You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

The Golden Feather Demon Saint nodded slightly, then said softly, "But after killing the Seventeenth Prince, as soon as I step out of this dream world, the Eye of Heaven will immediately detect me, and then the heavenly punishment will descend, right?"

"No matter."

Duanmu Yan shook his head with a smile and said, "If the plan goes smoothly, it won't be long before there is no Eye of Heaven in Great Yong."

"Let's hope that day comes soon." The Golden Feather Demon Saint took a deep breath and said, "We must still find the Seventeenth Prince quickly. Is there any trace of the Seventeenth Prince?"

"Still searching."

Duanmu Yan said, "Not long ago, the Yama Peak Master of Eternal Night Mountain found the Seventeenth Prince in Cangzhou, but he only encountered an avatar, not the real match for the Seventeenth Prince."

The Golden Feather Demon Saint shook his head slightly and said, "I also know that Yama Lord is just an ordinary Saint-level existence. The Seventeenth Prince has a Divine Artifact. Even if Yama Lord brought his true body, the Seventeenth Prince, relying on the power of the Divine Artifact, could contend with the Yama Peak Master in battle. Even if he is far inferior to the Yama Peak Master in other respects, it would still take some time for the Yama Peak Master alone to kill the Seventeenth Prince, and many changes might occur."

Duanmu Yan nodded, understanding this as well.

A Divine Artifact, or even a Semi-Divine Artifact, significantly boosts one's strength.

If it's a purely offensive Divine Artifact or Semi-Divine Artifact, like the Seventeenth Prince's Divine Artifact Battle Saber, it can elevate the level of attack and killing skills substantially.

Even if there are no changes in other areas, terrifying attacks can make up for quite a bit.

With that Divine Artifact Battle Saber, the Seventeenth Prince's strength, at the Eighth Layer under Tianxia Building, already matched an ordinary Saint-level in battle!

That's the terror of Divine Artifacts and Semi-Divine Artifacts.

"However, five Demon Saints combined with all the top-grade Spiritual Treasures are enough to instantly surround and kill the Seventeenth Prince."

Duanmu Yan smiled and said, "But the Demon God opts for certainty, and so requested your aid, Golden Feather Demon Saint. With your avatar's strength and the Semi-Divine Artifact 'Instantaneous Crown,' it would be a true deathblow."

The Golden Feather Demon Saint only shook his head slightly, saying, "Using so many treasures and even a Semi-Divine Artifact against a prince who hasn't even Harmonized would be an utter disgrace if we fail to kill him."

He felt no pride.

With the strength of his avatar, even without a Semi-Divine Artifact for protection, the Seventeenth Prince could not harm him, even if he relied on a Divine Artifact, let alone him having a Semi-Divine Artifact.

Such excessive preparation, even if successful, offers nothing to take pride in.

"However..."

The Golden Feather Demon Saint frowned slightly and said, "The Seventeenth Prince is the Main Hall Master's Direct Disciple, and the Main Hall Master couldn't possibly not have given him a protective treasure, like... the token for the Main Hall Master's avatar... or even the Martial Arts True Body?"

"No need to worry," Duanmu Yan replied with a smile, "The Main Hall Master is indeed a Supreme Power in Proving and Transcending, but his avatar cannot descend when we act."

"As for... the Martial Arts True Body?"

At this point, Duanmu Yan shook his head slightly, saying, "The Heavenly Demon Ancestor has already prepared. As the Main Hall Master has been self-imprisoned for years, his Martial Arts True Body dares not descend."

Dare not?

The Golden Feather Demon Saint didn't ask further.

He knew he was just a cog in the plan.

The true mastermind of this plan was still Duanmu Yan. Only Duanmu Yan, who was valued by the various Demon Ancestors, knew all the details of the plan.

Since Duanmu Yan was so confident, it was clear he was absolutely certain.

"Perhaps other princes might also aid him?" pondered the Golden Feather Demon Saint.

"Yes, it is said that the Fifth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince have a relationship."

Duanmu Yan nodded with a smile, saying, "Perhaps the Fifth Prince will also help the Seventeenth Prince, but this is within the calculations of the Heavenly Demon Ancestor, so there's no need to worry."

He smiled faintly and said, "The Second Prince is struggling alone, and the Crown Prince is powerless against someone as unpredictable as me. The other princes are only descending avatars, which is useless, as for the true bodies?"

Duanmu Yan didn't continue, but the Golden Feather Demon Saint understood his meaning.

Proving cultivators, although they transcend Heaven and Earth and live forever, are not truly without calamities.

Precisely because they transcend Heaven and Earth, they are also rejected by Heaven and Earth, taking on calamities. Even if their Primordial Spirit is eternally unfallen, unaffected by Heaven and Earth, a heavenly calamity can still lead them to slumber.

To transcend also means to distance oneself.

Thus, those who have Proven usually live in seclusion to avoid being entangled in the cause-and-effect relations of the world.

Like Daoist cultivators, essentially dominating and surpassing Heaven and Earth. The higher the cultivation, the more they avoid the world. Most Human World Immortals who have Harmonized to Saint-level choose to retreat from society.

The deeper entanglement with the cause and effect of the world, the more terrifying the calamity.

Therefore, Proving cultivators are almost all reclusive, leaving only their names and seldom acting for the beings who haven't transcended.

"Every prince is in competition with each other. Even if alliances are formed, they are only temporary."

Duanmu Yan shook his head with a smile and said, "Even if the Fifth Prince and the Seventeenth Prince are truly allies, descending an avatar would be as much as he could do, and it's unlikely he would truly endure such calamities for him."

He continued, "Moreover, the Fifth Prince is far over in Di Hong City. When we act, he would only have time to descend an avatar. Even if he wished to deploy his true body, he wouldn't make it in time. The ability to instantly traverse ten thousand miles with superior Divine Skills is rare even among the Proving cultivators."

The Golden Feather Demon Saint nodded slowly and said, "Then find the whereabouts of the Seventeenth Prince quickly."

Duanmu Yan took out a translucent, crystal-like token and said, "Since we're prepared, we should also find the right timing."

"This is..."

The Golden Feather Demon Saint looked at the translucent token, surprised, and said, "A Primordial Spirit Token?"

Dividing a portion of one's Primordial Spirit allows for the creation of a Primordial Spirit Token, which only dissipates upon the dispersal of souls or reincarnation.

Once activated, the Primordial Spirit Token uses this part of the Primordial Spirit to perceive the situation and location of another part.

"Correct."

Duanmu Yan nodded slightly and said, "Once within five hundred Baili of the Seventeenth Prince, activating this Primordial Spirit Token will pinpoint his exact location."

"This Primordial Spirit Token can find the Seventeenth Prince?"

The Golden Feather Demon Saint couldn't help but ask, "Impossible that the Seventeenth Prince divided a portion of his Primordial Spirit for you... Whose Primordial Spirit Token is this?"

Duanmu Yan glanced at him and gently shook his head, saying, "Golden Feather Demon Saint, you ask too much."

...

...

Cangzhou, Primordial Mountain.

Today was the thirty-first year of Celebration, the sixteenth day of the first month.

It was also the day for the Core Disciples of Primordial Mountain to partake in the trial of the Holy Land.

The significant location of Primordial Mountain, Guiyuan Cave.

Thirty-six True Disciples, having been in training for varying lengths of time, all had broken through the Five Elements Heavenly Barrier and had been in Guiyuan Cave for three days and nights.

The Sect Leader of Primordial Mountain, the Supreme Elder, and other elders were waiting outside Guiyuan Cave, eagerly anticipating the results of this Holy Land trial.

Not because they valued these True Disciples greatly, but because this trial determined the slots allocated to the Daoist Sacred Land 'Primordial Sect' headquarters.

This trial, called the Holy Land trial, was available as it offered the top candidate a chance to go to Jingzhou and become an Inner Sect Disciple of the Primordial Sect.

There was only this one opportunity each year.

Moreover, if the genius who became the Inner Sect Disciple were a disciple of a certain elder, that elder would also receive a commendation from Primordial Sect.

This is what the higher-ups of Primordial Sect valued most.

"The three-day period is nearing its end."

The Sect Leader of Primordial Mountain stroked his beard with a smile, saying, "It seems the results will soon be out. Who do you think will be the first among these disciples?"

The Supreme Elder beside him shook his head and said, "Naturally, it's the Sect Leader's first disciple. He has already begun practicing the entry-level of Primordial Chaos Saint and also learned the Superior Killing Skill. He is far stronger than the previous winners."

A group of elder higher-ups nodded slightly in agreement.

They were not entirely sure what the situation was like inside Guiyuan Cave, a pivotal location on Primordial Mountain, but one could infer based on the usual cultivation progress.

The Guiyuan Cave trial was considered absolutely fair.

The whole of Guiyuan Cave had multiple layers set by Primordial Mountain's Great Cultivators, containing various barrier restrictions, and no one could interfere.

Of course, legendary Saint-level cultivators could ignore these restrictions, but Saint-level cultivators would rarely be so idle.

Near the heavy Stone Gate of Guiyuan Cave, the space suddenly twisted slightly. While no one noticed, a child of around seven or eight years old slipped silently out of it, seemingly unhindered by anything.