"Now that we've all gathered, we should head out. The Cursed Earth Gate is ruthless — I fear that if we delay,
"No, we still need to make a stop at the place we agreed upon earlier,"
"You still want to visit that village?" the head of the Spirit World Alliance asked, puzzled.
"No — that is no ordinary village," Dugu Xingfeng explained.
"Head Dugu, I don't know what you're after there."
"But right now, we've all gathered here for one purpose — to help Chu Feng rescue his friend. In my opinion, that should be our priority. Whatever you need to do, couldn't it wait until later?"
Though he was not one of the nine powers' leaders, his strength was on par with theirs. As such, he knew no taboos and didn't even flinch before Dugu Xingfeng — he spoke his mind freely, his personality bold and unrestrained.
"Brother Hong Qiang, I understand your point. That is precisely why I say we must go there — because my purpose in visiting that village is directly related to rescuing Chu Feng's friend," Dugu Xingfeng said.
"Oh?" Hearing this, the others faltered. They couldn't see what the Cursed Earth Gate had to do with this ancient village in the Qingmu Domain.
"There is something that perhaps none of you know — but I do."
"The Cursed Earth Gate has always been a heretical sect. The techniques they cultivate, the methods they employ — all of them are sinister and unorthodox."
"Within the Cursed Earth Gate, there are many unspeakable things, and the more unspeakable they are, the less they can be allowed to leak out. That is why the Cursed Earth Gate is the most heavily guarded of all the nine powers, with the most complete defensive formations."
"We know that," the head of the Spirit World Alliance interjected.
"I haven't finished. I know you're aware of what I've said so far, but what comes next — you definitely don't know."
"The Cursed Earth Sacred Council has a man called Sha Di. Have you heard of him?" Dugu Xingfeng asked.
"Of course. He's one of the Martial Emperors of the Cursed Earth Sacred Council — Sha Di is arguably the most ruthless and unscrupulous of them all. His infamy is widespread; who hasn't heard of him?" the head of the Spirit World Alliance replied.
"Then do you know who Sha Di's son is?" Dugu Xingfeng pressed.
"That…" The head of the Spirit World Alliance had no answer. He glanced at Hong Qiang and Miao Renlong, but neither spoke — clearly, none of them knew.
"I'll tell you. Sha Di's son is none other than the current head of the Cursed Earth Gate — Sang Kun," Dugu Xingfeng said.
"Him? He's Sha Di's son?" At these words, Miao Renlong and the other two were visibly stunned.
"Sha Di has had at least several hundred sons over his lifetime. But every one of them either failed to meet his standards for martial cultivation potential and was strangled to death by his own hand, or was beaten to death during his merciless training."
"In the end, only Sang Kun survived. Because of this, Sha Di places tremendous importance on him and dotes on him greatly — he is considered Sha Di's true successor."
"And now, Sha Di has left the Cursed Earth Sacred Council to cultivate at the Cursed Earth Gate itself. He is doing so to guard it on his son's behalf."
"This time, though we are only going to the Cursed Earth Gate to rescue a junior, our identities are all rather sensitive. I'm sure none of you wish to expose yourselves. You'd all prefer this to go off without a hitch."
"Otherwise, a single misstep wouldn't just bring trouble upon us — it would affect the relationships between Qingmu Mountain, the Spirit World Alliance, and the Cursed Earth Gate."
"The Cursed Earth Gate is already extreme in nature. If word of this leaked, it would inevitably spark a massive war. Countless elders and disciples would perish, and we would be the ones responsible — we'd all become criminals."
"That is why this mission cannot afford the slightest error. Every detail must be planned to perfection," Dugu Xingfeng said.
"Then what's your plan? And what does that village have to do with it?" Hong Qiang asked.
"That is no ordinary village."
"It is a village that may well help us."