"Is Your Excellency He Cha from the Vajra Sect?" Yuan Ming looked over following the voice.

Based on the descriptions of the main figures of the Cloud Desolate Alliance provided by Xi Ying beforehand, he had recognized that the elder before him was indeed the senior ancestor He Cha from the Vajra Sect.

Despite his seemingly decrepit appearance, Yuan Ming could clearly sense the colossal Qi Blood Power lying dormant within the man's body, which had already reached the peak of the Tongqiao Body and was beginning to coalesce into the Power of Blood Gang.

It was just a pity that He Cha's Qi Blood couldn't be perfectly dormant; otherwise, there was a great chance for it to be completely transformed into the Power of Blood Gang, taking his strength to the next level.

As for breaking through to the Body of Wanxiang, given He Cha's age and talent, it was highly unlikely without some exceptional opportunity or fortune.

"I am indeed He Cha. Fellow Daoist Yuan, please do not take offense at the suddenness, but with the Cao Family's sudden betrayal causing the alliance a great defeat, we've decided after discussion that anyone who joins the Cloud Desolate Alliance must have their identity and background thoroughly verified. Please understand, Fellow Daoist Yuan," He Cha said.

Yuan Ming looked towards Xi Ying, who gave a slight nod.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded and said, "It is true. I founded the Moon Sect."

At these words, the people present looked at each other and began to discuss in low voices, many frowning.

In the past ten years, the fame of the Nether Moon God throughout the Cloud Desolate had grown so intense that it was almost on par with the Wu Yue God. Indeed, many in the Cloud Desolate Alliance even saw the Nether Moon God as their savior, especially now that the alliance was retreating into the Cloud Ridge Mountain Range, where many more were placing their hopes on the Nether Moon God.

However, the Yuan Ming before them was mere a Nascent Soul Early Stage cultivator, with a very weak Divine Soul fluctuation, far too distant from the legendary might of the Nether Moon God heard in the rumors.

Yuan Ming's Physical Body had already stepped into the Body of Wanxiang, with his Qi Blood Power being subtle and restrained. Fearing that the Demonic Qi within him might be exposed, he suppressed his Qi Blood Power to the extreme and used the Undying Tree to cover it up. As there were no beings of the same level present, none discovered the depth of his Body Cultivation.

He took in everyone's expressions, smiled faintly, and did not offer any explanation.

Tian Jizi's expression also turned strange, but he quickly settled back to calm and smiled, "Fellow Daoist Yuan speaks frankly, which shows your honesty."

"In that case, I should be considered a member of the Cloud Desolate Alliance now, right?" Yuan Ming said with a smile.

"Of course, Fellow Daoist Yuan, this way please." Tian Jizi gestured forward and led Yuan Ming into the residence.

"I heard from Fellow Daoist Xi that Fellow Daoist Yuan infiltrated Chang Chun Temple. Did you discover anything?" Tian Jizi asked as they walked.

Hearing this, others also stopped their discussions and turned to look.

Yuan Ming reported the information he had discovered, except he omitted the black Stone Pillar and the confrontations with the Wu Yue God and Blood Demon Ancestor, instead saying that he had been discovered and promptly escaped.

The faces of everyone present changed upon hearing this, with the cultivators from Chang Chun Temple displaying shock and anger.

What shocked them was the extent of the actions taken by the Wu Yue Sect, indicating significant ambition; what angered them was that the sect they had operated for generations had become a Demon Realm.

Tian Jizi immediately dispatched people to investigate the situation at Chang Chun Temple more thoroughly.

As they conversed, the group had already entered the compound.

The residence was temporarily erected, yet it was quite well established. The whole area was enveloped by a massive Barrier, and numerous sentinels, both visible and hidden, were set up around the perimeter, so there was no need to worry about safety.

The compound was large, divided into east, south, west, and north regions, housing cultivators from the East Sea, Southern Border, Western Region, and Central Plains, respectively. For a smoother reading experience, visit MV&LEMPYR.

With the base of the Moon Sect in Dragon King City, it was placed in the eastern region.

Upon hearing urgent matters, Tian Jizi had no time to chat leisurely with Yuan Ming. He entrusted Wan Tianren with hosting Yuan Ming and left in a hurry.

Yuan Ming had matters to discuss with Xi Ying and was not interested in engaging in conversation with Wan Tianren or Gu Xuanyang. After greeting them briefly, he followed Xi Ying into her dwelling.

Wan Tianren watched their figures disappear into the distance, his expression shifting between light and dark, remaining silent.

"Fellow Daoist Wan, what's your take on this Yuan Ming?" Gu Xuanyang's voice came from the side.

"This is not the place to talk. Let's go inside," Wan Tianren said with a change of expression, hastily sending a message through divine sense and leading Gu Xuanyang into his own residence.

Wan Tianren formed hand seals and set up seven or eight Barriers in succession before ceasing.

"Fellow Daoist Wan is really cautious," Gu Xuanyang said with a smile.

"Facing an entity like the Nether Moon God, no amount of caution is too much," Wan Tianren said indifferently.

"Does Fellow Daoist Wan truly believe that Yuan Ming is the Nether Moon God?" Gu Xuanyang asked.

"As far as I know, a Soul Cultivator who wishes to gather Desire Power must use their True Face for the godly image, otherwise, the Desire Power cannot converge upon them," Wan Tianren said after a moment of silence.

"Is that so? Then it seems that Yuan Ming really is the Nether Moon God. But why is his Soul Power so weak? Such a slight Soul Wave fluctuation is perhaps worse than an ordinary Nascent Soul cultivator," Gu Xuanyang said after expressing surprise.

Wan Tianren didn't reply; this was also his doubt.

Just now, he had used a secret technique to investigate Yuan Ming. It was true that Yuan Ming had only that small amount of Soul Power, and it wasn't due to intentional concealment.

His secret technique came from the Golden Sunflower Heavenly Book, which couldn't be wrong on this point.

"Could it be that Yuan Ming suffered injury from a battle with someone, leading to severe damage to his Divine Soul?" The thought suddenly occurred to Wan Tianren.

"What should we do next? If the Nether Moon God can no longer provide us with protection, there's no need to pray to him daily, offering up Desire Power, right?" Gu Xuanyang said lazily.

Wan Tianren also found the daily prayers to be a hindrance to his affairs, preventing him from going into long periods of seclusion as he used to do before—it was quite detrimental to his cultivation.

"Let's take a look before deciding," he said.

…

"You said in your message earlier that you had made a breakthrough with the Body of Wanxiang? Is that true?" Xi Ying formed hand seals and set up two barriers hurriedly, asking with a face full of curiosity.

Yuan Ming rarely saw Xi Ying with such an expression, and he smiled faintly as he activated the Demon Image Prison Suppression Skill.

A colossal Qi Blood Power burst forth from his body, turning him into a blood-red sun, unbearably scorching. The two newly formed barriers shook violently, nearly collapsing.

Xi Ying quickly set up several more barriers, but alas, to no avail.

Yuan Ming retracted his Qi Blood Power and the room's blood light vanished instantly without a trace.

"Is this the Qi Blood Power of the Body of Wanxiang? Indeed terrifying, still as an ancient well when calm, but like a tsunami shaking mountains when roused! To control the Qi Blood Power to such an extent, it seems your Power of Will has been tempered to an unimaginable level. I guessed right, didn't I? The key to breaking through to the Body of Wanxiang is the tempering of the Power of Will?" Xi Ying's eyes fixed on Yuan Ming as she asked.

Yuan Ming looked at Xi Ying with a bit of surprise and nodded slightly.

"So it is indeed. My father has been obsessively pursuing external aids, which I'm afraid is a diversion from the true path. No wonder there's been no progress all these years," Xi Ying said softly.

"Senior Xi's Emperor Sealing God Fist and its method for borrowing external forces can't exactly be considered a diversion. That secret technique is also a form of tempering the Power of Will indirectly and does help in breaking through to the Body of Wanxiang. It's just that Senior Xi practices magic, body, and soul cultivation simultaneously, which inevitably divides his attention. Moreover, his accumulation of power is still insufficient, which makes further progress difficult," Yuan Ming explained.

His own breakthrough to the Body of Wanxiang was largely due to his Divine Soul being sealed, leaving little room for progress in magic cultivation, thus he devoted himself entirely to body cultivation. Additionally, he had the help of Shura Master's pure and colossal Qi Blood Power along with Demonic Qi, which enabled his swift success.

Without these conditions, relying only on his own efforts, it was uncertain how long it would have taken him to make this step.

"I see," Xi Ying nodded.

She personally brewed a cup of Spiritual Tea for Yuan Ming, inquiring about the specific situation at the Chang Chun Temple.

Facing Xi Ying, Yuan Ming naturally did not conceal anything and recounted everything in detail.

"The Magic Cloud Tree! I had not imagined that such a miraculous Spirit Tree existed in the world, one that could transform nature's spiritual energy into Demonic Qi!" Xi Ying's eyes shone brightly, appearing very curious about the Magic Cloud Tree.

"Here's the Array Map of that Demon Array. Can you make anything out of it?" Yuan Ming took out a Jade Scroll and passed it to Xi Ying.

Xi Ying took the Jade Scroll and infused her Divine Sense into it.

Yuan Ming felt the fluctuations of Xi Ying's Divine Soul and his brow furrowed slightly.

As he continued to refine the forbidden elements of the Stealing Heaven Tripod, his sensitivity to Divine Souls became increasingly acute. The Divine Sense Xi Ying had just emitted was much stronger than before, having reached the Peak of Sleep Witch.

However, Xi Ying's Divine Soul had lost its former composure and seemed rather restless.

"No good, I have no understanding of Demon Realm Arrays, and can't make out much. It appears to be some kind of Teleportation Array," Xi Ying said quickly, withdrawing her Divine Sense.

Yuan Ming did not dwell on her words. He extended a finger towards Xi Ying's forehead, and a stream of Soul Power entered her Sea of Consciousness.

Xi Ying looked at Yuan Ming and remained still.

"Your Soul Power is restless and has started to affect the foundation. Why would you use such a rash method to enhance your power?" Yuan Ming withdrew his Soul Power, speaking with a hint of reproach.

"The Wu Yue Sect's forces have already reached our doorstep. If I don't enhance my strength, we'll all be dead, and then it won't matter what happens afterwards," Xi Ying sighed.

Yuan Ming fell silent, pondering a solution.

"Don't worry, my Divine Soul Transformation is a Golden Crow, adept at refining the impurities in Soul Power. Once the matter with the Wu Yue Sect is resolved, I should be able to purify the impurities completely with fifty years of refining," Xi Ying mentioned.

"That won't be necessary. Once I've finished refining the Stealing Heaven Tripod, I can use the white flames inside the White Jade Lotus Platform to help you refine away the impurities of your Divine Soul," Yuan Ming suggested.

"How far have you gotten with refining the restrictions of the Stealing Heaven Tripod?" Xi Ying asked with bright eyes.

"I have refined thirteen layers; it will take some more time," Yuan Ming replied.

Xi Ying felt a slight disappointment but did not show it, nodding gently before changing the topic:

"I remember you mentioned before that during the raid on the Wu Yue Sect's headquarters, you obtained many classics?"

"True. Would you like to see them?" asked Yuan Ming.

"Mm, lately my head often suffers sharp pains that are difficult to endure. Whenever that happens, no cultivation technique helps, but reading some unfamiliar books can alleviate it a bit," Xi Ying answered.

"Why is that?" Yuan Ming was taken aback.

"It could be a side effect of absorbing too many yin souls. As to why reading helps, I am not clear. Perhaps it is because reading nurtures a quiet mind," Xi Ying speculated.

"Then take these classics with you," Yuan Ming said without further inquiry, waving his hand and a large pile of classics appeared on the ground before them.

These were not just from the treasure trove of the Wu Yue Sect headquarters; the Wu Yue God's physical body had a storage magic tool on it that also contained numerous Jade Scroll Books.

When Yuan Ming first found that storage artifact, he was initially quite excited, but after a brief inspection, he was deeply disappointed. The value of the items inside was pitifully scant, save for these series of Jade Scroll Books, a couple of Spirit Stones, and elixirs, not even a single Magic Treasure.

The Jade Scroll Books, however, were quite valuable, all of them Soul Cultivation Methods. Unfortunately, they did not include the seventh layer of the Moonlight Technique he had longed for.