Consuming Earths, Devouring Skies

"Lord Zai, I urge caution! The White Crane Sect isn't like normal forces. Another solution can be conceived!" Wu Jin insisted that Yan Zaizen slow down and think. However, Yan Zaizen continued his flight without pause.

"Wu Jin, who has Tao?" Yan Zaizen calmly asked. Currently, he wasn't going to wait while Bai Lufeng was severely tortured and his primal yang being continuously extracted by others. To him, Bai Lufeng was family. Although their time together couldn't be considered long, Bai Lufeng had always treated Yan Zaizen well.

"Lord Zai...Tao should be in the possession of Yan Qiu, another of the three top beauties of Clear Divine City." Wu Jin's tone was filled with helplessness but he informed Yan Zaizen properly, nonetheless. After all, that was his assignment.

"What is with women and our fates…" Yan Zaizen silently muttered in his heart. For some odd reason, it was always women who trump over this trio. Although powerful experts or stronger forces would often be behind these women, it was like they had horrible fates with them.

"Could it be a coincidence?" He thought, but he felt like that wasn't the case. It was as if women were just far more cunning, intelligent, and brazen than their male counterparts in the cultivation world. Therefore, they always find themselves at a disadvantage against them. While men were straightforward and often cowardly, the cultivation world he was exposed to thus far seemed to support this.

After all, in terms of cultivators in the Xiantu Realm, women had longer lives and were greater in number. There were very little all-male forces but there were many, many all-female forces. If this didn't paint a vivid picture of their capabilities, then what did?

Of course, it also seemed that women were weaker overall, so it felt very skewed yet oddly balanced. At least, in the Xiantu Realm. Personally, Yan Zaizen felt this had to do with the Essence Path, yet he wasn't sure how. It was as if the Essence Path was more suitable for men. To be exact, it was more like his specific race of females were weaker in cultivating the Essence Path.

"Lord Zai, please allow me to speak on your behalf. The Wu Clan will try to act as a mediator to this situation." Wu Jin felt very nervous and offered. Normally, he wouldn't be willing to offend a force like the White Crane Sect for a guest, but Wu Kun would definitely deliver punishment if he didn't attempt his all.

Yan Zaizen turned to Wu Jin. His eyes suffused with a somber calmness that perfectly hid his thoughts. Wu Jin felt his body tingle at this gaze. It was as if he was being silently appraised by a sovereign.

"Okay," was all Yan Zaizen said. With that, he continued forward without further conversation. In truth, he wished for this to be settled with a few words. If it could be done, then he much rather take this path.

After quite a while, they arrived at the White Crane Sect territory's border. They had a faint curtain of light that flickered as if it ethereal. This light was similar to the Water Veil Sect's but it didn't seem physical, as if its only job was to notify the sect of any arrivals.

The curtain of light outlined their border and at a set measure of distance, tall, white towers were erected. On top of each of these towers was a statue of a white crane. It seemed elegant and grand, looking at the world beneath it with lofty pride.

When Yan Zaizen saw this, his brows furrowed. He could tell each of those towers were sky-rank armaments. They seemed to form some unified formation that made him feel a little insecure. However, the feeling was faint. Even if the towers were directed towards him, this feeling still wouldn't be anything more than faint.

Wu Jin took the lead, arriving beside one of the many tall, white towers. When he did, a middle-aged woman that carried an expression filled with indifference and authority flew out. Her qi cultivation base was at the late-Origin Core Realm, similar to Wu Jin. When she looked at Wu Jin and recognized his origin, her eyes turned colder.

"Hm?" Yan Zaizen was shocked by this cold response. He wasn't familiar with the Wu Clan and White Crane Sect relations. This was also why he wanted Tao to depart and gain detailed information about the Xiantu forces. Unfortunately, he was pretty much going in blind.

Wu Jin didn't seem to be bothered, instead he pulled out a medallion. This medallion was similar to the one Wu Kun had given him, but it felt far more special with Wu Jin's personal aura embedded within as if it belonged solely to him.

"I'm here on behalf of Elder Wu Kun. I have a request for the White Crane Sect." Wu Jin stated, his tone was also indifferent as well as if he didn't care about a little guard. The middle-aged woman's brows furrowed. To her, Wu Kun was a late-True Essence expert who had a decent backing in the Wu Clan. Normally, she'd dismiss such triviality from the Wu Clan, but if Wu Kun is involved and she was negligent towards her duties, it could backlash on her.

"I'll report it." She left after saying such.

"..." Yan Zaizen saw this and felt that Wu Kun's status was rather well regarded. As if noticing his curiosity, Wu Jin explained, "Elder Wu Kun is the grandnephew of a Heavenly Genesis Ancestor within the clan. He is also one of the top three in the entire clan with the highest chance of reaching the Heavenly Genesis Realm.

"I see." He nodded. However, Yan Zaizen realized it was a chance and not a certainty. This meant his conceptual law had yet to reach the minor manifestation-level. If it did, with the Apex Essence Pill, all he'll need was the appropriate materials to build his Heavenly Shrine.

Several hours passed before the middle-aged woman returned. She informed them that an Elder of the Clan would be arriving to act as a liaison for this request.

They waited an entire day before a skyship appeared in the distance. It was a medium-sized, completely blue with a large white crane etched on both sides of the ship. From there, Yan Zaizen could feel multiple people operating and acting as crew on the ship.

"Oh?" He felt a familiar aura from the ship.

An elegantly beautiful woman with a white crown with a red gem revealed herself at the front of the ship. Her gaze carried unyielding pride, and her bosom had an alluring and deep valley.

Guàn Cui!

Yan Zaizen was a little surprised. The last time he saw her was after the fifth-floor entrance of the Asura Phantom Realm. She was injured and lost her sky-rank sword. Now, it seemed she recovered.

Her eyes traced Yan Zaizen and Wu Jin, slight surprise flickered in her eyes. Yan Zaizen was a member of the Anima Syndicate, had a Perfect Aurora Soul and profound body cultivation, and even in the entire Xiantu Realm, this was a powerhouse through and through. Now, he arrived before them.

Originally, she was only here to give an appropriate amount of face to Wu Kun, but now, she was actually a lot more happy to see Yan Zaizen. Many suspected that he raided the fifth floor clean, and thus had a stockpile of useful items on hand. Not to mention, Yan Zaizen had a late-Origin Core Cultivation base now! This was nearly impossible in such a short span of time without heaven-defying pills.

"Greetings, come aboard." She said.

They didn't hesitate and boarded the skyship. Arriving in a private room suitable for discussion, they sat facing each other. "Miss Guàn Cui, I must say we're in a rush, so I'll skip the formalities, please excuse my rudeness." Wu Jin directly said, Guàn Cui softly nodded in response.

"I'm here looking for a man named Bai Lufeng. He's Lord Zai's companion." He explained.

"..." She looked towards Yan Zaizen to see him with a calm expression. Her eyes revealed curiosity, but she continued to let Wu Jin explain without interruption.

"To be frank, he was seen traveling to the White Crane Territory. We suspect...that he's been inducted into a Harem Palace for one of your members." Wu Jin said cautiously, obviously not wanting to say more on the subject and hoping just this will be enough.

"..." Guàn Cui's eyes flickered. "Is he still alive?"

Yan Zaizen removed a life talisman and showed it to Guàn Cui.

"If he has been 'inducted' into a Harem Palace, I'll be sure he gets news of your arrival." She responded. One could see she was unwilling to implicate her sect in this situation, but she knew what happens in the territory.

"It's likely Guàn Yao." Yan Zaizen calmly added. This name caused Guàn Cui to furrow her brows. If it was anyone else, then this would be fine, but Guàn Yao…

Guàn Yao, publically, would never reveal her ownership towards a Yang Harem. This was something that men harbored in deep hatred, similar to how women would hate a man filling up his harem with reluctant beauties.

She had a faint trace of helplessness flickered in her eyes. Guàn Yao's status was special and although they originated from the same clan, she was not someone that could be persuaded. Not to mention, she was ruthless to the extreme.

She would never allow anyone who've offended her or who she offended to live. This was a common rule in the cultivation rule to prevent your death occurring at other's hands due to revenge. Clean the weed from its roots and be unforgiving.

To her understanding, if it truly was Guàn Yao, she'll prefer to eliminate this Bai Lufeng and kill Yan Zaizen before even thinking about setting Bai Lufeng free.

"..." Yan Zaizen observed Guàn Cui's reaction. Despite recovering quickly, she still revealed helplessness and pity. He expected as much the moment he learned that Bai Lufeng was captured by someone with high status. In truth, if he was ruthless, he would have the same mentality. If Bai Lufeng found new found inspiration, then he could dedicate his life to getting revenge, and if he did, it's possible that he could lead or be directly responsible for her death in the future.

Wu Jin knew this. This was why he hesitated to inform Yan Zaizen about Bai Lufeng's situation. It was essentially a lost cause. If anything, this entire thing was a facade to display that Wu Kun was willing to back Yan Zaizen. In the future, even if the situation turned out dire, Yan Zaizen would have a good impression of Wu Kun in the future.

"En. I'll ask around." Guàn Cui said in a neutral tone.

A heavy sigh resounded. Guàn Cui and Wu Jin's eyes turned towards Yan Zaizen. His next words caused their eyes to widen in shock.

"You don't need to. I'll find him myself. My way." Taking a small step, a soft, almost indiscernible 'pop' resounded. His body merged into the world's surroundings and vanished from existence.

With negotiations obviously leading nowhere, he'll ensure Bai Lufeng's life himself. There was no longer a need to play along.