This was a perfect opportunity to wipe them out!

Jia Ren sensed the location of the Insect External Incarnation and quickly pursued it.

The Five Metals Divine Escape's flight speed was astonishing, far surpassing that of the Incarnation. It didn't take long for him to catch up.

The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre sure runs fast!

Jia Ren looked into the distance where massive clouds of darkness were gathering Heart Demon seeds.

A small portion of the Heart Demon seeds remained, ensuring that the Heart Devil Realm would not collapse. More importantly, they could monitor Jia Ren's movements, ensuring their target was always within the surveillance area.

Knowing oneself and the enemy is essential for... escaping faster.

Jia Ren couldn't ignore the measures the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre had left behind.

If he couldn't completely eradicate the Heart Demon seeds, the Heart Devil Realm wouldn't disappear, and the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre could still recover.

If the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre were more cunning, it could tail him, making pursuit even more difficult.

The size of the Heart Devil Realm was unknown, and the countless fish, insects, birds, and beasts harboring Heart Demon seeds made wiping them all out no easy task.

The Insect External Incarnation and Jia Ren split up, maintaining a distance of thirty li. They moved side by side, sweeping across the land.

The effective areas of the two Demon-Sealing Tower Talismans overlapped, extending their sweeping range to sixty li.

A few sweeps back and forth should be enough to completely destroy the Heart Devil Realm.

Eh, is this the Thousand Illusions Sect?

The stone stele before the mountain was tilted and draped in cobwebs.

The Sect was eerily silent. Many dried corpses, devoid of life, lay on the ground.

Cultivators had been controlled by Heart Demon seeds for decades. Many appeared alive but were, in fact, long dead.

When the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre withdrew the Heart Demon seeds, the cultivators lost their 'life' source and perished completely.

Jia Ren's gaze swept over the bodies of ordinary cultivators; to his discerning eye, their Storage Bags held nothing of interest.

He quickly made his way to the treasure vault of the Thousand Illusions Sect, its treasures untouched.

Its protective restrictions, neglected for too long, were now in ruins.

With the cultivators controlled by the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre, no one had bothered with the treasures in the vault, nor did the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre care about the cultivators' possessions.

Loose Cultivators entering the Barren Extreme Land looking for bargains? Is that not suicide?

Even Nascent Soul Cultivators couldn't escape from the Barren Extreme Land...

This was also why the treasures of the major Sects in the Barren Extreme Land remained untouched after their downfall.

Cultivators who had harbored such covetous thoughts had long since become Heart Demon puppets, their bones buried in this land.

Now, all the wealth of the Barren Extreme Land had fallen into his hands.

Only the branch sect of the Thousand Illusions Sect here had been destroyed; its Main Sect was still in the Western Wasteland Domain.

This place held the cultivators and resources that the Thousand Illusions Sect hadn't withdrawn from the Barren Extreme Land, a still considerable amount.

The Magical Treasures and Formation materials were the most noteworthy.

Jia Ren didn't hesitate, claiming them all.

This was far better than leaving them here to be buried in dust.

As he continued forward, he encountered other sects, markets, and families both big and small, with treasures flowing continuously into his River Mountain Bag.

"The Five Elements Sect..."

Before long, the familiar Five Elements Marketplace and the Five Elements Sect came into view.

The Five Elements Sect had not withdrawn, and all its cultivators had been wiped out by the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre.

The Five Elements Sect's Sect Protection Array could no longer be maintained. The gates of this former hegemon of the Barren Extreme Land stood wide open, as if welcoming visitors from all directions.

It's been too long since anyone's come here!

The great hall was adorned with cobwebs, and green vines covered most of the area. Weeds as tall as a person grew rampant on the bluestone pathways.

Many ordinary beasts roamed inside, seemingly having made the Five Elements Sect their home.

The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre had requirements for the creatures it infected with Heart Demon seeds; ordinary wild beasts, lacking wisdom and awareness, couldn't provide the power of the Heart Demon.

Wild beasts were less valuable than mortals.

The once-revered hegemon of the Barren Extreme Land had now completely vanished into the river of history.

Time rolls on like a relentless wheel; how many can truly withstand its passage?

Countless once-promising figures had turned into withered bones in their graves...

Perhaps the scene stirred his emotions, for his desire for eternal life grew even stronger.

To the left and right of the main hall's entrance were the Transmission Hall, Demon Suppression Hall, Pill Hall, and Artifact Hall...

Jia Ren first stepped into the Five Elements Sect's Transmission Hall.

Who would've thought I'd one day be able to enter the Five Elements Sect's Transmission Hall.

During the Grand Wilderness Mountain insect disaster, the Five Elements Sect had granted Yang Bingzhi entry to the Transmission Hall, a privilege Jia Ren had envied beyond words.

After so many years, he was now able to enter the Five Elements Sect's Transmission Hall openly and legitimately.

He walked through the first, second, and third floors without stopping.

But times had changed. The quality of the Five Elements Sect's Transmission Hall was too low now, and very few Cultivation Techniques or inheritances could catch Jia Ren's discerning eye.

Both the Pill Hall and Artifact Hall were disappointing and yielded nothing.

The Demon Suppression Hall...

This was where Bizarre Demons were sealed. Were there any Bizarre Demons left?

The Demon Suppression Hall was in disarray, with broken fragments scattered everywhere. The Evil-Sealing Artifacts had been violently shattered, one after another, and the sealed Bizarre Demons had vanished without a trace.

Destroyed? Not a single Bizarre Demon remained.

It went without saying that this was the handiwork of the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre.

The Demon Suppression Hall of the Five Elements Sect was not an isolated case. Those of the Thousand Illusions Sect, Cold Moon Palace, and other sects had also been destroyed, and all the Bizarre Demons within released.

Further on, he found the Five Elements Sect's treasure vault.

The Formation is still active?

As expected from a Formation meant to protect a treasure vault, decades after the fall of the Five Elements Sect, the Formation still operated.

A beam of black light from his finger easily pierced the Formation, granting him entry into the Five Elements Sect's treasury.

The internal restrictions were still intact, and the vast majority of Magic Artifacts and sealed Spiritual Medicines retained their Spiritual Nature.

The most numerous items were Spirit Stones, all of them Low-grade Spirit Stones, piled up into several mountains.

A rough estimate put their number at four to five million at least.

Medium-grade Spirit Stones were fewer, totaling no more than three million.

There wasn't a single Superior Grade Spirit Stone...

There were twenty-three plants of Thousand-Year Spiritual Medicine, along with many varieties of Magical Treasure materials.

Aside from the Five Elements Ancestor, the Five Elements Sect had never produced another Golden Core Cultivator, so these Magical Treasure materials had gone unused, gathering dust.

There were also several dozen Evil-Sealing Artifacts. Unfortunately, not one of them still contained a sealed Bizarre Demon.

To be precise, the Artifacts sealing Bizarre Demons were all in the Demon Suppression Hall.

If Bizarre Demons had been sealed in the treasury, they too would not have escaped this fate.

Too bad I've already reached the Late Golden Core Stage...

Had he obtained these resources during his Foundation Establishment Stage, he would have laughed himself awake from his dreams. Now, however... they were merely decent.

Jia Ren habitually extracted the Five Elements Sect's Spirit Vein, sending it into the Mountain and Sea Pearl.

This was one of his greatest gains from entering the Barren Extreme Land.

To date, twenty-four First-Order and Second-Order Spirit Veins had been sent into the Mountain and Sea Pearl.

After extracting the Spirit Vein, Jia Ren found the location within the Five Elements Sect with the richest Spiritual Energy and broke through its protective Formation.

This was a Cave that must have belonged to the Sect Master and the Five Elements Ancestor.

Several precious Spiritual Medicines had been planted in the Cave, but without care, they had long since withered.

There were few treasures inside. Only a dust-covered Jade Slip on a stone table caught his attention.

Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array!

Jia Ren's spiritual consciousness entered the Jade Slip, and he froze on the spot.

He never expected to find the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array in the Five Elements Sect.

Was the trade with Xue Feng'e, for which I paid a Golden Core Formation Pill, a loss?

Having obtained the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array, Jia Ren studied it meticulously, his expression changing slightly before quickly returning to normal.

He had traded a Golden Core Formation Pill with Xue Feng'e for the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array, so his memory of it was profound.

The Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array in the Cave differed from the one in his memory; even the core of the Formation was changed.

Which of these two different Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Arrays is real? Which is fake?!

Both Xue Feng'e and the Five Elements Ancestor had perished. There were no clues to investigate, making it a case with no living witnesses to confirm or deny anything.

Jia Ren tended to believe... Xue Feng'e had not lied. With his demonstrated capabilities as an Alchemy Grandmaster, Xue Feng'e would only wish to foster good relations with him, certainly not to harm him.

Handing him a fake Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array would only have served to offend him and lead to her own demise, offering her no benefit.

This place lay within the sphere of influence of the Heart Devil Realm. The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre would undoubtedly know what treasures were here, so it couldn't be guaranteed that it hadn't tampered with them.

Holding a skeptical attitude, Jia Ren carefully compared the two versions of the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array and, sure enough, discovered the problem.

The Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array from the Five Elements Sect indeed had a problem!

This Array could indeed assist in advancing to the Nascent Soul Stage, but during the Heart Demon Pass tribulation, it would allow the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre to descend.

At the crucial moment of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage, one would be unable to act. Encountering the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre then would mean certain death.

Truly sinister! Truly worthy of the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre, a master at manipulating people's hearts!

People wouldn't suspect that treasures obtained 'through hardship and tribulation' had issues; they would never imagine that the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array they acquired was problematic.

Had he not previously obtained the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array from Xue Feng'e, it would have been difficult to detect that this Secret Array was a trap.

Making it entirely fake would arouse suspicion, but with nine parts truth and one part falsehood, it was difficult to discern.

One might mistakenly attribute it to their own luck and lower their guard.

Little did they know, this was all part of the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre's plan.

This is also an opportunity!

If the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre could scheme against him, he could also counter by plotting against it.

The roles of hunter and prey often switch unknowingly in an instant.

From the moment Jia Ren knew the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array was fake, the information between them was no longer symmetrical.

He could use this information asymmetry to set a trap and, in turn, ensnare the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre.

Since it wanted to scheme against him, he would let the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre leap into its own fiery pit!

"How fortunate!" Jia Ren exclaimed, his face a mask of shock and joy. "With this Secret Array, my chances of breaking through to the Nascent Soul Stage will greatly increase."

He then earnestly stored the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array into his River Mountain Bag.

Uncertain if the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre was secretly watching, he had to continue the act to prevent it from realizing he had seen through the trap.

Jia Ren continued to raid the Five Elements Sect, completely turning it upside down.

He moved on, constantly searching for resources.

His initial plan to destroy the Heart Devil Realm and seal the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre had now shifted to searching for the lost resources of the Barren Extreme Land.

The Barren Extreme Land had quite a few Sects. Although many lacked Golden Core Cultivators, their ancestors had once been prominent and had left behind materials for Magical Treasures.

The resources of a single Sect might be modest, but the combined wealth of all Sects and clans amounted to a considerable sum, even surpassing the legacy of the Xuan Shui Sect.

Too bad, the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre has run away!

The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre vanished without a trace in the Barren Extreme Land, its whereabouts unknown.

Over sixty years had passed since his first encounter with the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre. Now, their positions had reversed.

The Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre, which once relentlessly pursued him, was now playing hide-and-seek with him.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows, but this Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre had thousands, if not tens of thousands of hiding spots, making it incredibly difficult to capture.

He could only wait for the right moment to use the Xuanling Cha Infant Secret Array to lay a trap and seal it in one fell swoop.

After searching for a month without finding any trace of the Heart-devouring Illusion Bizarre, Jia Ren finally left the Barren Extreme Land.

His Insect External Incarnation headed to the Western Wasteland Domain to seek Bizarre Demons, while his true body went into seclusion to refine the Heavenly Fire Nether Lamp.

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