Lan Shanying personally supervised and confirmed everything was back on track before teleporting back to the Demon Realm Alliance headquarters.

"Forget everything else, for these hundreds of doses of spirit medicine alone, I’ll have to empty the inventory—I just can’t afford to repay with so many heavenly materials and treasures," Du Li, who had been waiting for him, said with a wry smile when they met. "What about borrowing the Heart Mirror?"

The other person clasped his hands behind his back as he walked into the courtyard, laughing, "It’s merely using your name. The Demon Realm Alliance has occupied the majority of resources in the Wilderness World for so many years; if it can’t even produce such things, wouldn’t it be a laughingstock?

Everything you’ve done for the alliance and the Wilderness World over the years—I’ve seen it all. Special matters require special handling, and tapping into the alliance’s inventory is only right. As for the Heart Mirror, City Lord Yuan did agree, but regarding the repair...

When you meet with Mr. Jiang, discuss it with him face to face. Try to hurry, even if it means spending more spirit stones and immortal jade, because, for us, time is of the essence!"

He paused for a moment and then advised, "Your avatar in Fengdu of the Netherworld, offer more resources if needed, but make sure they quickly investigate the matter of the Life Origin. I know it’s an absolute secret, certainly not easy, but to replenish what City Lord Yuan lost, it’s the only current option."

Du Li hesitated slightly before voicing his suspicion, "Actually, I think this matter might still be related to Mr. Jiang."

"Hmm? Why is it still him?"

"You know Qu Luming’s nature; he often speaks with hidden meanings. From what I understood, he recounted an incident where Mr. Jiang, along with several Tribulation Crossing Realm demon cultivators, teamed up with Fengdu to break through the Demon Realm’s Station No. 7. There’s an unusual complexity in what transpired.

The incident started because Mr. Jiang’s White Snake Demon was, for some unknown reason, targeted and captured by demonic cultivators, which angered them. Coincidentally, those demonic cultivators had another fragment of the Book of Life and Death, bringing Fengdu’s attention, thus forming an alliance...

Oh, officially it was an alliance, but actually, those ghost cultivators from Fengdu didn’t even have a chance to act; they were all handled by Mr. Jiang’s guests. Naturally, Fengdu took away that fragment of the Book of Life and Death, while the remaining treasures went to Mr. Jiang.

Since Qu Luming’s realm isn’t high enough, things on both sides weren’t shared with him, so even being there, he knew little. But he mentioned a Celestial Realm Divine Artifact—the Seven-layered Exquisite Pagoda, and said the demonic cultivators used the pagoda to imprison the White Snake Demon.

But when Station No. 7 was broken, the White Snake Demon was clearly among them. Upon deeper reflection, it certainly seems suspicious!"

Lan Shanying hadn’t seen the Seven-layered Glazed Pagoda, but given that it’s truly a Celestial Realm Divine Artifact, it seemed impossible for the White Snake Demon to escape easily by its realm, let alone from the hidden Station No. 7, unnoticed by the Demon Realm Alliance.

Nor could the opponent have easily let him go unscathed; how the White Snake Demon escaped from the pagoda and reported safely to Mr. Jiang did indeed seem intriguing upon closer examination.

"Demonic cultivators lurk; if the benefits aren’t substantial, they normally wouldn’t expose themselves, let alone deliberately capture an average-realm White Snake Demon," Lan Shanying speculated. "In other words, there is something on the White Snake Demon that those demonic cultivators deemed worth risking exposure for."

Du Li added, "They have a fragment of the Book of Life and Death, and the leading demonic cultivator became a Death Warrior because his lifespan was nearing its end."

Apart from all sorts of life-extending heavenly materials and treasures, there’s also the more mysterious and profound Life Origin!

Lan Shanying suddenly realized, "So the demonic cultivators discovered a secret related to Life Origin from the Book of Life and Death fragment, which prompted them to expose themselves, ordering subordinates to use the Seven-layered Glazed Pagoda to capture the White Snake Demon.

You used City Lord Yuan’s Life Origin to create Qu Luming, and the demon cultivator who should have died gained some origin and was able to survive as a ghost cultivator and continue cultivation. Had the White Snake Demon been captured and interrogated, it would have been unable to flee and would have died..."

The answer becomes apparent—Mr. Jiang used Life Origin to revive it, joining to seek revenge!

"Descending from the Celestial Realm to the mortal world, it’s not surprising to have such means," Du Li said in a lowered voice. "Further speculation, since Mr. Jiang can grant Life Origin for the White Snake Demon’s rebirth, why not grant some to Yuan Man to replenish her origin?"

The other nodded in silent agreement, only after a while did he speak faintly, "A remarkable figure has arrived in the Wilderness World, though whether it’s a blessing or a curse is uncertain.

Mr. Jiang’s guests may be few, but their strength is formidable. Consider carefully, and reveal what needs revealing. Even if it’s a curse, exposing it sooner is ultimately beneficial."

Du Li stood up, "Then I’ll head over first."

As the night was about to fall, it was time to get beaten again.

Jiang Yuan was toying with the Demon-Subduing Pestle, contemplating how to coax some information out of Du Li’s mouth to quickly complete the hanging side quest.

It had rained heavily over the last two days, a case of favorable timing and conditions.

The preparation for the contract pet Xiaobai’s Walking Flood Dragon ascension was already in its final stages, and as its master, he himself had to be present throughout to be assured.

Even though the Ancient Ten Great Sects had removed the Dragon-slaying Sword and other items they set up, it only prevented man-made catastrophes, yet the Walking Flood Dragon must still face the Celestial Tribulation.

The journey couldn’t possibly be smooth. If its time was prolonged, it might drag on for more than half a month, and failing to complete the task within the specified period would mean no rewards!

Just when contemplating a topic entry point, Du Li had already been transported over by Hu Zhile.

"Mr. Jiang, City Lord Yuan should have mentioned to you, right?" He spoke with a relaxed smile, cupping his hands, "The repair of the Heart Mirror requires your efforts. May I request your assistance in its repair for two million spirit stones?

Everything else is secondary; it’s crucial to be fast. I also have to trouble you to set aside other matters and prioritize repairing the Heart Mirror."

Seeing the price he offered, Jiang Yuan was quite impressed!

After all, what is called "repair" was simply placing in the Treasure Forging Workshop, ensuring enough materials, and waiting for the time. Nothing else got delayed, and getting two million spirit stones for free meant he could soon buy those remaining two Immortal Mountains.

The key was that it was a long-term job; repairing the Heart Mirror to check high-level cultivators would require about five to six repairs and upgrades.

Jiang Yuan happily accepted this order, then took out the Demon-Subduing Pestle, first giving He Miancun a hit, sending her wailing and whimpering to teleport to East Lake Port;

Seeing the Pestle about to fall on himself, Du Li’s face turned a bit pale, feeling both anticipation and nervousness, he hastily put up his hand to stop the "spellcasting," "Mr. Jiang, there’s one more thing! Let’s agree beforehand, wait a bit before I..."

Thinking inwardly that after getting hammered, he might be in such pain that he couldn’t speak, let alone discuss important matters.

Actually, Du Li didn’t want to sell the news about the Power of the Celestial Dao’s Remnant so soon.

But the problem was, since Ye Fan ambushed the Wanmang Mountain Secret Realm, the biggest secret of the Demon Realm Alliance seemed to have been sensationalized, with rumors everywhere and countless eyes eyeing Wanmang Mountain.

The awkwardness was that the Power of the Celestial Dao’s Remnant couldn’t be moved; the only current resort was to continuously stack advanced formations and increase security. Originally well-hidden, it’s now proudly the headquarters of the alliance.

Du Li even considered relocating to Wanmang Mountain temporarily, personally overseeing to ensure peace of mind.

Since the Alliance Leader has revealed this to Yuan Man to resolve his karma, and there was no getting around this figure, it’s better to be candid.

Knowing from the avatar Qu Luming, Mr. Jiang hasn’t received many guests, Yuan Man being among them, and after the unfaithful are removed from the Demon Realm Alliance, they would be just right to join!

Therefore, after the prior talk with the Alliance Leader, he had come today to be upfront.

"Oh? What else?" Jiang Yuan was puzzled.

Du Li took a deep breath and set a tone, "This matter is a long story."

"Long story? Then it’s best to first restrain the Heart Demon," Jiang Yuan quipped, catching him off guard with a "Duang" from the stick, explaining patiently, "After all, there’s a time limit; if it gets delayed, it’d just keep getting postponed. It’s better for you to take a breather and then slowly tell."

Without any psychological preparation, Du Li took the hit, reddening his eyes.

But the subsequent clarity of his heart and a sneaky sense of enjoyment made him inhale sharply while silently enjoying the thrill under the pain.

After a good while, Du Li managed a wry smile and said, "Truly, a well-thought-out plan, now there’s time to talk slowly."

He subconsciously looked up at the clouded Immortal Mountain and said bluntly, "Actually, Mr. Jiang should already be aware, the Demon Realm Alliance holds a precious treasure..."

Jiang Yuan, focused on the task at hand, interrupted without regard for what he was about to say, "Alliance Leader Du, referring to the Power of the Celestial Dao’s Remnant?"

Having been preempted, Du Li thought inwardly, I was right, you’re surely after it!