Hearing the displeasure in Yin Shengong's voice, Mu Linyuan gave Hou Fang and Qian Sanjiang a subtle glance. Qian Sanjiang immediately began making an effort to lighten the mood as he chuckled, "This reminds me of a time when I had to wait for someone." "Who?" Hou Fang asked, serving as the second fiddle of their two-man act. "It was a girl I liked back when I was a young man. There was a path that I knew she would take, so I waited there for her, but even after waiting for two whole nights, she didn't show up." "What happened after that? Did she show up in the end?" Hou Fang asked. "She did, but my feelings were reciprocated, and her family didn't like me, either, so I killed her whole family, then captured her and made her my plaything for a month. She ended up hanging herself." "At least the story had a happy ending then!" Hou Fang chuckled. Everyone burst into laughter, but Qian Sanjiang's laughter quickly trailed off into a forlorn sigh. "I've been with countless women over the years, but for some reason, I still can't forget the joy and excitement that I felt when she finally showed up that night. I also can't forget the sight of her wide-open eyes when I found her hanging from the rafters. I've killed so many people, but they've never weighed on my mind, yet for some reason, those two memories have really stuck with me." He turned to Yin Shengong with a self-deprecating smile as he mused, "Do you think that perhaps there's still some humanity left in us, Pope Yin?" Yin Shengong continued to gaze up at the stars as he replied in a flat and cold voice, "No! We have no humanity or emotions!" There seemed to be countless intense emotions bubbling just beneath the surface as he spoke, as if they were being suppressed by something. His gaze remained on the brightest star in the sky this entire time, and a gentle look of melancholy appeared in his eyes, while a name surfaced in his heart. If I die someday, may I become that brightest star to illuminate your path. He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the emotions that were fighting to rise to the fore. "We have no emotions," he repeated. The four of them fell silent as they all cast their eyes into the distance, and it was as if they were reminiscing on a past life, one in which they perhaps did have some semblance of humanity to speak of. After some time, the sound of snapping branches began to ring out in the distance. The sound was quickly getting closer, and the four men turned to discover a shadowy figure on the mountain summit across from theirs. The figure sprang up several hundred feet in a flash manner, then soared toward them in a graceful manner, putting on a breathtaking show. The heavy mood in the air was instantly dispelled, and the four of them almost burst into laughter. "What a show-off!" Hou Fang scoffed. "We were just having a moment, but he's completely taken us out of it now! If I didn't know any better, I would’ve thought we were receiving a visit from someone on the Cloud Weapon Archive!" Yin Shengong remained expressionless, standing with his hands clasped behind his back, but as soon as Fang Che landed, he gave him a slap to the back of the head. "Why didn't you alter your appearance? Why learn the Covert Shapeshifting Technique from Elder Qian if you're not going to use it?" Fang Che had only just completed his grand entrance, only to be slapped in the back of the head out of the blue, and he explained in a sheepish manner, "I was worried you'd mistake me for an enemy and kill me if I showed up in disguise." He immediately received a second slap to the head. "That's what you get for talking back!" "I'm sorry, Pope Yin!" "Why are you so late? Pope Yin's been waiting for you for a very long time!" Mu Linyuan reprimanded. "But Uncle-master Mu, you told me to wait on that mountain summit up ahead," Fang Che said in an indignant manner. "I waited there for an entire hour, but you guys didn't show up, and only then did I begin looking around..." Mu Linyuan's expression instantly stiffened upon hearing this. They were originally waiting on the designated mountain summit, but Yin Shengong preferred the current mountain summit that they were on as it provided a higher vantage point, so he made a last-minute decision to move. However, Mu Linyuan naturally didn't dare to pin the blame on Yin Shengong. "Let's set off," Yin Shengong said with a hint of sheepishness in his eyes. "Hurry up and alter your appearance." Fang Che channeled the Covert Shapeshifting Technique, shortening his own stature while also sprouting a short goatee. His brows had also become thicker, and even his hair had become very disheveled, transforming him into a stocky and disheveled middle-aged man. "You're able to grow fake hair? Have you already mastered the second level of the Covert Transformation Technique?" Qian Sanjiang exclaimed. "I have," Fang Che replied. "This is a very practical and easy-to-master cultivation art. Thank you for bestowing it upon me, Uncle-master Qian." Qian Sanjiang was rendered completely speechless, while Yin Shengong was barely able to suppress his amusement. "Easy-to-master, indeed. The cultivation art has a total of seven levels. Your Uncle-master Qian here has been cultivating it his entire life, and he's only just barely mastered the second level, yet you're already two-thirds of the way to catching up to him after just half a year!" "Pope Yin!" Qian Sanjiang yelled in an embarrassed manner. "Don't be embarrassed, you should be glad that Night Demon is picking up your techniques so quickly," Yin Shengong chuckled. A serious look then appeared on his face as he declared, "That's enough chit-chat, it's time to go." On the stroke of noon, all of the Generals of the One Heart Church were assembled and ready to go. Fang Che was situated right around center, surrounded by all of the "comrades" that he had been tasked with killing. He hadn't expelled any baleful qi for the past few days, so there was faint baleful qi emanating naturally emanating from his body, giving him a menacing aura. However, all of the One Heart Church Generals had plenty of blood on their hands, so he didn't stand out at all. Yin Shengong descended out of the sky, then swept a sleeve through the air to summon a miniature flying boat that sat atop the palm of his hand. The miniature flying boat then began to swell rapidly in size, reaching over two thousand feet in length and several hundred feet wide in the blink of an eye. The entrance of the flying boat sprang open on its own, and Yin Shengong ordered in an authoritative voice, "Get on the boat!" Everyone immediately did as they were told, and as Fang Che passed Yin Shengong by, the latter remained completely expressionless, as if he didn't recognize Fang Che at all. The interior of the flying boat was very spacious. "There is an abundance of spirit qi and spirit crystals in the boat, you can all cultivate inside over the course of the journey," Hou Fang said, then closed the doors, leaving the 257 Generals in the spacious cabin. The flying boat shuddered slightly, following which everyone was struck by a sense of weightlessness, and the boat raced through the air like a speeding arrow, displaying incredible speed for its enormous size. Fang Che sat down beside the window, and he looked out to discover that they were already above the clouds, with the ground below completely out of sight. He had heard of these incredible transportation devices in his past life, but this was his first time ever seeing one. Official source is NoveI(F)ire.net The boat flew along in a stable fashion, while Yin Shengong's trio was gathered in a spacious booth. It seemed that the boat didn't require a pilot, and it was racing toward a predetermined destination. "Ren Zhongyuan is currently at the main church, waiting for his 256 subordinates to make him proud," Yin Shengong scoffed. "He must already be aware that there's an extra unaccounted for General by now, right?" Qian Sanjiang asked. "I'm sure he does. One of the other Generals must've already informed him," Yin Shengong replied. "Even so, it's too late for him to do anything about it now. Once we arrive, all of the Generals will be sent directly into the Parasite Ascension Secret Area, so he won't have a chance to pull any strings. The only thing he'll be able to do is instruct all of his Generals to target Night Demon in the secret area." Yin Shengong heaved a weary sigh, then closed his eyes to rest momentarily before continuing, "Bei Mingxin and the others have hatched an elaborate plan for Ren Zhongyuan surrounding the Parasite Ascension Project, one that I only learned about in the past few days. “According to what I've heard, if one of Ren Zhongyuan's subordinates can secure a top-three finish, the pope of the main church himself will personally promote Ren Zhongyuan to take my place!" Qian Sanjiang and Hou Fang were stunned to hear this. An enraged look appeared on Yin Shengong's face as he continued, "That's not all. My sources tell me that they've already been plotting this in secret for six years! They were simply unlucky as the previous batch of Generals performed badly during the previous Parasite Ascension Project. “Otherwise, I would've already been forced to step down by now! They've been plotting my downfall for six whole years, yet I've been kept in the dark this entire time like a clueless idiot!"