After browsing through the posts on the Red Dust Pavilion forum, Ye Ling discovered he had become a celebrity on the platform.
Whether it was intentional by the Red Dust Pavilion or simply due to public interest, the name "Ye Ling" appeared far more frequently than any other word. Moreover, there were many comments expressing hostility towards Ye Ling.
Under various fabricated rumors, Ye Ling was portrayed as a demon wreaking havoc on China.
Many individuals, acting in the shadows, fanned the flames, causing Ye Ling to gain numerous "supernatural black fans."
Some users, filled with righteous indignation, even began spontaneously investigating Ye Ling's identity, vowing to eliminate him for the good of the people.
"Is this Red Dust Pavilion planning to use other supernatural beings to deal with me?"
Ye Ling, unconcerned by the remarks on the forum, was about to log out when a red notification lit up in his backend.
A private message arrived.
"Number 1: Zhang Qi, we are in position. Have you finished your end?"
Upon seeing the private message, Ye Ling's eyes narrowed slightly. After recalling Zhang Qi's memories, he mimicked Zhang Qi's tone and sent a reply:
"Xu Shuya has been successfully lured. Where are you now? Send me your location, and I'll bring people over."
"Number 1: The higher-ups said Dragon Department personnel have already reached Bailing Mountain. Did something happen on your end?"
Ye Ling: "It seems the Dragon Department found the lair of the Heavenly Net Ghost King. However, I left with Xu Shuya before they arrived. Many Dragon Department members were present, so I didn't dare linger on Bailing Mountain. I'm not clear about the specific situation; let the higher-ups investigate."
"Number 1: That's right. The Heavenly Net Ghost City isn't under our jurisdiction, so it's not our place to interfere. I'll send you the location. Contact me again once you reach the designated spot."
After sending this message, the person with the ID "Number 1" also attached a location pinpoint.
Since the East Sea branch was taken down by Ye Ling, all members of the China branch had lost contact with each other.
The Red Dust Pavilion's missions were now being issued internationally by overseas branches.
In fact, a considerable number of supernatural beings were urgently dispatched from abroad, preparing to re-establish a new Red Dust Pavilion branch in China.
Under these circumstances, members executing Red Dust Pavilion missions, upon receiving their assignments, had no prior acquaintance with each other, apart from having each other's contact methods.
Although Zhang Qi played a leading role in the attack on the Zhengyi Sect, he was unaware of the people he could utilize.
Only on the eve of a mission could Zhang Qi know how many people he could command.
While this system caused Zhang Qi considerable inconvenience during missions, it also significantly enhanced the risk resistance during mission execution.
If not for this system, Ye Ling, while subduing Zhang Qi, could have dealt with all the Red Dust Pavilion personnel involved in the mission. Instead, he now had to follow the clues one by one.
Having obtained the location, Ye Ling exited the Red Dust Pavilion website, glanced at Zhang Qi, then stripped him of his clothes, and threw him back into the distorted space. He then put on Zhang Qi's clothes, transformed into his appearance, and flew towards the Zhengyi Sect.
...
Daocheng, Longdao Mountain, Zhengyi Sect.
Longdao Mountain was a famous 5A scenic spot in Daocheng, renowned throughout China, attracting tourists year-round.
However, most people were unaware that Longdao Mountain was divided into a front and a back mountain, and the Zhengyi Sect also had two Taoist temples.
The front mountain was open to tourists, and the Taoist temple there relied on incense offerings for revenue, maintaining the Zhengyi Sect's daily expenses.
The back mountain, however, was the residential area for the Zhengyi Sect's Heavenly Masters, and the demons and ghosts captured by the Heavenly Masters were primarily confined there.
With the Zhengyi Sect's Heavenly Master Ordination Ceremony approaching, supernatural beings from various regions were flocking to the location.
In addition to the prominent sects that received invitations from the Zhengyi Sect, smaller sects and rogue cultivators who were not invited were also welcomed to observe the Heavenly Master Ordination Ceremony.
However, disciples of smaller sects and rogue cultivators lacked the guidance of Zhengyi Sect Heavenly Masters. Therefore, to observe the ceremony, they had to brave the illusion array of the back mountain and enter the Zhengyi Sect's mountain gate based on their own abilities.
In previous years, the Heavenly Master Ordination Ceremony saw various young supernatural beings showcasing their skills within the Zhengyi Sect's mountain gate illusion array, which became a beautiful spectacle in the circle. Even disciples from prominent righteous sects would refuse the guidance of Zhengyi Sect Heavenly Masters and display their prowess in the illusion array to build their reputations.
Ye Ling, currently bypassing the front mountain, stopped at the entrance of the illusion array. He scanned the large group of supernatural beings gathered before him.
The location provided by Number 1 was here, and Ye Ling estimated that the Red Dust Pavilion members were hidden among the crowd of rogue cultivators.
As the Red Dust Pavilion intended to cause trouble, they naturally wouldn't receive guidance from the Zhengyi Sect. The path to the Zhengyi Sect's mountain gate had to pass through the illusion array, making it normal for the Red Dust Pavilion members to hide within the crowd of supernatural beings.
'It seems the incident at Heavenly Net Ghost City has made them suspicious... They probably want to observe my identity from the shadows by sending me here...'
Ye Ling's eyelids drooped as he quickly analyzed Number 1's intentions.
In Ye Ling's opinion, although the Red Dust Pavilion's strength was not great, their level of caution ranked among the top of the enemies he had encountered.
Such a force, which couldn't be completely eradicated and would spring back to life with the slightest breeze, was the most troublesome in Ye Ling's eyes.
"Young man, are you also here to challenge the mountain gate?"
At this moment, a girl with a single ponytail tapped Ye Ling's shoulder, pulling him out of his thoughts.
The girl smiled at Ye Ling and said, "My name is Wu Chengcheng, a free-style practitioner from the Wu family in North China. What's your name, young man?"
Ye Ling glanced at the girl before him and then smiled, "Zhang Qi, an unknown nobody."
Zhang Qi's appearance was already quite handsome, possessing a natural charisma that greatly attracted the opposite sex. Otherwise, Zhang Qi wouldn't have been able to fool Xu Shuya so thoroughly.
Given Zhang Qi's appearance and demeanor, Ye Ling wasn't surprised that a young girl would approach him.
However, Ye Ling was unsure if Wu Chengcheng was genuinely trying to strike up a conversation or if she was a Red Dust Pavilion member sent to test him. He could only imitate Zhang Qi's personality and gently replied to Wu Chengcheng, "Miss Wu, are you also here to observe the Heavenly Master Ordination Ceremony?"
Wu Chengcheng smiled, "Yes! I've only recently entered the circle of supernatural beings, just reaching the first rank. I came here behind my father's back to witness the demeanor of the Zhengyi Sect's Heavenly Masters, and I'm looking for companions."
Ye Ling noticed Wu Chengcheng's hidden fourth-rank cultivation and a slight smile played on his lips. He pretended to know nothing and said, "I'm also looking for some companions to travel with. How about we go together?"
"That's exactly what I was thinking!"
Wu Chengcheng smiled, her innocence seemingly genuine.
"The illusion array is open, everyone can set off!"
At this moment, a shout came from the crowd ahead. Ye Ling looked over and saw the dense fog in front of them dissipate, revealing a cliff stretching for miles!
The opposite bank was hundreds of meters away, with no bridge or ropes in between.
Many supernatural beings turned pale upon seeing the cliff!
Crossing a canyon hundreds of meters wide without external aid was impossible for cultivators below the fourth rank!
At once, there was an uproar!