Chapter 360: Chapter 138: A Huge Windfall: The Superior-grade Ancient Treasure Ten Thousand Souls Banner! Beginning Arduous Cultivation: "Demon Dragon Celestial Spirit Scripture

The corner of Chu Fan’s eye twitched. ’So a stoic man like Ding Jian is actually sharp-tongued...’ he thought.

Sure enough, the smug look that had just appeared on Yue Mankong’s face instantly froze. The corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.

He shot Ding Jian an irritated glare. "Hmph! And you three look so glorious? Weren’t you trapped for days by some Ghost Moon using an Array, achieving absolutely nothing?"

Ding Jian remained expressionless and immediately fell silent, as if he hadn’t been the one to speak just now.

Lin Yue muttered, "Sir, you may not know this, but that Ghost Moon was carrying several High-Grade Profound Weapons... If I had treasures like that, I’d have beaten him to a pulp long ago!"

"Are High-Grade Profound Weapons that rare? Even the three of them don’t have any?" Chu Fan’s expression flickered.

Not to mention the other spoils from this battle, just the High-Grade Profound Weapon—the Five Elements Cauldron—from Ghost Moon and the Ten Thousand Souls Banner from the Divine Sacrifice Envoy Lingkong Jade were enough to make him laugh in his sleep.

Seeing the tense atmosphere, Shi Hao quickly played peacemaker and changed the subject. "Sir, what’s the situation at Dragon Ridge Mountain? Did the Moon Worship Sect get the ’key’ they were looking for?"

At the mention of this, Yue Mankong suddenly burst out laughing, his voice full of schadenfreude. "Hahaha! Those fools from the Moon Worship Sect spent more than two years scheming and plotting, only to do all the hard work for someone else to swoop in and reap the rewards!"

"They did manage to break the Ancient Grand Array at Dragon Ridge Mountain, but when they went into the cave, they discovered someone had already beaten them to it and stolen the ’key’!"

"What?!"

His words shocked everyone in the room.

Cao Feng, Li Qingxue, and the others exchanged stunned glances. Even the perpetually stern Ding Jian had a flash of astonishment in his eyes.

The key didn’t fall into the hands of the Moon Worship Sect, who were so sure of their victory, nor did it end up with the Demon Suppression Bureau, who investigated later?

Could there be a mysterious third party involved in the Cyan Yang Territory?

To be able to snatch something from right under the noses of a Moon Worship Sect’s Divine Sacrifice Envoy and experts from the Demon Suppression Bureau...

Such power and methods were truly unheard-of!

Beside them, a look of disbelief also flashed in Chu Fan’s eyes.

Yue Mankong stopped laughing, his brows knitting slightly.

Clearly, he was also perplexed by the matter. "I find it puzzling as well. A while ago, when I was trapped in the Grand Array at Dragon Ridge Mountain, there was an extremely violent tremor underground, like an earthquake. Thinking back now, that must have been when someone snuck into the core and stole the key."

"But... to do it right under my and Lingkong Jade’s noses without anyone noticing is simply inconceivable."

He continued, "After I escaped, I immediately went after Lingkong Jade. Unfortunately, I only managed to destroy an avatar she used as a diversion. I did kill a few of the slower Late Stage Divine Power Realm cultists, which let me vent some frustration."

"Afterward, I returned to Dragon Ridge Mountain to investigate carefully. The underground cave was shielded by an extremely profound Ancient Array, hidden very deep."

"It took Lingkong Jade over two years to finally locate it by using the interference from the Grand Array, and then she broke it by force."

"Inside the cave... there’s a Teleportation Array connected to the outside world. The person who stole the key must have used it to come and go as they pleased."

At that moment, Chu Fan, who was standing to the side, continued his act, putting on a look of curiosity and surprise that matched everyone else’s.

Who among them could have possibly guessed...

...that the "person who stole the key" Yue Mankong was talking about was standing right next to him?

The other end of that ancient Teleportation Array in the cave beneath Dragon Ridge Mountain connected directly to the seemingly ordinary bedroom of Chu Fan’s parents!

But he had already destroyed that Array completely, leaving not a single trace behind.

Yue Mankong’s tone held a hint of mockery. "That Lingkong Jade really put in all that effort for nothing this time. It was a total loss!"

Ding Jian suddenly interjected again, his every word a dagger, "The Demon Suppression Bureau was busy for nothing, too. We didn’t get the key either, did we? What’s the difference?"

"..." Yue Mankong was instantly choked speechless.

He glared angrily at Ding Jian, but Ding Jian just stared at the floor, reverting to his ’silence is golden’ demeanor.

Yue Mankong shot him an irritated glare and issued an order to leave. "Since your mission has been arranged, what are you three still standing here for? Get a move on to Canglan Province!"

Ding Jian didn’t say another word, simply turning and leaving without hesitation.

Shi Hao gave Chu Fan a helpless shrug, while Lin Yue secretly made a face. The two of them quickly followed after Ding Jian and departed.

Seeing this, Cao Feng and his two companions glanced at the sky, exchanged a look with Chu Fan, and also quietly excused themselves.

After Cao Feng’s group had left, Yue Mankong’s expression turned serious. He said to Chu Fan, "Lingkong Jade has suffered heavy losses this time. She’s bound to retreat to the Moon Worship Sect’s stronghold near Qing Province’s capital."

"I have to go oversee things in Qing Province’s capital anyway, so I’ll head out first and track her. If I can catch up to her, I’ll kill her outright to eliminate any future trouble. If not, so be it..."

He instructed, "You tie up the loose ends here in Cyan Yang Ancient City, then deal with the Heaven-Flipping Saber gang as soon as possible. See if you can pry any useful information about the Moon Worship Sect out of them. After that, report to the Demon Suppression Bureau in Qing Province’s capital as planned."

As he spoke, an Array quickly materialized in front of Yue Mankong.

"Sir, wait!"

Chu Fan’s heart tightened, and he quickly spoke up.

He asked urgently, "Sir, regarding the ’Pollution,’ please explain... Does the Demon Suppression Bureau have any methods or items that can purify it?" 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

His Pollution Level had already reached 10.

Although he felt no discomfort for now, there was no telling if his Pollution Level would rise again soon.

If he waited until something went wrong before looking for a method, it would likely be too late.

The Array in front of Yue Mankong vanished.

He turned around, his gaze piercing. "Regarding the ’Pollution,’ you don’t need to worry too much."

"My Divine Sense Avatar has been residing in your body for a long time; it has already examined you inside and out countless times. The day you came into contact with the Resentful Shadow Avatar, a faint trace of foul energy did try to take the opportunity to corrupt you, but I blocked it in time and cleansed it with my Divine Sense Power."