Chapter 1022: Royal Secrets

After weighing the pros and cons, Meng Zhang was ultimately persuaded by Shou Zheng and decided to take the daring risk of venturing deep into the Netherworld, following Ouyang Huajin's Primordial Spirit to the vicinity of the Gu Qi Mountain Range.

Of course, despite making his decision, Meng Zhang couldn't act recklessly. He needed to make various preparations beforehand.

When Meng Zhang initially gathered intelligence about the Dali Dynasty in the Heavenly Palace, he had acquired some rather incomplete information.

Not only was the Dali Dynasty a formidable force ranked beneath the Holy Land Sect in the mortal realm, capable of contending with the Purple Yang Holy Sect, but it also possessed substantial power in the Netherworld.

With a lengthy history, the Dali Dynasty, although not as ancient as those Holy Land Sects, had persisted as an earthly imperial dynasty in the Grand Dust World for thousands of years.

Undoubtedly, the core of the Dali Dynasty was its royal members.

Thousands of years ago, the Dali Dynasty had already begun laying its groundwork in the Netherworld.

Within the royal family, numerous Primordial Spirit True Monarchs had proactively embarked on the path of the Ghost Deity. They established substantial foundations within the Netherworld.

Nowadays, the Dali Dynasty was undoubtedly a dominant power in the Netherworld, boasting strength that even the Holy Land Sects were wary of.

For an ordinary Primordial Spirit True Monarch who lost their physical body due to various accidents, reconstructing their body was an exceedingly difficult task.

Rebuilding one's body required precious heavenly materials, a harmony between the attributes of the Primordial Spirit and these heavenly materials, and specific arcane methods...

When the Jiuqu League was still in existence, Changchun True Monarch of the Changchun Outlook had managed to reconstruct his body using a Fourth Rank Divine Wood after losing his physical form. It could be considered an incredible stroke of luck.

In the real world of the Cultivation World, most Primordial Spirit True Monarchs who lost their bodies found it challenging to rebuild them.

Even for the few who succeeded in reconstructing their bodies, they often left behind numerous lingering problems that plagued them for many years.

Hence, it was understandable that Sword Prince Ouyang Jian's attempt to assist Ouyang Huajin in reconstructing his body had failed.

Reconstructing one's body was a matter of timing, opportunity, and human endeavor, and each of these aspects was indispensable.

Unfortunately, even if one made extensive preparations and paid great prices, bad luck could lead to failure.

Given that most Primordial Spirit True Monarchs couldn't reconstruct their bodies, they were compelled to embark on the path of the Ghost Deity.

However, the path of the Ghost Deity was still exceptionally perilous and could confound numerous Primordial Spirit True Monarchs.

Once their physical bodies were lost, and only the Primordial Spirit remained, their strength would be greatly diminished.

After transforming into a Ghost Deity upon entering the Netherworld, their power would drop by at least a significant realm.

The Netherworld was no paradise; it was a world where the strong preyed on the weak and only the fittest survived.

In the Grand Dust World, there was a certain level of order.

Within the Cultivation World, there were many rules and regulations.

However, in the Netherworld, chaos reigned supreme, and perilous battles were nearly ubiquitous.

For Primordial Spirit True Monarchs who had lost their strength and were out of their element in the Netherworld, their predicament could be well imagined.

Many powerful cultivation forces in the Grand Dust World had attempted to expand their influence and develop in the Netherworld.

However, due to the Netherworld's unique environment and excessive dangers, these cultivation forces had essentially failed. This included entities even stronger than the Dali Dynasty.

Yet, whether the Dali Dynasty had benefited from luck or made exceptional arrangements remained unknown.

Starting thousands of years ago, the ancestors of the Dali Dynasty had established themselves in the Netherworld and gradually thrived.

Nowadays, the Dali Dynasty had solid foundations in the Netherworld, capable of sheltering Primordial Spirit True Monarchs who entered the realm.

Over the course of thousands of years, countless Primordial Spirit True Monarchs who had lost their physical bodies had sought refuge under the Dali Dynasty's banner, all with the hope of smoothly embarking on the path of the Ghost Deity in the Netherworld.

This accumulation of strength had transformed the Dali Dynasty into a massive force and its primary reliance in countering the Purple Yang Holy Sect.Although separated by yin and yang, it might seem that they couldn't interfere with each other.

However, the power that the Dali Dynasty held in the Netherworld was always capable of posing a threat to the Purple Yang Holy Sect.

For many years, the Purple Yang Holy Sect had spared no effort in suppressing the Dali Dynasty but had refrained from directly attacking.

There were numerous reasons for this, with the most significant being that the Dali Dynasty's strength was too formidable. Even if the Purple Yang Holy Sect were to take direct action, there was no guarantee they could annihilate the Dali Dynasty.

It was precisely due to the Dali Dynasty's means of self-preservation that the two sides found themselves in a prolonged standoff.

The reason Ouyang Jian had to swallow his pride and plead with Ba Wudi to allow Ouyang Huajin's Primordial Spirit to enter the Netherworld through the royal pathway was to seek the royal family's protection for Ouyang Huajin's Primordial Spirit. This was intended to aid him on the path to becoming a Ghost Deity.

If any other Primordial Spirit True Monarch wished to seek refuge under the Dali Dynasty, it would come at a substantial cost.

The most common arrangement was that after becoming a Ghost Deity, they would serve the Dali Dynasty for one or two thousand years, for instance.

Since Meng Zhang's physical body was intact for now, he had no need for such an arrangement.

Due to the importance of the Dali Dynasty's foothold in the Netherworld, which could be considered the foundation of their realm's influence, they placed utmost protection on everything related to their presence in the Netherworld.

Apart from those Primordial Spirit cultivators who had lost their bodies and were compelled to seek refuge with the Dali Dynasty, it was extremely difficult for other Primordial Spirit cultivators to enter the Netherworld through the Dali Dynasty's special passage.

Even grand sects like the Sea Spirit Sect had to pay a tremendous price to obtain Ba Wudi's permission.

For Meng Zhang to enter the Netherworld through that special passage was not an easy task.

Directly requesting Ba Wudi's permission was likely to be unsuccessful.

The disparity in their identities was significant. If Ba Wudi didn't summon him, Meng Zhang wouldn't even have the qualification to meet him.

After pondering for a long time, Meng Zhang decided to first explore solutions within the Sea Spirit Sect.

He once again humbled himself to visit Lu Tianshu.

After some casual conversation, Meng Zhang broached the topic cautiously.

However, before he could finish speaking, Lu Tianshu flatly rejected the idea.

Perhaps he was concerned that Meng Zhang had some ulterior motives, so he quickly offered an explanation.

Given the significant stakes involved in the Sea Spirit Sect's expedition to the Netherworld, any mishap was absolutely unacceptable.

They had already paid a massive price to seek assistance from the Dali Dynasty.

At this point, they wouldn't allow any variables to emerge.

Meng Zhang had anticipated Lu Tianshu's response and swiftly changed the topic. He refrained from pressing the matter further to avoid damaging their harmonious relationship.

After leaving the residence of the Sea Spirit Sect's cultivators, Meng Zhang contemplated for a long time.

Ultimately, he realized that solving this issue solely based on his own abilities was quite challenging.

Consequently, he sought out Feng Baoshan, who was responsible for the daily affairs of the Five Punishments Guard.

He repeatedly emphasized to Feng Baoshan that he had urgent matters that required immediate communication with his superior, Han Yao. He urged Feng Baoshan to find a way to promptly establish contact with Han Yao.

Even though Meng Zhang was not within the Taiyi Sect, separated by great distances and mountains, there were emergency communication methods through which the higher-ups of the sect could contact him when necessary.

By extension, Meng Zhang speculated that Feng Baoshan likely had a way to contact Han Yao in urgent situations.

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