Chapter 111: Change

As Wu Ming and the other reincarnators were astonished,

deep within the Black Mountain Range, a swirl of black mist surged, and several figures emerged.

The leader was clad in a Taoist robe, his features faintly resembling those of Zheng Qian. Upon seeing this, he muttered to himself, “The ‘Black Mountain Order’ has indeed been activated, automatically placing us under the command of Lord Heishan. Regrettably, we haven’t been given much priority and were merely assigned guard duties. Otherwise, if we could offer counsel, we would surely ensure that all righteous sects and other reincarnators meet their doom with no place to rest!”

A talisman immediately ignited before him.

The young Taoist priest pinched his fingers together, and a look of regret crossed his face: “What a pity… Brother Qian’s three ethereal souls and seven corporeal spirits have completely lost their connection. Otherwise, I could summon him and make inquiries, which would provide clues to track down the real culprit!”

A hint of frost flashed in his gaze: “Whether he fell to a scheming villain or another reincarnator, I will surely repay this blood debt in full!”

“Hmph! Zheng Jun, our Blood Oath Alliance has invested heavily to obtain a ‘Black Mountain Order,’ and it certainly wasn’t just for you to seek revenge!”

Beside him, a tall and powerful man wearing a horned helmet, standing nearly eight chi tall, exuding an aura of killing intent and with a stern expression, coldly snorted, “Even though you are one of our alliance’s elders, you cannot waste resources like this…”

“I understand the importance of the greater mission, naturally!”

Zheng Jun glanced at the gorgeous woman who had just spoken and the others beside him: “Three elders have come, so it seems this time we’ve truly invested heavily!”

“Hehe, younger sister Xue Linglong greets the two of you!”

The seductive woman giggled: “Younger sister has always been indecisive and will follow the two elder brothers’ lead this time!”

“Our task is quite simple. According to the intelligence of this world, Lord Heishan has already seized the momentum. Assisting him to succeed would be as easy as turning our hands over!”

The horned giant directly stated.

“Hehe, Old Lin, has your brain gotten waterlogged? When has the Temple of the Sovereign ever given us an easy task to complete?”

Zheng Jun chuckled coldly.

“What did you say?”

The horned giant angrily roared, and even a phantom of a monstrous beast appeared behind him, radiating a fearsome aura that shook the surroundings, causing the others behind to retreat in alarm, their faces filled with terror.

“Brother Zheng’s words were a bit harsh, Brother Feng, please don’t get angry!”

Xue Linglong quickly stepped in to mediate, knowing that although this man was somewhat simple-minded, he had encountered a rare opportunity within the Temple of the Sovereign, obtaining the blood essence of an ox demon, which had a noble lineage, even tracing back to a mythical beast with Qilin bloodline!

Precisely because of this, Feng Lin was valued by the Blood Oath Alliance, continuously promoted, and now held the position of elder.

“Xue Linglong, don’t think I’ll fall for your soul-calming techniques…”

Zheng Jun coldly snorted: “Your reputation as the ‘Nine-Tailed Blood Fox’ in your youth was even more renowned than Feng Lin’s…”

“Hehe… Brother Zheng, where are you getting that from?”

Xue Linglong’s expression slightly changed, but she showed no sign of anger or embarrassment: “Younger sister merely doesn’t want to see our leader’s grand plan compromised. After all, you and Brother Feng are our most crucial combat forces!”

“Leader? Hmph!”

At the mention of this, Zheng Jun’s expression also slightly changed: “Isn’t it just a godhood? If carefully planned, there’s no guarantee we can’t seize it!”

“A mere godhood, how could it possibly catch our leader’s attention?”

Xue Linglong’s face bore a trace of reverence, clearly showing her genuine admiration for the leader of the Blood Oath Alliance: “What our leader mentioned was something else of great significance!”

“Something of great significance? Why haven’t I heard of it?”

Feng Lin reined in his aura and suddenly asked.

“That’s naturally because even our leader isn’t certain about it…”

Xue Linglong’s face briefly showed embarrassment before turning solemn again: “Moreover, it was only after the ‘Immortal of a Single Character’ intervened that our leader confirmed this world hides a tremendous opportunity!”

At the mention of the ‘Immortal of a Single Character,’ Zheng Jun, who had previously been somewhat indignant, immediately fell silent, clearly indicating this person was highly renowned and his words carried great weight.

“Since it’s the ‘Immortal of a Single Character,’ whose words are worth a thousand pieces of gold, I have no objections…”

Zheng Jun said, his face darkening.

Such an important mission was entrusted to Xue Linglong by the leader, yet he wasn’t informed. Did this signify some distrust?

“Actually… the leader only briefly mentioned it to younger sister. As for whether it can be achieved or even where the opportunity lies, it’s all uncertain. It will depend entirely on our own fortune and destiny…”

Xue Linglong was an extremely perceptive woman. Seeing Zheng Jun’s expression, she immediately gave a bitter smile and slightly edged closer to Feng Lin: “Younger sister is not adept at intrigue and will rely entirely on the two elder brothers for such matters!”

“Don’t worry, little sister! Old Feng will personally ensure your safety!”

Seeing the delicate and pitiable expression on the beauty’s face, Feng Lin immediately thumped his chest, making a guarantee, which caused Zheng Jun to secretly sneer inwardly, regarding him as a dead man already, and thus did not bother with him.

“We have the duty of guarding the mountains. Exactly where are we responsible?”

“Of course, the Yellow Wind Cave. Although that Yellow-Furred Demon ranks among the Eighteen Mountain and River Lords, its power is second to last. Oh! No! According to the information obtained from the small demons, since the Black Wind General failed in his unauthorized attempt to refine the divine decree and perished, this Yellow-Furred Demon has become the weakest among Lord Heishan’s generals!”

Xue Linglong giggled: “Precisely because of this, the node it guards is also the most inconspicuous one with the weakest defenses, so we were assigned there!”

“In that case!”

Zheng Jun took out several copper coins and cast a divination, his expression changing: “Huh?”

“How is it?” Xue Linglong asked anxiously, while Feng Lin beside her cursed: “Superstitious nonsense!”

“My method of divination naturally cannot compare to the ‘Immortal of a Single Character,’ but it is quite effective. If you don’t believe me, just don’t listen…”

Zheng Jun’s eyes slightly narrowed.

“Hehe… Elder Brother Zheng’s innate divination is also well-known even within the Temple of the Sovereign. Why not tell younger sister the result?”

Xue Linglong asked with a smile.

“This omen is extremely auspicious. If my estimation is correct, we are not only going to gain something, but we might even encounter the Reincarnators from the other side!”

Zheng Jun’s eyes narrowed.

In his heart, there was another sentence he didn’t add.

“And furthermore, this journey subtly hides a hidden opportunity. Could it indicate that I might find clues to the murderer of my younger brother?”

…

“The Blood Oath Alliance?”

On the main road, horses galloped swiftly. Wu Ming saw Xu Ziquan and the others’ expressions constantly changing, and his heart was also somewhat startled.

Unable to restrain himself, he spurred his horse forward to ride alongside Gong Yunshang: “I’ve crossed paths with this Blood Oath Alliance a few times before. Their methods are quite overbearing and tyrannical, and they aggressively recruit new members at every opportunity. Do you know anything about them?”

“Indeed…”

Gong Yunshang lightly nodded: “The conduct of this organization has indeed become increasingly dissatisfying…”

“Oh! From your words, it seems you know more?”

Beside her, Xu Ziquan, upon hearing this, also drew closer, his eyes flashing as he asked.

“To speak of the Blood Oath Alliance, I indeed know a little…”

Gong Yunshang gave a faint smile: “And since we are in the same boat now, I will share all I know, consider it as throwing out a brick to attract jade…”

She paused briefly, as if in thought, before continuing: “The Blood Oath Alliance was established quite early, back when many Reincarnators had just entered the Temple of the Sovereign and were suffering heavy casualties. At that time, their leader was a man of exceptional capability and resolve. He gathered several like-minded individuals, forming an alliance based on the principles of mutual aid and self-preservation. They also made a solemn vow that if any member perished, the others would take care of their family in the Zhou dynasty. As a result, the alliance grew rapidly…”

“However, as time passed, it inevitably became mixed, with both good and bad elements…”

“At present, the Blood Oath Alliance operates under an elder system, with one leader and eight elders holding the highest power and military strength. They even possess the real information of members, wielding the greatest authority.”

“Controlling families? Indeed, a great method to manipulate people’s hearts…”

Wu Ming sighed softly, knowing that if he opposed the Blood Oath Alliance, he would most likely have to be wary of assassins and the like.

With families in others’ hands, unless one is cold-hearted and unfeeling, one must obediently be driven, ready to face any danger without hesitation.

This is the power of a system.

And now, standing on the opposing side, Wu Ming felt quite pressured.

“Actually… I don’t think we need to worry too much, because even if the Blood Oath Alliance intervenes forcefully, they can probably only send one elder at most!”

Gong Yunshang thought for a moment and said.

“Have you seen such an intervention method before?”

Wu Ming’s eyes immediately narrowed as he curiously asked.

“Just heard a little…”

Gong Yunshang said: “However, this kind of mid-intervention is extremely resource-consuming. Even the entire Blood Oath Alliance working together might find it difficult to support sending one elder…”

“An elder? What kind of strength does that imply?”

This question was very important, and Li Suihan beside her also interjected.

“It’s probably at least equivalent to the battle power of a Taoist priest rank. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to suppress others. It’s even possible they might hold the position of a high-ranking immortal…”

Wu Ming slowly thought.

“As for the battle strength classification of the Temple of the Sovereign’s Reincarnators, we aren’t too clear either. We only know that those selected as elders are all outstanding among the Reincarnators, each possessing their own unique skills…”

Gong Yunshang indeed said so.

“Outstanding among reincarnators?”

Li Suihan slightly sneered: “When the time comes for battle, I would like to test the strength of these so-called ‘elders’…”

“Why are you sighing, Brother Xu?”

On the contrary, Xu Ziquan looked at Li Suihan as if he were a fool. Seeing Wu Ming sigh slightly, he immediately asked.

“Nothing, I just suddenly had a premonition!”

Wu Ming looked at the undulating mountains ahead and the mountain path entrance that seemed to swallow everything: “I’m afraid we really will encounter members of the Blood Oath Alliance on this journey!”

A cultivator’s premonition was indeed quite accurate, and Gong Yunshang’s expression immediately changed.

“We can’t ride horses anymore from here. Dismount and enter the mountains!”

Wu Ming shook his head.

The group immediately dismounted and walked to the mountain path entrance.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Thin mist swirled, carrying a cold and sinister taste, causing their hearts to tighten.