Jin Mu's all-round, seamless Divine Sense search didn't last long. He soon withdrew his Divine Sense, and his expression grew increasingly serious.

However, after thinking for a moment, his Divine Sense spilled out once more, searching the room repeatedly, trying to find the trace of the person who left the Jade Scroll.

This time the Divine Sense was different from the previous tumultuous waves; it was soft and gentle like a breeze, yet left an impression of being all-pervasive.

Wulu closed his eyes and concentrated on activating the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman for stealth, revealing no weaknesses.

Not long afterwards, Jin Mu abandoned this futile search, his gaze fell on the Jade Scroll, seeming deep in thought.

"Someone, activate the Communication Array and contact Ancestor Bing Lan!" After an unknown period, Jin Mu suddenly called the black-robed man from before and instructed.

The man agreed with a single word and swiftly left.

Jin Mu paced in the room for a while, then hurriedly left.

Wulu finally let out the breath he was holding, no longer daring to linger. He quickly left the City Lord Mansion, escaping during the gap when the guards changed shifts.

...

Half a day later, within a Cave Mansion in White Emperor City.

"...That's how it happened, I was truly scared to death this time." Wulu recounted everything he saw in the City Lord Mansion through the Void Communication Array to Yuan Ming, finally breathing a sigh of relief, appearing quite shaken.

"This time, Brother Wu Lu, you've truly gone through a lot; I didn't expect you to take such a great risk. I'll remember today's kindness, I assure you." Just hearing Wulu's description made Yuan Ming feel a bit fearful, he said solemnly.

"No need for excessive words, when you come to White Emperor City you better treat me to two or three good drinks, or I won't let you off!" Wulu laughed.

"Deal, I'll make sure you are not sober till you leave." Yuan Ming sensed Wulu's comfort in his words, warming his heart.

"Brother Wulu, you've been in White Emperor City for many years, have you heard of any connection between City Lord Jin Mu and the Three Realms Sect?" He thought for a moment and asked.

"City Lord Jin Mu is a low-key person, rarely showing himself, and there is little information about him. I haven't heard anything about a connection with the Three Realms Sect." Wulu thought for a moment then replied.

"Who is this Ancestor Bing Lan, mentioned by City Lord Jin Mu?" Yuan Ming further queried.

"I know this person; Ancestor Bing Lan is a Great Mahayana Ancestor from the Heavenly Saint Academy. City Lord Jin Mu is born from the Heavenly Saint Academy and seems to have a bit of a master-disciple relationship with Ancestor Bing Lan. I've heard that Jin Mu became the City Lord of White Emperor City thanks to Ancestor Bing Lan." Wulu replied enthusiastically.

Yuan Ming nodded; he had seen information about the Heavenly Saint Academy in Zi Mei's memories, knowing it was one of the three major powers on the Central Continent.

The other two major forces are Taixuan Sect and Bright Moon Palace.

The Heavenly Saint Academy is located in the Central Domain of the Central Continent; its predecessor was merely an alliance formed by many small and medium sects during the first realm wars to resist the Demon World invasion. Note from the editor: Always check * for corrections.

After the great war, the alliance was not immediately disbanded due to some reasons. It later went through some ups and downs, eventually evolving into today's Heavenly Saint Academy.

Perhaps due to sect heritage, the Heavenly Saint Academy is very different from ordinary sects, it doesn't force disciples to stay. Once their cultivation reaches a certain stage, disciples can choose to leave, return to their families, or go out alone, the academy won't intervene unnecessarily.

Furthermore, the requirements for becoming a disciple of the Heavenly Saint Academy are not high; as long as they have a clean background and are diligent, regardless of their aptitude, they will be admitted, while students in the academy are not strictly managed, and can study based on their interests freely.

In addition to recruiting disciples, the academy also recruits teachers, the requirements are likewise very lenient; regardless of background and cultivation, as long as someone has a skill and hasn't committed evil deeds, they can join the academy to teach.

The Academy's approach was once ridiculed by many sects on the Central Continent, thinking it would soon deplete its resources and collapse.

Yet surprisingly, not only did the Heavenly Saint Academy not collapse, but its inclusive and harmonious sect culture led to its prosperity, now becoming one of the pillars of the Chuyun Realm.

As for Taixuan Sect and Bright Moon Palace, they are traditional sects, among which Bright Moon Palace is predominantly a Soul Cultivator sect.

Xia Jie had previously mentioned to Yuan Ming that his Moonlight Technique came from Bright Moon Palace.

Yuan Ming sighed inwardly, if possible, he never wanted to have relations with these major sects, but now it seems impossible to completely avoid them.

"Brother Wulu, are you busy lately? If you have time, I want to trouble you to investigate someone for me." He thought for a moment and suggested.

"What are you being polite about? I've just stabilized my Returning to Void Stage cultivation, and besides hunting beasts, I have nothing special, tell me, who do you want to investigate?" Wulu replied.

"A young woman named Su Yingxue, a Level 6 Array Master, reportedly from the Hui Clan." Yuan Ming said.

"Hui Clan... what kind of clan is that? But as long as there's a name and title, and she's a Level 6 Array Master, there should be a way to find out." Wulu was momentarily surprised, then said.

"Then thank you, Brother Wu Lu, be extremely careful when investigating this woman." Yuan Ming reminded.

"Don't worry, I have the Heavenly Escape Stone Talisman, not even City Lord Jin Mu was able to find me despite his full efforts, who else can catch me?" Wulu laughed heartily.

Afterwards, the two chatted casually for a long time, and Yuan Ming ended the communication.

...

Seven or eight days later, in the Land of Nothingness.

Su Yingxue sat silently at her desk, aimlessly flipping through books, her gaze was always drifting beyond the pages, as if contemplating something or awaiting something.

According to previous experience, these two days would be the time for that mysterious expert to contact her again, and she had already prepared the promised Array Map, the book she was currently flipping through documented the Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array.

Yet, regarding whether that expert could fulfill her request, Su Yingxue was not very confident.

The Nihility Prison is a place of certain death; except for the Prison Master, even the Six Prison Wardens cannot leave at will, let alone the fact that even with a way to get in and out, outside is Demon World territory, aiming to travel between there and the Chuyun Realm directly would be pure fantasy.

Her request was more of a test than an actual transaction.

As time slowly passed, a hint of fluctuation appeared in Su Yingxue's eyes.

At that moment, the thoughtful expression on Su Yingxue's face vanished instantly, replaced by a relaxed demeanor, and a glint in her eyes that did not belong to her.

It was Yuan Ming who had possessed her.

Yuan Ming had possessed her many times before, navigating smoothly. As soon as his vision cleared, he immediately looked down at the desk and quickly spotted the book Su Yingxue had prepared in advance.

"Hmm, not bad. The Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array is indeed profound, Su Yingxue did not try to deceive me with some substandard goods." Yuan Ming flipped through the book and couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.

In this way, their transaction was considered complete.

Yuan Ming raised his hand to take a blank jade scroll and wrote a message for Su Yingxue before focusing on studying the array map of the Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array.

The possession time quickly passed, and when Yuan Ming regained consciousness, his awareness had already returned to his body.

With the end of the Black Incense Possession, Su Yingxue's consciousness also quickly recovered, discovering that a jade scroll had appeared on the desk.

Had that person already been here?

Su Yingxue's eyes flickered slightly as she picked up the jade scroll to check the message inside.

"I have fulfilled your request. Upon receiving the news, the White Emperor City Lord immediately sent someone to contact Ancestor Bing Lan."

But just this one sentence made waves surge in Su Yingxue's heart.

Few people knew about the connection between Jin Mu, Ancestor Bing Lan, and the Three Realms Sect, yet in just a few days, that person had indeed conveyed the message to the Chuyun Realm!

The prison, which the Demon Clan prides themselves on and considers unbreakable, seemed to be like a back garden to this person, who could come and go at will.

Who exactly was this person? With such divine skills, could it be that they had mastered a cross-realm space passage connecting the Chuyun Realm?

The cross-realm passages connected to Chuyun Realm are held by several Demon Emperors of the Demon World; could this person be from one of these Demon Emperors?

Su Yingxue's gaze was fixed on the jade scroll, silent for a long time.

...

In the Medicine Garden Cave Mansion of the Shura Palace.

As soon as Yuan Ming's consciousness returned, he immediately took out a jade scroll and recorded the array map of the Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array inside, lest he forget it.

A loud thunderclap sounded, as a massive black storm cloud hovered above the medicine garden, with piercing lightning occasionally flashing through, making bursts of thunder noise.

Lei Yu hid within the black cloud, continuously swallowing and refining Thunder Origin Pills, as the rich nature's spiritual energy in the medicine garden gathered toward the black cloud.

Lei Yu's strength improved rapidly, moving towards mid-level Level 5.

Yuan Ming was quite pleased with this and closed his eyes to comprehend the Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array.

A month quickly passed.

Yuan Ming suddenly opened his eyes from seclusion, frowning.

The complexity of the Level 6 Array, the Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array, far exceeded his expectations and couldn't be compared to a Level 5 Array. Even though Su Yingxue had marked the array map in detail, after a month of painstaking meditation, there were still many unclear places.

"It seems unrealistic to fully understand this Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array solely by my own comprehension. I still need to communicate with Su Yingxue again." Yuan Ming muttered to himself, taking out the Stealing Heaven Tripod and lighting the black incense.

This time, he did not directly possess Su Yingxue but instead descended into the body of an ordinary guard of the Nihility Prison, making his way to Su Yingxue's cell door.

The Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array was too complex, and understanding it thoroughly wasn't something that could be conveyed in just a few sentences. Continuing to possess Su Yingxue and exchanging messages was too slow, so this method was more convenient.

Su Yingxue was sitting at her desk as usual but wasn't studying formations; instead, she was somewhat lost in thought, not even noticing Yuan Ming's presence outside.

It wasn't until Yuan Ming knocked on the cell door that Su Yingxue was startled awake.

"What is it? The space array requested by the Hell Demon Lord hasn't been designed yet." Seeing Yuan Ming outside, Su Yingxue stood up, her expression reverting to coldness.

"Fellow Daoist Su, it is I," Yuan Ming said plainly.

Hearing these words, Su Yingxue was stunned, carefully observing Yuan Ming, her expression gradually transforming from astonishment to surprise, mixed with a hint of joy.

"Are you... that Senior?"

"You could say that," Yuan Ming replied indifferently.

"Did you control this guard this time?" Su Yingxue asked tentatively.

"That is not important. I came this time because I do not fully understand the Eight Extremes Golden Lock Array and need you to clarify a few parts," Yuan Ming said.

"Of course, I can, but Senior, please wait a moment. There is a surveillance restriction setup by the Hell Demon Lord here; although he might not be watching right now, it's better to disrupt it a little, just to be safe," Su Yingxue said, performing hand seals, sending several white lights outside the prison.

The void around Yuan Ming rippled faintly, soon returning to its original state.