"Heh, so you haven't graduated yet!" Qian Yue teased, "I wonder what level you've reached with your Tiger Roar Divine Art. Why don't you let me hear a roar." "Are you dense? Didn't you see the demon robes I'm wearing?" Yuan'er retorted, waving her magic staff, "How could a mage like me practice the Tiger Roar Divine Art." "That's true." Qian Yue put on a deliberately enlightened expression, "It would be terrible if you actually learned it." "Ah!" This time, not only was Yuan'er confused, but even Hu Xiao Shan Lin and Ying Zhen Fei Yan were puzzled by Qian Yue's words, "What do you mean by that?" "Heh heh, with that little chubby pig appearance of hers, even the proper Tiger Roar Art would definitely turn into Pig Squeal Art if she learned it," Qian Yue pointed at Yuan'er's frame and teased.

"Pfft." The surrounding people couldn't help but laugh out loud. Even Ying Zhen Fei Yan was amused by Qian Yue's words. "What nonsense are you spouting?

Look where I'm fat," Yuan'er glared at Qian Yue with puffed cheeks. It seemed the love of beauty was universal, especially for a young maiden in her prime. Just as Yuan'er was about to say something more to regain the upper hand.

"Yuan'er, stop making trouble." The white-bearded elder had appeared beside us at some unknown time, "You're already in your twenties, and you still don't know how to restrain yourself. How can you argue with someone seven or eight years younger than you?" As the elder spoke, he nodded and smiled courteously towards us. "Qian Yue, you should say less too," Yan Luo said.

"Senior, my younger sister is reckless and rude; please forgive her." Since learning that the elder's group was from the Tiger Roar Sect, Yan Luo's attitude had become much more respectful. In terms of prestige, the Moon Sect and the Tiger Roar Sect were evenly matched, and the Divine Moon Palace was merely a branch of the Moon Sect, incomparable to the Tiger Roar Sect. Of course, the most important factor was the elder's demeanor—steady and profound, like the vast sea, bottomless.

This elder's strength was far beyond what we could imagine; it was an instinctive intuition toward a powerful being, no wonder Yan Luo's demeanor had shifted so dramatically. "Haha, not at all, not at all. It's common for young people to tussle a bit.

Moreover, I saw that it was my Yuan'er who was wrong first, so I naturally cannot cover for her," the elder chuckled lightly. "By the way, this is your first time in ZUMA Hall, isn't it?" "Yes!" Yan Luo replied respectfully. "It's quite remarkable that you reached here with just the three of you at such a young age," the elder commented, lightly stroking his snow-white beard while curiously scrutinizing us.

"May I ask which sect you disciples belong to?" "My sister and I are from the Cangyue Liusu lineage," Yan Luo replied respectfully, "We practice ancestral techniques and magic." This was the standard greeting from a junior to a senior. Yan Luo had introduced our background. Of course, this was wording we had pre-planned with Yan Luo.

Cangyue was across the great ocean; it wouldn't be easy to investigate. Moreover, I knew that since Yan Luo had fabricated such a background, she must have prepared thoroughly. Even if someone with ill intentions truly tried to investigate, they wouldn't find any valuable leads.

"Cangyue Liusu." The elder showed a hint of surprise, "Do you happen to be surnamed Lan?" "Indeed." Yan Luo seemed somewhat surprised, "How did Senior know!" She continued respectfully, "My name is Lan Yue, and this is my younger brother, Lan Xing. Qian Yue is a companion we met on the road." "Heh heh, good, very good. The younger generation is indeed formidable," the elder seemed extremely pleased.

"So you are from the Lan family. No wonder you possess such skill at such a young age. Young lady, I sense your magical fluctuations—you have reached at least the mid-level of the Red Moon realm, even though you are deliberately suppressing your magical aura." The elder said this while examining me.

"As for you, I truly cannot see through you." The young men beside him simultaneously changed expressions, involuntarily scrutinizing me with looks of doubt and uncertainty, perhaps wondering what was on my mind. Had I exposed some flaw? I felt a bit tense internally but maintained a relaxed facade.

Perhaps Hu Xiao Chang Yuan's comment about being "unable to see through" had sparked curiosity among these young warriors. That phrase, "unable to see through," was truly baffling, and hearing it from an old man who seemed to possess high status, prestige, and strength made the situation even more mysterious. In any case, it was best to be cautious.

"Lan Yue jie-jie, I'm going ahead to find my senior brothers," Ying Zhen Fei Yan clearly intended to find her fellow disciples. "I'll chat with you properly later." "Be careful," Yan Luo cautioned. Soon, Ying Zhen Fei Yan and the five young disciples of the Tiger Roar Sect walked toward the junction of ZUMA Hall leading to ZUMA Pavilion.

As for Hu Xiao Chang Yuan and Yuan'er, they stayed behind. It was evident these two were here to join the excitement. "Let's go in first," Hu Xiao Chang Yuan turned and entered the wooden shed.

The surrounding people had already entered the shed long ago, clearly full of anticipation for the arrival of the four great masters the next day. The topic of conversation revolved entirely around these four figures. However, Yan Luo and I had little interest.

After finding two separate private rooms, we retired early to rest. These so-called private rooms were merely wooden structures built with planks; though the space was a bit small, it would have to suffice. Upon entering my room, Yan Luo casually cast a Sacred Word Barrier and sat down.

"Now it's confirmed: these Four Great Sects are after the ZUMA Hierarch." "For what reason?" "If I'm not mistaken, they intend to seize the ZUMA Emblem held by the ZUMA Hierarch." "The ZUMA Emblem." My heart leaped in shock. I suddenly recalled that in the Legend of my modern world, the ZUMA Emblem was the key item for launching siege warfare; only a guild possessing it could initiate a legitimate war against Sabak City. I wondered what function the real-world ZUMA Emblem held.

"This is a secret our Moon Sect spent a long time investigating," Yan Luo said with a grave expression. "Legend has it that the ZUMA Emblem possessed by the ZUMA Hierarch is connected to a massive treasure in Sabak City." "The Sabak Treasure." I was inwardly horrified. Could it be that Shadow Path, the Sabak Treasury?

"Yes, according to legend, beneath Sabak City lies a massive underground palace, holding countless treasures. This treasure trove was constructed by the same civilization that built the ZUMA Temple and the Stone Tomb in the Earth City. In the records of The Origin, the builders of these underground palaces were the ZUMA Sect, one of the Four Ancient Sects.

The records state that the ZUMA Sect collected a vast amount of treasure and hid it in a huge subterranean complex. As the Pig Cave and the ZUMA Temple were successively discovered, the records in The Origin were confirmed. However, The Origin indicated that the ZUMA Sect buried their treasure in three separate underground palaces.

Yet, in the two thousand years since the discovery of the ZUMA Temple and the Earth City Pig Cave, people have never located the third burial site." "But there is another circulating theory: that the treasure's location was already discovered by the first Lord of Sabak City, Zhan Tian, who oversaw the construction of the city. However, even though Zhan Tian found the treasure's resting place, he couldn't open the vault door. Thus, he could only build Sabak City above the burial site as a cover, while secretly accelerating his efforts to break open the treasure door.

Unfortunately, the vault door was sealed by an extremely sophisticated and complex magic. Zhan Tian failed to overcome this hurdle in his entire lifetime. After Zhan Tian's death, his descendants also tried every means to break this magical seal, but none succeeded.

Later, they could only manage the affairs of Sabak City while searching for a way to decipher the treasure's key. Through generations of effort, although the vault door remained sealed, Sabak City evolved into a wealthy city of wandering warriors. Later, when internal strife fractured the Zhan Clan, Sabak City fell into the hands of outsiders.

Over the subsequent thousand years, Sabak City changed hands multiple times, and this secret faded away with the changes. Only recently did someone finally uncover the method to unlock the third treasure: it requires the ZUMA Emblem, the sacred relic of the ZUMA Sect, as the key. Our Moon Sect also learned this secret." "To avoid alarming the forces in the Earth City, our Moon Sect had to adopt a roundabout strategy: attempting to annex the local guild under Earth City's jurisdiction, the Fierce Dragon Gang.

This directly led to the fierce battle in the Coffin of Death two years ago. Not long ago, we finally defeated the Fierce Dragon Gang and acquired their guild headquarters, East Heaven City, bringing us one step closer to the treasure." "I see now." I finally understood the animosity between the Divine Moon Palace and the Fierce Dragon Gang, but I still had a lingering doubt: "Isn't this the secret of your Divine Moon Palace? Why tell me?" "Secret?" Yan Luo smiled faintly.

"It doesn't really count as a secret anymore. In fact, the Dragon Abyss Gate, Tiger Roar Sect, Eagle Soar Gate, Bear Power Gate, Sabak, as well as your current affiliation, the Dragon Shadow Villa, the Red Moon Villa, and the Flowing Cloud Villa, all know this so-called secret. Therefore, Sabak City has been hesitant to make any rash moves.

On one hand, they are wary of the strength of the major sects; on the other, the formidable power of the ZUMA Hierarch is certainly not something Sabak can defeat alone. Consequently, no one dared to make the first move." "So that's how it is. But why are the young disciples of the Four Great Sects all here now, making such a grand display?" "I suspect this is due to some agreement reached between Sabak City and the Four Great Sects of Earth City.

As for the grand scale of things, that is harder to know. Killing the ZUMA Hierarch is inherently an extremely dangerous task; doing it quietly is practically impossible. If the Four Great Sects were to dispatch all their experts, it would inevitably draw dissatisfaction from the Dragon Shadow Villa, Red Moon Villa, and Flowing Cloud Villa, potentially leading to their intervention and possibly a massive brawl.

Therefore, the most suitable candidates to handle this matter are the elites of the younger generation. That explains why Long Yuan Fei Xue and Ying Zhen Kuang Ren are here." "But you said the ZUMA Hierarch is incredibly strong—even Sabak City can't deal with him. How can these four young masters possibly handle him?" "Whether they can defeat the ZUMA Hierarch is not the most important thing.

The fundamental goal of this operation is to test the reactions of the other three major powers and to show that the Four Great Sects of Earth City and Sabak have reached an accord, discouraging the other three from interfering." "So you mean Long Yuan Fei Xue and the others are definitely not capable of defeating the ZUMA Hierarch?" "That's certain. If the ZUMA Hierarch could be defeated so easily, he would have died countless times over the past two thousand years," Yan Luo continued. "You have experienced the Evil Centipede in the Coffin of Death, haven't you?" "I have." Even now, the memory sent shivers down my spine.

"The ZUMA Hierarch is a terrifying entity on the same level as the Evil Centipede," Yan Luo stated. "Then that means Long Yuan Fei Xue and the others are clearly walking into a death trap?" I said with alarm. "Not necessarily," Yan Luo countered.

"I actually believe the mission for these four young masters is just an initial probe—a clean-up operation. Their main job is to clear out the ZUMA creatures within the three levels of the passage leading to the ZUMA Hierarch's dwelling. As for how to deal with the ZUMA Hierarch afterward, it's likely that the Four Great Sects and Sabak will make further decisions after observing the reactions of the Three Great Villas." "What kind of situation do you think will unfold?" "One: The Dragon Shadow Villa, Red Moon Villa, and Flowing Cloud Villa will be powerless and have to concede.

Two: The Three Great Villas will not back down and will unite to fight to the death. Three: The Three Great Villas will ultimately want a piece of the pie too, leading to a gentle, cooperative action. Eventually, the Seven Great Sects and Sabak will unite to kill the ZUMA Hierarch, greatly increasing the chance of success, and everyone will be happy," Yan Luo concluded.

"Looking at it this way, the third outcome seems to be the most ideal!" I analyzed. "I think so too," Yan Luo agreed. "Perhaps these seven sects and one city have already reached an understanding." "Then your Moon Sect, after all that scheming, won't get any benefits in the end?" "Not necessarily," Yan Luo replied.

"In any case, our Moon Sect has successfully infiltrated the territory of Earth City. For this alone, we feel it was worth it. As for the treasure, we never expected to swallow it all ourselves.

As long as a portion is given to us, it would be acceptable." "But the problem is, the Four Great Sects and Sabak might not give you face, will they?" "That depends on our methods," Yan Luo said. "With such a large mobilization, I don't believe our Palace Mistress will remain unresponsive." "In that case, ZUMA Hall will soon become a place fraught with danger." "Indeed," Yan Luo agreed. "Then we should leave quickly." Although I desperately wanted to see what the ZUMA Hierarch looked like, the painful lesson from the Coffin of Death remains vivid in my memory.

I would never repeat the same mistake. "What, you want to leave already?" Yan Luo asked. "If we don't leave now, when?" I retorted, "When the fighting truly breaks out, we won't even be able to leave if we want to." "Aren't you curious to witness the joint operation of several major sects?

You need to know that the Red Moon Demon you will eventually face is far more terrifying than the ZUMA Hierarch and the Evil Centipede," Yan Luo stated with a serious look. "This is a rare opportunity; if you miss it, you may never encounter it again." "..............." I stood frozen for a moment. Yes, Yan Luo was absolutely right.

This was a rare chance. Killing the Red Moon Demon wouldn't be achieved by personal strength alone. My early cultivation was merely the first instinctive step toward that goal—just to gain the qualification to enter the Red Moon Canyon.

But what next? What could I do just by entering the Red Moon Canyon? At this moment, it finally dawned on me: relying solely on my own strength, I might never fulfill my wish in this lifetime.

Entering the Red Moon Canyon might not be difficult, but defeating the Red Moon Demon alone was impossible. That left the guild. If I could form a guild strong enough, perhaps I could defeat the Red Moon Demon.

But this step was too distant for me. I couldn't even imagine the effort required to reach it. Suddenly, I woke up: perhaps I would never be able to cure Mother's illness in this lifetime.

A Dragon-level guild, an entity as powerful as Sabak—how many generations would it take to build? Considering my background, how could I possibly achieve that? Sabak itself took two thousand years of effort across countless generations to reach its current scale.

The Tiger Roar Sect, Dragon Abyss Gate, Eagle Soar Gate, and others existed long before Sabak appeared, constantly growing and strengthening upon the foundations laid by their predecessors to become the great sects they are today. But me? What could I do?

Right now, I am a commoner with nothing. Even if I cultivate to the peak of the Red Moon realm and master the Dragon Shadow Sword Art, it will do nothing for Mother's illness. "I was too naive.

Perhaps my idea was flawed from the start," Never before had I felt such a crushing sense of despair and helplessness. "I always thought that just becoming an outstanding wandering warrior would grant my heart's desire, but only now do I realize how laughable that notion was." "Do you want to give up?" Yan Luo asked. "What else can I do but give up?

I never thought about it before, just focusing on making myself stronger so Mother could speak again soon. But only now do I understand that no matter how strong I become, even reaching the level of Sword God, I cannot kill the Red Moon Demon. What meaning does my struggle have?" "Yes, no matter how strong one's individual power is, facing the Evil Centipede, the ZUMA Hierarch, or the Red Moon Demon still offers no chance of victory," Yan Luo continued.

"But have you considered that besides this path, you have another road you can take?" Yan Luo's expression turned grave as she spoke, "That is, forming a Dragon-level guild. With the might of a powerful guild, you might achieve your wish." "A Dragon-level guild." I gave a bitter smile. "Do you think I haven't considered that?

How many generations of effort does it take to build a Dragon-level guild? Given my background and strength, do you think it's possible?" "I believe in the power of human effort," Yan Luo said. "Others might not succeed, but you definitely can." Yan Luo's eyes held a fervent, unshakeable conviction.

"From the moment I first saw you, I knew you were capable of anything. As long as you set your mind on a goal, you will achieve it." "..............." I stared at Yan Luo in shock. What was wrong with her today?

Why was she acting so unusually? The Yan Luo before me seemed so strange and distant. "Don't doubt it; I trust my judgment," Yan Luo insisted.

"A Dragon-level guild seems unattainable, but as long as the methods are right, you can certainly reach that level."