After Xing Ming finalized the plan, a glint of light flashed in the eyes of Xuan Caijun and Feng Moru, and they immediately agreed.
Li Yan observed the reactions of the three and smiled inwardly.
'These three are all cunning old foxes. They quickly analyzed the situation.'
'They have other ideas in their hearts but don't say them. If Jiang Baibi and his group aren't here to ambush an enemy but to hunt for treasure, then Xing Ming's group might have an unexpected harvest!'
Li Yan glanced at the few people who had a hint of a smile in their eyes, and he too felt a sense of anticipation. At this moment, Xuan Caijun clasped his hands towards Li Yan.
"Elder Zhang is quick-witted. Otherwise, we would still be at a loss here, hahaha!!"
Li Yan also waved his hand with a smile...
Before the crack of dawn, four figures quietly flew up from Black Forest Manor, instantly disappearing into the dark night.
More than thirty breaths later, several more figures flashed from a mountain peak and flew southeast, in the direction of the first four figures.
Song Rongdao appeared to be in his fifties, with graying hair and a purple robe. He had a profound air about him, much like a grandmaster of his generation.
The three people he had invited this time were all rogue cultivators. On the Forsaken Continent, cultivator races were numerous, and small families and sects were everywhere.
As a result, some declining or annexed families and sects would have cultivators wandering outside, ranging from low-level to high-level, which created many rogue cultivators.
At the same time, there were some arrogant individuals who preferred to be alone, as well as underworld evil cultivators, whose movements were even more secretive and unpredictable.
They were desperados, seeking their own immortal fortune, and robbing and killing cultivators was a common occurrence.
They could easily obtain spirit stones, medicinal pills, and even some cultivation methods and secret manuals from others, which was sometimes more freeing than joining a sect.
There were even some high-level cultivators who, while being hunted, spent a huge amount of spirit stones to come to the Forsaken Continent to escape disaster. Most of them did not like to interact with others.
Therefore, the rogue cultivators on the Forsaken Continent were a diverse and numerous group, like the three religions and nine schools of thought in the mortal world.
These three rogue cultivators got along quite well with Song Rongdao. After many years of interaction, they had mutually benefited.
"Brother Song, are you sure the demonic armies on both sides won't detect the restriction fluctuations when we break the barrier at that location?"
As soon as they flew out of Black Forest Manor, one of the four spoke up.
The four of them had only gathered today and had discussed for several hours. Most of that time was spent on how to divide the benefits afterward.
After a round of bargaining, Song Rongdao, as the initiator and the only one who knew the location, justifiably took a forty percent share, with the remaining sixty percent to be divided equally among the other three.
As soon as the matter was settled, the four decided to set off immediately, not wanting to delay and risk complications.
So, other matters were left to be decided on the way.
The one who spoke was a female cultivator, around forty years of age.
She had a voluptuous figure, her skin was whiter than snow, and she had a round face with phoenix eyes. A cloud-patterned hairpin held her black hair in place. Her long skirt was stretched taut over her full hips. Her voice was like a warbler's, very pleasant to listen to.
It was the prime of her life, a time when her voluptuous charm was most irresistible to men.
"They won't. That place is not easy to find, and the surrounding environment will also dissipate most of the spirit power fluctuations. We'll set up another barrier outside, so it will definitely be fine."
"Besides, with Fellow Daoist Yang's skills in formations, I don't think breaking those restrictions will cause too much of a stir. We'll be counting on you then, Fellow Daoist Yang."
Song Rongdao replied with a smile, but his words made the other three curse inwardly.
'Old scoundrel, still not revealing anything at a time like this!'
They, of course, wanted to know where the place Song Rongdao mentioned was as soon as possible. But he wouldn't let a single detail slip, playing his cards close to his chest.
The female cultivator surnamed Yang was the one with the lowest cultivation among the four, the initial-stage Golden Core cultivator that Li Yan and the others had sensed.
Her question, which seemed to be for their own safety, was understood by everyone as an attempt to find out where Song Rongdao was leading them.
Even though they had already discussed the distribution of benefits, Song Rongdao had only revealed the general direction before, that it was near the border of the Black and White Demon territories.
This was as good as saying nothing. The border between the Black and White Demon territories was boundless. Still, at least they knew the place he was going was on this border.
Just then, the female cultivator surnamed Yang suddenly let out a cold snort. She turned her head, her face frosty. A middle-aged man at the mid-stage Golden Core was flying half a step behind her.
"Surnamed Yan, have you had enough of looking? If you want to look, go home and look at your mother!" the female cultivator surnamed Yang berated in a low voice, her willow-like eyebrows raised.
The middle-aged man behind her curled his lip.
He nonchalantly withdrew his lecherous gaze, which had been fixed on her full hips and proud peaks, and chuckled softly.
"It's not impossible. Why don't... you be my mother?"
"You..."
The female cultivator was so angry she couldn't breathe. She had seen shameless people, but never someone so utterly shameless.
Ever since this man saw her in the manor this afternoon, he had been staring at her with a lecherous gaze. Although she was no saint, she still disliked people who wore their lust so openly on their faces.
"Fellow Daoist Yan, this time, the main matter is of utmost importance. We are here to cooperate. Don't spoil the harmony."
"Otherwise, this Song will have to ask you to leave!"
Song Rongdao flashed between the two, separating the female cultivator surnamed Yang who was about to strike, and at the same time, coldly said to the cultivator surnamed Yan.
He knew that this Fellow Daoist Yan he was acquainted with was obsessed with lust.
If he encountered a cultivator with higher cultivation than himself, he would at most think about how to scheme against them from the shadows.
But if he encountered a beautiful female cultivator with lower cultivation than himself, he might just make a move directly.
However, the cultivator surnamed Yan was not a fool. He was certainly not the type to act without thinking. He would always investigate the other party's background before deciding whether to act.
This time, to enter that place, the female cultivator surnamed Yang was someone Song Rongdao had put great effort into inviting. This woman was the person with the most knowledge of formations among all his acquaintances.
Considering the dangers he had encountered when he entered that place for a short distance, he decided to invite a few more people to go with him, and a formation master was an indispensable and important part.
The people Song Rongdao invited to accompany him not only had to be familiar with their background and character, but he also wouldn't invite cultivators with sects or cultivation families behind them.
He would only invite some rogue cultivators who acted alone. The cultivator surnamed Yan also met his conditions.
Apart from his lust, this person was quite alert and had good combat power. Most importantly, he listened to Song Rongdao.
Compared to the importance of the female cultivator surnamed Yang, if the cultivator surnamed Yan's nature was truly hard to change, Song Rongdao could only keep her and drive him away.
After hearing Song Rongdao's words, a fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the cultivator surnamed Yan.
This fierceness was only directed at the female cultivator surnamed Yang. He didn't dare to think about retaliating against Song Rongdao. Don't be fooled by Song Rongdao's mellow old man appearance; he had suffered a great loss at his hands before.
The man's methods were extremely brutal. If not for the fact that the cultivator surnamed Yan had offered many benefits when his life was on the line, he would have been killed by Song Rongdao that time.
It was a case of not knowing each other until they fought. However, Song Rongdao had one very good quality: once he said something, he rarely went back on his word.
Song Rongdao felt that the cultivator surnamed Yan was a good blade. The cultivator surnamed Yan felt that Song Rongdao, despite his ferocity, was a man of his word, so the two of them had maintained their association.
'Bitch, still pretending to be a virtuous woman! Hmph, just you wait. After I'm done using you to break the formation restrictions, I'll turn you into a slut, make you beg me to take you. At that time, it's doubtful Song Rongdao will care if you live or die!'
The cultivator surnamed Yan thought viciously in his heart, but after Song Rongdao spoke, his face had already returned to that of a perfect gentleman, and he no longer glanced at the female cultivator surnamed Yang.
"Fellow Daoist Song, could you tell us again about your fight with the 'Dark Spirit Demon Bat'..."
After everyone fell silent, a cold voice broke the stillness.
It was the black-robed youth among the four who had not spoken, whose cultivation was the same as Song Rongdao's, late-stage Golden Core.
He looked excessively young, only about eighteen or nineteen, with a pale face and thin lips that were mostly kept tightly shut.
Everyone understood the true purpose of his words.
When Song Rongdao invited them and said he had discovered what might be an ancient, or even primordial, secret grotto, they were all very surprised, but that was followed by deep suspicion.
With such a good thing, let alone their relationship with Song Rongdao, if they had such an opportunity themselves, they might not even be willing to tell their own sons.
But they soon understood why Song Rongdao was being so generous. The secret grotto he discovered had very powerful formation restrictions, and there he had even encountered an ancient demonic beast, the "Dark Spirit Demon Bat."
But to Song Rongdao's relief, the "Dark Spirit Demon Bat" he encountered had only grown four wings, which meant it was not yet an adult.
If it were a truly adult "Dark Spirit Demon Bat" with six wings, Song Rongdao wouldn't even have had a chance to escape.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Song Rongdao fled.
If there really was a "Dark Spirit Demon Bat" in that secret grotto, it was very likely a sealed ancient or primordial secret grotto.
After all, very few people on the Forsaken Continent claimed to have seen this ancient demonic beast anymore.
This was Song Rongdao's previous explanation, but they clearly wanted to hear it again.
Song Rongdao's smile did not change, but he was already cursing inwardly.
'Damn it, I've already explained it in such detail, and they still don't quite believe me. They suspect I'm setting up some kind of trap somewhere, waiting for them to jump in!'
With a smile on his face, Song Rongdao seemed to consider it carefully and recounted the events again. Finally, he said.
"Even though that 'Dark Spirit Demon Bat' was not an adult, I was still unable to kill it. However, in my brief exchange with it, I still managed to cut off a piece of flesh from its claw."
After saying this, Song Rongdao flipped his hand, and a small, black object shining with a faint light appeared on his fingers.
The black object was only the size of a small finger joint, wrinkled, and covered with fine hairs on one side, each like a sharp, thin spike.
The other side still had traces of flowing blood, clearly a piece of flesh cut from some living creature.
What surprised the other three even more was that they felt an overwhelming aura of ancientness from this object, yet it lacked any sense of decay.
Song Rongdao's direct presentation of this small piece of flesh was to completely dispel their doubts.
This was also part of his cunning. If he had taken out this piece of flesh at the very beginning, the three might have been even more suspicious.
By providing the most powerful evidence amidst the other's continuous expectations, it was possible to suppress the final doubts in their hearts.
Because at that time, you, in the midst of the other's constant explanations, have already believed some of it, just lacking the final confirmation.
By the evening of the fifth day, under the surprised and suspicious gazes of the other three, they flew over a vast sea.
Under the grey sky, angry waves crashed into the air, and a wild wind raged. This was a wide bay on the border of the Black and White Demon territories, connected to the sea.
"Why here?"
They looked at Song Rongdao with suspicion.