Kao Dao Ji stood with his arms behind his back.
Behind him, there were several Gu Masters of the Kao Clan.
They were all flying in the skies.
Their wings flapped constantly, except for Kao Dao Ji, whose body remained in the air without making even the slightest motion.
"My subordinates. As I am sure you are all aware of. I have…Great plans in mind." He stretched his hands into the air.
"I already told you most of the details. But, just to be clear." He turned his head to meet the group.
"Once you agree to partake in this mission, there is no going back."
He closed his eyes.
And took a deep breath.
"Those who do not wish to risk their lives can simply stay where they are; those who have the guts.
Follow me!" Upon saying those words, his wings flapped.
He rose towards the Heavens, and most of the Featherman chased after his figure, whose image was distorted by the green sun above.
But the green lights were soon surrounded by golden sparkles.
A golden brilliance overwhelmed their senses, and they appeared.
In Treasure Yellow Heaven.
Several figures who were browsing through the market were immediately captivated by their figures.
"Whoa? Is somebody selling Featherman? But is it not even the right season?
Don't tell me that somebody is trying to steal the business of Shadow Slave."
"Who cares? Whether that Rank 8 will retaliate or not is irrelevant to me." An old man with glasses suddenly spoke.
"He may target the sellers, but he will target the buyers?" Of course, kept those thoughts inside his chest; he was about to communicate with whoever was the seller.
The seller seemed covered in a deep cloak; it was impossible to discern their figure.
Kao Dao Ji had concealed himself, using several methods.
Of course, they would not stand to scrutiny.
However, through the Mediocrity Gu that Uru Hong Jing was currently using, his presence was indirectly concealed.
That gave him the confidence to act openly at the market.
His Will transmitted and collaborated with that of Shung Mia Yin from a distance.
And then.
The 'goods' were transmitted seamlessly.
Kao Dao Ji observed the process occur seamlessly.
Whilst it was predictable, it was nonetheless satisfactory.
His plans were beginning to take place.
Whilst they were not the half-breed population he wanted.
Kao Dao Ji did not wish to wait that long to establish his first settlements, and while somewhat risky.
He intended to plant the first seeds of his scheme in this precise instant.
Using Shung Mia Yin as a way to transport the goods, he wanted to move the population to another continent.
This would serve as the building blocks for his upcoming plans, after all, experts could not come from nowhere.
If a Rank 5 expert emerged from seemingly nowhere, it would be somewhat suspicious.
Even if he carried the bloodline of a certain clansman, it could still be under deep scrutiny.
Under the deep view of several experts, he was not sure if the truth could be concealed.
Thus, to hide their origins, he needed to create a proper backstory and justification.
First, he would create several settlements that looked nice and proper from afar, including the local population.
For years.
The group would settle, live, and grow in a limited area.
That was isolated from the world outside.
With such a proper and well-corroborated history, their origins would look completely mundane.
It was almost impossible to detect them.
"There is only one hidden danger…" Once more, his gaze darted towards the image of Heavenly Court, and he smiled faintly.
By this point, he had already figured out enough things.
"For some unknown reason, Star Constellation cannot revive people whenever she pleases, only if the right criteria are met. Furthermore, she cannot freely reveal knowledge to everyone. Or at least must pay a price to do so."
Why was he so certain of this?
He squinted his eyes.
"Heavenly Court has been on top of the world for three million years with Star Constellation as the hand behind the scenes.
During this period, how many Tribulations have Immortals suffered?
Based on what I know now, Heaven's Will gains an opening to enter into a person's aperture whenever they have a Tribulation.
But if that is the case, why are Variant Humans still alive?
Why did she never capture Lang Ya Land's Spirit Land, and so many other places?"
Kao Dao Ji seriously doubted that Heavenly Court was so useless that they could not conquer the two Heavens even though they had a map!
The only reasonable explanation was that they simply lacked the knowledge.
"If this guess of mine is not wrong, Star Constellation pays a certain price every time she tries to interfere or share knowledge with the world outside."
But that was too ambiguous for his liking; he did not want to think: 'she probably can do this, but not this.'
He wanted to measure her limits, understand them.
Only by knowing thy enemy could he find the way to overcome it; thus, those seedlings were also his tiny test towards Star Constellation.
What would her exact reaction be? What would be her thoughts and decision?
Of course, he still took measures to protect himself.
Each of his subordinates had a seal that, once captured, would blow them up to bits, to prevent information from spreading.
The method even accounted for most Soul and Wisdom Path methods.
He also gave some level of protection to his subordinates, amongst them was Kao Da Feng.
A Great Expert of Wind Path.
He was a newly ascended Rank 5, of C Aptitude; however, that was not what reassured him the most.
But rather were the several Immortal Essence Beads that he was carrying alongside himself.
Added together with several Ice Crystals like the ones he had used before, a Will of his made by Ensouled Cloud Immortal Gu's effect.
And on top of that, he even had free access to Treasure Yellow Heaven.
With such a combination, he would not fear too many things in the mortal world.
Kao Dao Ji's smile grew greater and greater.
There was also his trump card, which, whilst incomplete, was not so far from reach; once he mastered his ability to survive would be even greater.
With it, he would no longer be at the whims of others.
With a mix of anxiety but also expectation, he prepared mentally for his next 'meeting' with Star Constellation.
…
From the other side.
Shung Mia Yin could be seen.
Her expression discerning, she stood with her arms crossed as she stared at the group of Featherman.
"mmm…."
The Featherman stared at the seemingly young girl, but they did not dare to disrespect her so openly.
They knew how harsh the Immortals from the world outside, Kao Dao Ji had warned them.
Even so, they did not bow as profoundly and thoroughly as most mortals, but rather stared at her figure with deep curiosity in their eyes.
Shung Mia Yin had a tiny smile on her face as she saw this.
"Well…You have more guts than most. Then again, based on my experiences, Featherman are far more unreasonable than the other races!"
Her eyes gleamed subtly.
"While I doubt that this is the case, have all of you cut your wings as your master ordered you to?"
The expression of several Featherman changed, but they all nodded.
"Hah…How ruthless…" The faint smile on her face widened.
She stared at the group with deep appreciation in her tone.
"What a shame! If I had not had a master already, I might have organized a tournament in the spot to choose my master among you!"
…
In another corner of the world.
There was a strange cradle.
Or rather nest.
Where there was one singular egg resting by.
Faint blue particles spread through his body, and several things akin to veins could be seen popping out of his body.
The egg man was gritting his teeth heavily.
Flickers of light could be seen in his eyes.
As a stream of information moved and flew, leading to nowhere.
Da Ji Rou stopped in his tracks.
His expression was one of annoyance.
"This thing again…" He muttered under his breath.
From a distance, Da Chou Jidan could be seen.
He stared at Da Ji Rou and asked.
"Have you found something who was the one who was selling Featherman at the market?"
"Sigh. Supreme Elder, you are asking far too much of me. I may know a few things about Wisdom Path, but I specialize in Strength Path. My intelligence is meager, and my ability is limited.
My deductions once more have led to nowhere…" He cupped his hands together.
Da Chou Jidan frowned very deeply; disappointment appeared in his expression.
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. But. While my deductions have failed. The sensation I had during this transaction was identical to the one I had with Kao Dao Ji.
Whoever was the seller, and whoever was the buyer.
They have to have a connection with Kao Dao Ji somehow." Da Ji Rou spoke in an almost completely certain tone.
Da Chou Jidan's expression suddenly brightened.
"And what makes you suspect that?"
"Is hard to explain but…When one tries to deduce regarding powerful experts, or simply people who are reinforced by formidable anti-deduction killer moves.
Is as if there was a wall preventing you from discerning the truth.
And trying to discern it is like slamming your head against the wall.
An utterly pointless attack that only harms you.
However.
I feel no such backlash regarding Kao Dao Ji.
But rather it's almost as if I were walking through a deep mist, even though I can walk my way in and out easily, I simply cannot discern a thing.
That sensation.
Was too weird. I had never experienced anything like it, until now…"
Da Chou Jidan's eyes shone deeply.
As he considered the details.
"What about the buyer? Were you able to deduce anything?"
But Da Ji Rou shook his head once more.
At that.
The expression of Da Chou Jidan settled.
"I see…"
"Kao Clan."
"Just what are you thinking by pulling such a move now?
Are you merely selling your people because you are lacking space?
No. That would only lower the morale of the population.
Besides.
Why would they go to such lenghts to hide such a thing?
...
Kao Clan. What are you hiding?"
His eyes shone coldly.
As he stared at the horizon.
...