Chapter 1521: Chapter 1521

The Extinction Domain was blocked by a vacuum, so all the Cultivation Army from Douglas Country had to do was guard a few entrances and exits. This left an extensive number of cultivators outside, unable only to sigh with longing.

However, they couldn’t completely deny people entry. For one, it would look too unseemly, and secondly, the large crowd of cultivators would surely cause widespread chaos if they saw no hope of entry. The costs to suppress such a revolt would outweigh the benefits.

Therefore, the Imperial Court of Douglas Country prepared a batch of access certificates. Anyone who managed to get one would be permitted entry. Regardless of who eventually subdued the Divine Beast Azure Dragon, the court had already made a hefty profit from selling these access certificates; it was a win-win situation.

Princess Amelia eagerly waited for her four brothers to get these access certificates. However, throughout the day, they were hit with a continuous stream of bad news. The Logan Hardy brothers came from influential local families, but their influence paled in significance at the central level. After enquiring about the cost of obtaining a certificate, their families were scared off.

The price was high to begin with, and their sources had marked it up after several transactions, resulting in an exorbitantly high price. It was far beyond what the local gentry could afford.

The four young cultivators were quite embarrassed. Just yesterday, they had confidently assured Amelia that they could handle it. They’ve always taken pride in their family backgrounds, frequently boasting to their little sister. But now, their families had let them down.

Master Son was determined to get in. With the four brothers proving unreliable, he remembered a method employed by the Ghost Corpse Sect from the previous night. Yet, he wasn’t planning to do it all himself. The most suitable course was to create a puppet using the Spirit Seed. However, the Central State’s cultivators were all on guard against this puppet art.

Countries in Central State were constantly at war, and early on, various soul transference, soul-searching and puppet arts became very popular. These methods were cheap but could yield extraordinary results. Eventually, various counter-measures were developed. Master Son discovered that it was hard to extract information directly from the captured enemies because they were proficient in soul arts. The moment they sensed their soul being searched, their memories would be instantly erased.

Similarly, there were defenses against puppet arts. The last time Master Son used a Spirit Seed, he used it as a carrier to induce the invasion of the ’Ten Demons’ Devil Heart on Lord Solar’s primordial spirit. He did not directly use the puppet art to control him.

Speaking of Lord Solar, Master Son secretly checked on his ’All-encompassing’ mini-world. Lord Solar was almost entirely refined. Master Son thought for a moment and merged the Ghost Corpse Sect’s methods into it. After staying at the inn for two days, he quietly opened a crack in the ’All-encompassing’ mini-world one night, and ’Lord Solar’ stepped out from it.

The former top protector’s primordial spirit had been completely corroded and assimilated. Master Son divided a part of his thoughts into it, and Lord Solar disappeared into the void with a leap.

Steven Brown and the other three had tried their best to devise all sorts of strategies in these few days. They left early each morning to try and obtain an entry certificate, but their efforts were in vain. These young cultivators, who fancied themselves important figures in Douglas Country, were severely discouraged.

Their connections were all dependent on their families, and if their families couldn’t solve this problem, what could they do?

The four of them left every morning and returned disheartened every night. Yet, the Little Princess never showed any signs of disappointment or aversion, which greatly moved them. They realized that the Little Princess wasn’t shallow or materialistic.

In reality, they simply didn’t understand. The Little Princess was merely toying with them. Whether they could get the entry certificate or not didn’t concern her in the slightest, because she knew that her brother would surely find a way.

Lord Solar spent these days lurking outside Black Dragon Valley and eavesdropping. He quickly identified a few targets. To him, the operation was quite simple: he just had to find a major inn in the towns near Black Dragon Valley and keep an eye on those young masters surrounded by followers.

The targets Lord Solar identified were all legitimate sons of large aristocratic families in Douglas Country. They had Grandmasters to protect them and were temporarily staying at the inn while waiting for their families to deliver the access certificates.

Getting access certificates from these people was the least costly. Besides them, those who could obtain the certificates were all well-known Grandmasters.

Before Lord Solar could act, Steven Brown came running back excitedly one day and reported his findings to Elder Brother Son, "There’s a lead!"

"The Sect Master of the Leaving Sky Sect has arrived. He has an entry certificate and is staying at Smith’s Inn by the wharf. My family does some business with the Leaving Sky Sect, so I plan to bring some gifts and request an audience with the Sect Master, and ask him to take us into the Black Dragon Valley!"

Steven Brown didn’t have any precious items on hand, so he informed Elder Brother Son and the Little Princess before going to consult with the other three. Their plan was to pool their resources and offer a valuable treasure, or perhaps raise money to buy one.

Master Son contemplated for a moment, and Lord Solar subsequently quietly arrived at Smith’s Inn by the wharf.

The inn had been reserved for exclusive use at a high price and had remained unoccupied. It turned out to be reserved for the Leaving Sky Sect. Steven Brown’s information wasn’t very timely. The Sect Master arrived in the morning. When Lord Solar arrived, the spacious hall of the inn was already filled with cultivators coming to pay their respects.

His Excellency, the Sect Master, was entertaining guests in the ’heaven’ suite on the third floor. His disciples were maintaining order downstairs. After seeing a guest off, they would invite the next one according to the order.

Lord Solar stood quietly under a willow tree outside the inn. Whether it was the Sect Master of the Leaving Sky Sect upstairs or the cultivators constantly entering and exiting the inn, none of them noticed him.