Hearing that the Lord of the Charnel Ground was immersing himself in Buddhist cultivation, Deji nodded faintly. After all, the Lord of the Charnel Ground was devoted to Buddhist teachings; most of his life had been spent studying the sutras.

Deji then headed towards the Lord of the Charnel Ground's meditation room in the West Courtyard.

Arriving outside the courtyard, he reached out and knocked on the door, then took half a step back.

After a moment, the courtyard door creaked open.

The Lord of the Charnel Ground stood before Deji, looking at him with a smile in his eyes.

Deji suddenly felt that the Lord of the Charnel Ground had changed. It was an indescribable transformation. He was still the same person, but his aura felt vastly different in some inexplicable way.

Deji didn't know that, over these past few days, the Lord of the Charnel Ground had become a true man.

The transition from boy to man was so strikingly apparent.

After several days of Zen meditation with Liu Ruyan, the Lord of the Charnel Ground felt that all the confusions and perplexities of the past had been gently unraveled.

He finally understood what worldly love and passion truly were, and his heart felt clear and bright.

"Khenpo Deji."

The Lord of the Charnel Ground greeted him.

"Lord of the Charnel Ground, we are about to set off for the Great Snow Mountain. I wonder if you are fully prepared? This journey is likely to be extremely perilous; we must proceed with the utmost caution."

The Lord of the Charnel Ground raised the corner of his mouth, smiling as he said, "Everything is inevitable. The history of the Demon Kingdom is destined to be brought to an end."

His tone now was more like that of a true man.

The Lord of the Charnel Ground gazed into the distance at the towering Great Snow Mountain. "I will restore everything to the way it should be."

Deji thought for a moment, assuming the Lord of the Charnel Ground had made another breakthrough in his sutra studies, and nodded approvingly.

"I, too, am honored to witness history."

...

Over the course of a few days, the Four Great Families had gathered the most elite warriors from their households.

This included superhumans with formidable combat and support abilities, as well as special forces soldiers proficient in various skills. It could be said that each family had brought out a significant portion of their hidden reserves.

After all, legends spoke of the Demon Kingdom's extreme danger. To ensure the successful acquisition of the Demon Kingdom treasure, they had to make thorough preparations.

It was precisely for this reason that Pagyi Gesang was required to stay behind, to oversee affairs across the Snowy Plateau Region.

The Pagyi Family's side, naturally, had no need for concern regarding top-tier combat power, thanks to the assistance of Zhang Yi and his companions.

They simply brought along some individuals with special skills, led by Chodak, forming a mighty contingent of around five hundred people.

The Xia Zha Family and the La Min Family were similarly prepared.

Undercurrents surged across the Snowy Plateau Region, yet time passed as it always did, and the appointed day soon arrived.

On this day, the troops of the Four Great Families gathered in the enormous square before the gates of Sangha Monastery.

Zhang Yi and his group mingled within the ranks, each wearing combat suits that obscured their features.

However, due to their overly advanced weaponry, they were still easily identifiable as mercenaries. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Apart from them, the Pagyi Family had other recruited personnel whom Zhang Yi had seen a few times before. Among them were even two superhumans with power levels exceeding 9000.

Pagyi Gesang had paid a considerable price to secure their services.

On the vast square, the combined forces of the Four Great Chieftain Families and the Monk Soldiers of Sangha Monastery numbered two to three thousand, presenting a magnificent and imposing sight.

Zhang Yi's gaze swept over the formations of the other families. Sure enough, he spotted similarly conspicuous figures among them, just like their own group.

The clothing was far too obvious.

For combat, one needed to wear combat suits; it was impossible to deliberately wear the outdated local styles of the Snowy Region just to conceal one's identity.

"Those guys are way too easy to spot. Just aim for the fancy suits!"

Old You crossed his thick arms, a cold, menacing smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

Knowing these individuals likely hailed from other nations, he had already set his sights on them.

"But aren't they also keeping an eye on us?"

Fatty Xu said, his voice full of worry.

A faint smile touched Zhang Yi's lips as he said leisurely, "We've long been aware of each other's presence. However, we probably can't be entirely certain of each other's identities just yet."

"What comes next depends on who has the superior skills!"

He lowered his head. A cat's head peeked out from the collar of his clothes. Hua Hua was nestled inside his garment, comfortably feigning sleep with its eyes closed.

Zhang Yi stroked the cat's head. "Reminding you all again: once we set off, you are not to leave my side for even half a step! I have a premonition—"

His gaze grew profound, as if dark tides were swirling within.

"This time, many people will die!"

Zhang Yi's words made Fatty Xu shrink his neck. For a moment, he considered asking Zhang Yi for permission to enter Mu Yan's Shadow Space and wait on standby, but Zhang Yi had mercilessly refused.

Fatty Xu's talent wasn't the highest within the team, but it was still a combat-oriented ability.

Such abilities required constant honing and growth through continuous battle.

Otherwise, what use was he? Making ice cream back at home?

While Zhang Yi was sizing up those people, they were likewise scrutinizing the mercenaries within the other military formations.

Behind La Min Ouzhu, the tall superhuman clad in a snow-white combat suit stood with his arms crossed, not bothering to conceal his gaze as he brazenly observed the superhumans in the surrounding teams.

La Min Ouzhu wore a black bearskin coat. Her face, slightly pale, perpetually wore an arrogant expression.

However, with their imminent entry into the Demon Kingdom, even this Head of La Min felt a trace of nervousness.

She glanced at the tall superhuman beside her and asked in a low voice, "Mr. Lancelot, are you confident about this operation?"

Hearing this, Lancelot chuckled lightly.

"Of course! Who do you think I am?"

He leaned down, bringing his mouth close to La Min Ouzhu's ear. "Just wait to become the new King of the Snowy Region! When I obtain what lies beneath the Great Snow Mountain, I will also fulfill your wish."

La Min Ouzhu took a deep breath. In her heart, she didn't fully trust Lancelot's words.

But now, aside from believing him, she had no other path to take.

Within the Xia Zha Family's ranks, among several superhumans wearing dark golden combat suits, a pair of eyes was quietly surveying their surroundings.

Bharata revered gold, hence their combat suits also predominantly featured golden hues.

Of course, with current optical technology, color camouflage wasn't particularly difficult. This gold wouldn't reflect light in the snowy terrain; one could only discern its color clearly at close range.

A pair of eyes fell upon Zhang Yi and his group in the distance, carrying a hint of wariness.

Seeing this, Xia Zha Gyatso approached and asked, "What's wrong? Have you encountered some troublesome individuals?"

The Golden-Armored Superhuman turned back, smiling faintly. "You need to be mentally prepared. This time, there's more than one wolf eyeing the Demon Kingdom treasure."

Xia Zha Gyatso's gaze darkened. "More people is good. With more people, we have a better chance to fish in troubled waters!"

He looked towards the grand and imposing Sangha Monastery. The Lord of the Charnel Ground and Deji had already come before the assembled crowd.

"Relying on ourselves alone to seize the treasure from Sangha Monastery's grasp would be like snatching food from a tiger's mouth."

"But now, with troublemakers joining the fray, our chances are greater."

The Golden-Armored Superhuman said with a beaming smile, "It's not that our chances are greater."

He retracted his smile, his gaze focused and brimming with confidence.

"It's that we *must* obtain those things from the Demon Kingdom!"