Chapter 994
Demons and Monsters
"Who exactly are you? There is absolutely no one like you in this remote border region."
Zhang Chuqiu struggled and asked through gritted teeth, but the more he struggled, the tighter the chains of law bound him, almost suffocating him.
"You don't need to know who I am. Instead, tell me about the Gu Immortal Sect. What position do you hold in the Gu Immortal Sect? When did you come to the border? How did you get involved with Mao Dongxing and the others? Tell me the truth."
"If you cooperate a little now, I'll let you leave with some dignity later. After all, soul searching is quite troublesome." Song Changsheng said this, but secretly he was using his vast spiritual power to continuously influence Zhang Chuqiu.
Those cultivators who frequently converse with Nascent Soul True Monarchs will be able to sense that an invisible force will constantly influence them during the conversation.
Under the influence of this force, your defenses will unconsciously open, and you will say things you didn't originally want to say. Your emotional fluctuations will also become very obvious. Under these circumstances, any lie will be exposed.
Song Changsheng didn't understand what that power was before, but after breaking through the pseudo-infant stage, he realized that it was spiritual power, a spiritual power that could be described as overwhelming.
Speed is of the essence in war. To use the Soul Searching Technique, at least several days of careful preparation are needed. If there are still his accomplices in Sifang City or the Suzhou cultivation world, they may take this opportunity to escape. Therefore, he must break through his defenses and obtain information in the fastest and most direct way.
Zhang Chuqiu was naturally unaware of Song Changsheng's secret actions. He gritted his teeth and said, "Let me go, and I can give you anything you want."
Influenced by Song Changsheng's mental power, he unconsciously revealed the thoughts he had hidden in his heart.
"The fact that you are still alive and able to speak with me is the greatest show of my sincerity. Your future performance will depend on your actions. Why don't you tell me where your accomplices are now?" Song Changsheng continued to exert influence, constantly attacking his psychological defenses.
“I can say that, but I need a guarantee. You have to let me go, and you have to promise not to cripple my cultivation.” Zhang Chuqiu gritted his teeth and insisted on his bottom line.
Upon hearing this, Song Changsheng glanced at him indifferently and said, "Don't you think you've said a bit too much?"
"I just want a guarantee. If you can't provide it, then do whatever you want with me," Zhang Chuqiu said resolutely.
"Click"
As soon as he finished speaking, his spine was broken in a bizarre manner, and his body was almost torn apart.
"Dispose of me as you please? I have plenty of ways to make you suffer a fate worse than death. If you don't want to talk now, I can still control you in time. It's just a matter of losing a few small fry."
“You…” Zhang Chuqiu’s forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his soul was trembling.
"You probably can't even imagine what I'm capable of. Think about it carefully, are your accomplices worth risking your lives for?"
Large beads of sweat rolled down Zhang Chuqiu's temples, and his face turned as pale as snow.
Under Song Changsheng's constant pressure, his psychological defenses were completely broken down.
"I know a lot, but if I don't reply with the code by today, the value of this intelligence will be greatly reduced. The value of the intelligence will definitely satisfy you."
Seeing this, Song Changsheng softened slightly and nodded, saying, "If the intelligence is valuable enough, I can agree to your conditions."
"I am an elder of the sect and I know many of the sect's secrets. I will definitely not disappoint you. I know all the sect's arrangements in the border regions."
I can immediately offer a gift, and I might even help you lure the snake out of its hole.
Zhang Chuqiu had few principles to begin with, and under Song Changsheng's influence, he threw them all to the back of his mind. He believed in sacrificing his own life over the lives of his friends.
"Tell me about it." Having gained the upper hand, Song Changsheng began to guide the conversation further.
"The sect has many branch offices in the border areas. After the purge, most of these branch offices are in a dormant state, waiting for an opportunity."
"opportunity?"
"Over the years, the sect has colluded with the Thunder King Palace, the Heavenly Fire Sect, the Golden Shuttle Cave... as well as the demon race, the ancient witch race, the snowfield barbarian race, and other forces, waiting for the day when the Calamity Star descends to earth, so that they can act together to destroy that ancient covenant and establish a new order!"
Song Changsheng's heart stirred slightly. He had seen a related scene when he was undergoing the tribulation of inner demons: the calamity star descended upon the world, alien races rose up, and all kinds of demons appeared in the world, which was the source of great chaos in the world.
He was a little puzzled at the time, wondering why these alien races were so in sync; it turned out they had already conspired together.
But why did they have to choose the time when Mars descended to earth? Could it be that they were the beginning of this catastrophe?
If that's the case, is there any possibility of change?
Now that his strength has reached its peak, if he were to sweep away these monsters and demons in advance, would he be able to change his predetermined fate?
"Where do you have branches? Do you know where these forces are hiding?" Song Changsheng continued to press.
"I only know a part of it, but I can draw it all on the drawings. You just need to verify its authenticity."
As he spoke, under Song Changsheng's gaze, Zhang Chuqiu marked everything he knew on a map, revealing that the territory of the Great Qi cultivation world was surprisingly clear.
This put Song Changsheng at ease. As his base, the stability of Daqi was of paramount importance. It seemed that he had kept his backyard quite clean over the years.
In contrast, the surrounding cultivation worlds are in a much worse state. The cultivation world of Lu Kingdom is a prime example; it's a concentration camp for desperados. Even with the intervention of the Myriad Manifestations Palace, it remains in turmoil, and collusion with alien races is commonplace.
This time, the cultivation world of Lu State had the most marked areas.
The cultivation world of Gusu also has branches of the Gu Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Fire Sect. They seem to be quite large, and they are very well hidden. Several investigations failed to find any clues. If Zhang Chuqiu had not been captured, they would have been kept in the dark for many more years.
Following the movement of the cinnabar pen in Zhang Chuqiu's hand, Song Changsheng soon noticed that he had also drawn a red circle in a certain place within the Gusu cultivation world, with the words "Ancient Witch Clan" marked inside.
The familiar location and the familiar name instantly awakened long-dormant memories in Song Changsheng's mind.
He had two encounters with the ancient witch clan in his life.
One time, inside the Jinxuan Grottoes, he ventured deep inside to rescue Zhuang Yuechan, who was trapped there. He accidentally encountered a human-shaman hybrid and, after a fierce battle, managed to kill him.
The second encounter took place outside the Four Directions City. A murder had occurred within the city, which implicated him. The investigation eventually led to an ancient witch priest, whom he also killed.
Because of these two encounters, he firmly believed that the ancient witch clan, which had once ravaged the cultivation world and was besieged by the righteous sects of the world, still had bloodlines, but he did not know where they were hiding.
He had almost forgotten about this matter, but unexpectedly, Zhang Chuqiu clearly marked the habitat of the ancient witch clan for him with a cinnabar pen. It turned out to be hidden in the cultivation world of Gusu. It was another vivid demonstration of the saying "the darkest place is under the lamp".
Moreover, these ancient remnants are currently quite restless.
In addition, Zhang Chuqiu quickly marked the strongholds of other forces, the twenty-odd large and small red circles on the yellowed map standing out conspicuously. Song Changsheng's gaze lingered on the specific location of the "Ancient Witch Clan" for a moment, then he flipped his hand and put the map away, saying, "I will definitely verify it, but with just this, you can only save your own little life. You are still far from being free."
"What else do you want to know? I can tell you anything." Zhang Chuqiu had long since abandoned all his bottom lines. To be precise, as an evil cultivator, he himself had very few bottom lines to speak of.
He would do anything to raise Gu worms. Betraying his accomplices was nothing to him. He only cared whether Song Changsheng could keep his word and let him live.
"Among the forces you know, how many Nascent Soul True Monarchs do you have, and how many Golden Core True Persons do you have?"
This is the issue that Song Changsheng is most concerned about right now.
He had heard of the Gu Immortal Sect, the Thunder King Palace, the Heavenly Fire Sect, and many of them many years ago. He had even had direct contact with some of them and wiped out some of their strongholds, but he had never been able to completely eradicate them, and he knew very little about their backgrounds.
Currently, he only knows that the Thunder King Palace has at least one Nascent Soul True Monarch, and also possesses the [Sword of the Human King] and [Imperial Seal of the State] from the former Heavenly Qin Immortal Dynasty, making it arguably the most threatening force.
Both the Gu Immortal Sect and the Heavenly Fire Sect are ancient sects with a long history, and they were once extremely prosperous. Their past glory was far beyond what the Thunder King Palace, which suddenly appeared, could compare to.
Although both families had suffered devastating losses in the past, even a starved camel is bigger than a horse. With Zhang Chusheng's cultivation level, he was only an elder in the Gu Immortal Sect.
He now desperately wants to know just how many leverage his enemy has.
After understanding his meaning, Zhang Chuqiu gave him an answer that surprised him greatly.
"Apart from the Thunder King Palace, the Heavenly Fire Sect, the Snowfield Barbarians, the Ancient Witch Clan, and other forces do not have a single Nascent Soul True Monarch, and many of them may not even be able to invite a Golden Core cultivator."
These past years have been tough due to your relentless suppression. Don't worry too much. Even our sect leader doesn't plan to deploy too much power in the border regions. Apart from me, there's only one Golden Core cultivator in charge of coordinating all matters.
Otherwise, they would have taken action long ago.
The faction of us being able to gather together is all thanks to the Thunder King Palace, and they usually take the lead.
Their main task was to provide support from within and without when the demon race launched their attack, helping them break the ancient alliance.
Hearing this, Song Changsheng felt somewhat relieved.
If it's at this level, it's relatively easy to deal with.
However, he was not satisfied with just a few small fish; he wanted to set up a big net to catch all the fish, big and small.
Looking at Zhang Chuqiu in front of him, Song Changsheng felt even more that this person was of extraordinary value. If he wanted to lure the snake out of its hole, this person might be the key.
However, before that, he had to figure out whether the group's actions when the planet of calamity descended were a coincidence or had some special significance.
"Do you perhaps know the exact time when the calamity-bringing star will descend upon the world?"
"I don't know. It's just that a demon master from the demon race, after some divination, sensed that the Calamity Star was about to appear in the world. So we agreed on this time. This is only temporary. The specifics depend on the actions of the demon race." Zhang Chuqiu spilled the beans directly.
"I will tentatively believe your explanation."
After saying that, Song Changsheng placed his hand on Zhang Chuqiu's chest and said in a cold tone, "You've managed to save your life, but until we verify the truth, you'd better stay here obediently."
"What did you do to me? What did you do?" Zhang Chuqiu could clearly sense that there was a power within his body that did not belong to him, and this power was enveloping his golden core.
"It's just a small restriction. Cooperate well, and I won't go back on my word. After verifying the authenticity of the information, I will set you free."
"I must remind you that the restriction is set within your golden core. If you're not afraid of death, you can go find the Thunder King of the Thunder King Palace and see if he can break through my methods."
"You...you're planning to make me your mole?" Zhang Chuqiu instantly saw through Song Changsheng's intentions.
"I am giving you another chance to redeem yourself. From the moment you were captured, your plan was doomed to failure. These strongholds will be taken down one by one, but not now."
After saying that, Song Changsheng patted his head, and an invisible force was injected into him, causing Zhang Chuqiu to faint instantly.
After doing all this, he left a mark on each of the surrendered Wanlong Chamber of Commerce elders with a snap of his fingers, walked up to Peng Siying and said, "I have obtained some valuable intelligence. I need to go and investigate. I will leave the aftermath to Elder Quan."
I have placed restrictions on them, so I can find them even if they escape to the ends of the earth.
The Xuanling Sect and the Ancient God Pavilion have intervened and must be punished. I will personally go there when the time comes.”
At this point, he pointed to the already sleeping Zhang Chuqiu and said, "This person still has some value, and I need to take him with me."
"Thanks to you, otherwise the Chamber of Commerce would have been destroyed in my hands."
The crisis that had once driven her to the brink of despair was resolved so easily, leaving Peng Siying with extremely complicated feelings.
Although they were so close, it was as if they were in two different worlds, and the gap between them became increasingly obvious.
"I'll deal with the secret medicine matter after I return to the Chamber of Commerce. With Mao Dongxing, Peng Huaming, and the others brought to justice, the Chamber of Commerce will definitely be in chaos for a while. That's up to you."
Quan Chong quickly replied, "The ringleader has been brought to justice, and the rest are just a rabble. Please rest assured, Elder."
"Elder Quan's words are enough."
Song Changsheng responded, and then in a flash, he disappeared with Zhang Chuqiu and Li Qinghe's heads.
Besides verifying the truth of Zhang Chuqiu's claims, his main purpose during this inspection was also to conduct a comprehensive risk assessment, lest the fish become too big and struggle too fiercely, breaking his carefully woven net...
……
P.S.: I'll add another chapter later. (End of Chapter)