Chapter 242: Chapter 74: The Sect’s Political Microcosm (2)

"The two of us happen to be in charge of this area,"

Dang Ruyu said, looking at the two of them.

Zhang Deming and Li Shifan exchanged another glance before nodding to Dang Ruyu. "Then we’ll be in your care, Senior Brothers."

Dang Ruyu and the other man then led Zhang Deming and Li Shifan away from the Celestial Eye Yuya Pavilion.

The core of the Cyan Wood Secret Realm was quite vast, dotted with numerous buildings.

As Zhang Deming’s group looked around, they noticed that many of the grand halls and rooms were shimmering with Light Curtains, clearly indicating they couldn’t be entered at will.

The few ordinary places without Light Curtains had likely already been picked clean.

Judging by the state of the people here, it seemed they hadn’t found anything of value either.

Moreover, many of the Light Curtains weren’t simple Array Light Curtains, but the result of Arrays fused with the Secret Realm itself.

Therefore, even with some Tai Chi Array Cultivators present whose mastery of the Array Dao was quite impressive, not a single one had been broken through.

It was rumored that some had tried their hand on a few peripheral ones, only to suffer a backlash and receive serious injuries.

Because of this, everyone was certain that the Secret Realm was still functioning perfectly, which was why they were all searching so frantically.

Why?

Because for a Grotto Heaven Secret Realm to operate perfectly, the presence of people wasn’t the key; the presence of a Grotto Heaven Artifact Spirit was.

Why an Artifact Spirit?

Well, because in the current Hongmeng Realm, all Grotto Heaven World Spirits could only exist in the form of an ’Artifact’ Spirit.

During the Ancient Era, when the Divine Dao still existed,

the World Spirits of Grotto Heavens existed as Earth Spirits or Earth Gods—that is, various types of Earth Gods, the kind with a relatively high status.

But afterward, the Divine Dao was completely forbidden. Forget gods; even Spirit Type Earth Spirits were proscribed.

Therefore, to ensure the survival of the Grotto Heavens, Array Cultivators and Artifact Cultivators joined forces and created the Grotto Heaven ’Artifact’ Spirit model.

Replacing Spirit Type Earth Spirits with Artifact Spirits was essentially just a change in packaging, not substance; both managed the Grotto Heaven.

The only difference was that one was based on the Divine Dao, while the other was based on the Array Artifact Dao.

Now, the Cyan Wood Grotto Heaven was so complete and running so smoothly that its Arrays even had a backlash effect.

Everyone knew, even with their eyes closed, that this Grotto Heaven’s Earth Spirit must still exist.

That’s why they were all searching so desperately. Besides looting for benefits, their main objective was this Grotto Heaven’s Earth Spirit.

If they could find it and bring it back—even if they couldn’t keep it for themselves, turning it over to the Sect would be a huge windfall.

The reward for handing over a Secret Realm Grotto Heaven was incredibly generous.

Moreover, the Cyan Wood Grotto Heaven was part of the Five Elements Blessed Land, and the Sect already possessed the Wu Earth and Fire Separation.

These five Secret Realm Grotto Heavens could be fused. If the Five Great Secret Realms were fused, they might truly be able to recreate a Blessed Land Grotto Heaven.

If that happened, it would only be a matter of time before the Celestial Spirit Sect ascended to a higher level.

And as the one who handed over such an opportunity, how could they not receive preferential treatment?

...

As the group walked on, with no crowd following them anymore, Zhang Deming continuously tried to use his Command Token to enter the Light Curtains. He did this with the intention of reducing Dang Ruyu and Zhou Zhixin’s wariness.

Without exception, just like their rated Command Tokens, his had no access rights either.

In truth, Zhang Deming and Li Shifan knew from the moment they started trying that this would most likely be the result.

As for the reason... well, they were still missing the third stage: the Blessed Fortune’s blessing and review.

It was for this very reason that Zhang Deming and Li Shifan had been pretending to try and enter all along.

’It’s simple. The difference in our Command Tokens was already enough to make them wary. If we want to form an alliance now, it’s better to appear less special.’

After leading Zhang Deming through several palace complexes, Dang Ruyu and Zhou Zhixin arrived at the perimeter of a large square.

There were many Array Platforms here; it was clearly a multi-purpose plaza. Surprisingly, many of the grand halls surrounding the square had no Light Curtains.

’It makes sense. Since this place was for inducting new members, there must be a place for them to process their access rights.’

’If even a place like this required clearance to enter, it would create an impossible loop!’

The four of them entered a large hall that resembled an assembly hall, though its exact purpose was unknown.

At the moment, however, there were about twenty people inside.

The twenty-odd people were divided into five groups, standing slightly apart from one another but not too far, forming small cliques.

Dang Ruyu’s arrival caught the attention of those inside.

A few people hurried forward and greeted him, "Senior Brother, we just heard news that there was a new discovery in your area?"

All twenty-plus people were looking at the four of them.

Among the twenty-odd people, there were four leaders.

Dang Ruyu was one. The few people he represented all had a distinctly refined and scholarly air, clearly well-known Core Disciples from the Dharma Transmission Hall, one of the Sect’s four core departments.

After Zhou Zhixin entered the hall, he was surrounded by several slightly more muscular young men. Most of them were from the Law Enforcement Team.

Of the remaining three small groups, one was the most motley. Its leader was a young man who looked simple and honest, like a down-to-earth country boy. This was the delegation from the Miscellaneous Department.

Zhang Deming recognized this person too: Fanx Dexian of the Fanx Family from the Miscellaneous Department, ranked third on the Core Disciple Hundred Talents List.

The group next to them was interesting. There were six people; three were slightly chubby, and while the other three weren’t, they were adorned with numerous ornaments that all looked like Magical Artifacts.

At first glance, one might think they were all versatile Artifact Cultivators.

A single look was enough to tell that these people were from the Resources Department.

Their leader was a short, chubby man, but his build wasn’t off-putting; rather, it was the kind of slight chubbiness that made him seem approachable.

Zhang Deming knew this person as well: Yang Changfeng of the Yang Family from the Resources Department, ranked fourth on the Core Disciple Hundred Talents List.

The last group consisted of only three people. They had no clear leader and kept a slightly greater distance from the other four groups, positioning themselves a little closer to the Miscellaneous Department.

Their posture was also rather deferential.

These individuals were likely from the Affiliated Sects and Peripheral Noble Families.

This small hall perfectly reflected the current core political circle of the Celestial Spirit Sect.

The four core departments—Dharma Transmission Hall, Resources Department, Law Enforcement Team, and Miscellaneous Department—plus one vassal group, directly encapsulated the Sect’s political landscape.

The five groups were headed by four individuals: Dang Ruyu, Zhou Zhixin, Yang Changfeng, and Fanx Dexian.

Thus, when Dang Ruyu and his party entered and everyone gathered around, the inner circle consisted of Zhang Deming and Li Shifan, plus the four leaders, making six people in total.

The chubby Yang Changfeng also wore a constant smile. Unlike Dang Ruyu’s gentle, jade-like refinement, his smile gave off an impression of wealth and... hmm... friendliness?

In any case, it was a completely different feeling from Dang Ruyu’s, which was like a gentle spring breeze.

Fanx Dexian had the look of an honest man, giving off a very down-to-earth and reliable impression.

The leaders looked at Dang Ruyu, and the chubby Yang Changfeng spoke up. "Spill it. What’s the new situation on your end? This place isn’t huge, so by now, everyone’s heard the news."

Dang Ruyu glanced at Zhou Zhixin. When Zhou Zhixin made no move to speak, Dang Ruyu said,

"It’s nothing major, really. We just discovered two new Junior Brothers in the area we were searching."

Fanx Dexian’s brow furrowed slightly, then his eyes glinted. "Discovered inside one of the inaccessible buildings?"

Dang Ruyu nodded. Yang Changfeng pressed, "Do you know why?"

Dang Ruyu replied, "I’d rather not be accused of hogging all the spoils, so I brought the two Junior Brothers over."

No one believed a single word of what Dang Ruyu said, but they all turned their gazes to Zhang Deming and Li Shifan anyway.

Dang Ruyu then continued, "As for the reason, we didn’t ask on the way here. You can ask them yourselves."

Seeing how polite Dang Ruyu was being to Zhang Deming and Li Shifan, Fanx Dexian pondered for a moment. Unable to recall any memory of the two, he turned his gaze to Yang Changfeng.

Surprisingly, Yang Changfeng was also frowning. He even glanced back at the people behind him, but they all just shook their heads.

Fanx Dexian’s expression turned to one of surprise. ’Someone treated so politely by Dang Ruyu, yet no one from the Resources Department recognizes them? This is interesting.’

’Maybe my understanding of these money-grubbing folks from the Resources Department isn’t thorough enough?’

’Is there really someone in the Sect who can make Dang Ruyu wary, yet isn’t even registered with the Inner Sect’s Resources Department?’

’That can’t be possible!’