The most secure job in Dajin

Beneath the city wall of Duimen Pass, the Fire Lotus had long since dissipated into countless sparks in the air, leaving behind only a group of human cultivators who had survived the calamity, their expressions dazed and unable to recover for a long time.

"Hua Hongyi"

As the crowd gradually dispersed, Meng Ziyu and his companions walked straight towards Hua Dalang and subtly led him to a secluded corner.

Hua Dalang's gaze lingered for a moment on Sheng Pengyun—his fiancée's brother—before turning to the other three and bowing with clasped hands.

"Four generals, do you have any missions to assign?"

Meng Ziyu and the other three were all military officers, while Hua Dalang was only a commander of ten thousand men. Even though the four were not his direct superiors, he could not neglect their orders.

Meng Ziyu laughed and put his arm around Hua Dalang's shoulder, looking like two good buddies: "Don't be so serious. We don't have anything to tell you, we just came to chat with you."

Hua Dalang's eyes flickered: "This humble general dares not."

The Demon Suppression Army has strict discipline, and he dared not joke around with his superiors.

Seeing his reaction, Meng Ziyu looked embarrassed, withdrew his hand, and looked at Sheng Pengyun, gesturing for him to come over.

Sheng Pengyun was silent for a moment before getting straight to the point: "Hongyi, do you think that Lord of Lingguang Palace looks familiar?"

Upon hearing this, Hua Dalang thought to himself, "As expected," knowing what the four wanted to ask. He shook his head and said, "The Palace Master of Lingguang Palace is imposing and quite far away. I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the four generals, but I couldn't see her face clearly."

Meng Ziyu laughed and said, "We can't see clearly either. Don't you think her appearance and behavior look familiar?"

Hua Dalang recalled for a moment, then shook his head again: "I really didn't see it clearly."

Seeing his reaction, Meng Ziyu wanted to ask more, but Sheng Pengyun stopped him, saying, "Hongyi, don't overthink it. We're just curious."

"The Palace Master of Lingguang Palace is always elusive, and this is the first time she has made a public appearance. There were rumors that she is your Ninth Sister, so we wanted to confirm this with you."

Hua Dalang nodded in understanding, but did not respond.

Sheng Pengyun: "Go ahead and get busy. We also need to go and report to the minister about the situation of this trip to the Nine Netherworlds."

Hua Dalang clasped his hands in a respectful greeting, and then quickly left.

Watching his retreating figure, Meng Ziyu stroked his chin and clicked his tongue: "If the Hua family hadn't started from such a low point, they would actually be quite good at acting."

Upon hearing this, Sheng Pengyun glared at Meng Ziyu and said, "He is my brother-in-law. You are not allowed to test him indiscriminately in the future."

Alas, Hua Hongyi's cunning is not deep enough after all!
He thought that by not answering their questions directly and speaking vaguely, he could fool them.
However, what he didn't know was that by not directly denying it, he was affirming it in itself.

Hua Jiuniang could very well be the Palace Master of Lingguang Palace!

Compared to Meng Ziyu and Sheng Pengyun's curiosity about whether the Lord of Lingguang Palace was Hua Jiuniang, Jiang Yanyi and Ye Jingzhou were more interested in knowing why the Lord of Lingguang Palace was following Chu Junyi.

"The Demon Suppression Army is renowned, and its leader is exceptionally handsome, winning the heart of many young ladies. Do you think the Palace Master of Lingguang Palace might simply admire the leader?"

"No way, the Palace Master of Lingguang Palace isn't just an ordinary young lady."

"She is extraordinary, but she is a young lady."

"Aren't you overthinking this? I think there's something we don't know about this!"

The Lord of Lingguang Palace is always elusive, rarely revealing his true face to the world.

However, this time she forcibly broke through the Five Directions Formation and saved countless trapped cultivators from dire straits, sparking unprecedented discussion.

In the past, everyone only knew that the power of the Palace Master of Lingguang Palace was unfathomable; but this time, rescuing the trapped people demonstrated her sense of responsibility and courage.

As a result, countless human cultivators praised him highly, especially the younger generation, who regarded him as a role model and admired him as surging as a river.

At Duimen Pass, ordinary cultivators were still immersed in the thrilling battle they had just witnessed, discussing it animatedly; while inside the pass, the leaders of the five holy lands, the guardian families, and the major clans and sects had gathered in Wei Zhenjie's tent, each with a different expression.

The elder of the Wu family, a guardian clan, broke the silence first: "Minister Wei, the key to the Nine Nether Soul Realm is currently in the hands of the Palace Master of Lingguang Hall. I wonder what your plans are regarding this?"

Wei Zhenjie glanced sideways at the speaker, and couldn't help but sneer, "What are my plans?"

He paused, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, "The Netherfire Match isn't in my hands, so what does my plan matter?"

The Wu family elder's face stiffened, his embarrassment evident.

His original intention was to take this opportunity to elevate Wei Zhenjie, but he did not expect Wei Zhenjie to be so disrespectful. Seeing this, the elder of the Long family quickly stepped in to smooth things over, laughing and saying, "Minister Wei, the Central Holy Land is the pillar of the Central Continent. The Nine Nether Soul Realm is related to the overall strength of our human race. I'm afraid it is still necessary for Minister Wei to come forward and negotiate with the Palace Master of Lingguang Palace."

Wei Zhenjie's lips curled into a playful smile as he countered, "What do you all think I should do to negotiate?"

Upon hearing this, the leaders from all sides exchanged glances, and after a brief exchange of looks, someone began to speak.

"The Lord of Lingguang Palace is the commander of the Vermilion Bird Army, which is a righteous army that protects all living beings. It is likely that the Lord of Lingguang Palace is willing to share the Nine Nether Soul Realm for the sake of the strength of the human race."

"Indeed, if the Nine Nether Soul Realm could be shared by the human race and used to jointly cultivate strong individuals, that would be the way to achieve long-term development."

"With the rapid recovery of spiritual energy, the demon race is growing stronger day by day. In time, a great war between humans and demons is inevitable. At that time, if humans do not have enough strong individuals, how will they be able to resist the demon race?"

"The Nine Nether Soul Realm is an excellent opportunity to enhance the strength of human cultivators. If the Lord of Lingguang Palace has the well-being of all living beings in his heart, he should not have monopolized such an opportunity."

"The greatest heroes are those who serve their country and its people. As strong members of the human race, we should not disregard the safety of humanity for our own selfish reasons."

The crowd spoke one after another, their words filled with righteous indignation and impassioned passion. Their purpose was simple and clear—the Nine Nether Soul Realm should rightfully be shared by the human race.

Are these statements reasonable?
Of course!
As the commander of the Demon Suppression Army, Wei Zhenjie understands the current situation of the human race better than anyone else.

The demon race is growing stronger and more menacing. If the human race remains a disorganized mess, each harboring their own secrets, they will suffer a great loss sooner or later.

Only by integrating the strength of all parties and uniting the hearts of the human race can we truly resist the invasion of the demon race.

However, these people's ulterior motives were also clearly revealed. They only wanted to share the benefits of the Soul Realm, but they didn't mention a word about the price they should pay.

"The Soul Realm Key was obtained by the Lord of Lingguang Palace through great danger and by venturing deep into the Nine Netherworlds."

Wei Zhenjie spoke slowly, his voice not loud, but carrying an invisible pressure, "If you want her to share, what are you all prepared to offer in exchange?"

"This……"

The leaders began whispering amongst themselves again, their faces showing reluctance.

"If the Lord of Lingguang Palace is willing to share his Soul Realm, we will certainly show our sincerity. However..."

"The appearance of the Ghost King and Lady of the Other Shore Flower at this Nine Gates Auction has caused considerable repercussions for all parties involved, and all of this is related to the Lingguang Palace..."

"boom--!"

A loud bang interrupted everyone's conversation.

Wei Zhenjie slammed his hand down on the teacup, shattering it and spilling tea all over the floor.

The leaders from all sides were startled by this sudden turn of events, looking at him with suspicion and uncertainty, and the tent fell into a deathly silence.

Wei Zhenjie was too lazy to show them any more mercy. With a mocking expression, he said coldly, "You're always spouting hypocritical words. Are you even confused yourself?"

"It's one thing to avoid taking responsibility and just shirk it when things go wrong. But when there's something to gain, they act like dogs seeing a bone, only wanting to grab it. Not only do they lack any sense of exchange, but they also try to smear others and turn the tables on them?"

"I think you people are getting more and more backward as you get older!"

"Do you really think you can cover up your ulterior motives by saying a few nice, seemingly plausible words?"

"If you think the Lord of Lingguang Palace is easy to fool, then you can do it yourselves. Don't use me as a pawn."

After saying that, he couldn't be bothered to pay any more attention to these people and left.

Chu Junyi followed Wei Zhenjie out of the tent, his brow furrowed the whole time: "Small people have to be greedy to survive, but these are top-tier forces; they don't lack those resources."

Upon hearing this, Wei Zhenjie shook his head: "Greed is not the main issue; their main goal is to put pressure on the Lord of Lingguang Palace."

Chu Junyi was taken aback.

Wei Zhenjie sighed. Although he had cleaned up the mess for Hua Changxi, once the deed was done, clues would always be left behind, and others might be able to find out.

Perhaps we cannot be 100% certain of the true identity of the Lord of Lingguang Palace, but we may have some scattered evidence.

Those people might have harbored intentions of deliberately bullying Hua Changxi, this young man of humble origins yet arrogant and strong-willed. (End of Chapter)