Chapter 718: A Sudden Turn of Events

“Birth, old age, sickness, and death.”

Lü Zhong sighed, his heart stirred by many emotions.

What he hadn’t expected was that, perhaps due to this shift in his state of mind, the fusion of his Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit had actually progressed significantly.

‘Perhaps this is the effect of tempering my heart in the mortal world.’ It was certainly a happy development, but at a time like this, it was hard to feel any joy.

With a soft sigh, he left Chen’s Clinic.

After a long investigation, the five great families had finally come to light. According to reliable information provided by his Incarnation, the ruling families would convene a meeting in three days.

‘It will be a good opportunity. I might even be able to drag out the hidden mastermind lurking in the shadows all at once.’

Leaving the Seventeenth District, Lü Zhong walked straight toward the Central District.

Unlike the civilian districts, which, despite their prosperity, were somewhat chaotic due to the influence of Soul Loss Syndrome, the Central District was not only noticeably cleaner but also heavily guarded. There was a sentry post almost every five steps, and the streets and alleys alike were filled with armed Alliance soldiers, as if they were taking extreme measures to defend against the Soul Loss Syndrome.

Clearly, this was to minimize losses.

Whenever one of the Soulless appeared, it was often accompanied by a bloody incident, sometimes even tragedies where entire families were killed. The Alliance soldiers were an effective way to prevent this.

After all, it was better for one to die than a whole nest.

Additionally, to guard against potential crises, these soldiers all wore self-destruct collars. If they too contracted Soul Loss Syndrome, the collar would detect it instantly and blow the Soulless one’s head off, thereby ensuring no innocents were harmed.

Of course, it was inevitable that some unlucky souls would die due to false readings.

Effortlessly, as if taking a leisurely stroll, Lü Zhong passed through the layers of heavy security and arrived at the meeting place of the five great families without anyone noticing.

It was a pentagonal hall covering an area of nearly a hundred acres. Judging by the scent of linden wood wafting through the air, it had clearly been purpose-built for this meeting. Inside, five distinct areas were clearly demarcated, representing the five great families that controlled the Alliance: Mountain, Fire, Rock, Ice, and Grass.

He found a random spot, closed his eyes, and began to wait quietly for the five great families to arrive.

As for the five great families, he only intended to control and use them.

In exchange for helping solve the Soul Loss Syndrome, he would have the Red Earth Alliance expend vast amounts of manpower and resources to build a Floating Fortress. It could be considered a very fair trade.

As for controlling the Red Earth Alliance?

To be honest, Lü Zhong had no such plans.

After all, this was a barren, remote land far from Central Earth. Lacking Spirit Veins and resources, it was extremely difficult for the Immortal Dao to sprout and take root here.

Rather than continuing to “reclaim wasteland” here, it would be better to focus his energy on the Mountain and River Map.

And as for technology…

Besieged by the demons of the Void, it was doomed to be locked away in this world. Unable to see the sea of the Void outside, there was naturally no possibility for further breakthroughs.

Or perhaps a combination of the two—the fusion of the Immortal Dao and technology—could break the Red Earth Alliance’s shackles. But that would undoubtedly take an extremely long time. By then, he might have already undergone Ascension to the Spirit Realm, destined never to see the result of that fusion.

As he mused, time flew by.

Just as the five great families had gathered and the meeting was about to begin.

A young man’s figure materialized.

An overwhelming Spiritual Pressure and an indescribable, intimidating aura instantly shattered the will to resist of everyone in the hall. Even the five Patriarchs in the lead, each possessing Core Formation Stage cultivation, could barely protect themselves under the might of a Nascent Soul Great Cultivator.

The pressure lasted for ten breaths before it was withdrawn.

Only then could everyone in the hall breathe again. Like fish returned to water, they gasped for fresh air while casting terrified gazes at the young man’s figure, who was slowly rising to his feet.

They knew full well that even if everyone present attacked at once, they could not possibly harm him.

Lü Zhong was very satisfied with this.

“Next, I expect you to answer every question I ask. I trust you are all intelligent people. Otherwise… I won’t hesitate to use a Soul Searching Technique and find out the answers for myself!”

“This…”

The five Patriarchs exchanged glances. Not one of them dared to stand up and say no.

Soon, Lü Zhong had the information he wanted.

Just as he had expected, there was indeed a controller above the five Patriarchs, and it was highly likely a Great Cultivator, not just an ordinary Nascent Soul. This controller had a clear duty and was called the “Red Earth Guardian Envoy”—a title that made their responsibility quite clear.

But what Lü Zhong found strange was that this Red Earth Guardian Envoy had not appeared in over a hundred years.

‘Passed away? In seclusion? Or perhaps…’

Regardless, Lü Zhong now knew the person’s exact location: in a Secret Realm called Mingzhi Cave, located high above the Central City.

In light of this, Lü Zhong decided to go and meet this Guardian Envoy.

After immobilizing everyone from the five great families and assigning his Incarnation to guard them, his figure flickered and vanished from the hall. He reappeared in mid-air, then ascended in a Rainbow Transformation.

He stopped at an altitude of thirty-three hundred zhang.

“I have to say, the Red Earth Guardian Envoy hid their cave residence quite deep.”

Lü Zhong remarked with a sigh.

Before this, his Incarnations had been omnipresent, searching through nearly the entire database of the Red Earth Alliance, yet they had found no information related to it. He never would have thought it was hidden here.

Casting aside his stray thoughts, Lü Zhong flew into the Secret Realm.

However, the expected attack never came. Mingzhi Cave, described by the five Patriarchs as a fairyland, now resembled a living hell, containing only the tragic aftermath of a great slaughter.