Fairy, don't go! I have a mod.

That's a signal that sect leaders only use when they want to see someone.

Li Xizhao glanced down at the name that appeared on the jade tablet, her brows furrowing slightly. The slight girlish shyness that had lingered on her face was instantly replaced by the sect leader's solemn and dignified demeanor.

Mu Tianmiao followed Li Xizhao all the way to the sect's main hall.

Li Xizhao walked ahead with unhurried steps, her flowing, wide-sleeved dress trailing behind her in an elegant arc.

Apart from a very faint, glistening mark remaining at the corner of her lips, which could only be seen upon close inspection, she had completely transformed back into the dignified and unapproachable sect leader of the Immortal Shadow Sect.

He had completely transformed back into the dignified and unassailable sect master of the Immortal Shadow Sect.

Inside the main hall, all the elders had arrived.

Tang Ruoyin stood on the left, her veil removed, and she had changed into a smart, plain blue dress.

Her hair was neatly styled, and the jade medicine basket at her waist emitted a faint medicinal fragrance.

There was no trace of the pathetic state he had been in yesterday, when he was tormented by Mu Tianmiao to the point of begging for mercy.

Lin Yanluo stood next to her, still with that nonchalant posture, her arms wrapped around her chest and her giant hammer leaning against her shoulder.

With the sachet hanging around her neck, she secretly mouthed "small fry" to Mu Tianmiao as he followed the sect leader in.

In addition, there were several elders who were not very familiar with the group, including the elder in charge of miscellaneous affairs. Even Qin Shuxin, who never left the Array Pavilion, came. She stood quietly in the corner.

Her ten-meter-long white hair was neatly tied into a butterfly knot using the method Mu Tianmiao had taught her.

He was still holding the book "The Return of the Condor Heroes" in his hands, his brows slightly furrowed, clearly having been summoned at the last minute.

Several disciples from the intelligence department had been waiting for a long time in front of the main hall.

Li Xizhao walked straight to the sect leader's seat at the top, turned around and sat down, placing his hands naturally on the armrests, his gaze calmly sweeping over everyone in the hall.

At Li Xizhao's instruction, a person who had been silent in the corner finally spoke.

Mu Tianmiao looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man in a dark gray cloak standing in the most inconspicuous corner of the main hall.

He was tall and thin, with a gaunt face.

He shrank into the corner, wishing he could blend into the wall.

Especially when the main hall was filled with female cultivators, the expression on his face looked like he was being tortured...

Fu Xing.

Elder of the Wandering Fire Department. Head of the sect's intelligence department.

He is also the only male elder in the Immortal Shadow Sect.

Mu Tianmiao remembered him; the two had exchanged a few words.

This person is rarely in the sect, spending the whole year running around gathering intelligence. His footprints can be found everywhere, from Jambudvipa to Uttarakuru.

The reason he disliked returning to his sect was simple: the Immortal Shadow Sect was almost entirely populated by women, and he suffered from severe gynophobia...

It's not discrimination or disgust, it's just that I don't want to communicate...

He could stutter three times over a single sentence when speaking to a female cultivator, and during elder meetings, if any female elder stood even a little too close to him, he would quietly move back several steps...

If it weren't for Li Xizhao saving his life back then,

He also had abundant resources to cultivate him.

He was also given a position in the Fire Department that required him to travel frequently.

He ran away long ago...

He spoke as he pulled the hood of his cloak low.

"A secret realm has been discovered at the junction of the Central Continent's Dragon Vein and the Southern Continent."

Fu Xing's voice was soft, but he spoke very quickly, as if he wanted to finish speaking as soon as possible and leave.

"Preliminary assessment indicates that this is an early-generation secret realm that has never been discovered before. The terrain is mainly mountainous and forested, and the estimated output is mostly spiritual plants and spiritual seeds. The realm is sealed at the Golden Core stage."

This means that only cultivators at the Golden Core stage can enter; those above the Golden Core stage will cause the secret realm to collapse.

Mu Tianmiao did know this kind of knowledge.

The first-generation secret realm means that all the resources inside are pristine and wild, without any trace of human exploitation.

Although it is the first generation, spiritual plant-type secret realms often have the characteristic of regeneration over time. Even if they are harvested this time, they will be produced again after several years.

In addition, the belongings of the cultivators who died inside will also become part of the secret realm.

However, the first generation had no relics of predecessors, only wild creatures as produce. When it is opened again next time, countless corpses of cultivators will be found.

Fu Xing turned a page of the jade slip, his tone suddenly showing a rare fluctuation.

"Furthermore, traces of the Millennium Cicada have been discovered in the surrounding area!"

The spiritual silk produced by the thousand-year-old cicada is a top-grade material for making the finest clothing-type magical artifacts!

Currently, all the Spirit Silk circulating in the Eight Desolations World comes from cicada molt fragments discovered in second or third generation secret realms!

The best quality ones are only about two hundred years old, and even those can sell for astronomical prices!

The spiritual silk of the thousand-year-old cicada has not appeared at any market auction for at least three hundred years!

Once you capture the Millennium Cicada, you will have an endless supply of Spirit Silk!

This almost made Lin Yanluo jump up and down in panic...

As soon as Fu Xing finished speaking, the hall was quiet for less than a breath before it erupted into chaos.

Lin Yanluo was the first to jump up, not even bothering to hold onto the two-meter-long giant hammer on her shoulder, and slammed it to the ground with a thud.

She stepped on the hammer handle, pointed at Fu Xing, then remembered that this person was afraid of women, so she quickly withdrew her finger and instead waved it at Li Xizhao, her voice sharp and urgent.

"Li Xizhao! I have to lead the team this time! Ling Su Silk! It's a thousand years old! Do you know how difficult this thing is to deal with?"

"The entire Eight Desolate World hasn't seen a thousand-year-old cicada in three hundred years!"

Before she could finish speaking, another figure quickly stepped forward.

She was a gentle and graceful female cultivator, dressed in a light green dress with several graceful spiritual grass patterns embroidered on the hem, and with an unknown light purple flower in her hair.

She stood there like a quiet orchid.

Chen Zisu is an elder in charge of the cultivation of spiritual plants in the sect. She has the cultivation level of the early stage of the Nascent Soul stage. She usually speaks softly and gently, and the disciples call her Sister Zisu in private.

But at this moment, the anxiety on her face was no less than that of Lin Yanluo. She didn't even wait for Lin Yanluo to finish speaking before speaking directly. Although her voice was still gentle, her speaking speed was twice as fast as usual.

"Sect Master, the Spirit Plant Secret Realm has no direct relation to weapon refining, but it has a great deal to do with my Spirit Field."

"Many of the spiritual plants and seeds in the first-generation secret realm may be species that have become extinct in the Eight Desolations World."

"If we can successfully transplant the spirit seed back, the sect's spirit field output can increase several times, and the cost of pills can also be reduced."

"Moreover, the places where the thousand-year-old cicadas live must have corresponding companion spiritual plants around them, and those companion spiritual plants are also extremely precious medicinal materials."

"Elder Lin wants the Spirit Silk, and I want the Spirit Plants and Seeds. We each get what we need, and there's no conflict. But I must personally take a look at the growing environment and soil conditions of those Spirit Plants..."

"What do you mean by 'not directly related to weapon crafting'?"

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Immortal Shadow Flying Boat

Lin Yanluo was immediately displeased upon hearing this, turned her head to glare at Chen Zisu, and began to compete for the right to lead the team on this trip.

Chen Zisu wasn't annoyed. She maintained her gentle tone, but her words were full of barbs as she and Lin Yanluo exchanged barbs.

Li Xizhao sat in the main seat, watching the two elders below chatter amongst themselves.

His fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, neither stopping him nor expressing his opinion, and there was even a very faint smile on his lips.

This is vitality! The vitality of a sect!

Li Xizhao sat upright in the main seat, watching the two elders below argue back and forth for a long time, before finally raising his hand and making a gesture.

The hall fell silent instantly. Lin Yanluo put her foot down from the hammer handle, and Chen Zisu also stopped talking. The two of them looked at the sect leader.

"Stop arguing."

Li Xizhao's tone left no room for argument, "This time, the two of you will go to the secret realm together. What's there to argue about... you two can't even get into the secret realm anyway..."

Lin Yanluo and Chen Zisu exchanged a glance and simultaneously bowed in agreement.

Although they had just argued heatedly, they were actually quite close friends. One was a weapon refiner and the other a farmer, and they also had a lot of business dealings.

Li Xizhao then ordered that all Golden Core stage disciples currently in the sect be transferred out.

Regardless of whether they are from the inner or outer sect, as long as their cultivation level is at the Golden Core stage and they have no other missions, everyone should gather at the square.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a dozen or so Golden Core stage disciples lined up in the square in front of the main hall, each one looking radiant.

They had clearly heard about the first-generation secret realm and were eager to try it out.

Li Xizhao announced the details of the secret realm mission and the contribution point rewards on the spot, and each participating Golden Core disciple would receive a considerable amount of contribution points.

If you bring back rare spiritual plants or spiritual silk, there will be additional rewards.

The disciples were all eager to get started, wishing they could set off right now.

Mu Tianmiao was also on the list.

He was at the peak of the Golden Core stage, the disciple with the highest cultivation level among all Golden Core cultivators in the entire Immortal Shadow Sect, so he was indispensable for such an important event.

But when he heard his name called, he was startled at first, and then cautiously raised his hand.

He forced a fawning smile at Li Xizhao, who was seated in the main seat.

"Master, didn't you say before that I wasn't allowed to leave the sect without your permission? Does this mean I had your permission this time?"

Li Xizhao rolled her eyes at him.

With all the elders in the hall and more than a dozen disciples in the square, she couldn't afford to make a scene, but the information contained in that disdainful look was immense.

You've remembered what I said now? Why didn't you remember when I told you not to leave the sect?

She stepped down from the main seat, walked up to Mu Tianmiao, grabbed his wrist, and turned it over so that her palm was facing up.

Then she made a hand seal with her right hand, and a pale golden light of spiritual energy shone from her fingertips as she quickly drew a talisman on the inside of his wrist.

The spiritual energy seeped into the skin, leaving a thin red vein that looked like an extremely fine red thread embedded under the skin, glowing faintly.

"This is male virtue sand."

Li Xizhao shook off his hand, her tone chilling.

"Uphold male virtues when you're out in public. This mark will record who you've touched, how many times, and where you touched them."

"Don't think you can get away with it by taking a shower and changing your clothes. If I find out you're entangled with some female cultivator again when you come back, I'll skin you alive!"

Mu Tianmiao looked down at the thin red spiritual energy vein on her wrist, her lips twitching.

Nan Desha?

This is unheard of. In the history of the Eight Desolations World, I doubt any master would ever plant this thing in their disciple's body..."

In order to keep an eye on him, his master forcibly created a spell using his Nascent Soul stage cultivation, which could be considered a unique way of showing him respect...

Would he dare to lash out? Of course not...

He dared to talk back to the sect leader in front of more than a dozen Golden Core disciples; he's not tired of living yet.

Li tide looked at his expression, which seemed to want to complain but dared not speak, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, but she quickly regained the dignity that a sect leader should have.

She raised her hand and patted his shoulder, the force was not strong, even much lighter than when she usually hit him.

"be careful."

"Disciple understands."

Mu Tianmiao put away his playful smile and nodded seriously.

Li Xizhao withdrew his hand, turned around and walked back to the main seat. He glanced at everyone in the hall and announced that the secret realm operation would depart early the next morning.

Tonight, each disciple should prepare their own pills, magical artifacts, and all necessary supplies, and gather at the sect square at dawn tomorrow.

Elders Lin Yanluo and Chen Zisu led the team to the entrance of the secret realm at the border of Zhongzhou and Nanzhanbuzhou.

The crowd dispersed in response.

As Mu Tianmiao walked out of the main hall, she was still planning her evening's arrangements.

His original plan was to at least enjoy Tang Ruoyin's company one last time before leaving...