Dual Cultivator with a cultivation system

The people who had just teleported in looked ahead after hearing Wu Jing's exclamation, and their pupils constricted at the scene before them.

"What the…" Jiang Yao muttered, her eyes widening in shock as she saw the ground drenched crimson with blood. It looked as if a river of blood had just washed through the place, leaving only traces behind. Then her gaze fell on the thousands of beast corpses littering the ground, their bodies marked with stabs and slashes, severed parts scattered randomly across the area.

"Looks like someone was here before us," the masked man said, pointing at a few swords stuck in the corpses and patches of black fabric scattered across the ground.

"Didn't we all enter this place at the same time? And only after we got the token?" Qing Na asked with a frown.

"Probably there were more tokens that we didn't see," Mui Ling said with a furrowed brow as her eyes roamed across the corpses.

"Or maybe they're the ones responsible for the appearance of this palace," Wang Ming said thoughtfully, and everyone who heard him had their expressions change instantly as they looked at each other.

"This could explain why no elder or sect master appeared even after all the commotion… maybe someone blocked access to the Spirit Dimension," Qing Na said.

"That's extremely difficult," Mui Ling immediately denied. "The entrances are all inside the sects or royal palaces. It's nearly impossible to get in."

"There are many treasures we don't know about, right? What if they used one to sneak in—and another to summon this palace and block the entrance? Difficult, yes, but not impossible, right?" Wang Ming said, looking directly at Mui Ling.

"..." Mui Ling was speechless and could not deny her words.

"Hmm?" Wang Ming's eyes suddenly caught something, and he immediately leapt in that direction. The others, seeing this, instantly grew alert, thinking he was about to attack. They tensed, wary of his overwhelming strength—but then relaxed when they realized he wasn't moving toward them, but rather toward something else. The girls were equally confused by his actions. They look as Wang Ming went above their head without sparing them a glance as his eyes were fixed on certain direction.

Thud

Wang Ming landed in front of the corpse of a monster, noticing something unusual beneath it. When he saw a hand covered in black robes, he kicked the carcass aside. What appeared was a man clad in ominous black robes, a white skeleton symbol on the back of the robes.

'Are they from a sect?' Wang Ming wondered, as the robes resembled those typically worn by sect disciples.

"Hey, does anyone recognize him?" Wang Ming called out. The others exchanged glances before rushing toward his location.

The group gathered around the corpse beside Wang Ming, inspecting it closely. Neither the face nor the remains gave them any clue as to the man's identity which made Wang Ming frown.

Thud

Wang Ming gave another kick, rolling the body until its back faced them. The moment the skull symbol was revealed, everyone's eyes constricted in fear. Wang Ming could feel their unease, and with a raised eyebrow, he finally spoke.

"Judging by the fear in your eyes, you seem to know who they are?" Wang Ming asked, raising an eyebrow.

"T-They… the Black Church," Wu Jing stammered, her voice trembling as she swallowed heavily. She had recognized the figure from the skull symbol on the back of the robes. The others also turned pale the moment they heard the name from her lips.

"You know, they could be fake. Quickly confirm it," Mui Ling said, her own voice unsteady.

"Wait… that symbol… let me check." Wu Jing hurried over to the corpse, crouched down, and injected a thread of spiritual energy into the symbol. Instantly, the white skull emblem transformed into actual bones and a skull.

"It's really them," the masked man muttered, his hands clenched tightly in anger even as fear flickered in his eyes.

Wang Ming, on the other hand, was utterly confused by their reaction. He noticed their faces had gone pale with fright, sweat dripping down their foreheads. Even the masked man had perspiration seeping from beneath his mask. From their expressions, Wang Ming realized this must be an extremely dangerous organization.

"Hey, can anyone tell me what's going on? Why are you all so afraid?" Wang Ming asked curiously, his eyes sweeping across the group.

"Were you living under a rock, or outside the Black Bamboo Kingdom? No… even if you were away, you should have at least heard of the Black Church." Mui Ling would normally have glared at him, but this time she looked genuinely surprised. How could someone not know about this group? Wang Ming only shrugged his shoulders and didn't answer, instead turning to Min Li for answers.

"Let me tell you," Wu Jing said, cutting in before Min Li could speak. She took a deep breath and looked at Wang Ming seriously, which made him raise an eyebrow at her tone.

"They are members of the Black Church—the most notorious and dangerous criminal organization. Over a decade ago, they caused massive chaos and destruction. They once attacked all the great families in the capital, including the royal family. Some of the top family members were killed. Not only the Black Bamboo Kingdom, but other kingdoms as well suffered. The Black Church destroyed multiple sects… and they even killed the queen of our kingdom a decade ago." Wu Jing exhaled heavily as she finished.

"Say… do you think this palace in the Spirit Dimension could be related to them?" Jiang Yao asked nervously.

"No. But if they are involved, then it's possible. The Black Church is no weaker than the top sects or kingdoms. Honestly, they could fight on equal terms with all the kingdoms combined, and they possess countless treasures," the masked man said grimly.

'Hah, they really are formidable,' Wang Ming thought—only for Wu Jing's next words to make his eyes widen in shock.

"The most troublesome part is that they have cultivators at the peak of the Golden Core Realm… and even higher," Wu Jing said in a grim voice.

"What did you just say? Above the Golden Core Realm?" Wang Ming asked in a startled voice. Wu Jing nodded solemnly. "The person who led the charge back then was above the Golden Core Realm—and he was the one who killed the Queen."

'If they're so strong… why don't they just take over?' Wang Ming frowned at the thought.

Rumble—

His thoughts were cut short when the entire place began to shake.