Chapter 564: The Fifth Holy Land

Ye Feng and his group found a bustling tavern in a nearby small town and gathered around a table. They drank wine, listened to the gossip around them, and chatted casually. From these stories, they finally learned that the area they were in belonged to the territory of the Fifth Holy Land. Moreover, each ruler of a holy land was a powerful being who had surpassed the rank of Saint. The ranking of holy lands was not based on the strength of their rulers but rather on the combined strength of all other powerful beings within that land, excluding the rulers themselves. In fact, the ruler of the Fifth Holy Land was strong enough to rank among the top three among all rulers.

While Ye Feng and the others were still gathering information, another incident occurred in Black Dragon Hollow, not far from where they had left. Several powerful beings stood in mid-air, overlooking the scene below.

“All except the Black Dragon died at the hands of one person,” said one of them as they descended. Another stepped toward the Black Dragon’s corpse and squatted down to examine it. “Look at this huge wound on its head—it seems it died from a severe blow. Its soul was also shattered…”

“What’s that red mark on its nose?” asked another, who had also come over and noticed something else.

“It seems to be a fingerprint…” The man who was squatting examined it carefully. “It’s from a thumb. Judging by the size of the finger, it must be a woman.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. It’s said the Black Dragon practiced dual cultivation methods, so it’s not strange that it angered some female warrior,” said the man beside him with a laugh.

But the man squatting down looked grave. “Judging from this mark, that female warrior must have slapped the Black Dragon… I guess it’s very likely that the Black Dragon died from that slap.”

The other three were stunned. “Stop joking. How is that possible? The Black Dragon was at the peak of the Saint Venerable level—so powerful that it could fight even an early-stage Supreme Saint. Even those of us at the peak of the Supreme Saint level couldn’t kill it with just one slap…”

“What if that female warrior belongs to a completely different realm?” The man who was squatting raised his head, still looking serious.

“Take the corpse back. If that’s indeed the case, there will still be residual energy left for a while. The lords in charge surely have ways to find that warrior.” Another powerful being, who seemed to be the leader of the group, crossed his arms behind his back—unlike the others who had examined the corpses.

“Well, it’s the only option.” The man crouched down nodded, placing the black dragon’s body into a chest-like container before putting it in a storage ring. “What about the other bodies? Any findings?” The man with his hands behind his back turned to the other man. “I’ve checked them. The ways they died were varied—some were strangled, some stabbed. But I think it was done by the same person. The principle seems related to plants, as there was blood on those plants, and the wounds on those people matched the characteristics of those plants.” He paused, glanced at the other three, then took out a very ordinary plant. “Like the victim who died right next to this plant—the strangulation marks on his neck matched the pattern of this plant’s leaves exactly.” He then took out a bloodstained branch. “I broke this branch off that tree just now, and the wound on the heart of one of the victims next to the tree matched the shape and size of this branch.” “It’s possible it’s some special kind of principle?” The leader frowned. “He was with that woman who might have surpassed the Saint realm, so his strength should be similar. Why are there two people suspected of having surpassed the Saint realm in this area? There’s no news of any treasures appearing around here…” “There’s one more thing…” The man who had examined the bodies said with a strange expression. “All the storage rings, weapons, and armor on these bodies were taken away.” “That doesn’t seem like something strong people would do,” the leader said in surprise. “Take a few bodies with obvious signs of death back and keep them with your evidence.” Just then, the communicator at his waist suddenly vibrated. He was slightly stunned, picked up the communicator, and checked the message that had just been sent. After reading it, his expression became strange instantly. “Boss, what’s wrong?” The other three looked over curiously. “More than a dozen strong people ascended from Ascension Site No. 31 today, and they all can teleport.” The leader looked up at his three subordinates. “How is that possible? Teleportation is only something a Saint King-level cultivator can use. Can’t they be mistaken? How could they ascend already at the Saint King level? Even if it’s true, one person would already be rare—how about more than a dozen?” The three of them completely disbelieved this news.

“Is that so? So you all don’t believe it?” The leader shook his head with a smile. “There’s another piece of news regarding this group of people…”
He paused, and the other three looked at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.
“After these people appeared, they asked about Heilongwa, then vanished instantly.” The leader pointed at the ground beneath their feet.
The three were stunned.
“Boss, are you saying that our Fifth Holy Land suddenly has over a dozen experts beyond the Saint realm, and they all reached such a high level right after ascending?” The three could hardly believe such an impossible scenario, yet they began to think it might be true.
“I don’t know. It seems we need to go back and consult the Lord Controller.” The leader shook his head with a wry smile, though he himself had some thoughts along those lines. “If it’s true, spring for our Fifth Holy Land is coming soon.”
……
“I’ve gathered most of the information.” Jin, the only one who hadn’t participated in the drinking party, finally returned to the hotel where Ye Feng and the others were staying.
“How’s it going?” Ye Feng asked. Long Tian and the others also pricked up their ears, eager to hear about the situation in the Fifth Domain.
“In this Fifth Holy Land, there’s one ruler, an expert at the Star level; it’s unclear exactly how many stars he has. There are also seven experts at the Starlight level, known as Controllers.” Jin revealed information about the strongest individuals in the Fifth Holy Land. “None of this matters much. What’s important is that anyone who ascends to this holy land becomes a native resident. Once they surpass the Saint realm and reach the Starlight level, they can apply for tests to become a Controller. Controllers hold a status second only to the ruler and receive substantial resources each year for cultivation. In the holy land rankings, Controllers are the key factor determining victory. Once they secure the position of the First Holy Land, both the ruler and the Controller receive a reward from the origin of the sacred realm once. Moreover, I learned that after becoming a Controller, there’s a chance to receive guidance from experts from the main plane.”
“It sounds interesting…” Ye Feng’s heart surged at the mention of experts from the main plane.