Chapter 708 216: Someone from the Salvation Society Arrives (Part 2)

After being rebuked by the Drunken Daoist, the Vice Dean tried to say something more.

But the Drunken Daoist simply pointed a finger at him from across the room.

A bolt of lightning, like a small serpent, bored into the Vice Dean's body.

The Vice Dean's entire body began to char, and in moments, he collapsed to the ground as a corpse.

The Drunken Daoist waved his hand.

Three heads then flew up and landed in his hand.

'That should do it. He must have received his orders from above. I'll go back and see what's happened.'

With this thought, the Drunken Daoist said no more. Carrying the three heads, he flew toward the Observatory in Lingyun Dao.

「...」

With his power, even a great distance could be covered in a very short time.

When the Drunken Daoist descended from the sky into the courtyard of the Lingyun Dao's Observatory Temple, the Observatory members within merely glanced at him before casually resuming their work.

The Drunken Daoist paid them no mind and headed toward the five-story building.

The Drunken Daoist stopped just as he reached the small, five-story building.

He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly. 'A powerful expert has arrived. It seems the Great Zhou Country has come up with a plan.'

He put the thought aside. Carrying the three heads, he ascended the stairs to the fifth floor.

In a room on the fifth floor, Shen Bai was having tea with a white-haired Daoist.

The moment the Drunken Daoist stepped into the room, he caught the attention of the two men.

The old Daoist saw him and cupped his hands in a formal Daoist salute. "This junior, Yang Yuan, greets his senior."

The Drunken Daoist glanced at the Yang Yuan Daoist and shook his head. "Your power is comparable to mine. There is no need to call me senior. 'Fellow Daoist' will suffice. In my presence, age is no measure of respect."

The Yang Yuan Daoist nodded. "Fellow Daoist, please, have a seat."

The Drunken Daoist placed the three heads on Shen Bai's desk. "These three were the leaders of the Three Great Demonic Forces in Lingyun Dao. I have slain them. At most, only ten percent of their followers escaped."

"With your authority as Daoist Si, rounding them up should be child's play."

Shen Bai looked at the three heads and smiled. "Senior, you are truly a man of your word, and your methods are remarkable."

The Drunken Daoist didn't reply. He found a chair, sat down, and fixed his gaze on the Yang Yuan Daoist.

The Yang Yuan Daoist, a smile on his face, met the Drunken Daoist's gaze without flinching.

"I have long heard of your legendary exploits during the Era of Ten Thousand Cities, fellow Daoist. Seeing you in person, I can say you truly live up to your reputation."

The Drunken Daoist chuckled. "Fellow Daoist, if you enjoy exchanging pleasantries, then you'll find I'm not the right person for it. During the Era of Ten Thousand Cities, I shattered the Orthodox Daoist Sect. I'd find it strange if you didn't hate me."

The Yang Yuan Daoist shook his head. "Many years have passed. The Orthodox Daoist Sect of old has long since faded away. By the time its traditions were passed down to our generation, the sentiments of the past were gone. Why would there be any hatred?"

"Lord Shen told me that you have let go of your past obsessions, fellow Daoist. If that is so, then there is no conflict between us at all."

The Drunken Daoist considered this for a moment, then nodded. "True enough. Time erodes all things. Even the hardest stone in the world cannot resist its grind."

"That being the case, can you give me what I asked for?"

The Yang Yuan Daoist nodded. "After Lord Shen explained the situation, we searched through the night for any relevant information. Fortunately, our efforts were not in vain. We managed to find the materials you require, fellow Daoist. Please, see for yourself."

With that, the Yang Yuan Daoist handed an envelope to the Drunken Daoist.

The Drunken Daoist took the envelope and began to inspect its contents carefully.

A moment later, his expression grew incredibly grim.

"The Desolate Forbidden Land... Why would my Jade Pendant have ended up in the Desolate Forbidden Land?"

The Drunken Daoist asked, his brow furrowed.

The Yang Yuan Daoist spoke slowly. "According to our records, on the day you faked your death, fellow Daoist, you cast out your Jade Pendant. Countless members of the Orthodox Daoist Sect scrambled for it, sparking a fierce conflict. They may have disliked your path, but they coveted your possessions. Amid the struggle, one of them managed to seize the Jade Pendant."

"However, that person was already gravely wounded. Pursued from all sides, he fled with the Jade Pendant into the Desolate Forbidden Land."

"He was never seen again."

The Drunken Daoist fell into a contemplative silence, as if the Desolate Forbidden Land were a place of unimaginable terror.

Shen Bai glanced from one to the other and asked, "Daoists, what exactly is this Desolate Forbidden Land?"

This Yang Yuan Daoist had been sent by his superiors; he was, in fact, the foremost figure among the Daoist Sects of the Great Zhou Country.

Among the innumerable Daoist temples, the Celestial Heart Daoist Temple, where the Yang Yuan Daoist resided, was situated in Xuanjing City.

The Yang Yuan Daoist was on the same level as someone like Eunuch Chen—perhaps slightly weaker, but not by much.

'So,' Shen Bai thought, 'there must be a deeper reason why the higher-ups sent the Yang Yuan Daoist here.'

Now that the Desolate Forbidden Land had come up, his interest was genuinely piqued.

The Yang Yuan Daoist turned to him. "Lord Shen, you may not be aware, but the Desolate Forbidden Land is one of this world's Forbidden Lands."

"The Four Great Countries are vast, but beyond their borders exist many Forbidden Lands, large and small. Ten of these are considered the most dangerous, and the Desolate Forbidden Land is one of them."

"It is said that anyone who enters is constantly assaulted by the Power of Desolation. Those who are not strong enough are eroded by the land itself until they are reduced to nothing but dust."

"Even experts at our level would face immense pressure within the Desolate Land."

"Furthermore, many powerful entities lie hidden within the Desolate Land."

"Powerful entities?"

Shen Bai mused, "Human, or something else... aberrations?"

The Yang Yuan Daoist shook his head. "Neither human nor aberration. To be honest, even I do not know what they truly are."