Task complete, Shen Congsheng murmured "return" several times, and was transported back to Reception Island.
The Merit Stele stood right beside him.
He inspected the stele's surface, and sure enough found his name on the merit ranking: Shen Congsheng, nine merit.
Shen Congsheng's brows furrowed slightly.
Completing a single task had yielded only nine merit points?
The reward was far less than Shen Congsheng had anticipated.
"At this rate, doesn't that mean that before I even arrived, that Chu Ying had already taken on around ten tasks?" At this thought, Shen Congsheng's frown deepened.
He glanced at the rewards again, and his spirits cooled.
Every single Immortal Gu and Immortal material that caught his eye cost over ten thousand merit!
"There's also the fact that Immortal Gu are one-of-a-kind — if someone else redeems one first, I'll naturally lose my chance."
"Chu Ying is so far ahead now — I need to pick up the pace and catch up!"
Even as an Eighth Transformation cultivator, Shen Congsheng felt a surge of urgency — how much more so for everyone else.
"Grand Elder." Shen Tan walked over to greet Shen Congsheng. Although he had completed his own task earlier, he hadn't hurried to start a second one — instead he had chosen to wait beneath the stele.
In truth, all the immortals had agreed before their first teleportation to share information after completing their tasks.
Shen Congsheng, Shen Tan, Shen Qi, Shen Xiao, Shen Naihe, Ren Xiuping, and Tong Hua formed one group; Miao Mingshen, Bee General, Immortal Flower Butterfly, Seventh Master Ghost, Tu Toutuo, and Zeng Luozi formed the other.
The two sides were clearly divided.
Clearly, Shen Congsheng's group was far more powerful. But in the special environment of the Bliss Land, they couldn't conveniently make a move against Miao Mingshen's group, and could only watch as the others united on their side.
"Heaven never seals off all paths! Friends, this is a supreme immortal fortune before us. Only by seizing it can we have even a sliver of hope when facing Shen Congsheng in the future. We must work together — only through tight unity can there be any hope. If we try to fight alone, there will be no chance of survival." Miao Mingshen rallied the surrounding Gu Immortals.
Zeng Luozi, Tu Toutuo, and the others nodded in agreement. Their pressure was far greater than Shen Congsheng's, making them all the more desperate to complete tasks and bolster their strength.
Even if they were safe within the Dragon Whale Bliss Land, once they were teleported out in three hundred days, they would have to face Shen Congsheng.
"Tell me — what did each of you discover?" Miao Mingshen spoke up.
Everyone reported their findings in full, holding nothing back, and shared many of their own speculations as well.
Everyone's discoveries were much the same as Shen Congsheng's. Miao Mingshen finally summed up: "The restrictions the Bliss Land places on us can actually be seen as a form of protection — at the very least, Shen Congsheng can't lay a lethal hand on us for now."
"After completing tasks, the most merit any of us has earned is nine — no more than ten. It seems the reward for each task ranges between one and ten."
"But I have a feeling that this Merit Stele will undergo further changes in the future."
Zeng Luozi and Tu Toutuo exchanged a glance. Zeng Luozi hesitated for a moment, then asked: "Brother Miao, since you can sense the Azure Dragon Whale's precise location and bring us back here — is this place really completely unfamiliar to you?"
Miao Mingshen smiled bitterly: "Brother Zeng, Brother Tu — if I told you that I can sense the Azure Dragon Whale's location but don't know why, would you believe me? Years ago, information about the Azure Dragon Whale began appearing in my mind out of nowhere. At first it was vague and fragmented, and only recently has it pieced itself together into something complete, letting me understand that the Azure Dragon Whale has been calling to me."
"If I truly knew about these arrangements, if I held some shortcut, would I not have used it? Would I still be waiting to endure Shen Congsheng's threats? When I was being hunted down in the outside world, if I had known it was all an illusion, I would have sought death on my own long ago."
"Both of you, this is the absolute truth — not a shred of deception!"
Zeng Luozi and Tu Toutuo studied Miao Mingshen's sincere expression and both nodded: "We believe you."
Seventh Master Ghost suddenly spoke: "Come to think of it, I just remembered something. Earlier, when we were being hunted at sea, Chu Ying was about to be struck by sound blades — yet his speed suddenly surged and he deliberately crashed into an Ancient Thunder Phoenix, only to be struck dead by lightning."
"That's right, I saw it too," Bee General echoed.
"Deliberately seeking death — truly strange. It seems Chu Ying really does know something about the inner workings of this place." Tu Toutuo's eyes flashed with sharp light.
Previously, Fang Yuan had not known that dying at Shen Congsheng's hands would also result in being brought here. To be safe, he had chosen the same method of death as in his previous life.
And just like that, he had left a flaw.
Just as Shen Congsheng's sound blades had earlier deliberately avoided Tong Hua.
Miao Mingshen's group had discovered Chu Ying's flaw, and on the other side, Shen Congsheng and his people had done the same.
"Miao Mingshen." At this point, Shen Tan walked at the forefront, approaching Miao Mingshen's group of his own accord.
Behind Shen Tan followed Shen Congsheng, Ren Xiuping, and their group.
"Fellow immortals, there's no need to be nervous," Shen Tan said with a smile. "We're not here to cause trouble this time — we're here to propose cooperation."
"Cooperation? You lot certainly have some nerve."
"Who was it that was hunting us down before?"
Bee General and Immortal Flower Butterfly spoke indignantly.
Miao Mingshen stopped the two of them and looked toward Shen Congsheng.
Shen Congsheng nodded slightly and said coolly: "That is precisely my meaning. I did indeed strike before, seeking to kill you all. But put yourselves in my shoes — if you were me, would you have let me leave?"
"It's not that I don't want you dead, but given the current circumstances, cooperation is the only option."
"I pledge on the honor of the Shen clan that even after we leave this Dragon Whale Bliss Land, I will not lay a lethal hand on any of you, but will instead let you all go."
"In return, you must tell me everything you know — every last detail."
"The honor of the Shen clan..." Miao Mingshen pondered, and the Gu Immortals around him also showed subtle shifts in expression.
Shen Congsheng was the Shen clan's Supreme Grand Elder — as a figure of the Righteous Path, his word was his bond. Now that he was vouching with the honor of the entire Shen clan, the credibility was quite high.
Of course, the most secure method would be to sign a covenant.
Both Zeng Luozi and Shen Naihe present were Seventh Transformation Information Path Gu Immortals, but the means of signing a covenant was unusable — strictly restricted by this Bliss Land.
"Think it over carefully — this is your only chance. If you miss it, don't regret it when we leave the Dragon Whale Bliss Land," Shen Tan threatened with a smile.
Miao Mingshen and his group fell deeper into silence.
The Merit Stele had made it clear — they would only stay here for three hundred days. Once the time limit expired, they would be teleported out. At that point, they would very likely have to face Shen Congsheng.
Shen Congsheng's guarantee was, of course, far from foolproof — he could easily go back on his word.
But when their own lives were at stake, Miao Mingshen and his people naturally couldn't let any possibility of survival slip by.
Miao Mingshen suddenly smiled and nodded: "I accept. I'll cooperate with you and tell you everything I know."
Shen Congsheng also smiled: "Good — those who recognize the times are true heroes. I'll spare your life. Now speak."