Gu Zhiping heard the words, opened his mouth, yet before he could speak, a figure descended from the sky beside them. The tunneling light converged, revealing Di Tao's presence.

"What do you seek from me?"

The entire appearance of Di Tao was silent and without a trace, as if a ghostly specter emerged soundlessly.

In fact, Yuan Ming's Cave Mansion had already been placed under covert surveillance by his people. At the slightest movement from Yuan Ming, information about his whereabouts would be reported immediately to him, and ever since Yuan Ming was spotted several hundred feet away from the Punishment Hall, Di Tao had locked onto him with his Divine Sense.

"Uncle Master Di, may I inquire if the ancestors have any spare time? I have important information about the gray-clad old man that must be communicated in person," Yuan Ming said, not bothering to question why Di Tao had appeared so swiftly, and immediately spoke with urgency.

Upon hearing this, Gu Zhiping's eyes widened, and he looked at Yuan Ming with a complex expression. It was known that even the Peak Masters of each peak couldn't just request to meet the two Nascent Soul Ancestors as they pleased, let alone these Foundation Establishment disciples.

Yet now, Yuan Ming boldly demanded an audience with the ancestors as if it were his right.

Di Tao's expression changed, and after studying Yuan Ming closely for a moment, he nodded his head.

Shortly after, under his leadership, Yuan Ming alone stepped into the Ancestor Master Hall located at Chaotian Sect's Main Peak, and for the first time, faced the Nascent Soul Ancestors of the Chaotian Sect.

In the middle of the spacious and solemn hall was a platform surrounded by golden-yellow banners. At this moment, an old man with white hair and beard, dressed in a plain Daoist robe, was sitting cross-legged.

The old man was currently facing away from the door, closing his eyes for Breathing Control, his hands forming the Meridian Seal in front of him, with a whisk carelessly resting on his shoulder, looking no different from the common Taoist seen in mortal temples.

"Reporting to the ancestor, Zhen Luo is in attendance," Di Tao said, bowing to the old man.

"Disciple Zhen Luo, pays respects to the ancestor," Yuan Ming said respectfully.

"Although my junior brother isn't smart, his talents are beyond question. Not only is he cautious, but his methods are extremely brutal. You say you saw him by chance, and you were even alive afterwards to draw out his likeness. Could it be he has changed his ways?" The old man in the Daoist robe turned around, looking at Yuan Ming with a half-smile.

"Could it be the junior brother the ancestor mentioned is..." Yuan Ming feigned ignorance, and with a slight shock, he said.

"Hehe, indeed, it's the same old man who was conferring secretly with your master," the old man in the Daoist robe nodded and said.

"I dare not deceive the Great Master. Although I possess some unique methods, my desire to protect the Sect remains unchanged," Yuan Ming immediately replied.

The man in the Daoist robe said nothing; he scrutinized Yuan Ming for a long time before slowly nodding his head.

"Good. If all disciples of this Sect were like you, I could close the Life and Death Seclusion in peace and wouldn't have to appear for these trivial matters."

Yuan Ming was slightly startled in his heart, feeling that the attitude of the Daoist-robed old ancestor seemed different from what he had expected.

"Di Tao mentioned that about my worthless junior brother, what have you discovered?" The old man in the Daoist robe asked again before Yuan Ming could fully comprehend his thoughts.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming immediately nodded and shared his earlier prepared statements regarding Shen Lingyun's "behaviors" that he had let slip inadvertently and his own conjectures.

These "behaviors" were naturally mostly related to Soul Cultivation; after all, he was most familiar with Soul Cultivation. Whether Shen Lingyun had actually done these things was not important. As long as the ancestor could deduce Shen Lingyun's identity as a Soul Cultivator from them, it would suffice.

Now, as a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator facing a Nascent Soul, instead of trying to fabricate lies, it was better to reveal the truth, which would seem more credible.

"...A strange insect that brings people back to life? A Soul Cultivator who uses such a being for Refining? Could it mean..." The old man in the Daoist robe suddenly furrowed his brow.

"I had doubts before, not knowing why so many traitors would appear in the Sect. At first, I thought they might be masquerading like Tao Wenlong, but now upon reflection, perhaps they have had their minds controlled by the hidden Soul Cultivator, thereby becoming enemies of the Sect," Yuan Ming added.

The old man in the Daoist robe nodded thoughtfully, but said nothing more.

"Ancestor, I also found this cultivation technique not long ago in Shen Lingyun's Cave Mansion. I dared not examine it closely at the time, but I copied down a small part of it, please review," seeing this, Yuan Ming said, turning his hand over, and in his palm appeared a Jade Scroll.

The old man in the Daoist robe gestured with one hand, and the Jade Scroll fell into it. With a sweep of his Divine Sense, his expression changed instantly.

"Di Tao, you may leave first," the elder said to Di Tao who was also standing below.

Di Tao was slightly taken aback but did not dare to disobey the ancestor's wish. After giving Yuan Ming a look, he took his leave.

The elder did not look at Yuan Ming again and did not say anything more. With just a slight movement of his lips, but without making a sound, it seemed like he was transmitting a message to someone.

Yuan Ming also said nothing further, only bowing his head respectfully, with his eyes observing his nose, and his nose observing his heart, he waited patiently.

The contents of the Jade Scroll actually originated from the beginning of the "Heart Cleansing Technique." Although it was incomplete, it was evident that it was a quite extraordinary Soul Cultivation Method.

After all, his only goal was to complete the task given by the Shura Master. As for other matters, there was no need to be overly concerned.

After 15 minutes, a red-clothed girl entered the hall. She was another Nascent Soul Ancestor of the Chaotian Sect.

With a curious look, she glanced at Yuan Ming twice, then bluntly spoke to the elder in the Daoist robe, "Hey, Senior Brother Lu, turns out you guessed right. Their Divine Souls have indeed been tampered with. It's just that the discovery came a bit late and, with our methods, I'm afraid we can't resolve it."

"What a pity. Then there's no need to keep them. You go handle it," the elder in the Daoist robe nodded, his tone as calm as if he were crushing an insect.

Upon hearing this, the red-clothed girl did not seem surprised. She nodded and then left straight away. At the same time, the elder in the Daoist robe turned to look at Yuan Ming. Seeing his surprised face, he slowly said,

"Do you think I'm being too cruel?"

"Disciple wouldn't dare... However, Venerable Ancestor, Uncle Master Shao and the others have also contributed a lot to the Sect in the past. Since it has been clarified that betrayal was not their intention, why can't they be imprisoned on the Main Peak and seek a solution slowly?" Yuan Ming carefully measured his words and cautiously asked.

"Because it is not just as simple as them being controlled by others. I am merely assisting them in liberation. Your recent guess was correct. There truly is a Soul Cultivator with not low cultivation who has taken 'Soul Devouring Leech' as the prototype for his Divine Soul Refining. He made his name five hundred years ago and once caused All Major Sects of the Central Plains to join forces to pursue him. And yet, he luckily escaped with his life. Unexpectedly, today, he has targeted my Chaotian Sect again. It seems the news of the Overseas Spiritual Treasure has ultimately been leaked by that foolish disciple of mine," the elder in the Daoist robe lamented as he spoke.

"The person Venerable Ancestor is talking about is?" Yuan Ming inquired curiously.

"His original name is unknown, but he calls himself the Six Desires Venerable. His cultivation has reached the Nascent Soul Mid-stage. His myriad of methods are unfathomable, and the most insidious among them is his 'Soul Attachment' skill," the elder in the Daoist robe said with a look of reminiscence in his eyes.

"Soul Attachment... Soul Devouring Leech..." Yuan Ming frowned upon hearing this.

"He can split his Divine Soul into leeches the size of small fingers and bury them into others' Divine Senses. Not only can he continuously absorb their Soul Power, but he can also covertly alter their minds, turning them into puppets under the control of Six Desires. Most crucially, each Divine Soul Leech could potentially be transformed into his main soul. During the previous sieges, he had used this skill multiple times to escape from our 'Heaven and Earth Net,'" the elder in the Daoist robe recalled that time, a hint of apprehension on his face.

"With such peculiar abilities, wouldn't he be immortal?" Yuan Ming exclaimed in surprise.

"Hehe, in this world, who truly has eternal life? Even those of the Returning Void Realm from ancient times cannot outlast their lifespan, let alone a mere Nascent Soul. No matter how many Divine Soul Leeches he splits off, once his lifespan ends, he cannot escape death," the elder in the Daoist robe said with a bitter smile.

"Moreover, the Divine Soul Leeches are linked to his main soul; setting aside their limited number, once they are embedded in someone's Divine Soul, they cannot separate again. Furthermore, if the host dies, the Divine Soul Leeches will also perish, and his own cultivation will be affected."

"In addition, during the sieges, we discovered that for a Divine Soul Leech to restore the main soul's cultivation, it takes at least ten years. During this period, if we manage to capture a Divine Soul Leech beforehand, we can also use a Secret Technique to locate the other leeches."

"However, the execution of the Secret Technique consumes the Divine Soul Leech, and once performed, it will alert him, making the efficiency of the capture extremely low. In the end, we could only let the matter rest," the elder in the Daoist robe reminisced with a sense of regret.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the red-clothed girl returned, but this time, her expression was much more serious. She glanced at Yuan Ming and then announced,

"Senior Brother Lu, we've found the traitor's location."

Upon hearing this, the elder in the Daoist robe fell silent for a moment, the sorrow on his face deepening before he sighed,

"...Alas, so many years have gone by, and I didn't expect my disciple to still be so deluded. Well then, it's time for me to personally put an end to the mistake he made."

As soon as these words fell, Yuan Ming suddenly heard a harsh sound of porcelain shattering in the hall.

With surprise, he lifted his head only to see that although he was still in the Ancestor Master Hall, the entire hall's arrangement had undergone significant changes.

The elder in the Daoist robe and the red-clothed girl had suddenly vanished, and in their place were three members of the Chaotian Sect, an elder and two youths, all unfamiliar faces.

Though unfamiliar, after observing them closely for a moment, Yuan Ming could vaguely see that the features of the two young Cultivators bore some resemblance to the elder in the Daoist robe and that disciple.

"Rebel! Do you realize what you have done? Entire three cities, nearly a hundred thousand lives, do they mean nothing to you?"

The elder with flowing whiskers bellowed, smacking hard on the long table beside him, causing the teacups on it to crash down.

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