"The Five Major Sects..." Mo Xingjian muttered to himself.
Cao Zhengyang nodded and said, "As a Fourth-level Cultivation Country, the Holy Martial Dynasty has vast territories, encompassing Eight Prefectures and Seventy-Two Mansions. To put it bluntly, the matters of our Five Major Sects are just insignificant affairs on the eastern border of Lingyun Mansion, how could it possibly attract their attention?"
The Hundred Battle Peak Master Ling Yuexiao also stepped out and said, "Indeed, it’s even more unnecessary for a prince to travel a thousand miles just to send a trusted aide to warn us, and yet he was so cautious, not daring to speak clearly."
After hearing this, Mo Xingjian’s brows furrowed even deeper, then he turned his gaze to the hand in the second painting, lost in thought.
Cao Zhengyang said, "It seems you’ve thought of something too, we must handle this matter with caution."
Mo Xingjian sighed and then grumbled as he picked up the third blank paper.
"Are they intending to let us decide for ourselves?"
Now that Zhou Qing can openly utilize Sword Flight, on the way back, Yan Xiaohu asked curiously, "Old Fourth, your mind is sharper than mine now, what do you think the Seventh Prince means by this?"
Zhou Qing shook his head, he didn’t quite understand either.
"Perhaps he wants to tell us that the chaos among the Five Sects now is due to some royal intervention," Zhou Qing said.
Yan Xiaohu’s small eyes brightened suddenly, "Are you saying that there might be royal influence behind the Phecda Sect or Cangyan Daoist Palace?"
"It’s highly possible. Look at the first painting, doesn’t it resemble the everyday life of our Five Major Sects? Although there are occasional competitions and friction, overall it is rather peaceful."
"In the second painting, a hand appears, forcefully thrusting us out of calm waters."
Zhou Qing said after some contemplation.
Yan Xiaohu nodded repeatedly, finding the analysis quite reasonable.
"But the paintings are annoying, why not draw us as dragons instead of fish? Whenever I see fish now, I recall the times when Master didn’t save any for us after grilling fish, claiming we were slow. If this is the case, the third painting might as well depict a fishing rod, pulling us up to be grilled."
Yan Xiaohu said with a pouting expression.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing’s pupils suddenly contracted, he looked at Yan Xiaohu sharply, then fell into deep thought.
Upon hearing Zhou Qing and Yan Xiaohu had returned, Niu Guangmo and others eagerly came over, repeatedly congratulating Zhou Qing on his Nirvana rebirth.
Unfortunately, only three remained, the rest had gone out based on the latest intelligence.
The next day at noon, Yan Xiaohu arrived with a large number of Spirit Stones.
This time, when they went out with Master, they killed no fewer than eighteen Nascent Soul Realm cultivators from the Cangyan Daoist Palace, and the number of Golden Core and Foundation Establishment cultivators was even higher.
Upon return, they unified the gains to the third senior brother, who would exchange them at the Redemption Hall for points, and then convert the points into Spirit Stones.
"Killing and looting is indeed the fastest way to make money!" Yan Xiaohu exclaimed.
They obtained quite a few Spirit Stones from the dead Nascent Soul cultivators.
Zhou Qing petted the old hen, which he specifically got back this morning; if kept for longer, it would think it had a new owner.
However, the third senior brother looked at him with a resentful gaze.
"Old Fourth, now that you can openly display your cultivation, do you want to join me for a big deal?" Yan Xiaohu asked excitedly.
Zhou Qing asked suspiciously, "What?"
Yan Xiaohu immediately leaned closer with a manic look and said, "I have inside information that Song Yuan, one of the Five Champions of Cangyan Daoist Palace, led a team out recently. If we manage to kill him, we will definitely hit the jackpot."
"Song Yuan? What is his cultivation level?" Zhou Qing asked after some consideration.
To be honest, having followed Master and senior brothers out for over two months, participating in numerous battles of varying scales, he could clearly feel his improvement in combat power.
Killing is indeed the fastest way to improve one’s realm.
After the Nascent Soul Realm, every step of advancement feels like a vast chasm.
With his current talent, cultivation of the Heart Method "Yin Yang Skills", possession of several Top-Grade Spirit Stones, and practice under the moonlight enhancing his cultivation efficiency, he still hadn’t sensed the bottleneck of the mid-stage Nascent Soul Realm.
The path of cultivation, through Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, and Nascent Soul Formation can be relatively easy with the help of respective pills.
But for the Nascent Soul, Divinity Transformation, and Spirit Severing realms, each tiny step forward is extremely difficult, requiring immense effort beyond imagination.
He needed substantial combat, or he would be wasting the Four Flowers Gathering at the Crown.
In response to Zhou Qing’s inquiry, Yan Xiaohu replied, "Late-stage Nascent Soul, ranked fourth among the Five Champions."
Zhou Qing considered briefly and then nodded in agreement.
The last time he encountered the fifth-ranked Meng Xing in the Cyan Feather Immortal Sect, his combat power was extraordinary; fortunately, through a sneak attack, he managed to kill him and simultaneously rescue Senior Sister Yuan Ya.
His Storage Bag was filled with items.
Seeing Zhou Qing agree, Yan Xiaohu became thrilled.
"Alright, let’s prepare and set off tonight!" Yan Xiaohu said.
Zhou Qing, filled with curiosity, couldn’t help but ask, "Third senior brother, where do you get so much inside information from?"
Yan Xiaohu immediately chuckled and said, "Money makes the ghost jump the wall, you know!"
When Mo Xingjian learned about their plan to go out again, he did not hinder them but advised them to be extremely cautious.
In his view, true strong cultivators are forged through overcoming countless trials and not by cowardly hiding under others’ wings, relying on protection to survive.