Struck it rich We've really struck it rich this time

Xuanyangzi stared at Ling Canglan kneeling before him, completely frozen in place. His fingers unconsciously dug into his palms, and he even forgot to breathe.

He first widened his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing several times before he squeezed out a trembling sentence through his teeth.

"What the actual hell—"

His voice was rushed and hoarse, cracking slightly with disbelief.

"What... what in the world is going on?"

Xuanyangzi leaned forward two steps, then abruptly retreated half a step, his gaze darting back and forth between Ling Canglan and Gu Changge as if he had seen a ghost.

He had just been wondering how to deal with the Lingxiao Sacred Land. How did it happen in the blink of an eye that this Saint King realm Sacred Lord, who made even the factions of the Central Domain wary, was calling himself a "subordinate" to him?

Especially when he heard about Ling Canglan infiltrating the Lingxiao Sacred Land for three hundred years and yearning day and night to return to the ranks, Xuanyangzi only felt his brain buzz and his vision sway.

His mind was in complete turmoil. The Qingxuan Sect might be considered a major sect in Xuan Province of the Eastern Domain, but in the context of the entire Eastern Domain, it was quite ordinary.

Where would they get the capability to plant a sleeper agent in a Central Domain Sacred Land three hundred years ago?

But on second thought, he suddenly clenched his fists.

Could it be the work of the sect's patriarchs?

Were the patriarchs so farsighted back then that they had laid down this hidden chess piece so long ago?

Three hundred years of deep cover, letting the sleeper agent take control of a Central Domain Sacred Land, and even the Netherworld Palace... This scale of operation was simply terrifying!

But thinking about it again, that was impossible. He knew exactly how much capability the patriarchs had...

He couldn't help but look down at his own sect robes, then glanced at Ling Canglan.

Feeling his temples throbbing violently, he turned to look at Gu Changge, his tone full of uncertainty.

"Changge, what... what exactly is going on here? Does our sect really have such a massive trump card?"

Gu Changge looked at Xuanyangzi's expression of being both shocked and utterly baffled, and felt a bit like laughing.

"There's no trump card left by the patriarchs. I just used a Soul Snatching Art to control him and slightly altered his memories so he would be dead-set on obeying."

"Al... altered his memories?"

Xuanyangzi sharply raised his voice, then quickly lowered it, staring intently at Gu Changge.

This was a genuine Saint King realm expert!

To rule a Sacred Land in the Central Domain, his sea of consciousness was absolutely incomparably stronger than that of a Saint realm cultivator. With ordinary methods, let alone altering memories, even invading his sea of consciousness would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

But now, Ling Canglan was still kneeling there, his back straight, the loyalty in his eyes lacking even a hint of falsehood. He had clearly taken that fabricated undercover past as the absolute truth.

"To... to be able to alter a Saint King's memories..."

When Xuanyangzi looked at Gu Changge again, his gaze had completely changed, as if he were looking at an unfathomable god.

"Changge, your strength... is truly terrifying."

Is this still my adorable little junior brother?

Thinking back to when he first arrived at Purple Bamboo Peak, the little junior brother that he and several peak masters used to look after frequently... how did he become a peerless big shot in the blink of an eye?

Xuanyangzi quietly clenched his fists, his thoughts spinning as fast as an abacus.

In the past, he protected his little junior brother. Now it seemed, he needed to hug this thick thigh tightly!

Gu Changge watched Xuanyangzi's constantly shifting expressions and casually added, "By the way, this person's identity isn't simple. He's not just the Lingxiao Sacred Lord, but also the Hall Master of the Netherworld Palace."

"Netherworld Palace?"

Xuanyangzi's eyes first blanked for a moment, then his brows furrowed slightly, as if rummaging through fragments deep in his memory.

"Are you talking about that assassin organization hiding in the shadows, specializing in assassinations?"

He had spent most of his life in the Eastern Domain and had heard in his early years that this faction was ruthless, even daring to take hits on Saint realm cultivators. It was just too secretive; besides the name Netherworld Palace, no one could even clearly say where it was located.

At the time, he hadn't taken it to heart. Who could have imagined that the Hall Master of this organization was actually the Lingxiao Sacred Lord kneeling right in front of him!

Gu Changge lifted his chin, gesturing for him to look at Ling Canglan. "Ask him yourself. He knows better than I do."

Xuanyangzi immediately turned to the still-kneeling Ling Canglan, suppressing the shock in his heart and doing his best to put on the airs of a Sect Master.

"What is the deal with this Netherworld Palace? Since you are the Lingxiao Sacred Lord, why do you also command this palace?"

Ling Canglan bowed his head and replied with a respectful tone, "Answering the Sect Master, the Netherworld Palace is a secretive assassin organization in the Central Domain. Your subordinate infiltrated it under an alias back in the day and gradually took control of its forces..."

The more Xuanyangzi listened, the tighter his pupils shrank. When he heard about even daring to assassinate Saint Kings, he gasped.

He originally thought that taking in the Lingxiao Sacred Lord was shocking enough, but he never expected something even more explosive. This trump card in their hands was much heavier than he had imagined.

So he hadn't just taken in a Sacred Land's Sacred Lord, but also the boss of an assassin organization?

Just as Ling Canglan finished speaking, he immediately reached for his left index finger.

A completely pitch-black storage ring engraved with obscure spiritual runes was worn on his knuckle. Though inconspicuous, it faintly emitted the fluctuations of a Saint-tier artifact.

He carefully took the ring off, holding it in both hands and presenting it to Xuanyangzi, his tone full of respect.

"Sect Master, inside this storage ring are the treasures your subordinate has accumulated over the years while commanding the Lingxiao Sacred Land and the Netherworld Palace. Today, I offer them all to the sect, to do my meager part in helping the sect grow stronger."

Xuanyangzi snapped back to reality and reached out to take the ring. Before the slightly cool sensation on his fingertips could fade, his spiritual sense couldn't wait to probe inside.

The next second, his pupils dilated sharply, his breathing skipped a beat, and only one thought spun madly in his mind.

We struck it rich! We really struck it rich this time!

The space inside the ring was far vaster than he had imagined, and the piles of treasures that met his eyes were dazzling enough to make one dizzy.

The most conspicuous was a Saint King Weapon resting on a jade stand, along with three Saint Weapons. Each one emitted a pressure that would make a Saint realm cultivator palpitate.

In the jade boxes nearby, hundreds of bottles of Saint-tier pills were neatly stacked, while pills below the Saint tier were piled up like mountains.

There were also several stalks of Saint Medicine with leaves gleaming with golden light, which even a Sect Master like him, who had lived for hundreds of years, had only seen recorded in ancient texts.

Other treasures were piled up like mountains, too numerous to count...

Xuanyangzi's spiritual sense swept over the piles of treasures, and even his fingers began to tremble slightly—how was this doing a meager part?

Being a Sacred Lord truly meant being filthy rich.

He subconsciously gripped the ring tightly, afraid that the ring full of treasures would fly away. The shock on his face had long turned into uncontrollable joy, and the Sect Master airs he was putting on earlier had mostly collapsed.

"To be able to serve the sect is your subordinate's honor. If the Sect Master requires other resources, after your subordinate returns, I will allocate more from the storehouses of the Lingxiao Sacred Land and the Netherworld Palace. I definitely won't disappoint the Sect Master."

Only then did Xuanyangzi snap out of it, hastily raising a hand to support him up.

"Enough, enough! These are more than enough! Get up first. This matter must be kept strictly confidential; absolutely do not spread the word. As for what to do after you return, we need to plan it out carefully."

The way he looked at Ling Canglan was like staring at a walking cornucopia, his gaze so burning hot it practically overflowed.

What Saint King realm Sacred Lord was this? This was clearly a boy of wealth sent by the heavens to deliver fortune to the Qingxuan Sect!

Gu Changge looked at Ling Canglan, who was still kneeling on the ground, and said, "I just searched your memories and confirmed that you had no part in the hunt for my master, Daoist Zizhu, all those years ago. That is the only reason I spared your life and let you off.

Once you return, there are two matters you must attend to. First, purge everyone within the Lingxiao Sacred Land and the Netherworld Palace who participated in the pursuit of my master. Regardless of their status or cultivation, wipe them all out. Do not leave a single one alive.

Second, secure your position and serve well as a hidden piece for the Azure Profound Sect. You must not let a single soul discover your true identity."

Ling Canglan shuddered, his tone even more reverent and respectful than before.

"Your subordinate obeys!"