"He has already left."

In the guest hall, Qi Huizu sat opposite Lu Jin'an: "Saint Lu, are you planning to return to the sect for seclusion next?"

"No need." Lu Jin'an took a sip of tea; his path was not something that could be accomplished through seclusion, moreover, he did not need to enter seclusion.

"With the current peace in the Eastern Realm, I hope Sect Master Qi can join me in killing a Spirit Saint."

"Ling Haozi?"

"Yes." Lu Jin'an nodded: "A debt to the Ling Queen must always be repaid."

"When will we take action?"

"We set off now." Lu Jin'an put down the teacup: "I have long coveted the Cangming Soul River of the Spirit Clan."

He had no issues with Spiritual Power and Vigorous Force; if he wished to progress further into Divine Concealment, his Divine Soul was somewhat lacking.

The problem he faced now was that his Divine Soul could not fully control his overwhelming Spiritual Power and Vigorous Force. However, looking across the Human Clan Lower Realm, even the Divine Soul methods recorded in the "Great Freedom Visualization Technique" could not reach their peak in a short time.

Because his realm had not yet reached Divine Concealment.

And although the "Soul Book" of the Spirit Clan was profound, it ultimately was an Immortal Law most suitable for the Spirit Clan and could not be fully copied by Human Clan Cultivators.

Thus, the Cangming Soul River of the Spirit Clan was currently the quickest way to elevate his Divine Soul.

"The Cangming Soul River..." Qi Huizu chuckled: "Your appetite is quite large."

"Grasp the lifeline of the Spirit Clan, and they won't dare disobey, will they?"

"When do we set off?"

Qi Huizu inquired, but before Lu Jin'an could answer, the Communication Compass emitted an urgent message.

Lu Jin'an nodded at Qi Huizu, then retrieved the Communication Compass to examine it. It contained messages from Aunt Ruo and Sect Master Ji.

At the same time, Elder Jian Qiong hurriedly entered and whispered a few words to Qi Huizu.

Qi Huizu's expression gradually grew serious as he lifted his gaze to look at Lu Jin'an across from him.

At this moment, Lu Jin'an also put away the Communication Compass and stood up directly: "Sect Master Qi, delay is not advisable; we set off for the Spirit Clan now."

"Alright."

Lu Jin'an exited the hall, boarded the Flying Boat, and went to Pei Wanyu: "Master, accompany me to kill Ling Haozi."

Initially, Lu Jin'an did not plan for his master to intervene, but given the urgency, he had to bring his master along.

With Qi Huizu, Master, the Ling Queen, and himself, it would be sufficient to swiftly kill the less wary Ling Haozi.

Pei Wanyu nodded gently, having already learned of the news from Wandao Sect. The Sect Master's changes were likely related to Outer Heaven.

Lu Jin'an instructed Dongfang Xinglan and Qiu Qingtang to return to Wandao Sect first, then headed north with his Master and Qi Huizu.

······

In the Northern Boundary, at the center where the main and tributary streams of the Cangming Soul River converged stood an ethereal palace: the Spirit Hall of the Spirit Clan.

The entire Spirit Hall was constructed from rivers flowing backward from the Cangming Soul River, appearing as a solid structure but actually an embodiment of Soul Power.

Nowhere on the Yunding Continent offered better nourishment for the Divine Soul than this place.

Only Spirit Saints were qualified to reside in the Spirit Hall, and like a pyramid, the uppermost palace housed only Ling Haozi.

As the current Clan Leader of the Spirit Clan, although Ling Haozi was one of the few beings born from the Cangming Soul River, he was not the strongest in the history of the Spirit Clan.

Therefore, although the Spirit Clan now held ethnic autonomy, in terms of territory and number of Spirit Saints, they were far from their peak.

This was not only due to the aggressive depletion of the Cangming Soul River from being contested but also due to changes in the laws governing the Spirit Clan's survival in this world.

The Spirit Clan now no longer consisted of spiritual bodies born from the Cangming Soul River but were postnatal life born through reproduction.

Though still Spirit Clan, the purity of their spiritual bodies was much lesser.

Ling Haozi naturally wished to enhance the Spirit Clan's strength and sought many methods to deduce that the change in the Spirit Clan's survival laws was due to their weakening.

Just like the decline of many animals, when unable to adapt to the world, they either perish or change their habits to conform to the rules of heaven and earth.

The Spirit Clan was too weak; thus the rules changed. Once their numbers increased and strength returned, the laws of the Cangming Soul River would revert to their former state.

But now, the Demon Clan had Zhu Tianqi, and the Human Clan had Zheng Dongliu... Even aside from these demon and human forces, there were many powerful entities from other clans. Alone, he couldn't lead the Spirit Clan to rise.

To protect the Cangming Soul River from being coveted, he was already exhausted from balancing support, with no extra determination to lead the Spirit Clan's rise.

Thus, previously when initiating conflict at Qingmiao Palace, he agreed to the Demon Clan's attack on Qingmiao Palace, for they promised to give the captured lands to the Spirit Clan.

So after their defeat and witnessing Lu Jin'an's monstrous talents, he voluntarily offered half of the "Soul Book" for Lu Jin'an's insight.

So afterward, he tolerated the Ling Queen sending a tributary of the Cangming Soul River to Lu Jin'an.

So now, upon learning the Demon Clan could kill Lu Jin'an, he secretly sided with Zhu Tianqi again...

He didn't truly wish for Lu Jin'an's death, merely upholding the principle of supporting whoever was at a disadvantage... After all, if the Demon Clan or Human Clan dominated, they'd inevitably target the Cangming Soul River, leaving the Spirit Clan without leverage for negotiating alliances.

"Why can't our clan produce a genius?"

In the grand hall, Ling Haozi sighed wistfully. Not even one as monstrous as Lu Jin'an who could carry an entire clan, but even someone like Jiang Wuya or Qi Xingyu would suffice.