Wang Tu's storage ring did not contain anything important. The contents weren't anything impressive either. He had a few hundred gold coins, about five dozen shards, a hundred or so throwing knives, some basic healing and restoration pills, as well a pair of flasks with some kind of poison. Even searching his body did not net Wu Guang anything to guess the reason why the Black Eagle Sage realm cultivator had entered the Wildlands.

In any case, Wu Guang's condition was good enough to move out, and so after storing Wang Tu's body into the latter's, now Wu Guang's third storage ring, he proceeded to recover his chakrams, eliminate whatever traces did remain, as well disappear the body of the cultivator that was nicknamed 'Subtle Falcon'.

There had been no glyphs arriving almost an entire day, and that worried Wu Guang. After all, everyone in his team knew he could replenish them, albeit no one except Lan Yanzhi how he did it, and so would not hesitate to inform him of any, absolutely any development. There was another reason for Wu Guang to begin making distance from the Demonic Plateau. The heavy, deep-crimson clouds that had been gathering to the north had finally covered the entire horizon. And judging from the acrid smell already present in the air, there was not more than a few hours before the 'Death Rain began to pour. His mission included watching for any attempt of the Eagle Kingdom to gather it, but that did not mean that he wanted to stay here and risk being hit even by a single drop. The formation he had set before was still functioning perfectly, as attested by the alarm that had sounded in his mind when his pursuers had crossed the invisible line. So if anyone else tried to reach the Plateau, he would know, he would even know the location and numbers of the interlopers.

________________________________________________________________________

At extreme speed but carefully avoiding all the camps and patrol routes, it took Wu Guang about five hours to cross the entire Wildlands. Now he was located just a few miles from the start of the Boundary Pass. The location where the forces under the command of Lang Zheng were stationed. Or at least where they should have been.

"Hmm? Have they moved towards the wall? Or something else happened?" Wu Guang muttered while slowing down and scanning the area around, still without finding any signals of the cultivators that should be around.

***

Unbeknownst to Wu Guang, the forces that were called the allied forces had indeed set off. They had been divided into three groups. With one main group as he suspected moving into the pass itself, while two other smaller groups that consisted of the elites being sent to the east and the west respectively.

The invading army or at least part of it had reached and occupied Boundary Hill City. The wall and the barrier formation covering it indeed had stumped them, but that did not mean that the army had backed down. No, they fully occupied the city and began sending scouts to every direction looking for a way to cross the Boundary Hills.

And albeit the hills were considered uncrossable, and in fact, there was no account of a successful crossing in history, Lang Zheng had decided to prepare for even such an impossibility, sending his scouts to scour all along the hills.

There was another reason for these two scout groups to be comprised of Elites, which were the 'Jade Eagle' riders. From what information was gathered, there are only about five dozen of them present, but even 60 cultivators that could enter the Wildlands while avoiding being discovered could inflict a lot of damage...

***

Wu Guang discovered the tracks of three groups after examining the now unguarded group of buildings that served as both the main defense and the border of the wildlands. But he did not need to follow either of them, as he suddenly sensed that someone was approaching him with impressive speed.

The speed was indeed impressive, as the approaching person required less than a minute to reach Wu Guang since the moment he crossed his detection range. And Wu Guang's current range was a mile and a half. That meant a speed of at least 100 miles per hour, while not using any, at least detectable, movement technique!

Normally Wu Guang would immediately assume guard, but there was no need, he already scanned the approaching presence, and he knew that the man would not pose any danger. Or at least he should not.

"Wu Guang, my boy! I was about to go looking for you!" Old Rui's, and it was no one else than him, voice was equally jovial as before. But that was the only thing that remained unchanged.

During their last meeting, Old Rui was a slightly hunched, withered man in his eighties. More importantly, he was a mortal. Or at least Wu Guang thought so.

But the new Old Rui, if one could still call him old, was a man that looked like in his forties. The previously white and sparse hair had become a deep black mane that wildly moved in the wind, while his constitution would make most body arts cultivators ashamed. His wrinkles had disappeared, and the previously withered face now was crossed with a somewhat wild grin that showed that even his teeth were recovered. And that's without mentioning that his openly displayed cultivation was even higher than the one Wu Guang had supposed from the message glyph he had received a few days ago. This man was a 6th level Sage realm cultivator!

In fact if not because Wu Guang was sure that the presence he was feeling, and the wisened eyes with a slight wisp of a mischievous glint were the same, Old Rui's as he remembered.

"Hmm... I wonder how should I now refer to Senior?" Wu Guang asked in a faked-up displeased manner.

"Oh boy, you offend me. Especially as even I don't know how should I call you! Still, I will go with the old Wu Guang, just correct me if you feel uncomfortable. As for me, you can just call me Rui Qingkai" The previously wild grin was suddenly replaced by a more-or-less serious expression when he touched the fact that Wu Guang had another name now, but then returned normally for the introduction.

"I don't think I understand what do you mean... Senior Rui" Wu Guang grinned back.

"Haa, you are entitled to keep your secrets as they don't affect the current situation... Regretfully I can not do so now" Suddenly Old Rui turned serious, this time without any sign of joking.

"Senior was looking for me? What happened?" Sensing that the time for jokes had passed, Wu Guang also turned serious.

"Several things of which you should be aware already, a few of which you may be half-aware... and at least two that you could not even guess because you simply did not know anything about them. Do you want me to go from the start?"

"Senior can explain however he wants, but please do not forget to include how did... this change happen" Wu Guang did not like when someone mystified their explanations, but he knew that Old Rui, no, Rui Qingkai would explain everything concisely in the end. As for his small remark on the latter's new appearance, he was indeed genuinely curious. Only cultivators above the Saint realm could change their true, physical appearance, while anyone below that realm could only slightly change it with disguises, special pills, techniques, etc. But Wu Guang saw that Rui Qingkai's appearance was truly his own, no, even more, it felt like it meant to be like this!

"Mmm, I will touch that as well. Still, it may be better for us to move from this spot. There's a Sage realm cultivator from the Eagle Kingdom running somewhere in the Wildlands, and I intend to find him"

"Another one?!" Wu Guang could not help but exclaim.

"Ye... Wait! What did you say? Another one?! Have you seen one already?" Rui Qingkai expression could not be described, as even his mane stood up from the surprise.

"I crossed paths with a group of three that hailed from the Eagle Kingdom. And their leader was a Sage realm cultivator" Wu Guang answered truthfully while trying to find a way to conceal the fact that he had killed him.

"Did they leave you the injuries I am feeling? And if so, where are they now?" This time the question was laced in both care and anger.

"Yes... And before Senior launches to search for them, I can only say that there will be no result"

"No result? Have they left? Or the entered the 'Demonic Plateau'?"

"Neither"

"Then?!"

"Senior Rui, you were indeed right about leaving this place. Please follow me" Wu Guang sensed the approach of a group of cultivators and decided that it was better to deal with Rui Qingkai and the matter about Wang Tu with no witnesses.

"Hoh? You can sense at such distance? Impressive. Well if you say that we need to move, let's go. The only question is where to?"

That question was good enough, but Wu Guang already made up his mind. If there were patrols along the Boundary Hills and moving north would make them either lose half a day while avoiding people or lead them straight into the camps and towns... Then there was only one place left to go.

________________________________________________________________________

In a small cavern deep underground, Wu Guang had finished recounting his encounter with Wang Tu, as well his findings during the last days. Not before making Rui Qingkai swear that no living soul until Wu Guang himself allowed it would know that he was the one who killed Wang Tu. After all, he did not need the fame of a Soul realm cultivator that can kill Sage realm cultivators. At least not while there was a war going on and his victims had been from the enemy band.

"I would say that I am deeply shocked, but I would be lying"

"Lying?"

"Hah, you know, I had already suspected that when I saw you during your last visit to the Boundary Hill City, before your entrance to the Sect, that you were not a common youngster anymore. I even suspected that you weren't Wu Guang at all" Seeing that Wu Guang got tense, Rui Qingkai waved his hand before continuing

"I did not tell anyone of my suspicions, because they were that, suspicions. But after seeing you destroy several Soul realm level golems while unsealing the Astral Scourge that my Master's Master sealed... I found that your change was for the good"

"You were there?!" Wu Guang could not help but interrupt and ask. He even forgot to address Rui Qingkai as a senior. Still, his mind registered another important question to make, and so in place of stopping, he decided to continue

"The Master of your Master? But that means!"

"Yes, I was also a disciple of the 'Three Hills Sect', something about... 60 years before you?" Rui Qingkai shrugged it off with a carefree wave.

***

When their talk ended, or basically when Rui Qingkai's speech flood dried up, Wu Guang calculated that it was already the morning of the next day. He had not spent the time idly, as between showing the appropriate reactions and carefully listening to what was important, he used his qi to nurture the inner wounds he had suffered before.

Overall, the entire contents of the talk could be resumed into a few passages.

Rui Qingkai had been the first nominated succesorsuccessorSect by the previous Headmaster. Which also meant that he was the senior disciple to the current one, Teng De.

When an incident happened about 40 years ago, Rui Qingkai decided to leave the Sect and travel the world freely. Initially, he intended to return, but at some point, the head of the Zhen family, one of his close friends died leaving two boys behind. And so, he returned in secret, sealing his cultivation and assuming a mortal identity to take care of them.

He felt no need to return to the martial path at all, and so continued living as Old Rui. And no one except the Zhen brothers and Elder Chen, at that time a simple inner elder knew of his true identity.

But he recalled his passion for battle as soon as the new war began brewing. And so he was the first one to contact the Black Empire, and as someone who was introduced to Chen Jiahao previously, he was in the end asked to keep a look over the island.

After a long preparation, he unsealed his cultivation a pair of months ago. He then learned of Wu Guang's involvement and became proactively looking for him, which led to him towards the unsealing trials.

He later revealed his identity to the Lang brothers, and so became something like a secret advisor to them, as well their connection to the Black Empire.

And right now, he was reached by Chen Jiahao and asked to look for Wu Guang and inform him that the Empire began moving in earnest; That the Eagle Kingdom was using some kind of treasure that allows them to block the activation of any runes in an area of a few miles; And that most probably the Blue army, which was the one currently on the island would try to circle the hills, so he should move on his perceptions.

"That's all?" Wu Guang asked in the end. He had already gotten used to how this man spoke during their 'first' meeting, and so did not pay much attention to the enormous amount of jokes, slips, etc.

"Yes. The Minister is asking you to keep a look and be alert, but if you feel that the situation is bad... do your best to survive. Even if that means escaping"

"Understood. But if I may ask..?"

"Go ahead"

"Senior seems to have missed an important point. Namely the connection between Old Rui and the Black Empire"

"Oh, it's understandable that you don't know, after all, you weren't born in the Empire, even though you are a part of the Chen clan"

"Yes, I know that, and?"

"Hoh, it's simple. Do you know the surname of the clan that serves as throne protectors?"

"Aren't they just chosen by their cultivation?" Wu Guang was surprised to hear that there was a clan of throne protectors. After all, weren't both of the current ones Warrior Lords?!

"Oh, they are. But that does not mean that there is no one to cover their spots while they are away, or until a Sage breaks through the barrier and becomes a Warrior Lord"

"So that means, that clan is the Rui clan? But in that case, how did Senior end in the Sect? If I am not mistaken there were no open contacts for over 87 years"

"One does not choose the land to be born, does one?" With such a remark, Wu Guang understood the reason behind Rui's fealty. After all, even if he was born out of the Empire, his parents or grandparents were people left on the island to keep an eye on the Sect. And so, how could their descendant not be educated with the same mindset they were born into? In fact, Wu Guang suspected that 'his' original family would have done the same, if not for the fact of them being killed before the time was right.

In any case, the talk served to prove that even there were a few ideas about Wu Guang not being Wu Guang, they all ended in a consensus. He was still 'Wu Guang', but had awakened some power. Either from the Chen bloodline, or from some other place, who knew?

"At least they did not come close to the reality. That I should be thankful to" Wu Guang, or Bai Qi? Allowed himself to smile inwardly...