs Seal can project the images of the last quarter of an hour before death and the last three days after death onto the Soul Lamp."

"I don't know which monk in the Holy Court posted the image of the dog inspector after his death on the forum of Jiuge.com, and added fuel to the fire, causing a huge uproar. The Holy Court officially banned the speech, and they couldn't control it even if they wanted to."

Holy Court monks died in the line of duty, their bodies hung at the city gate, subjected to the pointing fingers, accusations, and curses of mortals. How could these Holy Court monks, who were merely bystanders, bear such treatment?

As Xu Mingxuan recounted his story, Shen Moyan's gaze grew increasingly cold.

It seems that from now on, anyone who offends the Holy Court will have to be prepared and weigh their options before killing them.

No wonder individual sects can't develop; with the Nine Songs Seal in place, this Holy Court has monopolized the path for all demonic cultivators in the world to kill and plunder.

Anyone who opposes the Holy Court will be hunted down to the ends of the earth unless they have an immortal lineage backing them up.

"Senior Brother Xu, how did you get into the Holy Court? You didn't get in through an exam, did you?" Shen Moyan recalled what Jiang Zhi Qiu had said back then.

"Alas, when your senior brother was first born, he was constrained by his status and dared not show off too much, so he took the path of city and county examinations."

"But after I joined the organization, I found that as long as you have the Transcendental Cultivation level, you can enter the Holy Court. The three-stage process in the past is not important at all. It's all just for show," Xu Mingxuan said earnestly, as if he had taken a long detour.

"Junior Brother He, your disguise skills are truly impressive. If I didn't use divination, I wouldn't have been able to tell that your face was disguised. Perhaps even some rudimentary illusions are not as good as your skills."

"You're quite young. In my forty years as an undercover agent, you're the most talented cultivator I've ever seen. It's truly a blessing for the Sword Sect to have you." Xu Mingxuan looked Shen Moyan up and down and nodded with great satisfaction.

"My task is simple: you only need to do one thing for me, take up a post in the city for a month. Afterwards, I will reward you handsomely."

With the help of Shen Moyan, a young genius skilled in disguise, Xu Mingxuan's plan was foolproof.

Shen Moyan simply agreed, and then confirmed again:

"Can one enter the Holy Court simply by reaching the Transcendent Realm? Is the exam really just a formality?"

"Of course, would I, your senior brother, lie to you? Besides, I'm vouching for you. What's wrong?"

Xu Mingxuan saw Shen Moyan's determined expression, his eyes filled with a desire for improvement:

"Senior brother, I want to bring my talent to the Holy Court."

"For the smooth progress of our 'mission,' please give me your guidance, senior brother."