In the conference room… Chen Jing immediately understood.

This is a crucial place for communicating with the other guardians of Ash City.

"Just walk a little further and you'll reach the conference room. Haha, isn't this route hard to remember? Actually, it's very simple. Look at the dead trees over there; those with their branches cut off are the road signs," the expert said as they walked.

"On the first day of each ten-day period, you need to enter the Dream Realm, follow this path to the meeting room, and exchange information and intelligence with the other guardians of Ash City. Hehe, we've been exchanging information and intelligence every day lately."

"Although there are communication devices such as telegraph machines in the outside world, as far as I know, those devices are inexplicably weakened in the fog and can only transmit over a very short distance, but the Dream Realm does not have this limitation."

Chen Jing listened attentively.

"Our Guardians' operating process is very simple. First, we obtain information about catastrophic events that may threaten many people in Ash City through our own intelligence network or through our own network. Then, we exchange information in meetings, launch joint investigations, prevent the threat from occurring, and protect the people of Ash City."

“No one pays us a salary; it’s all out-of-pocket, so we still have to do our regular work,” the expert said. “Of course, social identity is also a good cover and protection.”

"Don't ask me who the guardians are. Even if you guess, don't communicate with them privately. All communication should take place in the dream world."

It means only online, no face-to-face meetings... Chen Jing thought to himself.

"So what do we do when it comes to actual action? We need to know what the other person looks like, right?"

Experts say, "Disguise yourself, maintain a tacit understanding, and discuss each person's responsibilities in advance during meetings. In short, try to avoid revealing your identity."

“Sometimes you can’t keep a secret just because you want to. There are too many techniques that can see into your mind. We Sword Pavilion had so many enemies in the war in the ruins. Even though that war is over, we still have to be careful, very careful.”

Chen Jing asked, "Was this blood sacrifice also carried out by our former enemies?"

"It's still uncertain, but the possibility is relatively small. If it were done by enemies, they wouldn't need to hide so much, afraid of being discovered," the expert said. "There are too many mysteries surrounding this incident."

Chen Jingdao: "There are indeed many mysteries. Have the other guardians uncovered any information so far?"

"Yes," the expert said. "Based on our review and speculation, the whole incident went like this..."

"Initially, it was under someone's instruction that Lu Gang, the Black Hand, put Xie Beizheng, a core member of the Black Hand gang and a few other people with extraordinary abilities in charge. Very few people knew about it. The only people who were sure to know in advance were Xie Beizheng and Mo Wujiang. There was no conclusive evidence that the other core members knew about it."

Chen Jing asked in surprise, "The Black Hand Gang has a Core Formation cultivator named Xie Beizheng?"

"Yes, he was killed by you." The expert said, "Therefore, the Black Hand gang made a serious misjudgment. They believed that the assassins who came to abduct the prisoners and offerings from the ship were at least at the Dan realm and belonged to the Black Flag Mercenary Group."

He was killed... Chen Jing recalled the old man who opened the door.

Unexpectedly, that old guy was actually a cultivator at the Dan realm, and he died with a single strike.

Before reaching the Qi Realm, cultivators are about as fragile as ordinary people...

"Not long after Black Hand Lu Gang secretly performed a blood sacrifice, when Black Hand Lu Gang went to 'Phoenix Seeking Phoenix' to solicit prostitutes, he was attacked by the Black Flag Mercenary Group, who were hired by an unknown person."

"However, based on your information and our investigation of the scene, we have confirmed that the power of a feng shui master was present in the square in front of Phoenix Seeking Phoenix. That feng shui master or the user of the feng shui power interfered with the feng shui layout of the entire square, causing the three shooting positions that the Black Flag Mercenary Group had set up in advance to be completely blocked by a statue, thus losing their shooting opportunities."

"The commander of the Black Flag Mercenary Group also disappeared in that assassination. It is uncertain whether he was killed or imprisoned, but before he disappeared, he warned his men about the existence of the 'Feng Shui Master.' Although many of his men were captured and killed, some still managed to escape."

Chen Jing asked in surprise, "Interfering with feng shui? What kind of ability is that?"

"Simply put, it involves manipulating certain objects to create feng shui changes, resulting in an illusion similar to a mirage. However, it is not an illusion and cannot be detected by many abilities that can break illusions," the expert said. "I don't know exactly what it is; this is what the records say."

"Hehe, although we Guardians have lost a lot of data, we can still piece together a general description of the abilities of several major paths from the Blood Realm to the Extreme Realm. However, all data beyond the Qi Realm is confidential and can only be accessed by true Guardians, which is why I am telling you now."

Chen nodded to show his understanding.

"What happened next was related to you. The slave spirits revived, and you lured them away, saving Commander Ma's hunting party. You returned to Ash City, then went to the big ship to rescue Wan Tong, and killed Xie Beizheng in the process."

Chen Jing thought about the whole matter for a while and then said:

"So, there are two very mysterious people or forces. One of them wants to carry out a blood sacrifice. She is the big shot that Black Hand Lu Gang mentioned. She is the girl I met at Black Hand Lu Gang's villa."

The girl merely tapped the table with the strange statue, which greatly alleviated Chen Jing's mental problems. Recently, Chen Jing has hardly been affected by the "Heavenly Heart" he carries with him.

"The second possibility is that they hired people from the Black Flag Mercenary Group. There's also the possibility of coincidence, because the Black Flag Mercenary Group was clearly unprepared and had no idea that the other side had the power of a feng shui master," Chen Jing said.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!