Wang Siyu was rather wary, and could not help asking, “Jiang He, housing outside the city are not worth a single penny now. Why would you buy them?”

“They are useful.”

Jiang He answered mysteriously.

After saying goodbye and getting ready to leave, he remembered something just as he opened his car door and reminded her, “By the way, tell the villagers they shouldn’t return to the village unless there is something important.”

“Also, tell them to follow the main road even if they do, and don’t run off.”

Climbing back inside his car, Jiang He issued a voice command to return home.

After some thought on his way back, he took out his phone and dialed Duan Tianhe’s number.

His general idea was to get the area around his house listed as a forbidden zone. Therefore, he was sending out a notice to the martial artists and Awakened leaving the cities to train and hunt Ferals so that they would not wander blindly into Jinyintan Village.

Causing friendly fire in the most unlikely of mishaps would not do.

Though confused, Duan Tianhe did not press Jiang He for information and simply agreed to it. His tone then shifted as he added, “I’ve just received word from higher-ups that the Secret Realm of the five sacred grounds will be opened on the seventh of October.”

“The Tantras’ Secret Realm is available to six people, and aside from you, the other five were selected from various military zones across Xibei and the Martial Arts Department (MAD). Minister Wang intends to have all of you gather at Lingzhou City ahead of time, and elites would escort you to the Western Frontier.”

“Oh?”

Jiang He was rather taken aback, and he asked in surprise, “Anyone who could enter the Secret Realm would not be weak, would they? And yet they would still need an escort?”

“Precautions are necessary.”

Ever cautious in dealing with people and matters, Duan Tianhe replied, “Our intelligence suggests that the Sky Demon Cult had mobilized a large group of elites and are up to something big.”

“You mean…”

Jiang He’s eyes brightened as he exclaimed in delight, “The Sky Demon Cult’s elites would intercept us?”

“That’s not necessarily the case, but safety first.”

Duan Tianhe chuckled. “Every single one of you martial artists who have gained the right to enter the Secret Realm for cultivation are prodigies. Losing even one of you is a loss to the martial world of Hua Nation.”

“How am I a prodigy?”

Jiang He remembered how he had cultivated for over a dozen minutes without any luck then. He had to rely on farming or resource hoarding to improve his cultivation, and never even felt it even when he improved in martial arts and cultivation or grasped the Boundary of Wills. Having felt no sense of accomplishment at all, he could not help saying, “I’m just a plain martial arts newbie. How could I be linked to prodigies?”

“…”

Duan Tianhe was silent for half a minute before saying, “You’re being humble, Mister Jiang.”

His tone seemed to be troubled.

Shaking his head, Jiang He said dejectedly, “You don’t have to console me, Chief Duan. I know how my disposition is like.”

Jiang He himself knew very well…

Compared to other prodigies, his innate talent really was nothing. At most, he was diligent and persevered through hardships, heading to the farm once he had the time to gain his present improvement.

And yet, Jiang He did not know…

Even the most demonic of martial artists cultivating in high-level techniques would never gain results in just ten minutes or so.

What the hell!

Duan Tianhe gritted his teeth, finding that he could not continue the conversation.

‘What is with that dejected tone?’

Unwilling to continue tangling with Jiang He on that topic, he said, “By the way, be careful over the next few days. The Sky Demon Cultists hate you to the bone, and the large group of elites they mobilized might be gunning for you.”

“Don’t worry!”

Jiang He’s mood instantly improved as he laughed. “I’m just afraid they won’t come.”

With that, he hung up.

At the same time, his car was slowly moving in Jinyintan village.

Unbeknownst to him, someone with a stunning figure had stepped out of the elm tree near the entrance of the village.

It was a bizarre sight.

The elm tree’s leaves were in full bloom and its trunk had not been hollowed out. Even so, that fantastic figure had seemed to fused as once with the tree.

She was wearing a black veil, and her body figure was smoking hot. Her white bra could be vaguely seen underneath her clothes, and with the black veil on her face promoted an ‘Indian-style’ aesthetic, though her face was obscured and only her eyes were visible.

Even so, her eyes were milky and there were creases on the corner of her eyes, which was a complete mismatch against her fantastic figure.

She watched as Jiang He’s sports car sped off into the distance, before her feet moved and she darted along the road.

After the villagers near the cities had been evacuated, the connecting roads were now very quiet. Once packed with vehicles, there would be a handful of cars passing at best.

Even though surveillance cameras and traffic lights still stood, they had long since broken down, and were no more than decorations with neither electricity nor connection.

In the first place, the Ferals wandering everywhere possessed a strong tendency for destruction, not to mention that the Sky Demon Cultists would not allow anything to stay untouched.

Meanwhile, the lady had made a turn at a crossroads a kilometer away outside Jinyintan Village, sneaking inside an abandoned factory building near the village entrance.

The factory was made to build coated steel buildings and coated steel plates, with many alloy bars and coated steel plates kept outside at the courtyard.

There were a few people out at the courtyard too.

“Dark Star!”

All of them turned towards the lady when they saw her hurry towards them.

The lady respectfully replied, “Sentinel of the Right, Senior Elder, Fourth Elder…”

This group was clearly all elites of the Sky Demon Cult. Amongst them was Sentinel of the Right, who had a gruesome blade scar over his face; Senior Elder, an old woman who was leaning on a crutch; and Fourth Elder, who was wearing mage robes.

There were three others as well, all of whom were Grands of the Sky Demon Cult.

The Sentinel of the Right frowned with his scarred face then and asked, “Where is the Flowing Cloud Holy Child, Dark Star?”

“The Holy Child…”

Dark Star gritted her teeth and knelt on one foot, answering, “Forgive me, Sentinel of the Right. Bent on slaying Jiang He, the Holy Child had led Sword Star, Speed Star, and six Heavenly Generals to infiltrate Jinyintan Village.”

“I immediately returned to report once I found Jiang He returning.”

Sentinel of the Right’s eyes tightened, and the blade scare on his face squirmed like a worm fearsomely. Even so, he soon recovered and spoke, “Rise, for what are you guilty of?”

“The Holy Child is equal to elders in rank, and I know very well how the Flowing Cloud Holy Child’s temper is like—ever arrogant and solitary. You would never have stopped him.”

He turned his eyes in the direction of Jinyintan Village, stretching out his senses and said, “There is no fighting, meaning that the Flowing Cloud Holy Child had yet to attack. Dark Star, relay my orders to Flowing Cloud Holy Child, and tell him to return.

Dark Star nodded, accepting her orders.

***

In their Holy Faith, the two Sentinels outrank the nine Elders. Their power was overwhelming, being peerless rank-nines with perfect grasp over the Boundary of Wills. No matter how arrogant the Flowing Cloud Holy Child could be, he would have to obey the orders from the Sentinel of the Right.

After all…

Becoming a Holy Child was not an assurance of an ascension to the Saint’s seat, what with the Saint having groomed over a dozen Holy Children, implement a Darwinist policy—everything would only be decided at the very end.

Pacing around at the courtyard, the Sentinel of the Right mused to himself for a long time before speaking out, “The Saint’s decree is that Jiang He must die… a rank-six who could slay a rank-nine must not be allowed to grow.”

“But there needs to be a plan for that.”

The mage robed Fourth Elder frowned and said, “Lord Sentinel, aren’t we being overly cautious? No matter how strong Jiang He could be, he is below rank-eight…”

Clearly, the Sky Demon Cult was not aware that Jiang He was already rank-eight.

Despite their agent embedded amongst the hierarchy of the MAD, time was needed to deliver information.

In response, the Sentinel of the Right leveled an indifferent look at Fourth Elder and said, “Why don’t you kill Jiang He then, Fourth Elder?”

Fourth Elder promptly shut his mouth.

‘Are you joking?

‘I’m not taking that risk.’

Though there was no telling how the brat did it, but Jiang He had definitely inflicted severe casualties upon their Holy Faith, and even Third Elder, who was Fourth Elder’s superior had died by his hand—making it obvious that the brat was not easy to handle.

Soon, several figures entered the courtyard in tandem.

The one in the lead was a youth.

He appeared to be in his twenties and was wearing white traditional clothes, with a crystalline jade pendant hanging from his hip. His skin was fair and he had good looks, and there was a faint fragrance wafting from his body…

Of course, that was not his body’s aroma, but the smell of the spice sachet that the Flowing Cloud Holy Child carried around.

There were two rank-eights behind the Holy Child: Speed Star and Sword Star. The former was a wind-type Awakened possessing great power and peerless speed, whereas the latter was an elite in swordplay.

Still, the Flowing Cloud Holy Child clearly displeased at being recalled by the Sentinel. Scowling but not daring to show it too much, he asked, “Lord Sentinel. Jiang He is alone in the village—why wouldn’t you allow me to kill Jiang He?”

Sentinel of the Right’s gaze darkened, and he asked in return, “Are you completely confident in killing Jiang He?”

“No.”

“Then how are you supposed to kill him if you don’t?”

Snorting coldly, the Sentinel of the Right then added, “The Saint himself has decreed that Jiang He must die. Now that we have so many elites here, there is no need to act recklessly and startle our prey.”

“What do you mean, Lord Sentinel?”

Flowing Cloud Holy Child’s gaze changed at that.

The Sentinel of the Right flatly said, “All of us shall attack together. Even lions hunt rabbit at full strength—we would not allow Jiang He any chance of surviving once we begin, and we shall strike like lightning to snuff him out!”

Then, looking around at the others, he added, “Our cardinal had now infiltrated Mount Dadong to negotiate with the Graywolf King about making its heritage site available to us. When we strike at night and claim Jiang He’s life, it would draw the attention of elites in the Hua Nation, putting on a smokescreen for the cardinal.”

“By the way, where are the Heavenly Generals you were leading, Flowing Cloud Holy Child?”

Flowing Cloud Holy Child ran his fingers enticingly through his hair, saying, “They are lurking near Jiang He’s house and observing Jiang He’s movements… Don’t worry, Lord Sentinel. I’ve bestowed treasures that hide their presences, and Jinag He would definitely not find him… eh?”

Even as he spoke, Flowing Cloud Holy Child’s gaze shifted and he whipped out his phone for a glance, smiling, “Lord Sentinel, the Heavenly Generals has proof… there are no elites in Jiang He’s house.”

“Aside from Jiang He himself, there is a maid, seven weirdly dressed children, a cat, and a dog.”

The Sentinel of the Right nodded and asked, “What is Jiang He doing now?”

Flowing Cloud Holy Child sent a message to ask, and soon received a reply.

He could not help doing a double take, and only answered after a while, “It seems that Jiang He is… planting potatoes around his house?”