It was Elder Yao!
Jiang Jichen was puzzled. 'Why would Elder Yao come out to the city gates to greet me personally?'
'Clearly, things aren't that simple.'
After so many years, Elder Yao had stepped into the Supreme Realm. His aura was unfathomable, his presence as majestic as the heavens.
"Huh? Elder Yao, I heard you fought against the Celestial Corpse Ancestor. How did you escape unscathed?"
"I was told you and the Ancestor both suffered grievous injuries."
Jiang Jichen asked.
Elder Yao chuckled slyly. "As a Supreme Realm Pharmacist, even if I get hurt, I can recover with ease."
"However, I have you to thank for that, kid. Thanks to the half leaf of White Turtle Longevity Grass you lent me, my Life Energy is far more potent than that of other Supreme Realm Cultivators. That's why I recover faster than anyone."
As Jiang Jichen stepped onto the Holy Dao, his memories gradually returned.
In addition to Artifact Refining, some of his knowledge of Alchemy had also returned. He naturally understood how terrifying Enlightened Alchemists could be.
Using one's body as the elixir, refining the Dao for eternal life!
Setting aside their combat prowess, their Life Energy was simply astonishing. They wouldn't die easily.
"Alright, this is no place to talk. Follow me!"
As Elder Yao spoke, he scattered a Secret Light over Jiang Jichen and his companions. In an instant, they all vanished.
When they reappeared, they were in a strange, mystical space.
This was an Alchemy Room. The decor was pure Elder Yao—the space wasn't large, with just enough room for a few people.
That's why Jiang Jichen had already sent the Heaven-Gazing Crocodile, Xing'Er, Qing Ling, and the old butler into the Magical Artifact Space of his Poison-Devouring Pearl.
Now, only four people remained in the tiny Alchemy Room: Jiang Jichen, Qingya, Zuo Feng, and Elder Yao.
Any more people wouldn't have fit, to say nothing of a behemoth like the Heaven-Gazing Crocodile.
"This is a Holy Dao Void! Impressive, Elder Yao. Very few Holy Dao experts, even those who have reached the Supreme Realm, can manifest a Holy Dao Void. Yet you managed to do it."
Jiang Jichen remarked with admiration.
Admittedly, this Holy Dao Void was very small.
But it was a personal void nonetheless. No matter where you were—even in a Forbidden Land where Storage Bags and Magical Artifact Spaces are sealed—a void you created yourself could still be opened.
As long as you're in a place with a void, there are no restrictions.
This was a technique that only those at a realm beyond Supreme could hope to master.
However, some geniuses in the Holy Dao's Supreme Realm could also manifest one.
Of course, the voids they manifested were small and unstable, so you couldn't stay inside for long.
Still, simply being able to manifest one at all was incredibly impressive.
Successfully creating a Holy Dao Void could serve as a life-saving trump card in battle.
In a life-or-death moment, you could jump into the Holy Dao Void to temporarily escape danger.
Hearing Jiang Jichen's praise, Elder Yao smiled smugly but feigned modesty. "Ah, it's just a tiny space, nothing special. Once I break through the Supreme Realm and enter the one beyond it, I'll create a true Void Realm. Then I'll be able to move my entire Medicine Valley inside."
Jiang Jichen naturally picked up on the boastful tone in Elder Yao's words and couldn't resist deflating his ego. "A Void Realm? You're getting ahead of yourself. Even for those in the realm beyond Supreme, the spaces they create are merely Dead Object Spaces. They can't naturally generate Spiritual Qi or give birth to the Ten Thousand Spirits Rule. That's not a true Void Realm."
"A true Void Realm should be like the universe itself, where all of the Ten Thousand Spirits can exist and its laws are eternal!"
This was the first time even Qingya and Zuo Feng had heard such a thing.
Zuo Feng was filled with awe and longing. "Master, does that mean owning a true Void Realm is like owning an entire realm? You would be the Lord of One Realm, able to house all of the Ten Thousand Spirits and control the very changes and growth of everything inside?"
"The legends say so, but no one has ever witnessed such a thing. The most powerful one ever known was only the size of a city, coexisting with the void, immortal for hundreds of millions of years!"
Jiang Jichen said.
'Because in my previous life, I entered just such a Ten Thousand Spirits Void Realm!'
"These things are still too far off, so let's not dwell on them. You brought me here in secret, Elder Yao. You must have something to tell me."
At that, Jiang Jichen looked at Elder Yao, getting straight to the point.
Elder Yao replied, "You're right. Everyone in the city now knows that you killed the Three Great Bandit Kings and are heading to Yunshui City. But before that, you also killed a Celestial God Avatar, a Transcender, and members of the Law Enforcement Association. Now you're a Heaven's Rebel and the Law Enforcement Association's most-wanted fugitive. Because of that, no faction in Yunshui City dares to take you in!"
"But that's not the worst of it. The worst part is, to curry favor with the Law Enforcement Association, I'm afraid the major powers will band together to move against you."
"Furthermore, the Law Enforcement Association has already made a public declaration: if Yunshui City dares to shelter you, they will abandon it. When the Celestial Corpse Ancestor attacks again, they won't lift a finger to help and will simply let Yunshui City be annihilated."
Jiang Jichen listened quietly to Elder Yao, his expression unchanging.
'In truth, he had already anticipated all of this.'
'The only reason I came here was to investigate the power behind the Celestial Corpse Sect.'
"The Law Enforcement Association is despicable! To curry favor with the Heavenly Dao Realm, they put a warrant out for Master's arrest and resorted to such vile tactics."
Zuo Feng, young and hot-blooded, couldn't contain his anger.
Jiang Jichen said, "Zuo Feng, there's no need to be angry. Remember, even the Law Enforcement Association is just a pack of bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. All of this is happening simply because your master—me—isn't yet powerful enough to crush them."
"One day, when my power awes the Nine Heavens and I can flatten the Law Enforcement Association with a single stomp, will they still dare to utter a single word?"
After schooling Zuo Feng, Jiang Jichen turned back to Elder Yao. "So, are you here to persuade me not to enter Yunshui City, Elder Yao?"
"Yunshui City? Go if you want to. There's nothing to be afraid of. As long as I, Elder Yao, am here, who gives a damn about the Law Enforcement Association? But I want to hear what you're planning to do!"
Elder Yao declared with peerless arrogance.
He was making it perfectly clear he was on Jiang Jichen's side.
Jiang Jichen pondered for a moment. "I also want to destroy the Celestial Corpse Sect. And you mentioned before that there's someone backing them. Who is it?"
Elder Yao said, "It's a very mysterious group called the Human-Devouring Organization. Their headquarters doesn't seem to be on the Southern Continent, and they've been around for a very long time."
"I learned from an Ancient Book at the Heavenly Sword Academy that the Longevity Sect—the most mysterious sect above the Ninth Heaven of the Heavenly Dao Realm—wishes to unify the Six Paths Realm. To that end, they sent Transcenders to the other Five Realms to establish five organizations: Human-Devouring, Dark-Swallowing, Spirit-Extinguishing, Beast-Slaying, and Cultivator-Slaying!"
"And the one here, in the Human Realm, is the Human-Devouring Organization!"
Hearing Elder Yao's words, Jiang Jichen's mind reeled. It took him a long time to compose himself.
"The Human-Devouring Organization… a subordinate of the Longevity Sect. So that's how it is!"
Jiang Jichen muttered softly.
Then he suddenly looked up. "I won't enter Yunshui City for now. But I've heard the Land of Chaotic Bandits isn't far from here. Elder Yao, would you accompany me to pacify that place? It's time I carved out my own territory and established my own power base in the Human Realm."