After a while, White Changsheng recovered from this unusual state and observed the scenery around him.
It seemed that he was currently in a vast plaza.
At the very front of the plaza stood a massive statue.
It was a statue of a gaunt Taoist in green robes—a strange young Taoist, whose face was completely blank, as if nothing existed there, yet the statue emanated an indescribable sense of warmth.
“Fellow Daoist White, this is the Mieyang Headquarters, and that Statue of the Faceless Taoist was built to commemorate the founder of [Extinguish Sun]—Mr. Bai. Every secret branch of [Extinguish Sun] has a statue like this,” Luotianyin explained.
“Next, Brother Wu will take you to the headquarters to register and explain the philosophy of [Extinguish Sun].”
As she spoke, a stern-faced young man approached White Changsheng.
“Thank you, Senior Luo.”
“Thank you, Senior Wu.”
White Changsheng cupped his hands in gratitude, then followed the young man out of the plaza, heading toward a palace in the distance.
Along the way, White Changsheng secretly observed his surroundings. The Xia family from the East Sea, the Fang family of the Western Desert, the Hei family of the Northern Plains, the Xiong family from the Southern Wilderness, the Tianhe Sect from Central State, and the remnants of the Aquatic Tribe—people from all walks of life, it could be said that anyone who opposed the Azure Emperor Divine Palace had been united under [Extinguish Sun]’s banner.
The young man led White Changsheng along, explaining the various matters that needed attention within [Extinguish Sun], the benefits and privileges to be enjoyed, and the obligations to be undertaken.
[You have successfully joined Extinguish Sun.]
[The young man guiding you is surnamed Wu, given name Ji. You vaguely feel that he looks familiar, but for the moment you can’t quite recall.]
[Through his explanations, you come to understand the organizational structure of [Extinguish Sun]: at the very top sits the all-controlling Beidou Council, composed of seven members, each a Nascent Soul True Lord, named after the stars of the Northern Dipper.]
[The one leading you is Yu Heng Star Wu Ji, the one who saved your life is Tian Ji Star Luotianyin. In a sense, before even officially joining, you’ve already had a direct encounter with two bosses. Whether this is your fortune or misfortune remains to be seen.]
“Cultivator White Changsheng, welcome to [Extinguish Sun]. As a benefit, you will receive 10,000 contribution points free of charge. You can use contribution points to exchange for spirit stones, cultivation methods, magical treasures, lectures from great powers, and more.”
“You can obtain contribution points by handing in materials, completing missions, or trading with others.”
“As a Golden Core True Person, you will be given a free residence at headquarters, and receive 1,000 contribution points every month. Every half year, you are required to complete a mission.”
[A person’s reputation, like a tree’s shadow. As a rising star in the East Sea and Northern Plains, who escaped from the hands of a Nascent Soul True Lord, your value to the United Front has greatly increased—no wonder the bosses personally led you here.]
[However, you can’t help but notice that the operational structure of Extinguish Sun is oddly similar to that of the Azure Emperor Divine Palace.]
[After all this, you arrive at the cave residence assigned to you by Extinguish Sun. Sitting cross-legged, you silently begin to deduce your current position.]
[Half a quarter of an hour later, you withdraw your hand, expressionless.]
[As expected, Extinguish Sun’s so-called headquarters, said to be outside the bounds of longevity and not within the five domains, is no idle boast—you have gained nothing.]
At the same time, in a secret chamber within the Mieyang Headquarters.
Luotianyin entered with graceful steps, her voice crisp: “Brother Wu, her soul, cultivation method, and magical treasures all match the rumors exactly. Even after more secretive tests, the results are consistent. She shouldn’t be an undercover agent trained in the ‘Heaven-Stealing and Sun-Swapping Great Art’ from the Azure Emperor Divine Palace.”
Wu Ji, however, seemed not to hear, his gaze fixed on the light screen before him. After a moment, he spoke in a low voice, “Let’s not lower our guard yet. According to intelligence from our insider at the Azure Emperor Divine Palace, Xuantian Heavenly Lord has been making massive moves to eradicate resistance organizations lately, and has even sent agents to infiltrate us.”
“The timing of this person’s appearance is far too coincidental—we can’t be careless.”
In this lifetime, the Azure Emperor Divine Palace is the only power with Divine Transformation-level strength, and on the surface, there is more than one such expert—there’s the always-reclusive Qingyang Heavenly Lord and the all-powerful Xuantian Heavenly Lord.
Because of this, no matter how rampant the resistance forces in the four domains become, they still have to keep their heads down, paying lip service while secretly working against the Divine Palace.
All the resistance organizations that are visible on the surface are in fact just small fry propped up by the true underground resistance, such as Xuanyin City.
“Brother Wu, aren’t you being a little too cautious?” Luotianyin pouted slightly, “If someone really wanted to sneak in, wouldn’t it be easier to do so as a man? You know, when I first saw her, I never connected her with that White Changsheng from the Northern Plains.”
“When I heard from her own mouth that she was that towering, broad-shouldered, wolf-waisted paragon of masculine heroism from the Northern Plains, I was even more suspicious than you are now.”
As they spoke, both their gazes landed on the girl in the light screen—clad in white robes, with a jade flute at her waist, long black hair flowing, rosy cheeks, bright and lively eyes, outstanding in temperament, looking nothing at all like the bold figure of the Northern Plains from the rumors.
Luotianyin spoke up, “I just sent someone to investigate. Xuanyin City was massacred by a Celestial True Lord, and Fellow Daoist White escaped from the hands of that True Lord, who was fond of reversing yin and yang… Perhaps that was the price.”
Wu Ji nodded slightly, but the worry between his brows did not lessen, and he said solemnly, “I’ve heard that White Changsheng is extremely gifted, able to compose music at three and sing at five. The Heaven-Stealing and Sun-Swapping Great Art can steal anything but cannot steal a mind brimming with talent. In a few days, I’ll find an excuse to test her.”
As he spoke, Wu Ji turned his gaze to the other screens and let out a long sigh, “Now I finally understand what Mr. Bai meant when he said, ‘As the team grows, people’s hearts scatter, and it’s hard to lead them all.’”
“This is the necessary price for Extinguish Sun’s unity,” Luotianyin comforted.
Azure Emperor’s bedchamber. Recently, Su Bai had taken an interest in Bewitching Arts and had Blood Concubine bring over many such spells and techniques from the Old Ghost. He studied and analyzed them as he went.
The essence of bewitchment lay in using external means—medicine, incense, spells, illusions—to plunge the target into a sluggish state, making them more receptive and trusting of external information.
Then, by adding language, movement, touch, and hallucination as internal stimuli, a person’s subconscious could be guided, planting deep suggestions, and ultimately twisting the most deeply rooted beliefs, thereby fundamentally transforming someone from the inside out.
Su Bai summarized it simply as trust pig-butchering + manipulation + brainwashing: first, gain the target’s trust, subtly change them with words as a friend, then deepen the hints step by step, so that the target gradually abandons their original self-perception.
Here, a certain Old Ghost, self-styled as “Youmeng,” had left some casual notes.
He chose the cold and aloof senior sister of his sect as his test subject.
At first, he approached her with utmost care, using gentle and seemingly casual words—praising her cultivation, suggesting she had greater potential that simply hadn’t yet been unearthed, and that the key to unlocking it was even deeper trust in him.
Under the influence of these words over time, Senior Sister’s trust in Youmeng increased by the day.
Then, Youmeng began to use simple illusions to subtly make her feel isolated from her junior brothers and sisters, and then appeared as her comforter, further implanting the idea that only he could help her, that only this friend of hers could be relied upon.
Senior Sister’s mindset began to waver visibly, her original convictions slowly eroded by Youmeng’s suggestions.
As time passed, Youmeng intensified his bewitchment, using a specially-made incense to muddle her awareness even further.
He whispered by her ear, giving her a new identity, describing the wonders of this new self in detail, telling her that as long as she accepted and embraced this identity, she would be freed from all troubles and constraints, becoming the truly free and universally admired Senior Sister.
And this identity was, in fact, Youmeng’s breeding mare.
At first, this identity was only temporary, but gradually, temporary became twice, thrice, then a day, a month, a year, a lifetime.
Senior Sister slowly forgot her original mission and vows, her heart and mind utterly captivated by the new identity painted by Youmeng. Even when her junior brother later exposed her, she refused to awaken and continued her descent.
“Main body, still reading? Stop reading for now—I’ve stolen another bottle of Ten-Thousand-Year Heavenly Earth Spiritual Liquid. Let’s try some together.”
“Hm? Main body, why are you looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?”
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