More than a shichen later.
Mu Jinyu arrived at the entrance of the Divine Formation Sect.
The mountain gate of the Divine Formation Sect was shaped like a hand with fingers, covered in dense "palm prints" on the peaks.
These "palm prints" were manifestations of various restrictions and formations, with many hidden arrays making them difficult to detect.
The Mountain Protection Array of this Divine Formation Sect was the strongest mountain-protecting formation Mu Jinyu had ever seen, dozens of times stronger than the one he painstakingly set up in Yinlong Mountain.
"In this case, it's not easy to get in. Better not rush, let's see if I can find an opportunity to sneak in."
Mu Jinyu examined the Divine Formation Sect and muttered with a frown.
...
Just as Mu Jinyu was about to sneak into the Divine Formation Sect.
Inside the Divine Formation Sect.
In a palace on the main peak of the Divine Formation Sect, shaped like a "thumb," a young man was conversing with an elder of the Divine Formation Sect.
The elder was the Great Elder among the Supreme Elders of the Divine Formation Sect, with a cultivation at the Unity Realm Stage, second only to the Headmaster of the Divine Formation Sect, while the young man was his grandson. After the headmaster's successor died in a Secret Realm, he naturally became the new successor.
The decision to annihilate the Yan Kingdom, Beixue Mountain Villa, Mingyue Valley, Demon Slaying City, and pursue Wu Zhiming was also his doing.
"It's been more than ten days, does your plan really work? Such indiscriminate killing, affecting innocent citizens, must have already stirred massive public resentment outside," the elder frowned and said to his grandson, Zhang Huairen.
Zhang Huairen smiled, his eyes as clear as an icy spring, filled with cold indifference, and said, "Grandfather, you jest. So far, we've only destroyed a kingdom, a few large cities, and a few small sects; it's not that exaggerated."
"Besides, even if those mortals knew the attackers were from our Divine Formation Sect, would they dare oppose us? Once they know the truth, those foolish mortals will likely only tremble in fear and blame Mu Jinyu for the suffering and torment they endured."
"When the time comes, as time passes, no one would want to be implicated because someone they knew had contact with Mu Jinyu, so the whole world will cooperate with us to find that guy's hiding place!"
The elder heard his grandson's words, found some logic but felt it wasn't right, and his frown deepened with concern for his grandson, advising:
"But doing this affects too many innocents, which truly offends the heavens. Many people who died weren't even acquaintances of Mu Jinyu, some weren't even passersby, yet because he passed through there, that area became rivers of blood and ruins. Not to mention public outrage, this sin will make your future tribulation harder to overcome."
Zhang Huairen smiled upon hearing this and didn't take his grandfather's words to heart, saying, "You're overthinking, grandfather. In the past, that God of Killing, Jing Zeyue, caused endless slaughter, likely more than a million; even his personal kills exceeded hundreds of thousands. Yet, he smoothly advanced to the Unity Realm Stage. Am I not as good as him?"
He paused and shook his head with a smile, "Besides, I haven't acted myself; people died because my subordinates acted alone. The foolish mortals would only think it was the actions of the Wu Family, so this sin won't be mine to bear."
"Once we force Mu Jinyu to show himself out of guilt, after capturing the Hedao Fruits, our Divine Formation Sect will have nearly ten Unity Realm experts. By then, even the Kunlun Ruins won't fear the Heavenly Palace."
The elder sighed, "But looking at it now, so many have died, yet he still hasn't come out."
Zhang Huairen nodded, saying, "Indeed, I didn't expect him to be so cold-hearted, which doesn't align with the information we gathered. Perhaps our leverage isn't enough; if we could capture a few friends important to him, we might force him out."
The elder frowned, "But he doesn't seem to have many friends. The two most important ones seem to always be by his side; even attacking the Heavenly Sword Faction might not force him out."
Zhang Huairen nodded, furrowing his brows, "Indeed, according to our information, it seems this guy suddenly appeared in the Yan Kingdom, joined the Heavenly Sword Faction, and we found no traces of his previous life or friends. But a person can't just appear out of nowhere. If we find his hometown and capture his family and friends, we can force him out to beg for death."
"Huh?"
The elder, upon hearing Zhang Huairen's words, suddenly felt a crucial point he missed; appearing out of nowhere, the Yan Kingdom...
He suddenly remembered that supposedly, there's an entry in the Yan Kingdom leading to a barren, spiritual energy-deprived land. Due to its scarce spiritual energy, it's been unvisited for thousands of years, almost forgotten.
Perhaps this monster, Mu Jinyu, came to the Kunlun Ruins from there?
But...
The elder hesitated, feeling unlikely.
After all, Mu Jinyu is only eighteen, nearly nineteen, yet he has reached the Unity Realm Stage, breaking the Kunlun Ruins' cultivation records. Such a monstrous talent couldn't have emerged from a place where cultivation isn't possible.
If Mu Jinyu had entered the Kunlun Ruins at three or five years old, before his root bone set, and his invincible aptitude blossomed, soaring to the sky, it would make sense.
But if he entered at eighteen, his foundations were already set, with no cultivation base from the Kunlun Ruins; how could he quickly excel?
Zhang Huairen noticed his grandfather's hesitance and curiosity, asking, "Do you have a clue about this guy's hometown, grandfather?"
The elder nodded slightly, about to mention clues relating to the land of Huaxia and other barbaric lands connecting to the Kunlun Ruins, when suddenly, the world spun, and the mountains seemed to collapse.
"What's happening?!"
Zhang Huairen exclaimed in surprise, forgetting about tracing Mu Jinyu's hometown, then stood up and excitedly said, "Could it be that guy is finally here to die?"
"Let's go see!"
The elder's face darkened, dismissing thoughts of Mu Jinyu's hometown, stood up, waved his robe, enveloped Zhang Huairen, and turned into a white light, disappearing from the room.
"Whoosh!"
The two suddenly appeared in the sky, looking down to see between the Five Finger Peaks of the Divine Formation Sect, amidst the Index Finger Peak, a person desperately resisting the array suppression.
Upon closer look, sure enough, it was the Mu Jinyu they had been relentlessly pursuing!