The vague shadow of the Register of Life and Death flashed across Shen Lian’s mind briefly but it left a deep impression on him.

　　That was the manifestation of the Dao of Life and Death, the roots of the Netherworld, the source of the power of this universe, the existence of every being, and the secrets of the karmic cycle.

　　Shen Lian believed that he was not the only person who was interested in the Register of Life and Death. After all, the secrets of the karmic cycle were irresistible.

　　Furthermore, if someone else took control of the Register of Life and Death and used the resources of the Netherworld, the person would be a big threat and it would be a bitter pill for every great existence out there.

　　Shen Lian had yet to figure out why Diqiu underwent such a drastic change. But he felt that the reason was related to Wen Zhong or more specifically, Wen Zhong’s master. Wen Zhong’s master must have been a great existence from the ancient times who could match or even was more advanced than the level of Taiyi.

　　He was fully aware that the Netherworld was closely related to the legends and history of the world, and believed that the answer would eventually surface and things would get interesting.

　　The monk from the Dajue Temple was struggling to break free from the ‘Grounded Circle’ outside of Zhiwei Temple and had no idea of the changes that happened in Diqiu. The grounded circle was a highly skilled method where Shen Lian used his divine thoughts to create a special realm within reality that felt like a dream that was difficult to be awakened from.

　　Even the most outstanding disciple of the Dajue Temple could only meditate to keep himself calm when dealing with this entrapment created by someone like Shen Lian. It would have been more difficult for him to escape if he fell into an illusion instead.

　　Shen Lian observed the monk silently. The Buddhist sect’s state of the four Dhyanas and eight Samadhis was the basis for the detachment of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Although Shen Lian did not cultivate Buddhist methods, it still served as a good reference for him.

　　At this very stage, he was already qualified to pursue the path of supreme detachment and to him, that was the most interesting thing in the world.

　　…… …

　　Mu Zhen stood by the Meridian Gate and could feel the raging Qi dynamics that stirred up Wangcheng earlier. He also sensed the incomparably sharp Qi of the blade and felt fearful of Empire Xia. That fear had strengthened his determination to move Xuanzhen Temple out of Xia Kingdom.

　　If it was the past, the Seven Disciples of Xuanzhen could have put on a fight against Emperor Xia. But over the years, Muzhen had seen Emperor Xia’s cultivation level increased greatly and their fate would eventually lie on Emperor Xia’s hands.

　　Emperor Xia had never concealed his Qi dynamics. Like the sun and the moon, he was not afraid to show it all.

　　Muzhen tried his very best to tone down his breath as he peeped into the Meridian Gate. He wondered what happened after that Qi of the blade flashed across. He waited and waited but no one brought out any corpse from the gate.

　　“Are you waiting for me?”

　　Muzhen turned his head and saw a man with a green headband with a headful of grey and black hair. The man was taller than average and as riding on an ink black Qilin.

　　His gaze was not as mysterious as other cultivators and in fact, it was extremely bright. When he set his gaze on Muzhen, Muzhen did not dare to have any ill intentions as if that person had some sort of prestige yet it was not as terrifying as Emperor Xia.

　　Muzhen bowed down and said, “I am here on the advice of the State Preceptor.”

　　“State Preceptor?” Wen Zhong tilted his head and questioned.

　　He wiggled his fingers and smiled, “So it’s him! And you are from the Xuanzhen Temple, the disciple of one of the Seven Disciple of Xuanzhen.”

　　“My name is Muzhen, my master is Zhenren Chang Shengzi,” Muzhen responded with respect.

　　“Oh, I see. Years ago, I was collecting herbs at Mount Zhongli and saw him slaying demons with his sword. At that moment, I thought he was a rare hero among Qi cultivators. He was different from others. I wanted to meet him but something came up and I had forgotten about it,” Wen Zhong said as he touched his chin.

　　All of a sudden Muzhen recalled an incident. Forty years ago, Chang Shengzi roamed around and arrived at Mount Zhongli. There were five notorious ghostly spirits. Chang Shengzi brought his sword along to get rid of them. Back then, Chang Shengzi had already stepped into Primordial Spirit of celestialism and was a walking celestial of the earth. The five ghostly spirits were no match for him and he noticed someone was watching him indiscreetly. But it eventually led to nothing.

　　Chang Shengzi told Muzhen the story and spoke about how vast the world was and one should always be humble and careful.

　　Muzhen nodded, “My master once told me about that incident. Looks like you and my master had such a relationship.”

　　Wen Zhong smiled, “Xuanzhen Temple is an authentic Xuanmen. I have heard about Xuanzhen and I roughly know what favor you need from me. It is not something too difficult and it is predestined that Yinshang would replace Xia. If you are willing to follow me, there would be a lot of success for you in the future.”

　　Muzhen was delighted, “The State Preceptor and you are extraordinary people, of course, I am more than willing to serve you.”

　　Wen Zhong laughed out loud, “Speaking of which, he is indeed an odd person. He knew that I needed assistance in order to make things right. As long as you return to Yinshang, the affairs of Xuanzhen Temple would also be my matter.”

　　Wen Zhong escaped from the misfortune of the blade and troops. As a result, his Dao experience improved greatly. He also had a better understanding of the designs of nature, and Yinshang replacing Xia would be the trend of the laws of heaven. Qi cultivators would soon replace the Xia, and make cultivation mainstream. There was no other reason for the fall of Xia besides the Xia Clan who had taken their resources for granted, and the laws of heaven that were rendered damaged beyond repair.

　　Wen Zhong was about to recruit extraordinary people to strengthen his force. Considering that Xuanzhen Temple took the initiative to approach him, there was no reason for him to turn them down. Furthermore, the founding master of the Xuanzhen Sect was a powerful figure of the Netherworld and his Pure Yang Celestial Method was once unbeatable. Although no one knew of his current whereabouts, protecting the Xuanzhen Temple could gain him some good karma points.

　　Muzhen had some suspicion of Wen Zhong but he did not want to offend Wen Zhong by displaying distrust towards him. He felt that it was best that he trust Wen Zhong and be more cautious in the future.

　　Muzhen answered, “I still do not know how to address you.”

　　A voice could be heard saying, “He is the Grand Preceptor of Yinshang, Wen Zhong. Muzhen, you need not to be suspicious.”

　　The voice was peaceful and the tone was clear. It was Tianyi who was speaking.

　　Muzhen was shocked. Tianyi was imprisoned in Xia Stage and yet he knew what was happening beyond the stage. It was pretty scary.

　　Wen Zhong looked towards the direction of Xia Stage and sighed, “He is a genius but unfortunately, my master said that Tianyi will have a trial of death that he would fail to overcome. Otherwise, he would have achieved as much as Si Wenming.”

　　Muzhen politely responded, “I now understand.”

　　“Brother Wen, you came from far away. I want to greet you personally but unfortunately, circumstance does not allow. I hope you don’t mind,” Tianyi continued speaking.