Despite Zhao Sheng's sarcastic tone, Master Jiuchi laughed indifferently, "Brother Zhao, don't blame me for not reminding you. You care about the lives of mortals, but the human race won't appreciate it. Be careful not to please either side! Don't forget the old saying among humans: 'Those who are not of our kind will surely have different hearts.'"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng raised an eyebrow, looked at the meaningful-looking Nine-Foolish Immortal, but did not utter a word in rebuttal.
Seeing this, Jiu Chi felt reassured and immediately pressed his advantage, saying with a gentle smile, "I just heard you say you were going to the refugee city. I happen to have nothing to do, so I'll accompany you."
"This is such a small matter, there's no need to trouble you, senior," Zhao Sheng declined.
"It's nothing. I'm just bored, so I thought I'd catch up with you. When we get back to Lingyuan, I might have to ask you for a favor." Jiu Chi's skin was incredibly thick, and he had no intention of deliberately maintaining a respectable image in front of the younger generation.
Jiu Chi communicated with Zhao Sheng on an equal footing, even with a hint of ingratiation.
It's not just because Zhao Sheng was chosen by the Ice King. The Ice King holds a high position and great power, and after advancing to the Nascent Soul stage, he will become a powerful figure in the Demon Ruins.
And since he was a member of the Ice King's faction, befriending Zhao Sheng was a way of currying favor with the Ice King.
In addition, he also saw Zhao Sheng's potential and deliberately befriended him in advance.
A shameless person is invincible!
Seeing this, Zhao Sheng had no choice but to turn to the Ice Maiden and order, "Go to the Refugee City!"
As soon as the Ice Maiden bowed in agreement, Nine-Fool eagerly suggested, "Hey, let my Tiger Owl carry us there! The Refugee City is dozens of miles away. Flying there will be faster!"
"..."
However,
Tiger Owl flapped its wings and took flight, carrying Zhao Sheng, Nine-Foolish Immortal, and others towards the southwest of Dragon Head Island.
The refugee city extends thirty miles into the inner island of Longshou Island. Originally a large city for ordinary people, it has now been temporarily requisitioned as a prison for ordinary refugees.
The area near the refugee city is the largest alluvial plain on Longshou Island. It is a fertile plain that is famous for producing grain crops and has fed nearly ten million people on Longshou Island.
As the tiger owl ventured deeper into the inner island, Zhao Sheng was astonished to discover that, apart from the coastal markets and cities destroyed by the sea monsters, the fields, villages, and towns on the inner island were largely unaffected, and most had escaped the ravages of war. The villages and towns remained orderly, with ordinary people working from sunrise to sunset, as if the island-attacking battle dozens of miles away had nothing to do with them.
Seeing Zhao Sheng's surprise, Master Jiuchi chuckled smugly, "Brother Zhao, aren't you quite surprised?"
"It was quite unexpected," Zhao Sheng said frankly.
"Hehe! You are still too inexperienced to understand the reasons behind this. The intricacies are too profound; even I, an old man, only know a little about them, let alone you."
"oh"
Zhao Sheng nodded thoughtfully, but did not ask any further questions.
Seeing this, Master Jiuchi's expression froze, and he was thinking about how to pique the other party's interest in continuing to ask questions.
Just then, the tiger owl folded its wings and suddenly swooped down.
Below, on the ground, a large city covering dozens of miles, with buildings resembling those of an ancient city, came into view.
Bang!
Tiger Owl landed on a specially designated square in the center of the city.
As Zhao Sheng and the others jumped off the tiger owl, they saw two pairs of people walking quickly towards the edge of the square.
Leading the group were two bald giants, each nearly two zhang tall, with bulging muscles, clearly belonging to the sea giant race.
Behind them followed a dozen or so listless humans, men and women of all ages.
Each of them wore a silver-white collar around their neck; they were clearly cultivators.
"Who goes there? Please—"
He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
At this moment, the Ice Maiden took out a round token carved from millennia-old ice jade from her sleeve. The front was engraved with an ancient rune, and the back was a towering ice peak.
"The Ice King's decree has been issued once again! You all must leave at once!"
The two sea giants exchanged a glance, then knelt down in unison, placing their hands on their chests in a salute, and roared, "Yes, Your Majesty! We take our leave."
At this moment, the human slave guards behind them all knelt down.
After the two sea giants finished bowing, they immediately stood up and turned away with their slaves.
Watching the departing human cultivators, Zhao Sheng's gaze was deep and unfathomable.
Just now, he keenly sensed that the people looking at him were filled with fear and panic, but there were also a few young people whose eyes hid deep resentment.
Having been an undercover agent for a century, Master Jiuchi has undoubtedly mastered the skill of reading people's expressions and demeanor.
He saw this scene and a thought struck him. He then feigned smugness and said, "Brother Zhao, do you know? This refugee city is almost entirely autonomous, with fewer than thirty of us belonging to the city. And everyone in the city has enough to eat and sleep. Apart from the lack of freedom, it's no different from the outside world."
"We, the Spirit Race, are a hundred times more noble than the Human Race. As long as these people stay here obediently, we wouldn't stoop to using despicable methods like torture."
Zhao Sheng asked in a deep voice, "How many people are here?"
"About 500,000! The vast majority are mortals. Hehe, they are all direct relatives of human cultivators for three generations."
Zhao Sheng stood in the center of the square and unleashed his divine sense with all his might.
His divine sense spread out and swept around, revealing that the rooms, floors, and corridors of the surrounding buildings were filled with people.
Most of them looked distressed, with fear and unease, but their complexions were rosy, as if they had never experienced hunger.
At this moment, the refugee city was very quiet, and the air was filled with a deathly and oppressive atmosphere.
Zhao Sheng walked down from the square and strolled casually along the main street of the city.
Under the probing of divine sense, it was found that the buildings on both sides of the street were also full of people. They only moved around in the limited space and few people went out.
After walking for several miles, Master Jiuchi said smugly, "How about that? I didn't lie to you! The moral character of the Spirit Race is a hundred times higher than that of the filthy and despicable Human Race."
"Where are the cultivators? Have they all been executed?" Zhao Sheng asked abruptly.
"Hehe! Those above the Foundation Establishment Realm are imprisoned in the Forbidden Prison, while the rest are mostly placed under the influence of spiritual restrictions and then thrown into the spirit mines to mine. The underwater mineral deposits near Dragon Head Island are abundant, so mining is a way to make use of waste."
After listening, Zhao Sheng pondered in silence.
The way the Spirit Race treats cultivators is truly puzzling, and the formation of the refugee city is even more bizarre.
The Spirit Race and the Human Race are clearly mortal enemies. Why didn't they choose to engage in widespread slaughter after conquering Dragon Head Island?
Could all of this be related to the Star God?
At this moment, Zhao Sheng suddenly had a flash of inspiration and wondered if the 500,000 people in the refugee city and the cultivators were all "hostages".
Perhaps there was some kind of deal between the high-ranking officials of the two groups?
Zhao Sheng was surprised by his own bold idea.
suddenly,
He stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly.
Because a strange scene suddenly appeared within his consciousness.
In a courtyard twenty-one feet to his left, a gathering was taking place.
The courtyard was teeming with people, and in the middle stood a high platform on which sat an old monk in black armor.
At this moment, he was reciting Buddhist scriptures and preaching to the crowd below.
"The light of all Buddhas shines universally for countless eons."
Zhao Sheng looked up at the courtyard and scanned the old monk with his divine sense, only to find that the man was old and frail, and was just an ordinary person.
Zhao Sheng turned his head and asked, "Senior Jiu Chi, are monks allowed to preach in the refugee city?"
"Hmm, it seems you've noticed too! It's no big deal. The ancient Buddhism is preaching here with the tacit approval of the higher-ups. Besides, this is an internal matter for the human race. It has nothing to do with our Spirit Race. It would be even better if the ancient Buddhism could fight against the Star God Palace," said True Person Nine Madness, unconcerned.
Zhao Sheng turned around, his eyes flashed a few times, and then he continued walking forward.
When the group reached the city gate, Zhao Sheng secretly counted and found three monks along the way, while there were thousands of bewitched "believers" in the city.
When everyone is filled with fear and anxiety, it is the best time to preach and spread the word.
Ancient Buddhism was indeed adept at finding opportunities; it probably also had a deal with the Spirit Clan.
In addition, Zhao Sheng also discovered that the rate of pregnancy among women in the city was very high, and he also witnessed many strange acts of lewdness in broad daylight.
This made him suspect that everything was done intentionally by the Eldar.
As for why? It's obvious that it's to give birth to as many spiritual root babies as possible.
Zhao Sheng sighed inwardly, "The Spirit Clan's plan is truly shrewd!"
...
When Zhao Sheng was investigating the refugee city, he was deep within a spiritual cave dwelling on a second-tier spiritual vein, located a hundred miles northwest of Dragon Head Island, beneath the sea.
The cave was covered in a blanket of white, filled with a chilling, icy atmosphere. Frosty blossoms drifted and swirled within, shattering upon contact with the walls and freezing everything in their path. White frost spread everywhere, and a bone-chilling cold emanated from the cave.
On an ice throne deep within the spiritual cave, a young man in white robes with silver hair sat cross-legged with his palms together, white light constantly emanating from his mouth and nose, causing the surrounding icy aura to fluctuate.
Suddenly, the jade pendant at the man's waist began to flash continuously. The silver-haired youth frowned, reached out and took off the jade pendant, then sent a wisp of his divine sense into it.
The next instant, as the jade tablet shimmered with light, information flooded into the silver-haired youth's mind. His expression immediately turned icy cold.
"Zhao Chonghe!...Heh!" The silver-haired youth muttered to himself, letting out a cold laugh before falling silent again.
Meanwhile, in a hidden space underground on Dragon Head Island, a gaunt young man dressed in a robe adorned with a hundred skulls sat facing a middle-aged man wearing a jade crown and black armor. On the stone table between them sat a portrait that bore a striking resemblance to Zhao Sheng.
This middle-aged man in black armor was extremely handsome. Although he only showed a cultivation level of the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, he exuded a mysterious aura.
"Is this the target?" the gaunt young man suddenly asked slowly.
The middle-aged man in black armor smiled slightly, neither confirming nor denying, and said, "This man's real name is Zhao Chonghe. Here is some information about him. Kill him within ten days. The *Skull God Codex* is yours."
"Is that really true?" The gaunt young man asked excitedly, his eyes filled with greed.
The middle-aged man pushed over two jade slips and said, "One of them contains the first two layers of the 'Skull God Codex.' Consider it a deposit."
The gaunt young man snatched the jade slip, probed it with his divine sense, and soon a delighted smile appeared on his face. He decisively declared, "This deal! I, Young Master Skeleton, will take it!"
...
After returning from the refugee city, Zhao Sheng refused all invitations and locked himself in his cultivation room to bury himself in arduous training.
Three days later, in the cultivation room, Zhao Sheng sat cross-legged with a solemn expression, his hands constantly making hand seals, and streaks of blood light continuously merged into the blood escape talisman in mid-air.
Two quarters of an hour later, after absorbing so much essence and spiritual power, the palm-sized Blood Escape Talisman began to shine brightly, gradually producing layers of blood-colored halo.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Sheng's spirits lifted, and he opened his mouth again, spitting out a mouthful of blood that landed on the Blood Escape Talisman.
The Blood Escape Talisman suddenly ignited into an invisible blood flame.
"melt!"
Zhao Sheng's eyes narrowed, and a point of black light suddenly shot out from the purple mansion on his forehead, disappearing into the Blood Escape Talisman in a flash.
In an instant, the blood flames completely subsided, transforming into countless mysterious blood-colored runes that appeared on the surface of the talisman.
Zhao Sheng reached out and summoned the Blood Soul Talisman, which floated over and landed in his hand.
This Blood Escape Talisman has mutated into a Blood Soul Talisman because it has incorporated a trace of divine soul.
The Blood Soul Talisman is a special second-tier escape talisman that Zhao Sheng painstakingly researched for nearly a hundred years, starting from his previous life, and only recently created.
Although it is a talisman for concealment, it has the effect of confusing others, especially high-level cultivators.
Upon seeing the talisman fully formed, a hint of joy appeared in Zhao Sheng's eyes, and he immediately and carefully hid it in the lining of his waist.
Two weeks later.
The long-closed door to the secret room suddenly swung open, and Zhao Sheng slowly walked out.
As soon as Zhao Shengfang stepped out of the room, he suddenly turned his head and looked towards the corridor on one side.
A flash of light appeared, and two figures rushed over, as fast as lightning.
Upon seeing this, Zhao Sheng narrowed his eyes slightly. Judging from the momentum, the two were heading straight for him.
Boom!
Two figures suddenly landed a few feet in front of Zhao Sheng, causing a ripple in the air and revealing the figures of two young men.
The person in the lead was dressed in a snow-white robe, and appeared to be about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. He had a handsome and refined appearance, and there was a hint of starlight shining between his brows, giving people the illusion that the person standing in front of them was not a person, but an extremely cold ice flower.
The other man was tall and thin, but every muscle in his body was like steel, seemingly containing extremely strong explosive power.
"Who are you two?" Zhao Sheng asked slowly, his expression unchanged, looking at the two who clearly came with ill intentions.
"I am Wang Foyu of the Spirit Clan, and this gentleman beside me is Wang Fochong." The white-robed man looked Zhao Sheng up and down and chuckled as he spoke.
The muscular Wang Fochong stared intently into Zhao Sheng's eyes, his gaze sharp as knives, without speaking immediately.
"Oh, so you are two young masters of the Spirit Clan. My apologies for my rudeness! May I ask what brings you here?" Zhao Sheng ignored their gazes and asked calmly.
"So you're that wild boy who came back from outside?" Wang Fo finally spoke with a cold smile.
"Hmph." Zhao Sheng couldn't help but snort coldly upon hearing this.
"Very well, you do look presentable. We've come to tell you that the Ice King has given up on you. Don't even think about it," Wang Fuyu said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Zhao Sheng was slightly taken aback, but immediately a slight smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the two people in front of him again with a strange gaze.
"What, do we have to say it again? The Ice King's status is so lofty. With your lowly bloodline, how can you be worthy of the title of Ice King's disciple?"
Seeing Zhao Sheng's expression, the white-robed Wang Foyu snorted and said in a tone that left no room for doubt.