Chapter 1093
Commanding the Wind and Rain
Seeing Song Changsheng accept the jade token, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the Lone Shadow True Monarch.
He did indeed have some personal grudges with Shadow, which was quite normal in the Shadow Pavilion. They served as the left and right intelligence envoys, respectively, and the two of them practically controlled the entire Shadow Pavilion's intelligence network.
It is the eye, and also the ear.
If it weren't for this personal grudge, neither of them would have been able to reach this position.
With limited resources, if someone wants to climb higher, someone will inevitably become the other's stepping stone.
Now that his scheme has been exposed, he has done plenty of things to kick someone when they're down. As long as Youying is alive, she is a major threat to him.
He has a family, disciples, and a large number of intelligence stations.
These things might be secrets to others, but they couldn't escape the notice of Youying, who was also an intelligence envoy. No matter which node the other party chose to attack, it was something he didn't want to see.
Although the Shadow Pavilion has issued an arrest warrant, their internal factions are numerous and infighting has become a chronic problem. Without sufficient benefits, who would dare to make an enemy of a True Monarch-level expert?
He was in the open, while the enemy was in the shadows.
If you're a thief for a thousand days, how can you guard against thieves for a thousand days?
To eliminate this threat, we must find allies.
Song Changsheng was the best candidate.
Before coming to the border, he took the time to learn all the information related to Song Changsheng. He naturally did not overlook the great battle that had just passed, and his achievements and performance were nothing short of monstrous.
Therefore, all the previous praise was sincere. After a series of careful evaluations, he believed that Song Changsheng's strength was above that of the mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, Youying.
He knew his old rival all too well; he was vengeful and would definitely not let Xu Miaoyin go once he learned of her existence—it was only a matter of time.
If Song Changsheng wants to protect Xu Miaoyin, he will naturally become the enemy of Youying.
Seeing Song Changsheng distracted by the wanted poster, the Lone Shadow True Monarch's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile, thinking smugly, "Everything I've said is confidential. You won't blame me; on the contrary, you should thank me!"
Song Changsheng read the wanted notice issued by Shadow Lord without expression. In his mind, Youying was already a dead man.
When entrusted with a task, one should be loyal to that person.
Not to mention that Xu Miaoyin is his adopted daughter, if Xu Yunhe and his wife were to perish in the abyss, she would be their only bloodline, and there is absolutely no reason for them to stand idly by.
In addition, there is a strange object in Xu Miaoyin's Niwan Palace. Its origin is unknown and its details are unclear. After her cultivation level is improved to a certain extent, she may be able to gradually master its power. With this object, her future achievements will definitely not be inferior to Song Qingxing's.
She is now considered half a member of the Song clan, so he needs to stand up for her both morally and logically.
Although Lord Lone Shadow wanted to use someone else to do his dirty work, he did indeed need to owe the other party a favor.
Xu Miaoyin was far away in the East China Sea. If it weren't for this warning, he probably wouldn't even know who the murderer was after the incident.
However, accepting it so easily wasn't his style. Playing with the jade token in his hand, he chuckled and said, "The reward is heavy, but the opponent is, after all, a veteran Nascent Soul True Monarch. The disadvantages outweigh the advantages, and I'm afraid not many people will respond."
True Monarch Lone Shadow naturally understood his implied meaning and said calmly, "Oh, then in your opinion, how should we increase the measures to make this order effective?"
"First, intelligence; second, determination."
Nascent Soul cultivators come and go without a trace; without sufficient intelligence support, even if one is willing, one is powerless.
Furthermore, this person is, after all, a core figure in the Shadow Pavilion who wields considerable power. If your resolve is insufficient, others will naturally hesitate. What do you think, Fellow Daoist Lone Shadow?
Upon hearing this, Lord Lone Shadow immediately laughed. Song Changsheng was ostensibly talking about the wanted notice, but he was actually offering his own terms.
He wasn't afraid to make demands; as long as Shadow died, paying a price was entirely worthwhile. The Shadow Pavilion was a large and powerful organization, so there was no need to worry too much about such matters.
Furthermore, the conditions proposed by Song Changsheng were not excessive, and he could make the decision himself.
"The communication jade tablet is already in your hands, fellow Daoist. I can answer your questions about intelligence."
As for his determination, fellow Daoist, there is no need to doubt it. Youying caused the demonic disaster to spread for his own selfish interests, bringing incalculable losses to our sect. This world can no longer tolerate him!
"If it weren't for the desire to avoid losing a handle against him, his entire family and disciples would have been wiped out long ago," said True Monarch Lone Shadow in an icy tone.
“Very good.” Song Changsheng nodded slightly.
In just a few words, the two completed a transaction.
The Lone Shadow True Lord needs Song Changsheng to hunt down the Shadow, and Xu Miaoyin is the bait to lure the prey.
In exchange, the Shadow Pavilion will provide a constant stream of intelligence.
This intelligence isn't just about the Shadow True Monarch; aside from those confidential matters that cannot be leaked, it can all be provided to Song Changsheng.
Intelligence is not only eyes, but also ears. The border regions are blocked by the Tianshan and Hengduan Mountains, far from the mainstream cultivation world, and information is scarce. Even if information is obtained, it is likely to be outdated.
Without firsthand information, it's easy to miss opportunities.
Now that the Song family has joined the ranks of Nascent Soul families, if they want to avoid being eliminated and continue to grow stronger, they must align themselves with the mainstream cultivation world.
However, this matter is easier said than done. The territory of the human cultivation world is simply too vast, requiring a massive investment of manpower and resources.
Even with the foundation of the Myriad Manifestations Palace, after operating for tens of thousands of years, it has only barely broken through the cage of the border region, and can only detect the slightest movement in the surrounding cultivation worlds. Beyond that, it can no longer reach.
Needless to say, the Song family, despite investing massive amounts of manpower and resources in developing their intelligence network, still had influence limited to the cultivation worlds of Daqi, Lu, Dayu, and Gusu. The influence of the Fengyu Palace in other cultivation worlds like Cangyuan and Yuhua was practically nonexistent.
The intelligence network of the [Jinxiuqi] is more extensive, but it is limited to the coastal areas and a few cultivation worlds around the Great Qian Dynasty.
Even combined, it still doesn't account for one-third of the border area.
If you don't accumulate steps, you can't reach a thousand miles.
You can't expect to run before you've even learned to walk, can you?
Building a competent intelligence network would take hundreds or even thousands of years, and the Song family lacked the necessary expertise in this area.
Although he had subdued Rock City in the Chaotic Ancient Domain as the eyes of the Song Clan north of the Tianshan Mountains, the power of just one city was ultimately too weak. Moreover, the two places were too far apart to communicate in real time, and a round trip often took several days.
Some time-sensitive intelligence becomes useless if it is delayed like this.
In this situation, we can only rely on other people's intelligence networks. For the border regions, we can rely on the Myriad Palaces, while for the areas north of Tianshan, we can only rely on the Shadow Pavilion.
Whether it's useful or not, at least you're not blind or deaf, so you don't get sold out without even knowing it.
With the common enemy, Shadow Lord, in the picture, the Shadow Pavilion shouldn't cause any trouble in the short term.
Once a connection is established and both sides feel each other's sincerity, other collaborations can gradually be put on the agenda.
Besides intelligence, the Shadow Pavilion also controls a large number of resource channels, which is exactly what the Song family, a "nouveau riche" family, desperately needs.
Just like the jade pendant in his hand, which True Monarch Lone Shadow casually gave away, it is clear that this is not an experimental item. It is likely that the Craftsmanship Pavilion has already officially started selling it to the public, but neither he nor the Myriad Manifestations Palace had ever heard of it.
And this is definitely not an isolated case.
The border regions are truly impoverished, not only in terms of resources, but also in every other aspect. To truly rise, they must continuously bridge the information gap.
Going from zero to one is often the most difficult, and the opportunity to cooperate directly with Lone Shadow True Monarch, who holds the power of intelligence in the Shadow Pavilion, is rare and hard to come by.
Even if the Shadow Monarch hadn't already threatened Xu Miaoyin, he would still be willing to lend a hand and ride this wave of opportunity.
Lone Shadow True Monarch was well aware of his thoughts, but he was not opposed to them. On the contrary, he felt that this deal was very worthwhile.
All he offered was some information that could be copied at will. The benefits of befriending a young True Monarch like Song Changsheng, who possessed extraordinary talent, would only be greater.
If Song Changsheng were to one day break through to the Supreme Realm, which is revered by millions, then…
Thinking of this, True Monarch Lone Shadow raised his head and looked at Supreme Venerable Jingxuan in the distance, feeling a pang of regret in his heart.
Even he had only met the Supreme Being a handful of times, and this was the first time he had accompanied him.
This was originally a great opportunity, but unfortunately he was facing a supreme being from the Demon Subduing Hall. Not to mention trying to please him, he didn't even dare to get too close.
Whether it was sensing Gu Ying's gaze or not, the Pure Profound Supreme, who had been standing still above the spatial rift for a long time, suddenly made a move.
With a wave of her hand, thousands of chains of law, inscribed with the patterns of the Great Dao, appeared out of thin air, setting up another barrier around the spatial rift leading to the abyss.
Seeing this, Song Changsheng couldn't help but feel a little worried. Could it be that this person had also sealed away the "back door" that Ancestor Xuanlei had specially left for him?
"The seal on this entrance is exquisite. Recklessly interfering may damage the seal. Therefore, I have set up a reconnaissance barrier here."
The barrier will issue a warning as soon as it senses demonic energy.
I have two command tokens here, one for you and one for the Great Qi branch hall.
You will be notified immediately if the barrier is activated.
The Pure Mystery Supreme handed two jade-colored black command arrows to Song Changsheng and said in a serious tone, "This is only a temporary measure. The best way is to set up a branch hall here and monitor the area day and night."
Wang Zaixing had rendered meritorious service, which was within the scope of his supervision, and he should be rewarded according to regulations.
If it cannot be saved, I will personally select capable officials to come and suppress it.
During this time, the task of monitoring the Abyss will be entrusted to you.
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, "Wang Zaixing has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel."
He couldn't help but think of Feng Zhongyi, the former master of the Demon Subduing Hall.
The other party wanted the approval of the headquarters until his death, and now he has finally achieved it. It can only be said that he was born at the wrong time.
He respectfully accepted the two command tokens, pondered for a moment, and then asked a crucial question: "May I ask Your Majesty, the border is far from the main base. If the seal weakens and the ancient demon descends, how should we notify you?"
“If I crush this command token, I will naturally sense it.”
Furthermore, in times of emergency, expediency is necessary. With this command token, you can order the branch temples in various regions to assist you in vanquishing the demons. "The Pure Mystery Supreme's considerations were very thorough."
Song Changsheng was secretly taken aback. The authority of this command token was astonishing. He quickly bowed and said, "This junior will certainly live up to Your Majesty's trust."
"This matter is of great importance; do not let external affairs distract you." With that, Supreme Pure Mystery glanced at True Monarch Lone Shadow beside him, his meaning self-evident.
How could such a simple trick as telepathic communication possibly fool a supreme being? She heard every single word of their conversation.
However, the Demon Subduing Hall never intervenes in disputes between various forces, not even the Supreme Being; this is an ironclad rule.
Therefore, we can only offer verbal advice and warnings.
"This junior will humbly obey Your Majesty's decree," Song Changsheng replied solemnly.
His roots are here, and even if the Supreme Master Jingxuan didn't remind him, he wouldn't put the cart before the horse.
"Go to the Palace of Myriad Phenomena and see if the preparations I had them make earlier are complete."
These words were spoken to the Lone Shadow True Monarch.
Watching him tear through the void and leave, Song Changsheng was immediately puzzled. In terms of cultivation and status, this kind of errand-running job should have been his.
The Pure Profound Supreme clearly had no intention of explaining, and suddenly changed the subject, saying, "You must have also discovered that the spiritual liquid made with [Mermaid Tears] can not only dispel the demonic energy in the cultivator's body, but also purify the land that has been contaminated by demonic blood."
However, the spiritual liquid produced by a single [Mermaid's Tear] is merely a drop in the ocean for the vast borderlands, which is why it wasn't put into practice, is that right?
“Exactly. Could it be that the Supreme One already has a solution?” Song Changsheng’s eyes lit up immediately.
The Pure Profound Supreme remained silent, only slowly raising his head to look at the cloudless sky.
In an instant, a fierce wind arose, whipping up clouds of yellow sand across the Gobi Desert.
Thick, dark clouds gathered from all directions, instantly obscuring the once clear sky. It was as black as ink, as if a naughty child had spilled an inkstone into clear water, with no end in sight.
"Boom..."
Electricity crackled and thunder roared, creating the appearance of an impending downpour.
Song Changsheng was shocked by the sudden change in the weather.
For cultivators, changing the weather is not difficult; even Golden Core cultivators and Purple Mansion cultivators can do it, but those are all illusions deliberately created with magical power.
Like the Thunder Elephant True Lord, wherever he goes, thunder and clouds follow, always covering an area of tens of thousands of miles.
But the dark cloud above his head covered an area of more than ten thousand miles; it was so vast that even he could not see the end.
However, he did not sense any fluctuations of the power of law from the Pure Profound Supreme, as if the drastic change before him had nothing to do with her.
"This is the true art of summoning wind and rain!" Song Changsheng was shaken to his core. The same supernatural power had completely different effects when used by different people.
At this moment, True Monarch Lone Shadow returned and respectfully handed over a storage ring.
The storage ring hung in the palm of the Pure Profound Supreme, and a massive amount of rare resources gushed out.
Under the influence of an invisible force, all these resources were transformed into the purest spiritual liquid, resembling a great river stretching across the sky.
With a flick of his hand, the Supreme Pure Mystery took out a half-foot-tall Jade Purification Bottle, which seemed like a bottomless pit that swallowed the "Heavenly River" in the air.
The jade bottle spun rapidly, transforming into a streak of light that "drilled" into the depths of the clouds.
"Wow"
Suddenly, a torrential downpour descended from the sky...
...(End of this chapter)