"What?" Ye Fan and the others were confused.
"Actually, many people in Ge City want to overthrow the cruel dictatorship of this master," the black-robed man explained. "Think about it, Ge City has existed for so many years, why has there never been a top-tier cultivator?"
As the black-robed man spoke, Ye Fan and the others finally understood the general situation.
It wasn't that Ge City lacked geniuses.
It was just that all these gifted cultivators were eliminated by the mysterious master once they reached a certain level of growth!
He would not tolerate any factor that threatened his position of power.
In his eyes, everyone was merely a chess piece for him to manipulate!
Like livestock being raised in a pen!
Years of accumulated fear and resentment had led these cultivators to decide they could no longer sit idly by!
They wanted to resist!
They wanted to completely overthrow this tyranny!
And the ones planning all this were the top powers of Ge City!
Because in addition to the reasons mentioned above, their cultivation was also approaching a dangerous threshold!
The black-robed man was a member of one of these factions, and he had gone through immense hardship to infiltrate the Enforcement Team.
"If they have the power to casually kill you, won't your actions be in vain?" Ye Fan eyed him suspiciously. "Besides, you can't even find him, so what are you even planning?"
"But now it's different!" the black-robed man replied. "Five hundred years ago, our sect produced a Diviner!"
Hearing this, Ye Fan's eyebrows shot up.
Diviners were a branch of cultivators.
To become a Diviner, one needed not only powerful cultivation but also mental strength far beyond ordinary people.
Moreover, each divination was equivalent to undergoing a tribulation, highlighting the extreme danger involved.
On top of that, Diviners were always short-lived and invariably met a terrible, unsightly end...
Unless one possessed immense perseverance and determination, cultivators would not easily choose this path even if they had the talent.
In terms of rarity, Diviners were even more of a 'national treasure' than Ghost Cultivators.
"That Diviner once divined," the black-robed man continued. "That the most mysterious secret realm in Ge City is the key to defeating the mysterious master!"
"Since you already know, why hasn't the situation changed?" Ye Fan said speechlessly. "Clearly, you've still failed."
"I'm not too clear on the specifics..." the black-robed man said awkwardly. "You'd have to ask our Sect Master."
"Didn't you say Ge City only has gangs, not sects?" Ye Fan asked casually. "Why do you have a Sect Master now?"
"That only applies to ordinary factions," the black-robed man explained. "Once they become top-tier factions, they are qualified to establish their own sects."
"And that also means..." the black-robed man muttered, "you're not far from death..."
Ye Fan nodded.
This feeling was too familiar.
It was like a pig farm...
The master of Ge City must have had a few screws loose.
Putting on an air of mystery like that, and so ostentatiously.
"Then, after your years of undercover work, did you gain any other useful information?" Ye Fan asked again.
"The Enforcement Team is actually a rather loose organization, with members rarely interacting," the black-robed man said awkwardly. "So..."
"So you're still useless, huh?" Ye Fan teased. "If you're useless, let's get rid of him."
The five-person team immediately rolled up their sleeves!
"Senior, please don't!" the black-robed man stammered. "What I mean is... I want to ask if Senior is willing to join us..."
"This endeavor of yours sounds quite risky. Why should I take such a risk with you?" Ye Fan continued to tease. "If you were me, would you have a reason to get involved?"
The black-robed man: ...
Why does it feel like I'm going to die today for sure?
Can anyone give me some advice?
Waiting online, it's urgent...
...
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore," Ye Fan stood up. "It sounds interesting. Take me to your sect."
Having the opportunity to deal with the mysterious master of Ge City, Ye Fan was naturally intrigued.
After a few simple gestures, the group set off.
Seeing that there was nothing for them, the pack of husky dogs ran off to frolic again.
Seven days later.
District Nine of Ge City.
This area was home to almost all of Ge City's top powers, and the atmosphere was distinctly different from other districts.
The scenes of street brawls were no longer visible, and not even arguments occurred.
Moreover, the terrain here was predominantly mountainous, with only scattered small towns at the foot of the mountains.
It looked no different from the cultivation world outside of Ge City.
The sect the black-robed man belonged to was called the Sun Sect, located on one of the mountains.
At the villa on the mountaintop.
The sect master of the Sun Sect stood by the main entrance, looking as if he had been waiting for a long time.
"Greetings, Senior!" As Ye Fan appeared, the sect master hurried forward with his men to pay his respects.
"You guys...?" Ye Fan was dumbfounded on the spot.
The black-robed man hadn't sent any messages on the way, so how did they know he was coming?
Ye Fan glanced at the black-robed man next to him.
The black-robed man looked miserable, indicating he didn't know either...
"Senior, let's go inside and talk," the sect master warmly invited. "If Senior has any questions, this junior will answer them all."
The little demoness instinctively shielded Ye Fan, her distrust practically written all over her face.
Ye Fan gently patted the little demoness's arm, signaling her not to be nervous.
As soon as he entered the room, Ye Fan saw a familiar figure.
"It's you."
Exquisite hair ornaments and makeup.
A goose-yellow, form-fitting long dress.
And the stubborn and flowing chest hair and leg hair exposed outside the clothes...
It was none other than the cross-dressing expert they had met a few times before – Bai Hua Xiu!
"It seems our previous chance encounters weren't so accidental after all." After taking a seat, Ye Fan looked at Bai Hua Xiu with amusement. "The spiritual fluctuations I felt in the Evil Flame Ruins before, that was yours, wasn't it?"
"I dare not conceal it, it was indeed this junior." Bai Hua Xiu's expression was somewhat awkward. "There were reasons for it, I hope Senior will forgive me."
The sect master of the Sun Sect personally poured tea and respectfully placed it before Ye Fan.
"It seems you're all in this together now," Ye Fan said, looking at the two of them. "Who will speak first?"
"Allow me to go first," the sect master of the Sun Sect exchanged a look with Bai Hua Xiu and spoke first. "This junior's name is Zhao Hao. The matter is as follows..."
He then recounted the same story the black-robed man had told earlier.
"I've already heard all of this from your... people," Ye Fan said, then remembered he didn't even know the black-robed man's name. "Tell me the important parts."
"Just a year ago, our Diviner divined again," Zhao Hao quickly explained. "He calculated that a year from then, which is this year, a senior expert proficient in formations would arrive in Ge City. And this expert would be the key to helping us uncover the secret of that realm!"
"Previously, in the Evil Flame Ruins, this junior personally witnessed Senior's superb skill in deciphering formations," Bai Hua Xiu added. "From then on, this junior knew that Senior was the expert we were looking for!"
"There are many people who understand formations in Ge City," Ye Fan countered. "How can you be sure it's me?"
"Because there aren't many people who understand formations and coincidentally arrived in Ge City this year. Moreover, our Diviner also said..." Zhao Hao said, pointing to the little demoness beside them. "That the expert would be accompanied by a woman from the Demonic Path."
"Quite interesting," Ye Fan smacked his lips. "I wonder if I can meet your Diviner?"