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In fact, the ten Grand Sorcerers of the Imperial Palace are divided into many factions, after all, they come from different Sorcerer Families.

However, there are essentially two main factions, one is the Aristocratic Faction, mostly composed of those whom Liu Yu had recruited for the Siao Family back in the day.

They belong to a comparably conservative faction that is very cautious in dealing with demons, especially concerning ancient beings.

Because these families have a vast collection of ancient records and are not entirely ignorant about the ancients, they are well aware of the dangers posed by certain things.

The other faction is the Wild Faction, during the chaotic opening year, some wild sorcerers gained inheritance through various opportunities and were lucky enough to grow in strength.

These sorcerers, because of the perilous paths they took to receive their inheritance and rising to the level of Grand Sorcerer, typically seek power amidst danger.

Therefore, their level of caution toward ancient matters is much less than that of the conservative Aristocratic Faction, and they can be quite radical at times.

These two factions used to have an equal number of adherents among His Majesty’s ten Grand Sorcerers.

Heiyun remembered that back then, His Majesty was a peripheral member of the Siao Family with diluted blood. Like them, he had been lured by ancient temptations and gained power, which is why he surrounded himself with a group of desperate sorcerers—and of course, this included himself!

After the fall of the King of Qin and the Lu Family’s retreat, combined with Liu Yu’s allegiance, a large number of Sorcerer Families flocked to Emperor Siao’s command.

The Siao Family, in order to secure the throne, made an agreement with the Lu Family and King of Qin to cease exploring the ancients, and thus the balance of power was set.

In the twenty years since the opening of the royal court, as the millennial aristocratic families squeezed into power one after another, these wild sorcerers began to be edged out. Several had left, and in the end, only three of the ten Grand Sorcerers belonged to their original faction.

Heiyun had also thought about leaving, perhaps to try his luck in Yundu. However, Duke of Qin’s secret contact made him decide to stay. Not long before, he had actually been presented with another opportunity at the Emperor’s side.

During the Thousand-Faced Fox incident, the Emperor had entered the Path of Yin and Yang and was tempted by the fox demon, reigniting his desire to revive the ancients. This was, of course, excellent news for these wild sorcerers, who supported him almost unconditionally.

Heiyun gave his wholehearted support as well. Although Duke of Qin was plotting the secrets of the Dragon Palace, being someone who could be reborn infinitely, he certainly didn’t mind taking on a bit more risk for more opportunities. To bet on both sides was only natural for him.

But compared to Lumings’ Duke of Qin, the things that Emperor Siao was dealing with seemed somewhat ill-omened.

Heiyun remembered that the reason was because the Emperor had encountered some evil demon on the Path of Yin and Yang. Since he had already reached the world of the dead, it was only natural for the Emperor to set his sights on the recently deceased Empress.

But given the Empress was a mere mortal with an extremely fragile soul, upon entering the Path of Yin and Yang, she was instantly torn apart by evil ghosts. How could there be any method to bring her back to life?

Upon the suggestion of the Thousand-Faced Fox, he used something very sinister from the Path of Yin and Yang to stave off the Emperor’s unstable mind at that time — he unleashed the Yin Devourers!

He once served as a slave under a Grand Sorcerer Family where, during a calamity that befell that family, he murdered all of their direct female descendants and obtained a great deal of intelligence on the Path of Yin and Yang.

He was well informed about the Yin Devourers as well.

But once the door to such taboos was opened, it became somewhat uncontrollable.

He remembered letting only a single Yin Devourer in, but gradually, for some unknown reason, more and more of them began appearing in the world of the living.

And every once in a while, there would be reports of horrible tragedies—by then, he knew that what the Thousand-Faced Fox had let into the world was probably not just a simple Yin Devourer.

Rather, it was the Yin Devouring Demon mentioned in the archives of that ancient family!

This entity was said to have appeared once before...

It was said that in Ancient Huan Country, which represented the nation’s hope, a brave young Prince perished in battle, causing national grief. Later, rumors spread that the young Prince had been resurrected and had even ascended to the throne.

Within less than ten years, that country vanished.

It disappeared without a trace, and even the land where the country was said to have been located mysteriously could no longer be found.

The records clearly stated that the nation had been strategically located as one of the battlegrounds, yet after its disappearance, no one knew where the original battleground had gone.

In time, many historians refused to acknowledge that period of history, considering it to be fabricated mythology.

This account disturbed Heiyun, especially each time he looked into the Empress’s eyes, he felt an eerie sensation.

Despite the Emperor’s deep infatuation with her.

For this reason, Heiyun later volunteered for a mission and, along with Zi Yue, came to Jiangnan to keep an eye on Chen Qing.

This was not only to assist the Duke of Qin in investigating the affairs of the Dragon Palace but also partly to avoid the increasingly uncontrollable situation in the Capital City.

Gazing towards Daqing Mountain, Heiyun felt extremely conflicted.

What was that terrifying thing that had killed him in an instant back in the Imperial Palace of Capital City, forcing him to flee to Lyuzhou?

It couldn’t possibly be the Yin Devouring Demon, could it?

But he had observed that thing many times and hadn’t seen it exhibit any particularly strong power, had he?

Before he left, although the number of Yin Devourers in Capital City was increasing and the Empress seemed increasingly strange, could the situation really have escalated to such a dreadful state in just half a year?

This was, in fact, what Heiyun most wanted to inquire about from the Thousand-Faced Fox on Daqing Mountain.

Because the first Yin Devourer was recommended by her.

"My lord, I apologize for my tardiness," he said.

Though it was about half an hour later than the typical meeting time, the waiting figure hurried over, face flushed and exuding a brisk freshness.

What caught Heiyun’s attention was the wine flask at the person’s waist.

Frankly speaking, this was a delightful surprise.

Heiyun, having lived for hundreds of years, had tasted almost every delicacy in the world.

He once crossed the entire map of the Central Plains and traversed a great part of the Eastern Sea to find Ancient Huan Country upon hearing about a wine brewed from the heads of beautiful women that was popular there.

Because the taste was indeed awful, he turned all the royal offspring of that small nation into head wine, replacing the commoner beauties.

He had also nearly drunk his way through all the fine wines of the Central Plains, whether it was the strong liquor of the north, the yellow brew of the south, or the soy-flavored pure brews of the central western region.

He had a collection of them all, including some that were over five hundred years old.

But regardless of the aroma of the wine or any other aspects of flavor, none can compare to the fruit wine that little Wei Gongzhan brought from Daqing Mountain.

That fruit’s fragrance and the sweet, mellow richness of the alcohol, truly the best in the world!

Such wine, to think that some country folk drink it to their heart’s content every day—it really makes him feel like it’s a waste of heavenly gifts!

"Spill it, what’s the situation?" Heiyun snatched the other’s wine jug, impatiently took a bite of the Dried Meat Worms brought by the other party, and asked in a low voice.

"Same as before, should I report a little of everything?" asked Wei Gongzhan, cautiously.

"Hmm..." Heiyun nodded while eating the meat and drinking the wine.

"Hmm... my fruit field has already started to produce vines. The neighbors all say that I grow my fruits really well, mainly because I seem to have a knack for controlling the Mountain God’s energy.

It’s feeling increasingly smoother to use, and now, it seems like just a little is enough to make a piece of the tenant farmer’s land brimming with vital energy for an entire day. "

Heiyun glanced at the other, curious, "Has the power bestowed upon you by the Mountain God never diminished?"

"No..." Wei Gongzhan shook his head: "It’s increasing. Moreover, as the state of my crops gets better, the energy given back to me by the surrounding creatures also increases. After a while, I receive even more than from the Mountain God’s blessings.

I feel like I could open up dozens of more mu of fields. "

"Did you make a request?"

"I did, and that’s exactly what I came to talk about today," Wei Gongzhan said excitedly. "The Mountain God asked if I would like to become an Immortal Farmer and, if I agreed, I could try cultivating on those newly developed Immortal Fields on the mountaintop!"

"Immortal Fields?" Heiyun squinted, "What are those?"

"It’s said to be a higher level of farmland," Wei Gongzhan spoke softly. "Cultivated by Earth Spirits who have evolved from the believers of Daqing Mountain, it’s meant for growing even better crops."

"Better than the fruits you use for making wine?" Heiyun’s eyes lit up.

"That should be the case," Wei Gongzhan scratched his head. "I’m not too sure myself, but as soon as I know the details, I will report them to Grand Heiyun at once."

"Report..." Heiyun lowered his head, unsure what to say.

He even didn’t know if there was still any point in gathering all this information about Daqing Mountain, since he didn’t know who to tell.

He certainly wouldn’t dare to approach the Emperor so casually, Lumings is dead, and now come to think of it, is this place actually safer?

"My lord, there’s another thing."

"Oh?" Heiyun regained his composure, "Go ahead."

"About Little Mink, I found something out. Didn’t you say her mother would occasionally be visited by a man?"

"Is there progress?" Heiyun asked eagerly.

"Mmm... I’ve been getting along quite well with the little fox lately... she told me a few things."

"Little Mink?"

"That’s... cough, the Fox Immortal."

"Ah, the one who helped you transform into that... that... "

"My lord, can we not talk about that?"

"Oh, right, right, what did she say?"

"She said that at her mother’s place, an annoying man pops up from time to time, someone who’s pretty good at pleasing her mother."

"Pleasing... her?" Heiyun’s eyes widened.

"Yes, but the Empress seems to beat him often, like really whipping with a lash."

"That’s rather thrilling?"

"My lord!"

"Ah, cough... please continue."

"Little Mink said, usually that man gets beaten whenever he starts comparing himself to Cui Yan!"

"Ah?" Heiyun was momentarily stunned. Isn’t the Yin Devouring Demon known to imitate others?

"And then, recently... it’s said that man sneaks out quite often and even interacts with the villagers nearby. The strange thing is, later on it seems like no one remembers seeing him. He has been appearing more and more frequently lately."

"Oh?" Heiyun’s expression suddenly turned serious: "Go into detail!"